StemCell Therapy

Ive blogged before on the stem cell wild west, or the concept that theres more misinformation on stem cells these days for patients and physicians than good information. Many colleagues act surprised when I tell them the FDA considers the stem cells that they are isolating from fat in their office an illegal unapproved drug. I then have to explain loads of information to them, so I thought that instead Id write a blog post about the topic and give everyone a link.

First, so far, looking at all of the data published by FDA and the existing and planned regulations, same day stem cell procedures using bone marrow dont seem to be impacted by any FDA rule changes. Second,for a much more detailed (and boring) technical discussion on the topic, see my recent paper published in the AAPMR journal. Ive also published another similar paper in the same journal (link here). Third, I have long disagreed with the FDAs position to regulate fat stem cells as a drug, as both papers describe. Having said that, the FDA gets to create the rules on this issue, so dont kill the messenger.

So whats the evidence that the FDA considers fat stem cells created at the bedside an unapproved drug? To understand this, you first have to understand that the agency created a line in the sand approach called manipulation. If what you do to cells crosses this line, then the cells (even those from the same patient and even if what you do occurs in the same surgical procedure in the doctors office) are considered a drug. TheFDA began making its position clear on this issue in 2011. The agency was asked by physicians wishing to process fat at the bedside to obtain stem cells to treat knee arthritis whether the process would make the cells a drug or would covered under the practice of medicine (i.e. not a drug). As you can see from reading the FDA response linked above, the FDA considered the cells a drug. A very similar response was obtained when a Maryland plastic surgeon asked if fat processed in his office to obtain stem cells for a cosmetic procedure would be a drug.

If the two above letters left any doubt in anyones mind that the FDA considered fat stem cells a drug, more recently, the FDA has issued several draft guidances to spell out its position. The most recent document seems to be aimedsquarely at doctors who believe that processing the patients own fat stem cells in their office isntthe manufacture of an illegal drug, but rather just the routine practice of medicine.

So heres a quote from that document:

Processing to isolate non-adipocyte or non-structural components from adipose tissue (with or without subsequent cell culture or expansion) is generally considered more than minimal manipulation. This is because the connective tissue and structural components of the adipose tissue are entirely removed from the non-adipocyte or non-structural isolates, thereby altering the original relevant characteristics relating to the tissues utility for reconstruction, repair, or replacement.

Still not clear? Try this paragraph:

Example A-1: Adipose tissue is recovered by tumescent liposuction. The adipose tissue undergoes processing or manipulation (e.g., enzymatic digestion, mechanical disruption, etc.) to isolate cellular components, commonly referred to as stromal vascular fraction, which is considered a potential source of adipose-derived stromal/stem cells for clinical therapeutic uses. This processing breaks down and eliminates the structural components that function to provide cushioning and support, thereby altering the original relevant characteristics of the HCT/P relating to its utility for reconstruction, repair, or replacement. Therefore, based on the definition of minimal manipulation for structural tissue, this processing would generally be considered more than minimal manipulation.

I can just hear the peanut gallery now, shouting, but wait, Im still covered as a doctor under the same surgical procedure exemption (21 CFR 1271.15(b))! What does this mean? The FDA carves out an exemption from the drug regulations for doctors who minimally process tissue during the same surgical procedure.

Read this article:
Are Fat Stem Cells a Drug? - Regenexx

Visual perception is the ability to interpret the surrounding environment by processing information that is contained in visible light. The resulting perception is also known as eyesight, sight, or vision (adjectival form: visual, optical, or ocular). The various physiological components involved in vision are referred to collectively as the visual system, and are the focus of much research in psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, and molecular biology, collectively referred to as vision science.

The visual system in animals allows individuals to assimilate information from their surroundings. The act of seeing starts when the lens of the eye focuses an image of its surroundings onto a light-sensitive membrane in the back of the eye, called the retina. The retina is actually part of the brain that is isolated to serve as a transducer for the conversion of patterns of light into neuronal signals. The lens of the eye focuses light on the photoreceptive cells of the retina, which detect the photons of light and respond by producing neural impulses. These signals are processed in a hierarchical fashion by different parts of the brain, from the retina upstream to central ganglia in the brain.

Note that up until now much of the above paragraph could apply to octopi, mollusks, worms, insects and things more primitive; anything with a more concentrated nervous system and better eyes than say a jellyfish. However, the following applies to mammals generally and birds (in modified form): The retina in these more complex animals sends fibers (the optic nerve) to the lateral geniculate nucleus, to the primary and secondary visual cortex of the brain. Signals from the retina can also travel directly from the retina to the superior colliculus.

The perception of objects and the totality of the visual scene is accomplished by the visual association cortex. The visual association cortex combines all sensory information perceived by the striate cortex which contains thousands of modules that are part of modular neural networks. The neurons in the striate cortex send axons to the extrastriate cortex, a region in the visual association cortex that surrounds the striate cortex.[1]

The major problem in visual perception is that what people see is not simply a translation of retinal stimuli (i.e., the image on the retina). Thus people interested in perception have long struggled to explain what visual processing does to create what is actually seen.

There were two major ancient Greek schools, providing a primitive explanation of how vision is carried out in the body.

The first was the "emission theory" which maintained that vision occurs when rays emanate from the eyes and are intercepted by visual objects. If an object was seen directly it was by 'means of rays' coming out of the eyes and again falling on the object. A refracted image was, however, seen by 'means of rays' as well, which came out of the eyes, traversed through the air, and after refraction, fell on the visible object which was sighted as the result of the movement of the rays from the eye. This theory was championed by scholars like Euclid and Ptolemy and their followers.

The second school advocated the so-called 'intro-mission' approach which sees vision as coming from something entering the eyes representative of the object. With its main propagators Aristotle, Galen and their followers, this theory seems to have some contact with modern theories of what vision really is, but it remained only a speculation lacking any experimental foundation.

Both schools of thought relied upon the principle that "like is only known by like", and thus upon the notion that the eye was composed of some "internal fire" which interacted with the "external fire" of visible light and made vision possible. Plato makes this assertion in his dialogue Timaeus, as does Aristotle, in his De Sensu.[2]

Alhazen (965c. 1040) carried out many investigations and experiments on visual perception, extended the work of Ptolemy on binocular vision, and commented on the anatomical works of Galen.[3][4]

Continued here:
Visual perception - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

TABLE OF CONTENTS Aug 2012 By: Blake Nicolucci, BSc, DDS2012-08-01

Ive been wondering what could possibly become the next evolution in dental implantology. At present, most dental implant companies have been flogging the same materials, shapes, and coatings and then simply putting their name on the new product. The growth in the number of implant companies in recent years has created greater competition and lower market prices for the dentist. But to excel it is not enough to just be competitive in the market. There must be more research and innovation for a company to remain viable, desirable and ahead of the curve.

Stem cell research is not a new medical entity by any means. There has been extensive research for many years now in the areas of orthopedics, cardiology, neurology and internal medicine. It has only been recently that the dental field has taken a harder look at stem cells and their use not only in promoting more predictable bone grafting but in the reconstruction of the entire dental follicle. Before this, research on stem cells was being concentrated on the healing of diseased and/or traumatized tissues and organs. More recently, stem cells have been used to grow complete and functional organs such as hearts (in mice) and are now being used in an experimental basis to repair heart muscle in human patients who have had massive heart attacks. They are trying to regenerate the dead portion of the ventricular muscle back from its scar tissue state (a result of blood loss after blockage of the LAD artery) to a healed and normal functioning muscle. This therapy is now in clinical trials in Kentucky and California, but it shouldnt be too long before it is established as a viable medical procedure. Toronto has now started a cardiac stem cell program of its own. In the U.S. studies, stem cells are harvested from the septum of the heart (between the atria) and are therefore already in a cardiac ready mode to reproduce cells. These cells are then injected around the scar tissue in the ventricle in some 12 to 15 circumferential positions. The results have been very promising with some patients reportedly having an increased cardiac ejection fraction of up to 50% so that a person with an ejection fraction of 20% could increase their fraction to 30%.

All of this new medical research has stimulated the dental research community to investigate tooth reproduction from stem cells even further. Replacement of the entire tooth (root, crown, pulp, and periodontal structures) has become the focus of research by some of the more state of the art companies who might be afraid that the standard titanium dental implants will become obsolete in the future. Researchers from the Institute of Biotechnology at the University of Helsinki have had overwhelming success in the process of generating teeth in mammals, and it will only be a short time before this is established in humans (please understand that a short time in research standards can translate into decades for you and I).

The process of producing a tooth is very complex and has many different aspects. As such, there are many different approaches taken by the different researchers and research facilities. Stem cells have been extracted from bone marrow and have been found to have osteogenic precursors. These mesenchymal progenitor cells have the potential to differentiate into multiple tissue types such as bone, cartilage, adipose tissue, connective tissue and skeletal muscle.

The statement control of morphogenesis and cyto-differentiation is a challenge to me is an understatement. I tip my hat to all of the researchers who have taken it upon themselves to investigate the regeneration of teeth in humans. At Columbia University Medical Center, Dr. Jeremy Mao is researching a technique in which growth-factor covered three-dimensional scaffolding is being used to act as a cell-homing device. This mesh shaped tooth is implanted into the host tissue, and within nine weeks, significant growth and maturation has occurred. This has been accomplished outside the body (in a Petri dish) and in vivo. Once formation has been completed outside the body, they are then able to transplant the structure to a specific site in the jaw.

What does this mean to me and my practice today? I hope you realize that this is the future of dental implantology. Onward and upward! Progress! Dental implants have been a major part of my life for over 30 years now. This atypical research and development has intrigued me since its inception, and if you are involved in implant dentistry, then you too should be aware of these facts, since this will impact us all in some way in the future! I hope that during my lifetime I will be a part of this new world of dental implants and be able to use stem cells to replace missing teeth in my patients. This is really an exciting frontier! OH

See the original post here:
Stem Cells and Dental Implants - Oral Health Group

Blindness facts Blindness is strictly defined as the state of being totally sightless in both eyes. A completely blind individual is unable to see at all. The word blindness, however, is commonly used as a relative term to signify visual impairment, or low vision, meaning that even with eyeglasses, contact lenses, medicine or surgery, a person does not see well. Vision impairment can range from mild to severe. Worldwide, between 300 million and 400 million people are visually impaired due to various causes. Of this group, approximately 50 million people are totally blind, unable to see light in either eye. Eighty percent of blindness occurs in people over 50 years old. Common causes of blindness include diabetes, macular degeneration, traumatic injuries, infections, glaucoma, and inability to obtain any glasses. Less common causes of blindness include vitamin A deficiency, retinopathy of prematurity, vascular disease involving the retina or optic nerve including stroke, ocular inflammatory disease, retinitis pigmentosa, primary or secondary malignancies of the eye, congenital abnormalities, hereditary diseases of the eye, and chemical poisoning from toxic agents such as methanol. Temporary blindness differs in causes from permanent blindness. The diagnosis of blindness is made by examination of all parts of the eye by an ophthalmologist. The universal symptom of blindness or visual impairment is difficulty with seeing. People who lose their vision suddenly, rather than over a period of years, are more symptomatic regarding their visual loss. The treatment of blindness depends on the cause of blindness. The prognosis for blindness is dependent on its cause. Legal blindness is defined by lawmakers in nations or states in order to either limit allowable activities, such as driving, of individuals who are "legally blind" or to provide preferential governmental benefits to those people in the form of special educational services, assistance with daily functions or monetary assistance. It is estimated that approximately 700,000 people in the United States meet the legal definition of blindness. In most states in the United States, "legal blindness" is defined as the inability to see at least 20/200 in either eye with best optical correction. Between 80%-90% of the blindness in the world is preventable through a combination of education, access to good medical care, and provision of glasses. Patients who have untreatable blindness require reorganization of their habits and re-education to allow them to do everyday tasks in different ways. In the United States and most other developed nations, financial assistance through various agencies can pay for the training and support necessary to allow a blind person to function. There are countless individuals with blindness, who, despite significant visual handicaps, have had full lives and enriched the lives of those who have had contact with them. What is blindness?

Blindness is defined as the state of being sightless. A blind individual is unable to see. In a strict sense the word "blindness" denotes the inability of a person to distinguish darkness from bright light in either eye. The terms blind and blindness have been modified in our society to include a wide range of visual impairment. Blindness is frequently used today to describe severe visual decline in one or both eyes with maintenance of some residual vision.

Vision impairment, or low vision, means that even with eyeglasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery, someone doesn't see well. Vision impairment can range from mild to severe. Worldwide, between 300 million-400 million people are visually impaired due to various causes. Of this group, approximately 50 million people are totally blind. Approximately 80% of blindness occurs in people over 50 years of age.

Medically Reviewed by a Doctor on 2/25/2015

Blindness - Causes Question: Please discuss the cause of blindness in a relative or friend?

Blindness - Diagnosis Question: Discuss the events that led to a diagnosis of blindness.

Blindness - Treatment Question: Please discuss treatments for blindness received by you or someone you know.

Blindness - Legally Blind Question: Please discuss in what ways being "legally blind" has affected your lifestyle.

Medical Author:

Andrew A. Dahl, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist. Dr. Dahl's educational background includes a BA with Honors and Distinction from Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, and an MD from Cornell University, where he was selected for Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society. He had an internal medical internship at the New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center.

The rest is here:
Blindness: Get Facts About Causes of Vision Loss

Blindness is a 2008 Canadian film in English. It is an adaptation of the 1995 novel of the same name by Portuguese author Jos Saramago about a society suffering an epidemic of blindness. The film was written by Don McKellar and directed by Fernando Meirelles with Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo as the main characters. Saramago originally refused to sell the rights for a film adaptation, but the producers were able to acquire it with the condition that the film would be set in an unnamed and unrecognizable city. Blindness premiered as the opening film at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14, 2008, and the film was released in the United States on October 3, 2008.

In an unnamed city, a young Japanese professional (Yusuke Iseya) is suddenly struck blind for no apparent reason. The Japanese man is approached by a few concerned people, one of whom (Don McKellar) offers to drive him home, and later steals his car. The blinded man describes his sudden affliction: an expanse of dazzling white, as though he is "swimming in milk".

Upon arriving home later that evening and noticing her husband's blindness, the Japanese man's wife (Yoshino Kimura) takes him to a local ophthalmologist (Mark Ruffalo) who, after testing the man's eyes, can identify nothing wrong with his sight and recommends further evaluation at a hospital. Among the doctor's patients are an old man with a black eye-patch (Danny Glover), a woman with dark glasses (Alice Braga), and a young boy (Mitchell Nye).

During a dinner with his wife (Julianne Moore), the doctor discusses the strange case of sudden blindness that hit the Japanese man. Elsewhere in the city, the woman with dark glassesrevealed to be a call-girlbecomes the third victim of the strange blindness after an appointment with a john in a luxury hotel.

The next day, the doctor wakes up to realize that he too has gone blind. In various locations around the city, more citizens are struck blind, causing widespread panic, and the government organizes a quarantine for the blind in a local derelict asylum. When a hazmat crew arrives to pick up the doctor, his wife climbs into the van with him, lying that she has also gone blind in order to accompany him into isolation.

In the asylum, the doctor and his wife are first to arrive and both agree they will keep her sight a secret. Several others arrive: the woman with dark glasses, the Japanese man, the car thief, and the young boy. The doctor's wifewho continues to remain sightedcomes across the old man with the eye-patch, who describes the condition of the world outside. The sudden blindness, known only as the "white sickness", is now international, with hundreds of cases being reported every day. Desperate by this point, the increasingly totalitarian government resorts to increasingly ruthless measures to try to staunch the epidemic, refusing the sick any aid or medicines.

In due course, as more and more blind people are crammed into the fetid prison, overcrowding and total lack of any outside support cause the hygiene and living conditions to degrade horrifically in a short time. Soon, the walls and floors are caked in filth and human feces. Anxiety over the availability of food, caused by irregular deliveries, undermines the morale inside. The lack of organization prevents the blind internees from fairly distributing food among each other. The soldiers who guard the asylum become increasingly hostile.

Living conditions degenerate even further when an armed clique of men, led by an ex-barman who declares himself the king of ward 3 (Gael Garca Bernal), gains control over the sparse deliveries of food. The MRE rations are distributed only in exchange for valuables, and then for the women of the other wards. Faced with starvation, the doctor's wife snaps and murders the king of ward 3. His death initiates a chaotic war between the wards, which culminates with the asylum being burned down and most of the inmates die in the fire. Only then do the few survivors discover that the military have abandoned their posts and they are free to venture into the city.

Society has fallen as the entire population is blind amid a city devastated and overrun with filth and dead bodies. The doctor's wife leads her husband and several others in search of food and shelter. The doctor and his wife arrive in a supermarket filled with stumbling blind people, and they find food in a basement storeroom. As she prepares to leave and meet her husband outside, she is attacked by the starving people who smell the food she is carrying. Her husband, now used to his blindness, saves her and they manage to return to their friends.

The doctor and his wife with their new "family" eventually make their way back to the house of the doctor, where they establish a permanent home. Just as suddenly as his sight had been lost, the Japanese man recovers his sight one morning. As the friends all celebrate, the doctor's wife stands out on the porch, staring up into a white overcast sky and for a moment appears to be going blind herself until the video camera shifts downwards, revealing that she sees the cityscape before her.

Read this article:
Blindness (film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Have you ever put on a blindfold and pretended that you couldn't see? You probably bumped into things and got confused about which way you were going. But if you had to, you could get adjusted and learn to live without your sight.

Lots of people have done just that. They have found ways to learn, play, and work, even though they have trouble seeing or can't see at all.

Your eyes and your brain work together to see. The eye is made up of many different parts, including the cornea, iris, lens, and retina. These parts all work together to focus on light and images. Your eyes then use special nerves to send what you see to your brain, so your brain can process and recognize what you're seeing. In eyes that work correctly, this process happens almost instantly.

When this doesn't work the way it should, a person may be visually impaired, or blind. The problem may affect one eye or both eyes.

When you think of being blind, you might imagine total darkness. But most people who are blind can still see a little light or shadows. They just can't see things clearly. People who have some sight, but still need a lot of help, are sometimes called "legally blind."

Vision problems can develop before a baby is born. Sometimes, parts of the eyes don't form the way they should. A kid's eyes might look fine, but the brain has trouble processing the information they send. The optic nerve sends pictures to the brain, so if the nerve doesn't form correctly, the baby's brain won't receive the messages needed for sight.

Blindness can be genetic (or inherited), which means that this problem gets passed down to a kid from parents through genes.

Blindness also can be caused by an accident, if something hurts the eye. That's why it's so important to protect your eyes when you play certain sports, such as hockey.

Some illnesses, such as diabetes, can damage a person's vision over time. Other eye diseases, such as cataracts (say: KAH-tuh-rakts), can cause vision problems or blindness, but they usually affect older people.

Continued here:
Blindness - KidsHealth

Pamela Peters, from Biotechnology: A Guide To Genetic Engineering. Wm. C. Brown Publishers, Inc., 1993.

Biotechnology in one form or another has flourished since prehistoric times. When the first human beings realized that they could plant their own crops and breed their own animals, they learned to use biotechnology. The discovery that fruit juices fermented into wine, or that milk could be converted into cheese or yogurt, or that beer could be made by fermenting solutions of malt and hops began the study of biotechnology. When the first bakers found that they could make a soft, spongy bread rather than a firm, thin cracker, they were acting as fledgling biotechnologists. The first animal breeders, realizing that different physical traits could be either magnified or lost by mating appropriate pairs of animals, engaged in the manipulations of biotechnology.

What then is biotechnology? The term brings to mind many different things. Some think of developing new types of animals. Others dream of almost unlimited sources of human therapeutic drugs. Still others envision the possibility of growing crops that are more nutritious and naturally pest-resistant to feed a rapidly growing world population. This question elicits almost as many first-thought responses as there are people to whom the question can be posed.

In its purest form, the term "biotechnology" refers to the use of living organisms or their products to modify human health and the human environment. Prehistoric biotechnologists did this as they used yeast cells to raise bread dough and to ferment alcoholic beverages, and bacterial cells to make cheeses and yogurts and as they bred their strong, productive animals to make even stronger and more productive offspring.

Throughout human history, we have learned a great deal about the different organisms that our ancestors used so effectively. The marked increase in our understanding of these organisms and their cell products gains us the ability to control the many functions of various cells and organisms. Using the techniques of gene splicing and recombinant DNA technology, we can now actually combine the genetic elements of two or more living cells. Functioning lengths of DNA can be taken from one organism and placed into the cells of another organism. As a result, for example, we can cause bacterial cells to produce human molecules. Cows can produce more milk for the same amount of feed. And we can synthesize therapeutic molecules that have never before existed.

Go to next story: Where Did Biotechnology Begin?

Return to About Biotech directory

See more here:
What is Biotechnology ? - Access Excellence

Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation; plural: arthritides) is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints.[1][2] There are over 100 different forms of arthritis.[3][4] The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease), a result of trauma to the joint, infection of the joint, or age. Other arthritis forms are rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and related autoimmune diseases. Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection.

The major complaint by individuals who have arthritis is joint pain. Pain is often a constant and may be localized to the joint affected. The pain from arthritis is due to inflammation that occurs around the joint, damage to the joint from disease, daily wear and tear of joint, muscle strains caused by forceful movements against stiff painful joints and fatigue.

There are several diseases where joint pain is primary, and is considered the main feature. Generally when a person has "arthritis" it means that they have one of these diseases, which include:

Joint pain can also be a symptom of other diseases. In this case, the arthritis is considered to be secondary to the main disease; these include:

An undifferentiated arthritis is an arthritis that does not fit into well-known clinical disease categories, possibly being an early stage of a definite rheumatic disease.[5]

Pain, which can vary in severity, is a common symptom in virtually all types of arthritis. Other symptoms include swelling, joint stiffness and aching around the joint(s). Arthritic disorders like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis can affect other organs in the body, leading to a variety of symptoms.[7] Symptoms may include:

It is common in advanced arthritis for significant secondary changes to occur. For example, arthritic symptoms might make it difficult for a person to move around and/or exercise, which can lead to secondary effects, such as:

These changes, in addition to the primary symptoms, can have a huge impact on quality of life.

Arthritis is the most common cause of disability in the USA. More than 20 million individuals with arthritis have severe limitations in function on a daily basis.[8]Absenteeism and frequent visits to the physician are common in individuals who have arthritis. Arthritis can make it very difficult for individuals to be physically active and some become home bound.

It is estimated that the total cost of arthritis cases is close to $100 billion of which almost 50% is from lost earnings. Each year, arthritis results in nearly 1 million hospitalizations and close to 45 million outpatient visits to health care centers.[9]

See the rest here:
Arthritis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stem cell facts Stem cells are primitive cells that have the potential to differentiate, or develop into, a variety of specific cell types. There are different types of stem cells based upon their origin and ability to differentiate. Bone marrow transplantation is an example of a stem cell therapy that is in widespread use. Research is underway to determine whether stem cell therapy may be useful in treating a wide variety of conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's disease, and spinal cord injury. What are stem cells?

Stem cells are cells that have the potential to develop into many different or specialized cell types. Stem cells can be thought of as primitive, "unspecialized" cells that are able to divide and become specialized cells of the body such as liver cells, muscle cells, blood cells, and other cells with specific functions. Stem cells are referred to as "undifferentiated" cells because they have not yet committed to a developmental path that will form a specific tissue or organ. The process of changing into a specific cell type is known as differentiation. In some areas of the body, stem cells divide regularly to renew and repair the existing tissue. The bone marrow and gastrointestinal tract are examples areas in which stem cells function to renew and repair tissue.

The best and most readily understood example of a stem cell in humans is that of the fertilized egg, or zygote. A zygote is a single cell that is formed by the union of a sperm and ovum. The sperm and the ovum each carry half of the genetic material required to form a new individual. Once that single cell or zygote starts dividing, it is known as an embryo. One cell becomes two, two become four, four become eight, eight to sixteen, and so on; doubling rapidly until it ultimately creates the entire sophisticated organism. That organism, a person, is an immensely complicated structure consisting of many, many, billions of cells with functions as diverse as those of your eyes, your heart, your immune system, the color of your skin, your brain, etc. All of the specialized cells that make up these body systems are descendants of the original zygote, a stem cell with the potential to ultimately develop into all kinds of body cells. The cells of a zygote are totipotent, meaning that they have the capacity to develop into any type of cell in the body.

The process by which stem cells commit to become differentiated, or specialized, cells is complex and involves the regulation of gene expression. Research is ongoing to further understand the molecular events and controls necessary for stem cells to become specialized cell types.

Medically Reviewed by a Doctor on 1/23/2014

Stem Cells - Experience Question: Please describe your experience with stem cells.

Stem Cells - Umbilical Cord Question: Have you had your child's umbilical cord blood banked? Please share your experience.

Stem Cells - Available Therapies Question: Did you or someone you know have stem cell therapy? Please discuss your experience.

Medical Author:

Melissa Conrad Stppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

Here is the original post:
Stem Cells: Get Facts on Uses, Types, and Therapies

Sports medicine, also known as sport and exercise medicine, is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness and the treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise. Although most sports teams have employed team physicians for many years, it is only since the late 20th century that sports medicine has emerged as a distinct field of health care.

Sport and exercise medicine doctors are specialist physicians who have completed medical school, appropriate residency training and then specialize further in sports medicine or 'sports and exercise medicine' (the preferred term). Specialization in sports medicine may be a doctor's first specialty (as in Australia, Netherlands, Norway). It may also be a sub-specialty or second specialisation following a specialisation such as physiatry or orthopedic surgery. The various approaches reflect the medical culture in different countries.

Specialising in the treatment of athletes and other physically active individuals, sports and exercise medicine physicians have extensive education in musculoskeletal medicine. SEM doctors treat injuries such as muscle, ligament, tendon and bone problems, but may also treat chronic illnesses that can affect physical performance, such as asthma and diabetes. SEM doctors also advise on managing and preventing injuries.

Specialists in SEM diagnose and treat any medical conditions which regular exercisers or sports persons encounter. The majority of a SEM physicians' time is therefore spent treating musculoskeletal injuries, however other conditions include sports cardiology issues, unexplained underperformance syndrome, exercise-induced asthma, screening for cardiac abnormalities and diabetes in sports. In addition team physicians working in elite sports often play a role in performance medicine, whereby an athletes' physiology is monitored, and aberrations corrected, in order to achieve peak physical performance.

SEM consultants also deliver clinical physical activity interventions, negating the burden of disease directly attributable to physical inactivity and the compelling evidence for the effectiveness of exercise in the primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of disease

The Foresight Report[1] issued by the Government Office for Science, 17 October 2007, highlighted the unsustainable health and economic costs of a nation that continues to be largely sedentary. It forecasts that the incremental costs of this inactivity will be 10 billion per year by 2050 and the wider costs to society and businesses 49.9billion. Physical inactivity inevitably leads to ill-health and it forecasts the cost of paying for this impact will be unsustainable in the future. No existing group of medical specialists is equipped with the skills and training to deal with this challenge.

The concept of Exercise as Health tool or [2] is becoming increasingly important. SEM Physicians are able to evaluate medical patients co-morbidities, perform exercise testing and provide an exercise prescription, together with a motivational programme and exercise classes.

SEM physicians are frequently involved in promoting the therapeutic benefits of physical activity, exercise and sport for the individuals and communities. SEM Physicians in the UK spend a period of their training in public health, and advise public health physicians on matters relating to physical activity promotion. An example of published work includes the Royal College of [3] publication [4]

Concussion- caused by severe head injury where the brain moves violently within the skull so that brain cells all fire at once, much like a seizure

Muscle Cramps- a sudden tight, intense pain caused by a muscle locked in spasm. Muscle cramps are also recognized as an involuntary and forcibly contracted muscle that does not relax

See more here:
Sports medicine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

What makes cancer cells different, and dangerous? Among the myriad genetic alterations observed in tumors, only some propel cancer cells to proliferate abnormally, survive inappropriately and resist the drugs administered to destroy them. Furthermore, every cancer is different, as multiple pathways can lead to the same lethal conclusion. To know which alterations represent important therapeutic targets, we need to understand their place in the vast molecular network that underpins cellular function. We are using multiple genomic, proteomic, computational, and in vivo approaches to build a comprehensive wiring diagram for cancer cells and their molecular environment. This blueprint will lead us to better, more sophisticated strategies to control individual cancers and combat drug resistance.

Featured Faculty: Matthew Vander Heiden

Learn more about the Vander Heiden lab and their efforts to better understand cancer cell metabolism and how small molecules might be used to activate enzymes and restore the normal state of cells.

Participating Intramural Faculty

To browse recent publications by these and other Koch Institute faculty members, visitProgress, our monthly research review.

Read more from the original source:
The Koch Institute: Personalized Medicine - David ...

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Poster Submission Deadline: 23 September 2015

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Samir Hanash, Director, Red & Charline McCombs Institute for the Early Detection & Treatment of Cancer, MD Anderson Cancer Center Sherry Yang, Chief, National Clinical Target Validation Laboratory, National Cancer Institute Jeremy Segal, Director of Bioinformatics, Division of Genomic and Molecular Pathology, University of Chicago Valerie Taly, Group Leader/Researcher, Universite Paris Descartes Reinhard Bttner, Director, Cologne University Hospital Catherine Alix-Panabieres, Associate Professor, University Medical Center of Montpellier Julia Stingl, Professor/Director of the Division of Research, BfArM Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices Edith Schallmeiner, Global Team Director - NPT, Novartis Arijit Chakravarty, Director, Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co Ltd Ryan Richardson, Healthcare Investment Banking Associate, J.P. Morgan Leeza Osipenko, Associate Director, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

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Personalized Medicine and its Impact in the Clinic

I entered a noble profession, made so by the efforts of my parents and my commitment to healing. I have followed generations of men and women who unselfishly sought to do their best for mankind. Much has been done in conventional medicine. More than twenty years ago a new door was opened the field of integrative medicine. The possibilities in helping mankind are endless. Never has the outlook for the combination of conventional and integrative medicine been better, thus making treatment options endless.

- Patrick M. Fratellone MD RH (AHG) FIM

Follow along as Dr. Fratellone blogs the importance of quality nutritionals and botanicals in your diet. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out.

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Dr. Fratellone knows the importance of research and sharing his knowledge, take a look at the books, magazines, papers and more that he has been published in.

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Get healthy eating ideas and additional personalized information surrounding healthy living directly from Fratellone Medical Asociates.

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Headed by Executive Medical Director Patrick Fratellone, MD RH (AHG) FIM,Fratellone Medical Associates is a collaboration of health care practitioners dedicated to integrating the highest standards of conventional, complementaryand alternative medicine.

Dr. Fratellone may well be one of the most outstanding complementary cardiologists in the nation.

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Fratellone Medical Associates

PAPERS

PAPER NO. 91

MRI of the Semitendinosus and Gracilis Tendons Minimum Six Years After Autograft Harvest for ACL Reconstruction

Martina Ahlen, MD, Uddevalla, Sweden Mattias Liden, MD, Uddevalla, Sweden ke Bovaller, MD, Trollhattan, Sweden Ninni Sernert, RPT, Trollhattan, Sweden Juri Kartus, MD, Trollhattan, Sweden

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to investigate to what extent the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons had regenerated a minimum of six years after harvest for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. The place of insertion and the area of the regenerated tendons were compared with the normal contra lateral side. To evaluate the function of the regenerated tendons, the strength in knee flexion and internal rotation of the tibia were measured on both sides. METHODS: Twenty patients (nine female and 11 male) who had undergone ipsilateral ACL reconstruction a minimum six years earlier, median 8.5 (6-11), using semitendinosus and gracilis autografts underwent bilateral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of their knees. An experienced independent muscleoskeletal radiologist evaluated all MRI examinations. Strength measurements in deep knee flexion and internal rotation were performed. RESULTS: The semitendinosus tendon had regenerated in 18/20 (90%) and the gracilis tendon in 19/20 (95%) of the patients as seen on MRI. There were no significant differences between the insertion place of the tendons on the operated and non-operated side. The cross sectional areas of the regenerated tendons revealed no significant differences compared to the normal tendons on the contralateral side, as measured 4 cm above the joint line. The patients were significantly weaker in deep knee flexion at 60 and 180 deg/s but stronger in internal rotation of the tibia at 60 deg/s in the operated leg compared to the non-operated knee. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The semitendinosus and gracilis tendons regenerated in the majority of patients and regained a nearly normal insertion place on the pes anserinus minimum six years after harvest. The regenerated tendons had a cross-sectional area similar to the non-operated contralateral side. The patients revealed a strength deficit in deep knee flexion but not in internal rotation.

PAPER NO. 92

Double-bundle ACL Reconstruction Cannot Prevent Osteoarthritis Compared with Single-bundle Technique

Jong-Keun Seon, MD, Hwasun, Republic of Korea Eun-Kyoo K. Song, MD, Hwasungun, Republic of Korea Chan-Hee Park, Jeonnam, Republic of Korea Kyung-Do Kang, Hwasun, Republic of Korea

INTRODUCTION: The intent of double-bundle (DB) anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is to reproduce the normal ACL anatomy and improve knee joint rotational stability, and eventually prevent osteoarthritis after surgery. However, no consensus has been reached on the advantages of this technique over the single-bundle (SB) technique, especially for prevention of osteoarthritis after ACL reconstruction. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether DB ACL reconstruction can prevent osteoarthritis or failure after ACL reconstruction compared with SB technique. METHODS: One-hundred-thirty patients with ACL injury in one knee were recruited for this prospective study. Among them, 112 patients who were followed up with a minimum of four years (DB group; n=52 vs. SB group; n=60). Both groups were comparable with regard to preoperative data. We evaluated the stability result regarding Lachman test, Pivot shift test, and instrumented laxity based on Telos device. And we also compared Functional outcomes based on Lysholm knee scores, Tegner activity scores, and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective form scale. For the radiologic evaluation, we determined the degree of osteoarthritis based on Kellgren and Lawrence grade system at the time of final follow up and compared the number of patients with progression of osteoarthritis more than grade I. All of the operations were performed by one experienced orthopedic surgeon, and all clinical assessments were made by two independent examiners. RESULTS: All the patients recovered full range of motion within six months from surgery. Stability results of the Lachman test, pivot-shift test, and knee joint laxity test failed to reveal any significant intergroup differences (P > 0.05). In the pivot-shift result, double-bundle group showed four cases of grade II and single-bundle three cases of grade II (p=0.27). Clinical outcomes including Lysholm knee and Tegner activity scores were similar in the two groups (P > 0.05). However, statistical significance was only achieved for the IKDC subjective form scale (78.2 DB vs 73.1 SB; P=0.03). Concerning osteoarthritis at the final follow up, five patients (10%) in the DB group and six patients (12%) in the SB group progressed osteoarthritis more than one Kellgren-Lawrence grade at final follow up (P=.75). Eight patients (four in the DB group and two in the SB group) had graft failure during the follow up and had anterior cruciate ligament revision surgery (P = 0.06). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This trial showed that DB ACL reconstruction cant prevent osteoarthritis progression compared with SB technique and the failure rate of the ACL reconstruction. Although DB ACL reconstruction produces better IKDC subjective form than SB ACL reconstruction, the two modalities were found to be similar in terms of clinical outcomes and stabilities after a minimum of four years of follow up.

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Sports Medicine - iPosters Highlights

Although advances in genetic testing have improved doctors' ability to diagnose and treat certain illnesses, there are still some limits. Genetic tests can identify a particular problem gene, but can't always predict how severely that gene will affect the person who carries it. In cystic fibrosis, for example, finding a problem gene on chromosome number 7 can't necessarily predict whether a child will have serious lung problems or milder respiratory symptoms.

Also, simply having problem genes is only half the story because many illnesses develop from a mix of high-risk genes and environmental factors. Knowing that you carry high-risk genes may actually be an advantage if it gives you the chance to modify your lifestyle to avoid becoming sick.

As research continues, genes are being identified that put people at risk for illnesses like cancer, heart disease, psychiatric disorders, and many other medical problems. The hope is that someday it will be possible to develop specific types of gene therapy to totally prevent some diseases and illnesses.

Gene therapy is already being used studied as a possible way to treat conditions like cystic fibrosis, cancer, and ADA deficiency (an immune deficiency), sickle cell disease, hemophilia, and thalassemia. However, severe complications have occurred in some patients receiving gene therapy, so current research with gene therapy is very carefully controlled.

Although genetic treatments for some conditions may be a long way off, there is still great hope that many more genetic cures will be found. The Human Genome Project, which was completed in 2003, identified and mapped out all of the genes (about 25,000) carried in our human chromosomes. The map is just the start, but it's a very hopeful beginning.

Reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MD Date reviewed: April 2014 Originally reviewed by: Louis E. Bartoshesky, MD, MPH

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Genetics and Genetic Testing - KidsHealth

While scientific progress on molecular biology has a great potential to increase our understanding of nature and provide new medical tools, it should not be used as justification to turn the environment into a giant genetic experiment by commercial interests. The biodiversity and environmental integrity of the world's food supply is too important to our survival to be put at risk. What's wrong with genetic engineering (GE)?

Genetic engineering enables scientists to create plants, animals and micro-organisms by manipulating genes in a way that does not occur naturally.

These genetically modified organisms (GMOs) can spread through nature and interbreed with natural organisms, thereby contaminating non 'GE' environments and future generations in an unforeseeable and uncontrollable way.

Their release is 'genetic pollution' and is a major threat because GMOs cannot be recalled once released into the environment.

Because of commercial interests, the public is being denied the right to know about GE ingredients in the food chain, and therefore losing the right to avoid them despite the presence of labelling laws in certain countries.

Biological diversity must be protected and respected as the global heritage of humankind, and one of our world's fundamental keys to survival. Governments are attempting to address the threat of GE with international regulations such as the Biosafety Protocol.

April 2010: Farmers, environmentalists and consumers from all over Spain demonstrate in Madrid under the slogan "GMO-free agriculture." They demand the Government to follow the example of countries like France, Germany or Austria, and ban the cultivation of GM maize in Spain.

GMOs should not be released into the environment since there is not an adequate scientific understanding of their impact on the environment and human health.

We advocate immediate interim measures such as labelling of GE ingredients, and the segregation of genetically engineered crops and seeds from conventional ones.

We also oppose all patents on plants, animals and humans, as well as patents on their genes. Life is not an industrial commodity. When we force life forms and our world's food supply to conform to human economic models rather than their natural ones, we do so at our own peril.

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Genetic Engineering | Greenpeace International

This information is not meant to be a substitute for veterinary care. Always follow the instructions provided by your veterinarian.

Diabetes mellitus occurs when the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin. Insulin is required for the body to efficiently use sugars, fats and proteins.

Diabetes most commonly occurs in middle age to older dogs and cats, but occasionally occurs in young animals. When diabetes occurs in young animals, it is often genetic and may occur in related animals. Diabetes mellitus occurs more commonly in female dogs and in male cats.

Certain conditions predispose a dog or cat to developing diabetes. Animals that are overweight or those with inflammation of the pancreas are predisposed to developing diabetes. Some drugs can interfere with insulin, leading to diabetes. Glucocorticoids, which are cortisone-type drugs, and hormones used for heat control are drugs that are most likely to cause diabetes. These are commonly used drugs and only a small percentage of animals receiving these drugs develop diabetes after long term use.

The body needs insulin to use sugar, fat and protein from the diet for energy. Without insulin, sugar accumulates in the blood and spills into the urine. Sugar in the urine causes the pet to pass large amounts of urine and to drink lots of water. Levels of sugar in the brain control appetite. Without insulin, the brain becomes sugar deprived and the animal is constantly hungry, yet they may lose weight due to improper use of nutrients from the diet. Untreated diabetic pets are more likely to develop infections and commonly get bladder, kidney, or skin infections. Diabetic dogs, and rarely cats, can develop cataracts in the eyes. Cataracts are caused by the accumulation of water in the lens and can lead to blindness. Fat accumulates in the liver of animals with diabetes. Less common signs of diabetes are weakness or abnormal gait due to nerve or muscle dysfunction. There are two major forms of diabetes in the dog and cat: 1) uncomplicated diabetes and 2) diabetes with ketoacidosis. Pets with uncomplicated diabetes may have the signs just described but are not extremely ill. Diabetic pets with ketoacidosis are very ill and may be vomiting and depressed.

The diagnosis of diabetes is made by finding a large increase in blood sugar and a large amount of sugar in the urine. Animals, especially cats, stressed by having a blood sample drawn, can have a temporary increase in blood sugar, but there is no sugar in the urine. A blood screen of other organs is obtained to look for changes in the liver, kidney and pancreas. A urine sample may be cultured to look for infection of the kidneys or bladder. Diabetic patients with ketoacidosis may have an elevation of waste products that are normally removed by the kidneys.

The treatment is different for patients with uncomplicated diabetes and those with ketoacidosis. Ketoacidotic diabetics are treated with intravenous fluids and rapid acting insulin. This treatment is continued until the pet is no longer vomiting and is eating, then the treatment is the same as for uncomplicated diabetes.

the inset picture shows the top of the insulin bottle

Diabetes is managed long term by the injection of insulin by the owner once or twice a day. Some diabetic cats can be treated with oral medications instead of insulin injections, but the oral medications are rarely effective in the dog. There are three general types of insulin used in dogs and cats:

In general, cats and small dogs need insulin injections more frequently, usually twice daily, compared to large breed dogs that may only require one dose of insulin daily. The action of insulin varies in each individual and some large dogs will need 2 insulin shots daily. The insulin needs of the individual animal are determined by collecting small amounts of blood for glucose (sugar) levels every 1-2 hours for 12-24 hours. This is called an insulin-glucose-response curve. When insulin treatment is first begun, it is often necessary to perform several insulin-glucose-response curves to determine:

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Diabetes mellitus

1. Introduction

Neuromuscular disease is a very broad term that encompasses many diseases and aliments that either directly, via intrinsic muscle pathology, or indirectly, via nerve pathology, impair the functioning of the muscles. Neuromuscular diseases affect the muscles and/or their nervous control and lead to problems with movement. Many are genetic; sometimes, an immune system disorder can cause them. As they have no cure, the aim of clinical treatment is to improve symptoms, increase mobility and lengthen life. Some of them affect the anterior horn cell, and are classified as acquired (e.g. poliomyelitis) and hereditary (e.g. spinal muscular atrophy) diseases. SMA is a genetic disease that attacks nerve cells, called motor neurons, in the spinal cord. As a consequence of the lost of the neurons, muscles weakness becomes to be evident, affecting walking, crawling, breathing, swallowing and head and neck control. Neuropathies affect the peripheral nerve and are divided into demyelinating (e.g. leucodystrophies) and axonal (e.g. porphyria) diseases. Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is the most frequent hereditary form among the neuropathies and its characterized by a wide range of symptoms so that CMT-1a is classified as demyelinating and CMT-2 as axonal (Marchesi & Pareyson, 2010). Defects in neuromuscular junctions cause infantile and non-infantile Botulism and Myasthenia Gravis (MG). MG is a antibody-mediated autoimmune disorder of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) (Drachman, 1994; Meriggioli & Sanders, 2009). In most cases, it is caused by pathogenic autoantibodies directed towards the skeletal muscle acetylcholine receptor (AChR) (Patrick & Lindstrom, 1973) while in others, non-AChR components of the postsynaptic muscle endplate, such as the muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase (MUSK), might serve as targets for the autoimmune attack (Hoch et al., 2001). Although the precise origin of the autoimmune response in MG is not known, genetic predisposition and abnormalities of the thymus gland such as hyperplasia and neoplasia could have an important role in the onset of the disease (Berrih et al., 1984; Roxanis et al., 2001).

Several diseases affect muscles: they are classified as acquired (e.g. dermatomyositis and polymyositis) and hereditary (e.g. myotonic disorders and myopaties) forms. Among the myopaties, muscular dystrophies are characterized by the primary wasting of skeletal muscle, caused by mutations in the proteins that form the link between the cytoskeleton and the basal lamina (Cossu & Sampaolesi, 2007). Mutations in the dystrophin gene cause severe form of hereditary muscular diseases; the most common are Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and Becker Muscular Dystrophy (BMD). DMD patients suffer for complete lack of dystrophin that causes progressive degeneration, muscle wasting and death into the second/third decade of life. Beside, BMD patients show a very mild phenotype, often asymptomatic primarily due to the expression of shorter dystrophin mRNA transcripts that maintain the coding reading frame. DMD patients muscles show absence of dystrophin and presence of endomysial fibrosis, small fibers rounded and muscle fiber degeneration/regeneration. Untreated, boys with DMD become progressively weak during their childhood and stop ambulation at a mean age of 9 years, later with corticosteroid treatment (12/13 yrs). Proximal weakness affects symmetrically the lower (such as quadriceps and gluteus) before the upper extremities, with progression to the point of wheelchair dependence. Eventually distal lower and then upper limb weakness occurs. Weakness of neck flexors is often present at the beginning, and most patients with DMD have never been able to jump. Wrist and hand muscles are involved later, allowing the patients to keep their autonomy in transfers using a joystick to guide their wheelchair. Musculoskeletal contractures (ankle, knees and hips) and learning difficulties can complicate the clinical expression of the disease. Besides this weakness distribution in the same patient, a deep variability among patients does exist. They could express a mild phenotype, between Becker and Duchenne dystrophy, or a really severe form, with the loss of deambulation at 7-8 years. Confinement to a wheelchair is followed by the development of scoliosis, respiratory failure and cardiomyopathy. In 90% of people death is directly related to chronic respiratory insufficiency (Rideau et al., 1983). The identification and characterization of dystrophin gene led to the development of potential treatments for this disorder (Bertoni, 2008). Even if only corticosteroids were proven to be effective on DMD patient (Hyser and Mendell, 1988), different therapeutic approaches were attempted, as described in detail below (see section 7).

The identification and characterization of the genes whose mutations caused the most common neuromuscular diseases led to the development of potential treatments for those disorders. Gene therapy for neuromuscular disorders embraced several concepts, including replacing and repairing a defective gene or modifying or enhancing cellular performance, using gene that is not directly related to the underlying defect (Shavlakadze et al., 2004). As an example, the finding that DMD pathology was caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene allowed the rising of different therapeutic approaches including growth-modulating agents that increase muscle regeneration and delay muscle fibrosis (Tinsley et al., 1998), powerful antisense oligonucleotides with exon-skipping capacity (Mc Clorey et al., 2006), anti-inflammatory or second-messenger signal-modulating agents that affect immune responses (Biggar et al., 2006), agents designed to suppress stop codon mutations (Hamed, 2006). Viral and non-viral vectors were used to deliver the full-length - or restricted versions - of the dystrophin gene into stem cells; alternatively, specific antisense oligonucleotides were designed to mask the putative splicing sites of exons in the mutated region of the primary RNA transcript whose removal would re-establish a correct reading frame. In parallel, the biology of stem cells and their role in regeneration were the subject of intensive and extensive research in many laboratories around the world because of the promise of stem cells as therapeutic agents to regenerate tissues damaged by disease or injury (Fuchs and Segre, 2000; Weissman, 2000). This research constituted a significant part of the rapidly developing field of regenerative biology and medicine, and the combination of gene and cell therapy arose as one of the most suitable possibility to treat degenerative disorders. Several works were published in which stem cell were genetically modified by ex vivo introduction of corrective genes and then transplanted in donor dystrophic animal models.

Stem cells received much attention because of their potential use in cell-based therapies for human disease such as leukaemia (Owonikoko et al., 2007), Parkinsons disease (Singh et al., 2007), and neuromuscular disorders (Endo, 2007; Nowak and Davies, 2004). The main advantage of stem cells rather than the other cells of the body is that they can replenish their numbers for long periods through cell division and, they can produce a progeny that can differentiate into multiple cell lineages with specific functions (Bertoni, 2008). The candidate stem cell had to be easy to extract, maintaining the capacity of myogenic conversion when transplanted into the host muscle and also the survival and the subsequent migration from the site of injection to the compromise muscles of the body (Price et al., 2007). With the advent of more sensitive markers, stem cell populations suitable for clinical experiments were found to derive from multiple region of the body at various stage of development. Numerous studies showed that the regenerative capacity of stem cells resided in the environmental microniche and its regulation. This way, it could be important to better elucidate the molecular composition cytokines, growth factors, cell adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix molecules - and interactions of the different microniches that regulate stem cell development (Stocum, 2001).

Several groups published different works concerning adult stem cells such as muscle-derived stem cells (Qu-Petersen et al., 2002), mesoangioblasts (Cossu and Bianco, 2003), blood- (Gavina et al., 2006) and muscle (Benchaouir et al., 2007)-derived CD133+ stem cells. Although some of them are able to migrate through the vasculature (Benchaouir et al., 2007; Galvez et al., 2006; Gavina et al., 2006) and efforts were done to increase their migratory ability (Lafreniere et al., 2006; Torrente et al., 2003a), poor results were obtained.

Embryonic and adult stem cells differ significantly in regard to their differentiation potential and in vitro expansion capability. While adult stem cells constitute a reservoir for tissue regeneration throughout the adult life, they are tissue-specific and possess limited capacity to be expanded ex vivo. Embryonic Stem (ES) cells are derived from the inner cell mass of blastocyst embryos and, by definition, are capable of unlimited in vitro self-renewal and have the ability to differentiate into any cell type of the body (Darabi et al., 2008b). ES cells, together with recently identified iPS cells, are now broadly and extensively studied for their applications in clinical studies.

Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells derived from the early embryo that are characterized by the ability to proliferate over prolonged periods of culture remaining undifferentiated and maintaining a stable karyotype (Amit and Itskovitz-Eldor, 2002; Carpenter et al., 2003; Hoffman and Carpenter, 2005). They are capable of differentiating into cells present in all 3 embryonic germ layers, namely ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm, and are characterized by self-renewal, immortality, and pluripotency (Strulovici et al., 2007).

hESCs are derived by microsurgical removal of cells from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst stage embryo (Fig. 1). The ES cells can be also obtained from single blastomeres. This technique creates ES cells from a single blastomere directly removed from the embryo bypassing the ethical issue of embryo destruction (Klimanskaya et al., 2006). Although maintaining the viability of the embryo, it has to be determined whether embryonic stem cell lines derived from a single blastomere that does not compromise the embryo can be considered for clinical studies. Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT): Nuclear transfer, also referred to as nuclear cloning, denotes the introduction of a nucleus from an adult donor cell into an enucleated oocyte to generate a cloned embryo (Wilmut et al., 2002).

ESCs differentiation. Differentiation potentiality of human embryonic stem cell lines. Human embryonic stem cell pluripotency is evaluated by the ability of the cells to differentiate into different cell types.

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Stem Cell Therapy for Neuromuscular Diseases | InTechOpen

"Stem Cell Cure Pvt. Ltd." is one of the most trusted and highlighted company in India which has expertise in providing best Stem Cell Services (for Blood disorders) in top most hospital of India for all major degenerative diseases. We provide our services through some medical devices such as bone marrow aspiration concentrate (BMAC) kit, platelet rich plasma (PRP) kit, stem cell banking and stem cells services (isolated from bone marrow, placenta and adipose) for research/clinical trial purpose only.

It is the single channel that has comprehensive stem cell treatment protocols and employs stem cells in different form as per the requirement of best suite on the basis of degenerative disease application. Stem cell therapy is helpful to treat many blood disorder such as thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, leukemia, aplastic anemia and other organ related disorder such as muscular dystrophy, spinal cord Injury, diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), cerebral palsy, autism, optic nerve atrophy, retinitis pigmentosa, lung (COPD) disease and liver cirrhosis and our list of services doesn't end here.

"Stem Cell Cure" company is working with some India's top stem cell therapy centers, cord blood stem cell preservation banks and approved stem cell research labs to explore and share their unique stem cell solutions with our best services via coordinating of our clinician and researcher and solving every type of patient queries regarding stem cell therapy.

Our company is providing best stem cell therapy for the needed patients in all those application which can treat by stem cell therapy. We have stem cells in different forms to make the better recovery of patient and refer the best stem cell solutions after the evaluation of patient case study by our experts. Our experts in this field work together with patients though the collaborative patient experience to give you greater peace of mind to develop clear evidence based path. We have highly experts in our team and our experts are strong in research and clinical research from both points of view.

Our mission is to provide best stem cell therapy at reasonable price not only in India but also throughout the whole world so that every needed patients can get best stem cell therapy to improve his life.

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Stem Cell Therapy in India | Stem Cell Treatment in India ...

As all patients with MS are aware, the currently available treatments do nothing to cure the disease or repair the damage that it does. At their best, todays crop of disease modifying drugs (DMDs) quiet the disease, thereby improving the quality of life for many of the patients taking them, especially those suffering from relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. However, many of these drugs carry with them risky side effect profiles, and though the newest compounds represent advances over their predecessors, patients are crying out for revolution, not evolution.

Stem cells could represent the revolution patients so fervently desire. Because of their ability to transform into almost any type of cell in the human body, stem cells may hold the key to achieving one of the holy grails of modern medicine, the regeneration and repair of damaged tissues. For MS patients, this could potentially mean the reversal of disability, and with it the long dreamt of disposal of wheelchairs, walkers, and canes. We are still a long way from that lofty goal, however, but the first few steps along the path to that salvation are currently being taken.

Though stem cell research is advancing in laboratories worldwide, the science of using stem cells to treat diseases in humans is still in its infancy. Because multiple sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease, and its most prominent feature is the damage the disease does to the central nervous system, it is hoped that stem cells may hold the key to reversing the carnage wrought by the disease by facilitating the repair of damaged nerve cells. Furthermore, research has provided hints that stem cells may modulate the abnormal immune response seen in MS patients, and some researchers are even using stem cells to completely reboot the human immune system, a process that in some cases appears to stop the disease dead in its tracks.

Its important to understand that there are two very different approaches to using stem cells in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. One approach hopes to use the cells to repair damaged nervous systems; the other uses stem cells to provide the patient with a brand-new immune system, one that theoretically will not turn against a patients own body. The latter approach is known as hematopoietic stem cell transplant, or HSCT, and has been used on patients in trial settings for almost two decades.

HSCT involves ablating (destroying) a patients existing immune system through the use of powerful chemotherapy drugs, and then intravenously infusing a patients own stem cells back into their body, a process depicted in the below diagram:

As you might imagine, using powerful chemotherapy drugs to destroy a patients immune system is not without its dangers, and early attempts at this therapy had mortality rates as high as 10%. As researchers perfected their methodology and began using less dangerous chemotherapy agents, though, the risks associated with HSCT dropped dramatically. Today, most patients undergoing HSCT are subjected to chemotherapy and immunosuppressive agents that do not completely destroy their bone marrow, and the safety profile of the procedure has improved impressively. The results achieved by this HSCT can be dramatic. In one study (click here) that looked at the long-term outcomes of HSCT, after 11 years 44% of patients who had started out with aggressive relapsing remitting disease were free from disability progression. By comparison, only 10% of those who did not display signs of active inflammation before HSCT remained stable.

One of the primary proponents of HSCT therapy for MS patients, Dr. Richard Burt of Northwestern University, stresses that the proper selection of patients is the key to the success of the treatment. In fact, the title of the paper he recently published (click here) includes the phrase if no inflammation, no response. Its the only therapy to date that has been shown to reverse neurologic deficits, said Dr. Burt, But you have to get the right group of patients. In a study published by Dr. Burt in 2009, 17 out of 21 relapsing remitting patients improved after HSCT, and after three years all patients were free from progression (click here). Dr. Burt is currently heading up the HALT-MS trial for HSCT (click here). There are several centers around the world offering HSCT therapy, and there is a Worldwide HSCT Facebook group (click here) that contains information on all of the legitimate HSCT facilities worldwide. The group is populated by many folks who have undergone HSCT therapy. Be aware that its a private group, and you must request membership before being given access to all of the available information.

While HSCT holds much promise for putting the brakes on very aggressive relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis, it unfortunately has little to offer those with progressive disease, and does nothing to directly repair the damage done to the central nervous system by MS. Fortunately, another form of stem cell therapy proposes to do just that. Researchers in two centers in the US have received FDA approval to use bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to repair nervous system damage, thereby possibly reversing the effects of the disease. There are additional trials using MSCs to treat MS underway internationally. Mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to transform (differentiate) into many different cell types, and could prove to be the building blocks necessary for repairing damage to the central nervous system as well as other organs and tissues. Experiments using MSCs to treat animal models of MS have been very encouraging (click here), demonstrating the cells abilities to modulate the immune system and spur the repair of damaged nervous system tissues. It remains to be seen whether the same effects can be achieved when using the cells to treat human beings.

The two FDA approved studies both use MSCs harvested from a patients own bone marrow, but employ them in very different ways. One study, currently underway at the Cleveland Clinic (click here), infuses mesenchymal stem cells intravenously into the patient, in the expectation that the cells will modulate the immune system and also initiate the regeneration of damaged tissues in the central nervous system. This study, which will eventually use MSCs to treat 24 patients, is proceeding slowly, but as the above linked to article details, one of the first patients treated is already reporting encouraging results.

The second FDA approved trial, to be conducted by the Tisch MS Research Center of New York (which just so happens to be my MS clinic), will use mesenchymal stem cells that have been transformed through a proprietary laboratory process into neural progenitor (NP) cells, injected directly into the spinal fluid (intrathecally)) of the patient (click here). Neural progenitor cells are a specialized type of stem cell specific to the nervous system that have the ability to transform into the various types of tissues damaged and destroyed by the MS disease process. Researchers at the Tisch Center have developed a way to get mesenchymal stem cells to differentiate into neural progenitor cells, and hope that by injecting these cells directly into the spinal fluid the NP cells will directly target the regenerative mechanisms of the central nervous system (click here). The stem cells themselves may act to repair damaged tissues, but theyve also been shown to have the ability to recruit existing stem cells within the brain and spinal cord to jumpstart the bodys own repair mechanisms.

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Wheelchair Kamikaze: Stem Cell Treatments for Multiple ...