StemCell Therapy

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Stress results when something causes your body to behave as if it were under attack. Sources of stress can be physical, like injury or illness. Or they can be mental, like problems in your marriage, job, health, or finances.

When stress occurs, the body prepares to take action. This preparation is called the fight-or-flight response. In the fight-or-flight response, levels of many hormones shoot up. Their net effect is to make a lot of stored energy glucose and fat available to cells. These cells are then primed to help the body get away from danger.

In people who have diabetes, the fight-or-flight response does not work well. Insulin is not always able to let the extra energy into the cells, so glucose piles up in the blood.

Many sources of stress are long-term threats. For example, it can take many months to recover from surgery. Stress hormones that are designed to deal with short-term danger stay turned on for a long time. As a result, long-term stress can cause long-term high blood glucose levels.

Many long-term sources of stress are mental. Your mind sometimes reacts to a harmless event as if it were a real threat. Like physical stress, mental stress can be short term: from taking a test to getting stuck in a traffic jam. It can also be long term: from working for a demanding boss to taking care of an aging parent. With mental stress, the body pumps out hormones to no avail. Neither fighting nor fleeing is any help when the "enemy" is your own mind.

In people with diabetes, stress can alter blood glucose levels in two ways:

Scientists have studied the effects of stress on glucose levels in animals and people. Diabetic mice under physical or mental stress have elevated glucose levels. The effects in people with type 1 diabetes are more mixed. While most people's glucose levels go up with mental stress, others' glucose levels can go down. In people with type 2 diabetes, mental stress often raises blood glucose levels. Physical stress, such as illness or injury, causes higher blood glucose levels in people with either type of diabetes.

It's easy to find out whether mental stress affects your glucose control. Before checking your glucose levels, write down a number rating your mental stress level on a scale of 1 to 10. Then write down your glucose level next to it. After a week or two, look for a pattern. Drawing a graph may help you see trends better. Do high stress levels often occur with high glucose levels, and low stress levels with low glucose levels? If so, stress may affect your glucose control.

You may be able to get rid of some stresses of life. If traffic upsets you, for example, maybe you can find a new route to work or leave home early enough to miss the traffic jams. If your job drives you crazy, apply for a transfer if you can, or possibly discuss with your boss how to improve things. As a last resort, you can look for another job. If you are at odds with a friend or relative, you can make the first move to patch things up. For such problems, stress may be a sign that something needs to change.

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Stress: American Diabetes Association

YOU PLAN FOR YOUR CHILDS EDUCATION. PLAN FOR THEIR HEALTHCARE, TOO.

From teaching healthy eating habits to instilling strong values, you already do so much to prepare your child for a happy and healthy life. Banking stem cells may not be as obvious as saving for college, but it could mean just as much to your childs future well-being and quality of life.

For decades, doctors have harnessed the unique ability of stem cells to treat leukemia and genetic blood diseases. Today, over 1,700 clinical studies are under way demonstrating the use of stem cells to treat other diseases, to heal injuries, and to grow replacement tissues like organs, bone, muscle, nerves, blood vessels, and brain cells.

Banking today means your child has the potential to benefit from the advanced therapies of tomorrow.

A SIMPLE AND NON-INVASIVE SOURCE OF MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS. AND THATS JUST THE START.

There are many reasons why teeth are a great source of stem cells for banking.

The most obvious one is that its easy to collect a baby tooth thats naturally falling out or a wisdom tooth being extracted.

More importantly, the dental pulp in your childs baby and wisdom teeth is an excellent source of mesenchymal stem cells, one of the most well-understood, widely researched and promising types of stem cells.

NOW COMES THE EASY PART.

Banking is a decision you make before your childs teeth come out.

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Dental Stem Cell Banking | Store-A-Tooth

Stemade is proud to be India's first private dental stem cell bank. This unique concept of dental stem cell banking is brought by Stemade into the Indian terrain. Path breaking advances in stem cell research has made it possible to extract valuable stem cells; the building blocks of every human body, from primary teeth (milk teeth) of children and wisdom teeth. These stem cells are carefully preserved at a stem cell center in a special cryogenic storage facility, thus making it possible for you to bank the smiles of your children, your family and yourself.

A tiny investment like this can help you and your family in the future by giving you the potential to shield them from critical health concerns that may rise in the future. Such as Diabetes Type 1, Wound Healing, Parkinson's, Spinal Cord Injury, MI, MS, and Osteoarthritis to name a few.

By pioneering this technology, Stemade will help in building an entire generation that will be able to face their future confidently. Dental stem cell banking is the first of Stemade's many ventures that will make their breakthrough in the Indian healthcare hub.

Warning & Disclaimer The pages and articles on our website are not meant to imply or support any (non-legalised) stem cell therapies. The articles and/ or links mentioned/ displayed/ included are purely a means to create awareness on how research on dental stem cells is progressing worldwide. Stemade Biotech is not involved in and neither supports any therapy-related aspects. Viewers are advised to consult their doctors in this regard.

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Stemade Biotech - India's first & largest dental stem cell ...

Cambridge/Boston, Mass. May 28, 2014 A Harvard-led team is the first to demonstrate the ability to use low-power light to trigger stem cells inside the body to regenerate tissue, an advance they reported in Science Translational Medicine. The research, led by David J. Mooney, Robert P. Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), lays the foundation for a host of clinical applications in restorative dentistry and regenerative medicine more broadly, such as wound healing, bone regeneration, and more.

The team used a low-power laser to trigger human dental stem cells to form dentin, the hard tissue that is similar to bone and makes up the bulk of teeth. Whats more, they outlined the precise molecular mechanism involved, and demonstrated its prowess using multiple laboratory and animal models.

A number of biologically active molecules, such as regulatory proteins called growth factors, can trigger stem cells to differentiate into different cell types. Current regeneration efforts require scientists to isolate stem cells from the body, manipulate them in a laboratory, and return them to the bodyefforts that face a host of regulatory and technical hurdles to their clinical translation. But Mooneys approach is different and, he hopes, easier to get into the hands of practicing clinicians.

Our treatment modality does not introduce anything new to the body, and lasers are routinely used in medicine and dentistry, so the barriers to clinical translation are low, said Mooney, who is also a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. It would be a substantial advance in the field if we can regenerate teeth rather than replace them.

The team first turned to lead author and dentist Praveen Arany, Ph.D. '11, who is now an Assistant Clinical Investigator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). At the time of the research, he was a Harvard graduate student and then postdoctoral fellow affiliated with SEAS and the Wyss Institute.

Arany took rodents to the laboratory version of a dentists office to drill holes in their molars, treat the tooth pulp that contains adult dental stem cells with low-dose laser treatments, applied temporary caps, and kept the animals comfortable and healthy. After about 12 weeks, high-resolution x-ray imaging and microscopy confirmed that the laser treatments triggered the enhanced dentin formation.

It was definitely my first time doing rodent dentistry, said Arany, who faced several technical challenges in performing oral surgery on such a small scale. The dentin was strikingly similar in composition to normal dentin, but did have slightly different morphological organization. Moreover, the typical reparative dentin bridge seen in human teeth was not as readily apparent in the minute rodent teeth, owing to the technical challenges with the procedure.

This is one of those rare cases where it would be easier to do this work on a human, Mooney said.

Next the team performed a series of culture-based experiments to unveil the precise molecular mechanism responsible for the regenerative effects of the laser treatment. It turns out that a ubiquitous regulatory cell protein called transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-1) played a pivotal role in triggering the dental stem cells to grow into dentin. TGF-1 exists in latent form until activated by any number of molecules.

Here is the chemical domino effect the team confirmed: In a dose-dependent manner, the laser first induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are chemically active molecules containing oxygen that play an important role in cellular function. The ROS activated the latent TGF-1complex which, in turn, differentiated the stem cells into dentin.

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Researchers use light to coax stem cells to repair teeth ...

AUTOLOGOUS Adipose Stem Cells

Stem Cell Therapy is not a new technology. As a matter of fact it has been around for more that 60 years now. The problem is most people know it as a bone marrow transplant. And well when you finish saying that people are already screaming "That's Painful". A bone marrow transplant essentially extracts stem cells from your own bone marrow and then returns them back to you. It has been used to help people suffering from conditions like Leukemia and Lymph Node Cancer.

How does it work? Stem Cells hone in on "chemokine" signals that are secreted by injury. When they arrive they alert regenerative cells to go to work and repair the damage, or grow tissue.

At birth, the human body has around 80 million active stem cells working. At age 40 we have less than 25 million active stem cells working. Therefore it takes longer for the body to heal and in some cases damage is often ignored. This is the aging or degeneration process of the body.

In 1998 a little known about Bio Tech Company discovered that there was an enormous amount of stem cells in abdominal fat, commonly referred to as Adipose fat. In fact there are about 1-2 million stem cells and regenerative cells in 1 cc of abdominal fat. Bone marrow contains less than 10% of that. The stem cells in the abdomen are in a dormant or inactive state. The challenge lay only in how to activate them.

In early 2000 the problem had been solved. A special separation process was used to isolate stem cells from abdominal fat and a perfected heliotherapy process activated the stem cells. These super-charged stem cells were now ready to go to work healing your body.

Fat Stem Cell Therapy has been used for over a decade now as therapy for a variety of medical problems as well as an alternative to painful cosmetic surgery. Fat Stem Cell Therapy can help patients suffering from medical conditions such as, Osteoarthritis, Pulmonary Disease, and Diabetes Type II, as well as some Cosmetic Procedures like Face Lifts, Breast Augmentation, and Anti-Aging.

Infinite Horizons Medical Center and its association with a leading Bio Tech company are able to deliver these high tech therapies with precision, expertise and a level of care which rivals any in the world. These painless medical procedures uses the clients' own adult stem cells to treat clients' medical problems. The procedures themselves take roughly 3.5 - 7 hours to complete.

The procedure involves extracting autologous adipose stem cells, enriching them, activating the enriched stem cells and finally returning these stem cells back into the clients' body. The procedure only requires a local anesthetic, is 100% safe, 100% effective and there is a 0% chance of rejection. For more detailed information see our procedure page.

Infinite Horizons Medical Center has put together an incredible program for clients in search of medical treatment with fat stem cell therapy for, Pulmonary Disorders, like IPF or COPD, Diabetes Type II and Osteoarthritis. It has also put together special programs with fat stem cell therapy for cosmetic procedures like Anti-Aging, Breast Augmentation and Face Lifts.

Link:
Fat Stem Cell Therapy

Stem cells are a special form of human life: they are alive and contain human DNA. They have a unique feature in that they can be coaxed into developing into some or all of the 220 cell types found in the human body. Eventually, stem cells may be routinely used by doctors to generate new organs or new replacement body parts for people: They might become a new pancreas to cure a person with diabetes, or new nerve cells to cure a paralized person, etc.

There are three types of stem cells:

"...reprogrammed a dozen cell types, including those from the brain, skin, lung and liver, hinting that the method will work with most, if not all, cell types. On average, she says, 25% of the cells survive the stress and 30% of those convert to pluripotent cells already a higher proportion than the roughly 1% conversion rate of iPS cells." 1

Sponsored link.

The National Institutes of Health web site states:

"To realize the promise of novel cell-based therapies for such pervasive and debilitating diseases, scientists must be able to manipulate stem cells so that they possess the necessary characteristics for successful differentiation, transplantation, and engraftment. The following is a list of steps in successful cell-based treatments that scientists will have to learn to control to bring such treatments to the clinic. To be useful for transplant purposes, stem cells must be reproducibly made to:

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Human stem cell research: all viewpoints - Religious tolerance

Inside the microscopic world of the mouse hair follicle, Yale Cancer Center researchers have discovered big clues about how stem cells regenerate and die. These findings, published April 6 in the journal Nature, could lead to a better understanding of how the stem cell pool is maintained or altered in tissues throughout the body.

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that replenish themselves and, based on their tissue location, can become specialized cells such as blood or skin cells. The hair follicle is an ideal site for exploring stem cell behavior because it has distinct and predictable oscillations in the number and behavior of stem cells, said the studys lead author, Kailin R. Mesa, a third-year doctoral student in the lab of Valentina Greco, associate professor of genetics, cell biology, and dermatology.

Using live microscopic imaging to track stem cell behavior in the skin of living mice, researchers observed that the stem cell niche, or surrounding area, plays a critical role in whether stem cells grow or die.

Prior to this, it wasnt clear whether stem cell regulation was intrinsic or extrinsic, and now we know it is external in that the niche instructs the stem cells, Mesa said. In terms of cancer, we can next explore how we might perturb or change the niche in hopes of affecting the growth of cancer stem cells.

Also, researchers were surprised to find that the stem cells within the pool fed on other dying stem cells. This reveals a mechanism for removing dead cells, a process previously observed in mammary glands but never in the skin.

This study was supported by the Yale Dermatology Spore, National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society, and New York Stem Cell Foundation.

Citation: Nature

(Photo via Shutterstock)

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YaleNews | Research in the News: Tiny hair follicle offers ...

Blindness is the condition of poor visual perception.

Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness.[1] Total blindness is the complete lack of form and visual light perception and is clinically recorded as NLP, an abbreviation for "no light perception."[1] Blindness is frequently used to describe severe visual impairment with some remaining vision. Those described as having only light perception have no more sight than the ability to tell light from dark and the general direction of a light source. The World Health Organization defines low vision as visual acuity of less than 20/60 (6/18), but equal to or better than 20/200 (6/60), or visual field loss to less than 20 degrees, in the better eye with best possible correction. Blindness is defined as visual acuity of less than 20/400 (6/120), or a visual field loss to less than 10 degrees, in the better eye with best possible correction.[2][3]

As of 2012 there were 285 million visually impaired people in the world, of which 246 million had low vision and 39 million were blind.[3] The majority of people with poor vision are in the developing world and are over the age of 50 years.[3]

Blindness is defined by the World Health Organization as vision in a person's best eye of less than 20/500 or a visual field of less than 10 degrees.[4] This definition was set in 1972, and there is ongoing discussion as to whether it should be altered somewhat.[5]

Blind people with undamaged eyes may still register light non-visually for the purpose of circadian entrainment to the 24-hour light/dark cycle. Light signals for this purpose travel through the retinohypothalamic tract and are not affected by optic nerve damage beyond where the retinohypothalamic tract exits.

In 1934, the American Medical Association adopted the following definition of blindness:

"Central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective glasses or central visual acuity of more than 20/200 if there is a visual field defect in which the peripheral field is contracted to such an extent that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees in the better eye."[6]

The United States Congress included this definition as part of the Aid to the Blind program in the Social Security Act passed in 1935.[6][7] In 1972, the Aid to the Blind program and two others combined under Title XVI of the Social Security Act to form the Supplemental Security Income program[8] which currently states:

"An individual shall be considered to be blind for purposes of this title if he has central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with the use of a correcting lens. An eye which is accompanied by a limitation in the fields of vision such that the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees shall be considered for purposes of the first sentence of this subsection as having a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less. An individual shall also be considered to be blind for purposes of this title if he is blind as defined under a State plan approved under title X or XVI as in effect for October 1972 and received aid under such plan (on the basis of blindness) for December 1973, so long as he is continuously blind as so defined."[9]

In the UK, the Certificate of Vision Impairment (CVI) is used to certify patients as severely sight impaired or sight impaired.[10] The accompanying guidance for clinical staff states: "The National Assistance Act 1948 states that a person can be certified as severely sight impaired if they are so blind as to be unable to perform any work for which eye sight is essential (National Assistance Act Section 64(1)). The test is whether a person cannot do any work for which eyesight is essential, not just his or her normal job or one particular job."[11]

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Blindness - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you have low vision, eyeglasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery may not help. Activities like reading, shopping, cooking, writing, and watching TV may be hard to do. The leading causes of low vision and blindness in the United States are age-related eye diseases: macular degeneration, cataract and glaucoma. Other eye disorders, eye injuries and birth defects can also cause vision loss.

Whatever the cause, lost vision cannot be restored. It can, however, be managed. A loss of vision means that you may have to reorganize your life and learn new ways of doing things. If you have some vision, visual aids such as special glasses and large print books can make life easier. There are also devices to help those with no vision, like text-reading software and braille books.

The sooner vision loss or eye disease is found and treated, the greater your chances of keeping your remaining vision. You should have regular comprehensive eye exams by an eye care professional.

NIH: National Eye Institute

Read more here:
Vision Impairment and Blindness: MedlinePlus

From Nobel Prizewinning author Jos Saramago, a magnificent, mesmerizing parable of loss

A city is hit by an epidemic of "white blindness" that spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations and assaulting women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides her c

A city is hit by an epidemic of "white blindness" that spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations and assaulting women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides her chargesamong them a boy with no mother, a girl with dark glasses, a dog of tearsthrough the barren streets, and their procession becomes as uncanny as the surroundings are harrowing. As Blindness reclaims the age-old story of a plague, it evokes the vivid and trembling horrors of the twentieth century, leaving readers with a powerful vision of the human spirit that's bound both by weakness and exhilarating strength.

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Blindness (Blindness, #1) by Jos Saramago Reviews ...

Color blindness, or color vision deficiency, is the inability or decreased ability to see color, or perceive color differences, under normal lighting conditions. Color blindness affects a significant percentage of the population.[1] There is no actual blindness but there is a deficiency of color vision. The most usual cause is a fault in the development of one or more sets of retinal cones that perceive color in light and transmit that information to the optic nerve. This type of color blindness is usually a sex-linked condition. The genes that produce photopigments are carried on the X chromosome; if some of these genes are missing or damaged, color blindness will be expressed in males with a higher probability than in females because males only have one X chromosome (in females, a functional gene on only one of the two X chromosomes is sufficient to yield the needed photopigments).[2]

Color blindness can also be produced by physical or chemical damage to the eye, the optic nerve, or parts of the brain. For example, people with achromatopsia suffer from a completely different disorder, but are nevertheless unable to see colors.

The first scientific paper on this subject, Extraordinary facts relating to the vision of colours, was published by the English chemist John Dalton in 1798[3] after the realization of his own color blindness. Because of Dalton's work, the general condition has been called daltonism, although in English this term is now used only for deuteranopia.

Color blindness is usually classified as a mild disability, however there are occasional circumstances where it can give an advantage. Some studies conclude that color blind people are better at penetrating certain color camouflages. Such findings may give an evolutionary reason for the high prevalence of redgreen color blindness.[4] There is also a study suggesting that people with some types of color blindness can distinguish colors that people with normal color vision are not able to distinguish.[5]

Color blindness affects a large number of individuals, with protanopia and deuteranopia being the most common types.[6] In individuals with Northern European ancestry, as many as 8 percent of men and 0.4 percent of women experience congenital colour deficiency.[7] The typical human retina contains two kinds of light cells: the rod cells (active in low light) and the cone cells (active in normal daylight). Normally, there are three kinds of cone cells, each containing a different pigment, which are activated when the pigments absorb light. The spectral sensitivities of the cones differ; one is most sensitive to short wavelengths, one to medium wavelengths, and the third to medium-to-long wavelengths within the visible spectrum, with their peak sensitivities in the blue, green, and yellow-green regions of the spectrum, respectively. The absorption spectra of the three systems overlap, and combine to cover the visible spectrum. These receptors are often called S cones, M cones, and L cones, for short, medium, and long wavelength; but they are also often referred to as blue cones, green cones, and red cones, respectively.[8]

Although these receptors are often referred to as "blue, green, and red" receptors, this terminology is inaccurate. The receptors are each responsive to a wide range of wavelengths. For example, the long wavelength, "red", receptor has its peak sensitivity in the yellow-green, some way from the red end (longest wavelength) of the visible spectrum. The sensitivity of normal color vision actually depends on the overlap between the absorption ranges of the three systems: different colors are recognized when the different types of cone are stimulated to different degrees. Red light, for example, stimulates the long wavelength cones much more than either of the others, and reducing the wavelength causes the other two cone systems to be increasingly stimulated, causing a gradual change in hue.

Many of the genes involved in color vision are on the X chromosome, making color blindness much more common in males than in females because males only have one X chromosome, while females have two. Because this is an X-linked trait, an estimated 23% of women have a 4th color cone[9] and can be considered tetrachromats, although it is not clear that this provides an advantage in color discrimination.

Color vision deficiencies can be classified as acquired or inherited.

Based on clinical appearance, color blindness may be described as total or partial. Total color blindness is much less common than partial color blindness.[17] There are two major types of color blindness: those who have difficulty distinguishing between red and green, and who have difficulty distinguishing between blue and yellow.[18][19]

Immunofluorescent imaging is a way to determine red-green color coding. Conventional color coding is difficult for individuals with red-green color blindness (protanopia or deuteranopia) to discriminate. Replacing red with magenta (top[where?]) or green with turquoise (bottom[where?]) improves visibility for such individuals.[20][not in citation given]

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Color blindness - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Bioscience" redirects here. For the scientific journal, see BioScience. For life sciences generally, see life science.

Biotechnology is the use of living systems and organisms to develop or make products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use" (UN Convention on Biological Diversity, Art. 2).[1] Depending on the tools and applications, it often overlaps with the (related) fields of bioengineering, biomedical engineering, etc.

For thousands of years, humankind has used biotechnology in agriculture, food production, and medicine.[2] The term is largely believed to have been coined in 1919 by Hungarian engineer Kroly Ereky. In the late 20th and early 21st century, biotechnology has expanded to include new and diverse sciences such as genomics, recombinant gene techniques, applied immunology, and development of pharmaceutical therapies and diagnostic tests.[2]

The wide concept of "biotech" or "biotechnology" encompasses a wide range of procedures for modifying living organisms according to human purposes, going back to domestication of animals, cultivation of plants, and "improvements" to these through breeding programs that employ artificial selection and hybridization. Modern usage also includes genetic engineering as well as cell and tissue culture technologies. The American Chemical Society defines biotechnology as the application of biological organisms, systems, or processes by various industries to learning about the science of life and the improvement of the value of materials and organisms such as pharmaceuticals, crops, and livestock.[3] As per European Federation of Biotechnology, Biotechnology is the integration of natural science and organisms, cells, parts thereof, and molecular analogues for products and services.[4] Biotechnology also writes on the pure biological sciences (animal cell culture, biochemistry, cell biology, embryology, genetics, microbiology, and molecular biology). In many instances, it is also dependent on knowledge and methods from outside the sphere of biology including:

Conversely, modern biological sciences (including even concepts such as molecular ecology) are intimately entwined and heavily dependent on the methods developed through biotechnology and what is commonly thought of as the life sciences industry. Biotechnology is the research and development in the laboratory using bioinformatics for exploration, extraction, exploitation and production from any living organisms and any source of biomass by means of biochemical engineering where high value-added products could be planned (reproduced by biosynthesis, for example), forecasted, formulated, developed, manufactured and marketed for the purpose of sustainable operations (for the return from bottomless initial investment on R & D) and gaining durable patents rights (for exclusives rights for sales, and prior to this to receive national and international approval from the results on animal experiment and human experiment, especially on the pharmaceutical branch of biotechnology to prevent any undetected side-effects or safety concerns by using the products).[5][6][7]

By contrast, bioengineering is generally thought of as a related field that more heavily emphasizes higher systems approaches (not necessarily the altering or using of biological materials directly) for interfacing with and utilizing living things. Bioengineering is the application of the principles of engineering and natural sciences to tissues, cells and molecules. This can be considered as the use of knowledge from working with and manipulating biology to achieve a result that can improve functions in plants and animals.[8] Relatedly, biomedical engineering is an overlapping field that often draws upon and applies biotechnology (by various definitions), especially in certain sub-fields of biomedical and/or chemical engineering such as tissue engineering, biopharmaceutical engineering, and genetic engineering.

Although not normally what first comes to mind, many forms of human-derived agriculture clearly fit the broad definition of "'utilizing a biotechnological system to make products". Indeed, the cultivation of plants may be viewed as the earliest biotechnological enterprise.

Agriculture has been theorized to have become the dominant way of producing food since the Neolithic Revolution. Through early biotechnology, the earliest farmers selected and bred the best suited crops, having the highest yields, to produce enough food to support a growing population. As crops and fields became increasingly large and difficult to maintain, it was discovered that specific organisms and their by-products could effectively fertilize, restore nitrogen, and control pests. Throughout the history of agriculture, farmers have inadvertently altered the genetics of their crops through introducing them to new environments and breeding them with other plants one of the first forms of biotechnology.

These processes also were included in early fermentation of beer.[9] These processes were introduced in early Mesopotamia, Egypt, China and India, and still use the same basic biological methods. In brewing, malted grains (containing enzymes) convert starch from grains into sugar and then adding specific yeasts to produce beer. In this process, carbohydrates in the grains were broken down into alcohols such as ethanol. Later other cultures produced the process of lactic acid fermentation which allowed the fermentation and preservation of other forms of food, such as soy sauce. Fermentation was also used in this time period to produce leavened bread. Although the process of fermentation was not fully understood until Louis Pasteur's work in 1857, it is still the first use of biotechnology to convert a food source into another form.

Before the time of Charles Darwin's work and life, animal and plant scientists had already used selective breeding. Darwin added to that body of work with his scientific observations about the ability of science to change species. These accounts contributed to Darwin's theory of natural selection.[10]

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Biotechnology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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What is arthritis?

The word arthritis actually means joint inflammation, but the term has acquired a wider meaning. In public health, arthritis is used as a shorthand term for arthritis and other rheumatic conditionsa label for the more than 100 rheumatic diseases and conditions that affect joints, the tissues which surround joints and other connective tissue. The pattern, severity, and location of symptoms can vary depending on the specific form of the disease. Typically, rheumatic conditions are characterized by pain and stiffness in and around one or more joints. The symptoms can develop gradually or suddenly. Certain rheumatic conditions can also involve the immune system and various internal organs of the body.

The most common forms of arthritis are discussed in theArthritis Types section. For a more detailed discussion of each of these conditions follow the links provided for you. The Resources section of our website can guide you to further information on many topics related to rheumatic diseases.

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Who is at risk for arthritis?

Certain factors are associated with a greater risk of arthritis. Some of these risk factors are modifiable while others are not.

Non-modifiable risk factors

Modifiable risk factors

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What causes arthritis?

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CDC - Arthritis - Basics - FAQs

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that primarily affects joints.[1] It may result in deformed and painful joints, which can lead to loss of function. The disease may also have signs and symptoms in organs other than joints.

The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not completely understood. The process involves inflammation and fibrosis of the capsule around the joints. It also affects the underlying bone and cartilage.[1] RA can produce diffuse inflammation in the lungs, the membrane around the heart, the membranes of the lung, and whites of the eye. It can also produce nodular lesions, most common within the skin. It is a clinical diagnosis made mostly on the basis of symptoms and physical examination. X-rays, laboratory testing, and synovial fluid analysis might help support a diagnosis or exclude other diseases with similar symptoms.[2]

Treatments include both medication and non-pharmacological measures - the goal being to control joint inflammation and prevent joint damage and disability. Non-pharmacological treatment includes physical therapy, splints and braces, occupational therapy and dietary changes but these do not stop the progression of joint destruction. Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, including steroids, suppress symptoms, but do not stop the progression either. Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) may slow or halt the progress of the disease.[2] Biological DMARDS like anti-TNF agents are effective but usually avoided in persons with active disease or hypersensitivity to these agents.[3] They have been shown to decrease the number of tender or swollen joints and the pain and disability due to the disease but there is little data about side effects.[4]Alternative medicine is not supported by evidence.[5][6][7]

RA affects between 0.5 and 1% of adults in the developed world with between 5 and 50 per 100,000 people newly developing the condition each year.[8] Onset is most frequent during middle age, but people of any age can be affected.[9] In 2013 it resulted in 38,000 deaths up from 28,000 deaths in 1990.[10] The name is based on the term "rheumatic fever", an illness which includes joint pain and is derived from the Greek word -rheuma (nom.), -rheumatos (gen.) ("flow, current"). The suffix -oid ("resembling") gives the translation as joint inflammation that resembles rheumatic fever. The first recognized description of RA was made in 1800 by Dr. Augustin Jacob Landr-Beauvais (17721840) of Paris.[11]

RA primarily affects joints, however it also affects other organs in more than 1525% of individuals.[12]

Arthritis of joints involves inflammation of the synovial membrane. Joints become swollen, tender and warm, and stiffness limits their movement. With time, multiple joints are affected (it is a polyarthritis). Most commonly involved are the small joints of the hands, feet and cervical spine, but larger joints like the shoulder and knee can also be involved.[13]:1089 Synovitis can lead to tethering of tissue with loss of movement and erosion of the joint surface causing deformity and loss of function.[2]

RA typically manifests with signs of inflammation, with the affected joints being swollen, warm, painful and stiff, particularly early in the morning on waking or following prolonged inactivity. Increased stiffness early in the morning is often a prominent feature of the disease and typically lasts for more than an hour. Gentle movements may relieve symptoms in early stages of the disease. These signs help distinguish rheumatoid from non-inflammatory problems of the joints, often referred to as osteoarthritis or "wear-and-tear" arthritis. In arthritis of non-inflammatory causes, signs of inflammation and early morning stiffness are less prominent with stiffness typically less than one hour, and movements induce pain caused by mechanical arthritis.[14] The pain associated with RA is induced at the site of inflammation and classified as nociceptive as opposed to neuropathic.[15] The joints are often affected in a fairly symmetrical fashion, although this is not specific, and the initial presentation may be asymmetrical.[13]:1089

As the pathology progresses the inflammatory activity leads to tendon tethering and erosion and destruction of the joint surface, which impairs range of movement and leads to deformity. The fingers may suffer from almost any deformity depending on which joints are most involved. Specific deformities, which also occur in osteoarthritis, include ulnar deviation, boutonniere deformity, swan neck deformity and "Z-thumb." "Z-thumb" or "Z-deformity" consists of hyperextension of the interphalangeal joint, fixed flexion and subluxation of the metacarpophalangeal joint and gives a "Z" appearance to the thumb.[13]:1089 The hammer toe deformity may be seen. In the worst case, joints are known as arthritis mutilans due to the mutilating nature of the deformities.[1]

The rheumatoid nodule, which is sometimes cutaneous, is the feature most characteristic of RA. It is a type of inflammatory reaction known to pathologists as a "necrotizing granuloma". The initial pathologic process in nodule formation is unknown but may be essentially the same as the synovitis, since similar structural features occur in both. The nodule has a central area of fibrinoid necrosis that may be fissured and which corresponds to the fibrin-rich necrotic material found in and around an affected synovial space. Surrounding the necrosis is a layer of palisading macrophages and fibroblasts, corresponding to the intimal layer in synovium and a cuff of connective tissue containing clusters of lymphocytes and plasma cells, corresponding to the subintimal zone in synovitis. The typical rheumatoid nodule may be a few millimetres to a few centimetres in diameter and is usually found over bony prominences, such as the elbow, the heel, the knuckles, or other areas that sustain repeated mechanical stress. Nodules are associated with a positive RF (rheumatoid factor) titer and severe erosive arthritis. Rarely, these can occur in internal organs or at diverse sites on the body.[citation needed].

Several forms of vasculitis occur in RA. A benign form occurs as microinfarcts around the nailfolds. More severe forms include livedo reticularis, which is a network (reticulum) of erythematous to purplish discoloration of the skin caused by the presence of an obliterative cutaneous capillaropathy.[citation needed].

See original here:
Rheumatoid arthritis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

July 2014

Many people start to feel pain and stiffness in their bodies over time. Sometimes their hands or knees or shoulders get sore and are hard to move and may become swollen. These people may have arthritis (ar-THRY-tis). Arthritis may be caused by inflammation (in-flah-MAY-shun) of the tissue lining the joints. Some signs of inflammation include redness, heat, pain, and swelling. These problems are telling you that something is wrong.

Joints are places where two bones meet, such as your elbow or knee. Over time, in some types of arthritis but not in all, the joints involved can become severely damaged.

There are different types of arthritis. In some diseases in which arthritis occurs, other organs, such as your eyes, your chest, or your skin, can also be affected. Some people may worry that arthritis means they wont be able to work or take care of their children and their family. Others think that you just have to accept things like arthritis.

Its true that arthritis can be painful. But there are things you can do to feel better. This publication tells you some facts about arthritis and gives you some ideas about what to do so you can keep doing many of the things you enjoy.

There are several types of arthritis. The two most common ones are osteoarthritis (AH-stee-oh-ar-THRY-tis) and rheumatoid (ROO-mah-toyd) arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. This condition usually comes with age and most often affects the fingers, knees, and hips. Sometimes osteoarthritis follows an injury to a joint. For example, a young person might hurt his knee badly playing soccer. Or someone might fall or be injured in a car accident. Then, years after the individuals knee has apparently healed, he might get arthritis in his knee joint.

Rheumatoid arthritis happens when the bodys own defense system doesnt work properly. It affects joints and bones (often of the hands and feet), and may also affect internal organs and systems. You may feel sick or tired, and you may have a fever.

Another common type of arthritis, gout, is caused by crystals that build up in the joints. It usually affects the big toe, but many other joints may be affected.

Arthritis is seen with many other conditions. These include:

Originally posted here:
Living with Arthritis

This article is about the medical therapy. For the cell type, see Stem cell.

Stem cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition.

Bone marrow transplant is the most widely used stem cell therapy, but some therapies derived from umbilical cord blood are also in use. Research is underway to develop various sources for stem cells, and to apply stem cell treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and conditions, diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions.

With the ability of scientists to isolate and culture embryonic stem cells, and with scientists' growing ability to create stem cells using somatic cell nuclear transfer and techniques to create induced pluripotent stem cells, controversy has crept in, both related to abortion politics and to human cloning. Additionally, efforts to market treatments based on transplant of stored umbilical cord blood have proven controversial.

For over 30 years, bone-marrow have been used to treat cancer patients with conditions such as leukaemia and lymphoma; this is the only form of stem cell therapy that is widely practiced.[1][2][3] During chemotherapy, most growing cells are killed by the cytotoxic agents. These agents, however, cannot discriminate between the leukaemia or neoplastic cells, and the hematopoietic stem cells within the bone marrow. It is this side effect of conventional chemotherapy strategies that the stem cell transplant attempts to reverse; a donor's healthy bone marrow reintroduces functional stem cells to replace the cells lost in the host's body during treatment. The transplanted cells also generate an immune response that helps to kill off the cancer cells; this process can go too far, however, leading to graft vs host disease, the most serious side effect of this treatment.[4]

Another stem cell therapy called Prochymal, was conditionally approved in Canada in 2012 for the management of acute graft-vs-host disease in children who are unresponsive to steroids.[5] It is an allogenic stem therapy based on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from the bone marrow of adult donors. MSCs are purified from the marrow, cultured and packaged, with up to 10,000 doses derived from a single donor. The doses are stored frozen until needed.[6]

The FDA has approved five hematopoietic stem cell products derived from umbilical cord blood, for the treatment of blood and immunological diseases.[7]

In 2014, the European Medicines Agency recommended approval of Holoclar, a treatment involving stem cells, for use in the European Union. Holoclar is used for people with severe limbal stem cell deficiency due to burns in the eye.[8]

Research has been conducted to learn whether stem cells may be used to treat brain degeneration, such as in Parkinson's, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease.[9][10][11]

Healthy adult brains contain neural stem cells which divide to maintain general stem cell numbers, or become progenitor cells. In healthy adult animals, progenitor cells migrate within the brain and function primarily to maintain neuron populations for olfaction (the sense of smell). Pharmacological activation of endogenous neural stem cells has been reported to induce neuroprotection and behavioral recovery in adult rat models of neurological disorder.[12][13][14]

Read more here:
Stem cell therapy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Welcome to Regenexx Stem Cell Therapy for Arthritis & InjuriesChris Centeno2015-05-11T15:25:31+00:00

The Regenexx Procedures are the nations most advanced non-surgical stem cell and blood platelet treatments for common injuries and degenerative joint conditions, such as osteoarthritis and avascular necrosis. These stem cell procedures utilize a patients own stem cells or blood platelets to help heal damaged tissues, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, spinal disc, or bone.

The list below represents the most commonly treated conditions using Regenexx stem cell or platelet procedures. It is not a complete list, so please contact us or complete the Regenexx Candidate Form if you have questions about whether you or your condition can be treated with these non-surgical procedures. The type of procedure used (stem cell or blood platelet) to treat these conditions is largely dependent upon the severity of the injury or condition.

0

AND COUNTINGMORE THAN 16,000 REGENEXX PROCEDURES HAVE BEEN PERFORMED AS OF FEBRUARY 2015 (SINCE 2005)

0%

THE PUBLISHED RESEARCH ON REGENEXX PROCEDURES ACCOUNTS FOR APPROX. 30% OF THE WORLDS ORTHOPEDIC STEM CELL LITERATURE (cumulative n of patients published and treated with bone marrow stem cells)

Regenexx and the Centeno-Schultz Clinic is theoriginalstem cell based musculoskeletal practice in the United States, with more stem cell orthopedics experience than any other clinic. Regenexx and the Regenexx Network are physician leaders in stem cell treatments for osteoarthritis, joint injuries and spine conditions, in terms of research presentations, publications, and academic achievements.

As our Regenexx Physician Network grows, so does the nationwide awareness of our next-generation regenerative procedures. This video selection is comprised of recent local news stories, media coverage and hit television show appearances, featuring Regenexx doctors and patients from around the network, sharing their stories. For more Regenexx videos, please visit our videos page or YouTube Channel.

The rest is here:
Stem Cell Therapy for Arthritis and Injuries | Regenexx

The endocrine system is made up of glands throughout the body that regulate the function, growth and development of tissues and organs by secreting hormones directly into the bloodstream. Endocrine disorders develop when a gland malfunctions and secretes either too much or too little of a hormone due to illness, surgical removal or natural causes.

The Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism at Lahey is dedicated to delivering high-quality health care to patients with the full spectrum of endocrine and metabolic conditions. These include diabetes and disorders of the pancreas; weight problems; thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal and pituitary diseases; calcium and metabolic bone disorders including osteoporosis; as well as male and female hormone imbalance including sexual dysfunction.

Our physicians and programs have been recognized in Boston magazine and U.S. News & World Report. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has awarded the prestigious Education Recognition Certificate to Lahey's diabetes and self-management education program since 2002. Working together with physicians in Lahey's Cardiovascular Medicine Department, we are also breaking new ground in the study of "metabolic syndrome," a condition characterized by high blood pressure, an abnormal cholesterol profile and obesity.

To ensure you receive the highest level of patient care, we provide ongoing continuing education to our staff and training of fellows, residents and medical students. Through research and participation in clinical trials, we strive to contribute to an expanding understanding of endocrinology and the ways in which it relates to your health and quality of life.

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Lahey Hospital & Medical Center | Endocrinology

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1 Stem Cell Treatments can help you today! Stem cells can actually help with a variety of conditions like Cerebral Palsy, ALS, Parkinsons, Stroke, TBI and more! read more.

2 Bone Marrow Stem Cells can be used as a safe & effective treatment for degenerative diseases. Dr. Steenblock has successfully performed/consulted on over 3,000 bone marrow stem cell therapy cases. read more

3Stemgevity was developed by physician Dr. David Steenblock to help mobilize your bodys own stem cells. Stemgevity is an all natural supplement that can help you start healing todayread more

4 In this revolutionizing book, both Dr. Steenblock & Dr. Payne describe the benefits of healthy umbilical cord stem cells and their ability to treat conditions like Cerebral Palsy.read more

The use of fat stem cells is not without risk, something brought into sharp focus late last year (2012) when stories surfaced in the media concerning a lady in Los Angeles who had a cosmetic procedure in which mesenchymal stem cells isolated from her own harvested fat were injected around her eyes along with a FDA approved dermal filler used to reduce wrinkles. The dermal filler contained calcium hydroxylapatite Read More

To hear critics of complementary alternative medicine (CAM) tell it, wholistic doctors such as myself are having a pervasive and insidious influence not only among medical consumers (aka the public) but weve managed to thoroughly infiltrate academia and hospitals and as a result are poised to catapult medicine back into the prescientific Middle Ages. If you compare the language and reasoning of many modern day quackbusters and so-called skeptics alongside newspaper articles from the 1950s McCarthy era Read More

DISCLAIMER: The use of stem cells or stem cell rich tissues as well as the mobilization of stem cells by any means, e.g., pharmaceutical, mechanical or herbal-nutrient is not FDA approved to combat aging or to prevent, treat, cure or mitigate any disease or medical condition mentioned, cited or described in any document or article on this website. This website and the information featured, showcased or otherwise appearing on it is not to be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any health condition or problem. Those who visit this web site should not rely on information provided on it for their own health problems. Any questions regarding your own health should be addressed to your physician or other duly licensed healthcare provider. This website makes no guarantees, warranties or express or implied representations whatsoever with regard to the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, comparative or controversial nature, or usefulness of any information contained or referenced on this Web site. This website and its owners and operators do not assume any risk whatsoever for your use of this website or the information posted herein. Health-related information and opinions change frequently and therefore information contained on this Website may be outdated, incomplete or incorrect. All statements made about products, drugs and such on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In addition, any testimonials appearing on this website are based on the experiences of a few people and you are not likely to have similar results. Use of this Website does not create an expressed or implied professional relationship.

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Stem Cells Adult Stem Cells & Stem Cell Treatments ...