StemCell Therapy

A stem cell transplant poses many risks of complications, some potentially fatal. The risk can depend on many factors, including the type of disease or condition, the type of transplant, and the age and health of the person. Although some people experience few problems with a transplant, others may develop complications that may require treatment or hospitalization. Some complications could even be life-threatening.

Complications that can arise with a stem cell transplant include:

Your doctor can explain your risk of complications from a stem cell transplant. Together you can weigh the risks and benefits to decide whether a stem cell transplant is right for you.

If you receive a transplant that uses stem cells from a donor (allogeneic stem cell transplant), you may be at risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). This disease happens when the donor stem cells that make up your new immune system see your body's tissues and organs as something foreign and attack them.

GVHD may happen at any time after your transplant. However, it's more common after your marrow has started to make healthy cells. Many people who have an allogeneic stem cell transplant get GVHD at some point. The risk of GVHD is a bit greater with unrelated donors, but it can happen to anyone who gets a stem cell transplant from a donor.

There are two kinds of GVHD: acute and chronic. Acute GVHD usually happens earlier, during the first months after your transplant. It typically affects your skin, digestive tract or liver. Chronic GVHD typically develops later and can affect many organs.

GVHD signs and symptoms include:

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Stem cell transplant Risks - Mayo Clinic

Before the transplant, I was in constant pain and it was always a struggle whether to stay at home or go to the emergency room, said Adeyinka Taiwo. Because it was just constant pain all the time. But now I actually have mornings when I wake up with absolutely no painIm trying my best to wean myself off of the [pain medications] and not automatically reach for the drugs that are a part of me. Its a big change, definitely.

How is your daily life different now? Fitzhugh asked.

I walked from the elevators to here and Im not out of breath, Taiwo replied, smiling and gesturing toward the Lipsett Amphitheater staircase. Three years ago, I would never have been able to move up and down these steps and have a conversation like this. I would have been out of breath and I would have had to stop many times to catch my breath, and to rest.

Her simple, heartfelt words prompted spontaneous applause.

Clinicopathologic (CPC) Grand Rounds are presented several times a year. Dr. Michail Lionakis of NIAID described the unique format of CPC talks, which bring together multiple presenters from various disciplines.

The sickle cell session was presented jointly by researchers from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; National Cancer Institute; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; and the NHLBI-Inova Advanced Lung Disease Program.

Team work. Gathering after the lecture are (from l) senior investigator Dr. John Tisdale, who serves as medically responsible investigator on the sickle cell study; NIDDK director Dr. Griffin Rodgers, associate investigator; Dr. Swee Lay Thein, NHLBI senior investigator and head of the Sickle Cell Branch; assistant clinical investigator Fitzhugh, principal investigator on the study; Dr. Nargues Weir, co-director of research development at the NIH-Inova Advanced Lung Disease Program and pulmonary consultant; and staff clinician Dr. Matthew Hsieh, lead associate investigator.

Lionakis said the CPC series has two missions: One is educationalThrough presentation of interesting cases that have interesting clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic features, we all learnand the other is to showcase programs established at NIH that demonstrate the superb clinical care and translational research that occurs in the Clinical Center.

SCD is a common genetic blood disorder that affects about 100,000 people in the U.S. The disease is diagnosed in 1 of every 500 black or African-American births, and 1 in every 36,000 Hispanic-American births. The disease causes misshapensickle-shapedred blood cells, which are the oxygen-carrying cells.

Sickled cells do not circulate freely throughout the body like normally shaped cells. As a result, patients can develop any of several conditions including chronic anemia, pain, infections and failure of such vital organs as liver, lungs and heart. Average age of death for someone with SCD is 45 years old.

Excerpt from:
Can Stem Cell Transplant Relieve Sickle Cell Problems ...

The PMR/F includes two preventive medicine programs that provide hands-on experience in public health agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. The PMR/F programs promote public health leadership, integrating knowledge and skills of medicine and other clinical professions with population health. Graduates are poised to assume leadership roles in public health.

The programs consist of a residency (PMR) for physicians and a fellowship (PMF) for physicians and other health professionals.

Both programs provide experiential training that focuses on developing and applying critical leadership skills needed for policy development, program evaluation, and community health improvement. During their on-the-job training, participants perform key activities that bridge medical and public health sector gaps to improve population wellness.

CDCs Preventive Medicine residents and fellows complete the following activities:

The PMR is a 24-month program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and meets the residency requirement of the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) for the Public Health and General Preventive Medicine specialty. For more information, see the ACGME Preventive Medicine Program Requirements.

The PMF is a 12-month program similar to PMR. The PMF is intended for physicians who do not meet eligibility criteria for PMR, and other clinicians.

A 2007 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report documented shortages of trained public health workers, including public health and preventive medicine physicians. CDC offers opportunities to train in a high demand specialty and provide a critical service to communities and the nation. Learn more about the IOM report.

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Preventive Medicine Residency and Fellowship (PMR/F)|CDC

Welcome to DNA Stat. We specialize in personalized medicine services, specifically in the pain management and pharmacogenomics arena. We take pride in both our research and unsurpassed customer service, providing clients with genetic & pharmacogenomics testing which is the fastest growing field in the medical industry today.

Pain management and pharmacogenomics is vitally important as we progress into the 21st century as it is a realization and acknowledgement that one size does not fit all when it comes to medications. What might work for one individual flawlessly could mean an adverse reaction and a trip to the emergency room for another. Genetic Testing is the tool used to determine the difference before the medication is ingested. In this way, we are spearheading and defining personalized medicine services and enabling people to recover and maintain their illnesses and conditions worry-free. By eliminating the guess work, patients can recover more fully and quicker than ever before.

We know that the medical industry can be daunting to most people. Fortunately, the genetic & pharmacogenomics testing at DNA Stat comes down to a simple Buccal swab of the cheek. No needles involved, no fear, no blood no problem. Within three weeks, the patients doctor will have in his or her hands a Pharm D Report which is the roadmap to prescribing better medications and better treatments for their patient. DNA Stat, the leader in genetic& pharmacogenomics testing, is changing the way the world sees medicine one patient at a time.

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Pharmacogenomic Testing Services | Personalized Medicine ...

At a Glance Stem cells: Facial rejuvenation with your bodys own stem cells from autologous fat Autologous fat injections: Facial regeneration using autologous fat Growth factors: Facial regeneration using growth factors Platelet-rich plasma: Facial regeneration with your bodys own blood Bioidentical hormones: Facial regeneration through restoration of the hormonal balance

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Our face is the most individual part of our body and thus also gives it most character. It reveals our feelings and emotions. Specifically in adults it not only shows the current emotional state, but usually also information that allows drawing conclusions about the general physical status. Face analysis, which is already firmly rooted in traditional healing art, allows for identification of irregularities and deficiencies in the organism based on certain characteristics of the face.

Brown spots under the eyelid, protruding eyes, wrinkles in certain areas of the face and loose skin on the lower jaw edge, for example, are indicative of hormone deficiencies.

Hormones are largely responsible that our entire organism functions our overall well-being, our performance and vitality depend significantly on our hormone levels. Our endocrine glands are exhausted by stress, overwork, poor diet, unhealthy food and certain lifestyle habits. As a consequence the bodys hormone production decreases.

Hormone deficiencies may lead to poor concentration, reduced power, forgetfulness, mood swings, loss of libido, and digestive problems, to name just a few. Externally hormone deficiencies often cause premature aging, which manifest in the face in many ways depending on the actual hormone deficiencies.

Also certain lifestyle habits such as excessive exposure to UV light from the sun and solarium can cause skin damages and formation of leather skin and deep wrinkles in the face, leading to significant premature aging of people concerned. The accompanying psychological distress is enormous.

Our holistic treatment philosophy is to primarily treat the actual cause of premature skin aging therapeutically. If the damage to the skin on the face is already very pronounced, additional targeted local regenerative treatments may be necessary.

In all our local treatments the regeneration of the treated areas is paramount. Therefore the potential of the bodys own active components or very similar substances is used. In particular, the bodys own stem cells from fat and growth factors from blood have a notable regenerative power. Bioidentical hormones as essential building blocks of almost all body functions are a fundamental pillar of our treatments.

Can You Drink Beauty?

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Facial Regeneration with Stem Cells, Growth Factors ...

Subaru models with EyeSight get the highest possible score in IIHS front crash prevention tests.

Introducing Subaru EyeSight. Developed by Subaru engineers, it's the most significant leap in crash prevention since our invention of Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive. EyeSight is an extra set of eyes on the road, and if need be, an extra foot on the brake when you drive. When equipped with Subaru EyeSight, the 2015 Subaru Forester, Impreza, Legacy, Outback, and XV Crosstrek models received the highest possible score in front crash prevention by the IIHS.

You may even be eligible for additional Vehicle Safety Feature savings on your auto insurance if your vehicle has options such as Subaru EyeSight.

EyeSight is available on select Subaru Forester, Impreza, Legacy, Outback, and XV Crosstrek models.

"EyeSight's adaptive cruise control worked exceptionally well."

- CNET, 06/26/14

"..It really proved itself by letting me drive literally hundreds of miles without touching the brake or accelerator pedals."

- CNET, 06/26/14

*MSRP excludes destination and delivery charges, tax, title, and registration fees. Retailer sets actual price. Comparison based on manufacturers' and IIHS website data as of February 2015.

EyeSight Stories chronicle the experiences of people whose lives have been changed by Subaru EyeSight. Watch the episodes below to see how this vigilant safety feature gives peace of mind to every drive, and an extra layer of safety and convenience wherever you drive.

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Subaru EyeSight: Driver Assist Technology

The restorative properties of stem cells:

Stem cells are unique because they drive the natural healing process throughout your life. Stem cells are different from other cells in the body because they regenerate and produce specialized cell types. They heal and restore skin, bones, cartilage, muscles, nerves and other tissues when injured.

As a result, amazing new medical treatments are being developed to treat a range of diseases contemporary medicine currently deems difficult or impossible to treat. Among them are:

While stem cells can be found in most tissues of the body, they are usually buried deep, are few in number and are similar in appearance to surrounding cells. With the discovery of stem cells in teeth, an accessible and available source of stem cells has been identified.

The tooth is natures safe for these valuable stem cells, and there is an abundance of these cells in baby teeth, wisdom teeth and permanent teeth. The stem cells contained within teeth are capable of replicating themselves and can be readily recovered at the time of a planned dental procedure. Living stem cells found within extracted teeth were routinely discarded every day, but now, with the knowledge from recent medical research, your Doctor provides you the opportunity to save these cells for future use in developing medical treatments for your family.

Aside from being the most convenient stem cells to access, dental stem cells have significant medical benefits in the development of new medical therapies. Using ones own stem cells for medical treatment means a much lower risk of rejection by the body and decreases the need for powerful drugs that weaken the immune system, both of which are negative but typical realities that come into play when tissues or cells from a donor are used to treat patients.

Further, the stem cells from teeth have been observed in research studies to be among the most powerful stem cells in the human body. Stem cells from teeth replicate at a faster rate and for a longer period of time than do stem cells harvested from other tissues of the body.

Stem cells in the human body age over time and their regenerative abilities slow down later in life. The earlier in life that your familys stem cells are secured, the more valuable they will be when they are needed most.

Accessible The stem cells contained within teeth are recovered at the time of a planned procedure: Extraction of wisdom teeth, baby teeth or other healthy permanent teeth.

Affordable when compared with other methods of acquiring and preserving life saving stem cells: Peripheral blood, Bone Marrow, Cord blood etc, recovering Stem Cells from teeth is the most affordable and least invasive.

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Stem Cells Forest Hills NY, Stem Cells From Teeth

A new method for delivering stem cells to damaged heart muscle has shown early promise in treating severe heart failure, researchers report.

In a preliminary study, they found the tactic was safe and feasible for the 48 heart failure patients they treated. And after a year, the patients showed a modest improvement in the heart's pumping ability, on average.

It's not clear yet whether those improvements could be meaningful, said lead researcher Dr. Amit Patel, director of cardiovascular regenerative medicine at the University of Utah.

He said larger clinical trials are underway to see whether the approach could be an option for advanced heart failure.

Other experts stressed the bigger picture: Researchers have long studied stem cells as a potential therapy for heart failure -- with limited success so far.

"There's been a lot of promise, but not much of a clinical benefit yet," said Dr. Lee Goldberg, who specializes in treating heart failure at the University of Pennsylvania.

Researchers are still sorting through complicated questions, including how to best get stem cells to damaged heart muscle, said Goldberg, who was not involved in the new study.

What's "novel" in this research, he said, is the technique Patel's team used to deliver stem cells to the heart. They took stem cells from patients' bone marrow and infused them into the heart through a large vein called the coronary sinus.

Patel agreed that the technique is the advance.

"Most other techniques have infused stem cells through the arteries," Patel explained. One obstacle, he said, is that people with heart failure generally have hardened, narrowed coronary arteries, and the infused stem cells "don't always go to where they should."

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Stem Cells Show Promise in Heart Failure Treatment

While this movie isn't as terrible as some have made it out to be, it's no masterpiece, and it could have been a whole lot better. It's a mess, but I give it some extra credit with the rating because of it's ambition, some really good individual sequences, and because the acting is really pretty good, even if the material is lacking. Julianne Morre's character is also quite intriguing and interesting, so that's also a plus.

The way the the filmmakers choose to tell the story is interesting, but it's kind of annoying. Instead of trying to produce the expereince of going sightless, they should have just done it conventionally, instead of toying with sight and sound. I know they have good intentions, but a little goes a long way, and it gets tiring after the first 1/3 or so. I've never read the book this is based on, but maybe this should have just not been adapted.

A few more issues I need to address are the length, pacing, and material itself. The film feels way too long, it drags, it could have been a little tighter, and this is just, in general, a really depressing and disturbing affair. It's also probably offensive to the blind community, even if it is just a "what if?" scenario. This is some hard stuff to sit through. It's bleak, unrelenting, and full of too much hopelessness. It seems like they were aiming for an artsy and thought provoking film, but end up with a tedious exploitation film with high production values and good intentions gone sour.

Like I said earlier though, the specific variation to this unoriginal theme is interesting, and the characters (mainly Moore's) and performances are terrific. I'm undecided though as to whether or not it's a good thing that the epidemic and its conclusion are unexplained.

Originally posted here:
Blindness (2008) - Rotten Tomatoes

Our skin has the amazing capability to renew itself throughout our adult life. Also, our hair follicle goes through a cycle of growth and degeneration. This happens all the time in our skin even though we are not aware of it. However, even though skin renews itself we still have to help it a little bit to get better results. Stem cells play an important role in this process of skin renewal or hair growth and the purpose of this article is to discuss and provide additional information about these tiny cells that play a big part in our life.

Skin stem cell is defined as multipotent adult skin cells which are able to self-renew or differentiate into various cell lineages of the skin. These cells are active throughout our life via skin renewal process or during skin repair after injuries. These cells reside in the epidermis and hair follicle and one of their purposes is to ensure the maintenance of adult skin and hair regeneration.

The truth is, without these little cells, our skin wouldnt be able to cope with various environmental influences. Our skin is exposed to different influences 24/7, for example, washing your face with soap, going out during summer or cold winter days etc. All these factors have a big impact on our skin and it constantly has to renew itself to stay in a good condition. This is where skin stem cells step in. They make sure your skin survives the influence of constant stress, heat, cold, even makeup, soap, etc.

Our skin is quite sensitive and due to its constant exposure to different influences throughout the day, it can get easily damage. Damage to skin cells can be caused by pretty much everything, from soap to cigarette smoke. One of the most frequent skin cell damages are the result of:

Skin stem cells are still subjected to scientific projects where researchers are trying to discover as much as possible about them. So far, they have identified several types of these cells, and they are:

Also, some scientists suggest that there is another type of stem cells mesenchymal stem cells which can be found in dermis (layer situated below the epidermis) and hypodermis (innermost and the thickest layer of the skin). However, this claim has been branded controversial and is a subject of many arguments and disputes between scientists. It is needed to conduct more experiments to find out whether this statement really is true.

Stem cells are found in many organs and tissues, besides skin. For example, scientists have discovered stem sells in brain, heart, bone marrow, peripheral blood, skeletal muscle, teeth, liver, gut etc. Stem cells reside in a specific area of each tissue or organ and that area is called stem cell niche. The same case is with the skin as well.

The ability of stem cells to regenerate and form almost any cell type in the body inspired scientists to work on various skin products that contain stem cells. Also, they decided to investigate the effect of plant stem cells on human skin. They discovered that plant stem cells are, actually, very similar to human skin stem cells and they function in a similar way as well. This discovery made scientists turn to plants as the source of stem cells and are trying to include them into the skin products due to their effectiveness in supporting skins cellular turnover. Another similarity between plant stem cells and human skin stem cells is their ability to develop according to their environment.

Fun Fact: The inspiration to use plant stem cells in skin care came from an unusual place almost extinct apple tree from Switzerland.

The benefits of plant stem cells on human skin are versatile. They offer possibility to treat some skin conditions, heal wounds, and repair the skin after some injury faster than it would usually take. Also, they bring back elasticity to the skin, reduce the appearance of wrinkles and slow down the aging process.

More here:
Skin Stem Cells: Benefits, Types, Medical Applications and ...

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are the blood cells that give rise to all the other blood cells and are derived from mesoderm. They are located in the red bone marrow, which is contained in the core of most bones.

They give rise to the myeloid (monocytes and macrophages, neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils, erythrocytes, megakaryocytes/platelets, dendritic cells), and lymphoid lineages (T-cells, B-cells, NK-cells). The definition of hematopoietic stem cells has changed in the last two decades. The hematopoietic tissue contains cells with long-term and short-term regeneration capacities and committed multipotent, oligopotent, and unipotent progenitors. HSCs constitute 1:10.000 of cells in myeloid tissue.

HSCs are a heterogeneous population. Three classes of stem cells exist, distinguished by their ratio of lymphoid to myeloid progeny (L/M) in blood. Myeloid-biased (My-bi) HSC have low L/M ratio (between 0 and 3), whereas lymphoid-biased (Ly-bi) HSC show a large ratio (>10). The third category consists of the balanced (Bala) HSC, whose L/M ratio is between 3 and 10. Only the myeloid-biased and -balanced HSCs have durable self-renewal properties. In addition, serial transplantation experiments have shown that each subtype preferentially re-creates its blood cell type distribution, suggesting an inherited epigenetic program for each subtype.

HSC studies through much of the past half century have led to a much deeper understanding. More recent advances have resulted in the use of HSC transplants in the treatment of cancers and other immune system disorders.[1]

HSCs are found in the bone marrow of adults, specially in the pelvis, femur, and sternum. They are also found in umbilical cord blood and, in small numbers, in peripheral blood.[2]

Stem and progenitor cells can be taken from the pelvis, at the iliac crest, using a needle and syringe.[3] The cells can be removed as liquid (to perform a smear to look at the cell morphology) or they can be removed via a core biopsy (to maintain the architecture or relationship of the cells to each other and to the bone).[citation needed]

In order to harvest stem cells from the circulating peripheral blood, blood donors are injected with a cytokine, such as granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), that induces cells to leave the bone marrow and circulate in the blood vessels.[citation needed]

In mammalian embryology, the first definitive HSCs are detected in the AGM (aorta-gonad-mesonephros), and then massively expanded in the fetal liver prior to colonising the bone marrow before birth.[4]

HSCs can replenish all blood cell types (i.e., are multipotent) and self-renew. A small number of HSCs can expand to generate a very large number of daughter HSCs. This phenomenon is used in bone marrow transplantation, when a small number of HSCs reconstitute the hematopoietic system. This process indicates that, subsequent to bone marrow transplantation, symmetrical cell divisions into two daughter HSCs must occur.

Stem cell self-renewal is thought to occur in the stem cell niche in the bone marrow, and it is reasonable to assume that key signals present in this niche will be important in self-renewal. There is much interest in the environmental and molecular requirements for HSC self-renewal, as understanding the ability of HSC to replenish themselves will eventually allow the generation of expanded populations of HSC in vitro that can be used therapeutically.

Link:
Hematopoietic stem cell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Renal stem cells are self-renewing, multipotent stem cells which are able to give rise to all the cell types of the kidney. It is involved in the homeostasis and repair of the kidney, and holds therapeutic potential for treatment of kidney failure.[1]

Strong evidence suggests that renal stem cells are located in the renal papilla.[2] Using stain-retaining assay (with bromodeoxyuridine, or BrdU), a low-cycling cell population was found in the papillary region, which was able to divide rapidly to repair the damaged caused by transcient renal ischemia.[2] These cells are able to incorporate into other renal tissues, and was able to repeatedly form spheres in 3D cultures, and clonal analysis also exhibited its multipotency.[2]

Other reports have suggested the renal tubule and renal capsule to be the site of stem cells. The renal capsule contain stain-retaining cells which exhibited markers for mesenchymal stem cells; after their removal, recovery was significantly slower post-ischemic injury. These evidence suggests a stem cell population exists within the renal capsule.[3]

Using in vivo lineage tracing techniques, Lgr5+ cells were found to contribute to the nephron, specifically to the ascending limb of the loop of Henle and the distal convoluted tubule. Thus, Lgr5+ cells can potentially be a marker for renal stem and/or progenitor cells.[4]

There is much debate regarding the cells involved in repair after injury; while some suggests that stem cells are the sole driving force of repair, others suggests that cells dedifferentiate after damage to act like stem cells.[5] Alternately, it was also reported that differentiated tubular epithelial cells are the driving mechanism for regeneration after injury, using proliferative expansion as the mechanism.[6]

Multipotent mouse kidney progenitor cells (MKPC) were obtained from Myh9 targeted mutant mice. Injection of MKPC into mice post-ischemic injury saw the MKPC regenerating different cell lineages and was able to regenerate renal function and enhanced survival.[7]

It has been reported that endogenous kidney tubular renal epithelial cells can be dedifferentiated into induced pluripotent stem cells by the treatment of only two factors - Oct4 and Sox2.[8]

See the article here:
Renal stem cell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The mission of the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology is the prevention of blindness through lifelong education and cultural exchange among ophthalmologists in the Western Hemisphere.

This Portal will provide a virtual meeting place for professionals from all over the world to gather as a Pan-American Community and focus on ways to standardize and improve ophthalmic knowledge and skills for the improvement of patient care.

The Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology (PAAO) was founded in 1939 by Moacyr E. Alvaro MD (Brazil), Conrad Berens MD (USA), and Harry S. Gradle MD (USA). The Pan-American Ophthalmological Foundation (PAOF) was founded in 1959 to support the PAAO and its educational programs. The Pan-American strives to provide continuing education for ophthalmologists, prevention of blindness programs, and cultural exchange.

Pan-American Ophthalmological Foundation

For over 70 years, the Association has been instrumental helping to restore sight in countless numbers of people and has been a leader in elevating the standards of practice of ophthalmology and quality of eye care in the Western Hemisphere.

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PAAO - Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology

The LonGenity research study builds upon the Longevity Genes Project, initiated in 1998 at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine by Dr. Nir Barzilai. Dr. Barzilai's early observations of the phenotypes of healthy, vital centenarians led him to ask a series of questions. The project'sprimary focus questioned why some people enjoy extremely long life spans, with physical health and brain function far better than expected in the 9th and 10th decades of life.

In 2006 Dr. Barzilai and his team increased their efforts to conduct a large program, "Roles of genes in exceptional longevity in humans" (LonGenity), funded by the National institute of Aging.

In the LonGenity program, genetic analysis (GWAS and candidate gene approach) is performed in an already established cohort (centenarians, their offspring, and age-match unrelated control to these offspring), and genetic findings are validated in a newly established cohort of offspring of parents with exceptional longevity (OPEL) vs. offspring of parents with usual survival (OPUS).

Over the pastten years Dr. Barzilai's team has assembled and characterized families with exceptional longevity and have identified several biological markers that may explain their longevity. Their hypothesis is that unique genotypes and phenotypes protect against age-related diseases (Figure 1). In order to comply with the steps to prove the causality suggested by the figure 1, novel genetic, epidemiologic, and statistical approaches are used to identify genetic markers in subjects with exceptional longevity, and test the impact of these markers on biological measurements and clinical out comes.The long-term objectives are to identify genes that contribute to exceptional longevity in humans, and assess associations among these genes with age-related diseases and longevity.

The LonGenity research study aims:

To date, a unique cohort of over 500 proband with exceptional longevity (~100 y/o), over 700 of their offspring (ages 60-85), and over 600 unrelated subjects ages 60-95 have been assembled and characterized.

Findings

Results of the research to date have been encouraging and enthusiastically received by the medical research community. Among the findings, the team has learned that longevity is:

Additionally,they have learned that:

Continue reading here:
LonGenity and Longevity Genes Project

Glycation is one of four key process which lead to aging by damaging cells. Addressing these four issues reduces aging.

Glycation is a process where sugar and protein molecules combine to form a tangled mess of tissue. Glycated tissue is tough and inflexible, leading to wrinkling not only of the skin, but also of important internal organs. Furthermore, glycated tissues then produce Aged Glycation End-products [AGEs], which further compound the problem by producing large numbers of damaging free radicals.

All in all, glycation is a nightmare process which degrades important body tissues. It must be dramatically reduced if aging is to be minimized.

Glycation causes tough, wrinkled connective tissue. This is most visible on the skin as wrinkles. However, it occurs all through the body. Tough, inelastic connective tissue is very damaging to organs where flexibility is vital. This is especially important in the heart, kidneys, brain, eyes and pancreas.

The lack of flexibility in the important organs leads to reduced functionality and early death. The reason diabetics suffer from organ ailments earlier than most people is that their raised blood sugar level produce greater glycation.

Glycation cannot be stopped completely; neither can it be reversed, currently. However, it can be reduced considerably by making changes in lifestyle and diet.

There are two main causes of glycation;

Continually high blood glucose promotes glycation, as well as other aging processes and degenerative diseases. If glycation is to be reduced, then so must the intake of sugar from the diet.

Sugar in the Diet

Dietary sugar comes from the obvious sugary sources including honey and maple syrup but it also comes from starchy food, many of which are close to 100% sugar, when they are broken down in the body.

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Aging and Longevity 3. Glycation - Living To 150

PKD News Headlinesonly PKD Foundation awards fellowships to promising PKD researchers

We have selected five outstanding researchers to receive the 2015 PKD Foundation Fellowships. These fellowships honor early-career scientists whose achievements and potential identify them as rising stars the next generation of scientific leaders in PKD research. Over two years, each fellow will receive $50,000 a year, totaling a half-million dollars. Initially, our goal was to fund three fellowships. However, thanks in large part to a highly successful response to this year's PKD Matching Gift Challenge (which raised $412,000), we were able to increase this to five.

Read more about the five PKD researchers

From Medical News Today

A new method that allows antibodies to penetrate cyst walls may open the door for already approved drugs to target the growth factors that drive polycystic kidney disease.

Read more

New Orleans Saintsations Kriste Lewis, along with others impacted by PKD, helps create awareness in this promotional video. Please help spread the word to people who may not know about this disease by sharing this video.

PKD affects thousands in the United States and millions worldwide and yet, many people have never heard of it. Watch this short video and learn more about this little-known disease.

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Home - PKD Foundation

What is a genetic disease?

A genetic disease is any disease that is caused by an abnormality in an individual's genome, the person's entire genetic makeup. The abnormality can range from minuscule to major -- from a discrete mutation in a single base in the DNA of a single gene to a gross chromosome abnormality involving the addition or subtraction of an entire chromosome or set of chromosomes. Some genetic disorders are inherited from the parents, while other genetic diseases are caused by acquired changes or mutations in a preexisting gene or group of genes. Mutations can occur either randomly or due to some environmental exposure.

There are a number of different types of genetic inheritance, including the following four modes:

Single gene inheritance, also called Mendelian or monogenetic inheritance. This type of inheritance is caused by changes or mutations that occur in the DNA sequence of a single gene. There are more than 6,000 known single-gene disorders, which occur in about 1 out of every 200 births. These disorders are known as monogenetic disorders (disorders of a single gene).

Some examples of monogenetic disorders include:

Single-gene disorders are inherited in recognizable patterns: autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, and X-linked.

Medically Reviewed by a Doctor on 5/21/2015

Genetic Disease - Symptoms Question: What were the symptoms of a genetic disease in you or a relative?

Genetic Disease - Screening Question: Have you been screened for a genetic disease? Please share your story.

Genetic Disease - Personal Experience Question: Is there a genetic disease in your family? Please share your experience.

Original post:
Genetic Disease: Get the Definition of These Disorders

TREATMENT WITH Fat Stem Cell Therapy

Face Lift Procedure Avg. Rating: 4.5 out of 5 from 129 votes.

Women and men around the globe are seeking for alternatives to Surgical Face Lifts and expensive chemical injection namely Botox. And when celebs like legend pop-artist Madonna, choose the natural approach you know you are onto something really good.

Thanks to the local rejuvenating and toning effect of stem cells, now there is an alternative. An enriched Fat Stem Cell (FSC) Face Lift can leave you looking 10 - 15 years younger, all without surgical scars and long recovery period as well as that nonsense "pulled back look".

And don't forget, the neck and hands, which are a sure sign of "old age". Our procedure takes care of that too.

A detailed explanation of our procedure for a Fat Stem Cell (FSC) Face Lift with autologous adipose enriched Stem Cell Therapy is available on our procedure page.

Activated Stem Cells are returned to the patient by our Cosmetic Surgeon using surgical needles. Only a local anesthetic is used. Excess fat extracted during the Harvest phase of the procedure is mixed with activated stem cells and is used as filler to inject into the patient's Hands, Face and Neck to fill wrinkles and age lines.

The natural effects of the enriched stem cells smooth and tone the skin. The entire process takes about 4-5 hours to complete.

Here too, the results of this procedure speak for themselves. Cleaner, whiter, smoother, softer and wrinkle free, facial skin can be had within a week after the procedure. Acne dents and scars disappear, age spots fade quickly. In 2-3 weeks the full effects of the procedure will be evident. Your friends will be shocked by just how young you look and they will surely be looking for the scars.

The woman in the images above also had dents on both sides of her forehead. A trained cosmetic surgeon filled those dents with her own fat

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Face Lift Using Fat Stem Cell Therapy

The death of a woman after she was treated with stem cells at a private clinic in Thailand has reinforced warnings for desperate sick people to avoid stem-cell tourism the gamble of undergoing untested stem-cell treatments in unlicensed private clinics abroad.

Post-mortem results reported this week reveal that the stem-cell treatment almost certainly killed the woman, who had been suffering from kidney disease. She developed strange lumps in the kidney, liver and adrenal gland.

So what are the implications for stem cell research generally, and is it safe for clinical trials to continue? New Scientist has some answers.

What was wrong with the patient, and what treatment did she receive?

She had lupus nephritis, a condition in which the bodys own immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the kidneys. Usually it can be kept in check with immunosuppressive steroids, but when these failed, the woman turned to a private stem-cell clinic in Bangkok.

How would stem cells help?

Bona-fide trials in European clinics about six years ago showed that some people with similar kidney disease benefited if stem cells from their own bone marrow were injected into their blood. The bodys immune system was first deliberately destroyed with powerful immunosuppressive drugs, then the reinjected stem cells helped to stop the attacks on the kidney by rebuilding and rebalancing the immune system. About a third of the 50 recipients relapsed after a year or so, and 12 of these people died. But around two-thirds saw benefits, with some going into remission.

So what happened with the woman who went to Bangkok?

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Death revives warnings about rogue stem cell clinics - New ...

Hematological deficiencies increase with aging, including anemias, reduced responses to hematopoietic stress and myelodysplasias. This investigation tested the hypothesis that increased bone marrow (BM) fat content in humans with age was associated with decreased numbers of side population (SP) hematopoietic stem cells, and this decrease correlated with changes in cytokine levels. BM was obtained from the femoral head and trochanteric region of the femur removed at surgery for total hip replacement (N = 100 subjects). In addition, BM from cadavers (N = 36), with no evidence of hip disease, was evaluated for fat content. Whole trabecular marrow samples were ground in a sterile mortar and pestle, and cellularity and lipid content determined. Marrow cells were stained with Hoechst dye and SP profiles were acquired. Plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, stromal-derived factor (SDF)-1 and interleukin (IL)-6 were measured using ELISA. Fat content in the BM of human subjects and cadavers increased with age. The numbers of SP stem cells in BM as well as plasma IGF-1 and SDF-1 levels decreased in correlation with increased BM fat. IL-6 had no relationship to changes in marrow fat. These data suggest that increased BM fat may be associated with a decreased number of SP stem cells and IGF-1 and SDF-1 levels with aging. These data further raise a more general question as to the role of adipose cells in the regulation of tissue stem cells.

2011 The Authors. Journal of Anatomy 2011 Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

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Changes in human bone marrow fat content associated with ...