StemCell Therapy

A quick google search for those interested in losing weight will quickly reveal the latest buzz-worthy trendmeal prepping. From OCD-approved rows of macronutrient-friendly meals to personal competitions to complete a weeks worth of preparation before a timer runs out, its no surprise there are more than 5 million posts tagged #mealprep on Instagram.

The hype is justified, as studies have shown that people who meal prep are likely to have healthier diets and follow nutritional guidelines more closely. Other positive effects include better portion control,, spending less money on weekly groceries and eating out less.

In theory, there isnt anything wrong with meal prepping. However, if not practiced carefulyl, this method could sabotage your weight loss effortsfor a reason that has very little to do with the actual food you prep. These efforts can go to waste if you are prepping in containers containing the harmful, hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol A, or BPA.

This chemical can be found in many places, such as polycarbonate plastic, canned food linings and even on smartphones. Generally, were regularly ingesting BPA and it passes through the body fairly quickly once exposed. The issues arise when people are exposed to high levels of BPAsuch as when every meal of every day is prepped in plastic containers containing the chemical.

An effective diet is not just about healthy eating, managing sugar and carbohydrates, and exercise, said Dr. Aly Cohen, a rheumatologist and integrative medicine and environmental health specialist at the CentraState Medical Center. Reducing chemical exposure is also key because many of these chemicals can disrupt normal hormone function, impede weight loss, and even cause weight gain. Just because chemicals may not have an obvious effect, like causing a rash, doesnt mean they arent tinkering with your body.

Not only has research shown that BPA is an active agent in prompting cells to become fat cells, it has also shown that exposure to the chemical can make it harder to feel full.

BPA is so ubiquitous, that humans are continuously exposed, making BPA pseudo-persistent, Cohen said. Whats interesting in terms of weight is that BPA can turn stem cells into fat cells and make fat cells turn larger. Thats not great news for our waistlines

But there is hope for those dedicated to the life of meal prepping with just a few alterations. Using glass, stainless steel or ceramic containers when possible and using care with plastic containers when necessarysuch as avoiding harsh chemical cleaners and never reheating food in plasticwill help decrease BPA exposure. Further, switching to fresh or frozen produce and avoiding canned, if you can, will help bring these levels down.

Photo: Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock, CC-BY

Emma Korstanjeis a freelance journalist based out of Athens, GA.

Read more from the original source:
Is Meal Prepping Negating Your Weight Loss Efforts? - Paste Magazine

Stem cell therapy: the next wave in regenerative medicine?

All it involved was a quick injection no different, really, than a flu shot.

A few weeks later, Bill Ambrose realized hed become significantly less reliant on taking Aleve for knee pain, and he was re-learning how to walk without shuffling his feet.

Surgery, it turned out, might not be necessary after all.

Last November, Ambrose scheduled knee surgery to alleviate discomfort in his knees caused by what orthopedic doctors called true bone-on-bone at the joint. But for one reason or another, he kept missing pre-surgery and the surgery never happened.

The next month, Ambrose met with Dr. Bill Nolan, of Cherry Street Health Group, to discuss advertising space in the Danvers Herald.

For the purpose of full disclosure, Ambrose is an employee of Gatehouse Media Company, and he works in the advertising department for Wicked Local, the local branch of GHM newspapers.

After Nolans ads ran inthe Jan. 5issue of the Herald, Ambrose said he reached out to Nolan again. This time, for himself.

Nolans practice offered a solution to his knee pain an alternative to knee surgery he had never considered before: stem cell therapy.

Essentially, the solutionCherry StreetHealth Group offered was an injection of amniotic fluid into Ambrose's knee joint. The stem cells and other growth factorsin the fluid would allow for the regeneration of the cartilage at the joint.

I became interested so I decided to go ahead with it, Ambrose said.

He brought in scans to show Nolan, who said, contrary to what orthopedic doctors had told him, he didnt have true bone on bone. There was still a small space between the bones.

I decided to have one leg done and my knee started getting much better, he said.

Satisfied with the results of the first injection, Ambrose decided to get his left knee done in April.

I still experience some pain in [the left knee], but I get up in the morning and theres very little pain at all, he said in an interview a few weeks following the appointment.

The stem cell option

In the U.S., there are three ways that stem cells are used, Nolan said. Theyre either taken from bone marrow, fat cells, or the amniotic membrane of a healthy c-section from a consenting woman.

When stem cellsare injected into the body,they're expected to increase space at the joint, rebuild cartilage, and ultimately, provide more stability in the joint. As many as 570 businesses across the country advertise some kind of stem cell therapy, according to a 2016 paper.

Stem cell therapy is not necessarily a new discovery, but it is relatively recent in the world of regenerative medicine.Stem cells were first used as much as century ago, first for eye procedures and as filler for the spinal cord, according to Regenexx, which claims to have pioneered orthopedic stem cell treatments in 2005.

Adult stem cells are retrieved directly from the patient, either frombone marrow or fat cells,and concentrated beforeits reinjectedinto the patient's site of pain.

In the case of amniotic fluid therapy,amniotic fluid, which contains stem cells and other growth factors, is injected into the site. These cellshave been shown to "expand extensively" and show "high renewal capacity,"according to research published in the National Library of Medicine.

We know that as you age, your stem cell count decreases,Nolan said, explaining the benefit of using cells from the amniotic membrane. We know that when we get it from the amniotic membrane, theres a large amount of stem cells that are present. From the amniotic membrane, there are no antibodies or antigens, so its safe for anyone to get.

At Cherry Street Health Group, theproduct usedis produced by General Surgical and distributed by RegenOMedix, according to Nolan.The product, which is called ReGen Anu RHEO, is American Tissue Bank approved and FDA cleared.

RHEO is marketed as "a human tissue allograft derived from placental tissue; amniotic membrane and amniotic fluid."Its a"powerful combination" of amniotic fluid and mesencymal stem cells, which are known to differentiate into a variety of cell types, according to RegenOMedix.It also contains growth factor proteins andis "rich" in other necessary components for tissue regeneration.

The product is non-steroidal and comes with no side effects, and the company says no adverse events have been recorded using the product.

Nolan said stem cell therapy has been offered as a treatmentat Cherry Street since 2016.

Across the U.S., there are as many as 56 businesses marketing some form of amniotic stem cellsto its consumers, according to the same paper.

At Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, for example, orthopedic surgeon Adam Yanke enrolled one of his patients into an experimental amniotic cell therapy treatment program. The woman, a 65-year-old suffering from osteoarthritis in both knees, told reporters the injections were "by far the most effective pain treatment" she had tried, and so farthat relief has lasted up to a year.

But while the use of amniotic fluid therapyas a regenerative medicine is becoming increasingly popular throughout the U.S.,the use of amniotic stemcellsdoesn't comewithout concern from some within the community.

Dr. Chris Centeno, who specializes in regenerative medicine andthe clinical use of adult stem cells, has blogged numerous times for Regenexx on the "scam" of using amniotic stem cells most recently in sharply worded post on May 22.

"Regrettably, we have an epidemic on our hands that began when sales reps began telling medical providers thattheir dead amniotic and cord tissues had loads of live cells on it," he wrote.

Nolan said he was familiar with Centeno's posts.

"A lot of the stem cell stuff is new," he said. "Some of the products out there ... They were doing testing on them and not finding cells."

Cherry Street Health Group has treatedabout 50patients with this form of regenerative medicine and had significant success, according to Nolan. Although Nolan owns the health group on Cherry Street in Danvers, the stem cell treatments are provided under the medical practice of Dr. Pat Scanlan.

Weve had really, really amazing success, Nolan said. Weve had over 95 percent success of all the patients weve had in the office. Its been a game changer from a practice standpoint.

The "worst thing" that could happen is there might not be any regeneration, he explained.

"You might get pain relief, but no regeneration," Nolan said. "But from what weve seen, there have been no negative side effects."

At Cherry Street, knees are the most commonly treated joints, followed by hips, shoulders and the lower back. The cervical spine is the least common.

"I hesitated on the surgery, and I'm gladI did," Ambrose said. "Even if[the stem cells]don't do any more than what they've done, its been well worth it."

Patients who do present with true bone on bone, however, are not candidates for this form of therapy, Nolan said.

The cost comparison

At Cherry Street Health Group, the cost of the injection comes toroughly $4,000 per knee, a cost that isn't covered by insurance. By comparison, health-care providers often charge insurers more than $18,000 for knee replacement surgeries in the Boston area, according to a report by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

The report, however, doesn't account for what the patient actually pays.

Nolan said when other factors of post-op are considered time off of work, rehabilitation time and cost the out-of-pocketcost for surgery compared to stem cell treatment is comparable.

"When you really boil it down, it can be the same or, in a lot of cases, a savings," he said.

Ambrose said it "boggles his mind" that more people don't choose this treatment over surgery.

"Why would you spend $40,000 on a car and not want to spend $4,000 on a knee?," he said."Its crazy. Yes, its out of pocket. So what? We buy a lot of stuff we dont need, and then for something like this, something that people, if they do it, theyll be glad they did it. Its just hard to convince them to do it."

In arecent report in STAT news, a health news start up of the Boston Globe, a study of orthopedic procedures in the U.S. suggested an estimated one-third of knee replacement surgeries are inappropriate. More than 640,000 of these surgeries are performed each year, making for a $10 billion dollar industry in knee surgery.

The study said that evidence isn't limited to just knee surgeries.

"There's a lot that needs to change when we look at health care in general,"Nolan said. "It's really no surprise that something like doing this regenerative medicine is going to take time for it to really take off."

Continue reading here:
Danvers health group offers alternative solution to surgery - Wicked Local North of Boston

Question: I find the concept of a 5-year filler like Bellafill to be very interesting as Im tired of refilling with fillers every year or so. Its also become very costly to keep returning for regular repeat treatments. I have fine lines over my cheeks and lips as well as deep smiles lines and those awful puppet lines. What type of lines can Bellafill be used for?

Answer: Yours is an important question since patients often believe that the many injectable fillers are interchangeable. However, each filler is specifically designed to be injected at a certain depth in the skin and used only for certain purposes. Unlike Restylane Silk or Juvederm XC, Bellafill is a volumization filler for hollowing in the cheeks, temples and under eyes. Bellafill is also used for deep lines and grooves such as the deep nasolabial smile lines and marionette or puppet lines at the mouth corners. Bellafill is not designed to improve very fine lip lines or other finer facial lines.

In answer to your question, Bellafill could be very effective and natural looking for your deep nasolabial folds and mouth corner grooves. In terms of the fine lines around your lips and in the cheek area, you may continue to use temporary fillers for those fines every 6 to 12 months. Alternatively, PRP with fat stem cells is a long-term option.

I have been using protein-rich plasma(PRP) combined with stem cells, using a proprietary mixing technique, and injecting this into fine facial lines. The benefits of this procedure are that the injected material is purely derived from your own bodys tissues and not a foreign substance. Because the PRP contains a high concentration of growth factors, these growth factors stimulate the stem cells, derived from fat, to differentiate into collagen-producing cells. The results are much longer lasting compared to that of commercially available fillers.

The combination of Bellafill for your deep lines and grooves and PRP/fat-derived stem cells for your finer facial lines can be a very effective facial rejuvenation tool that can avoid the high cost of frequent maintenance treatments with temporary fillers.

Dr. Anita Mandal is a double Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon practicing since 1998. She exclusively specializes in facial rejuvenation and non-invasive body contouring. In addition to being on the medical staff at Jupiter Medical Center, her offices house both surgical and laser suites. Dr. Mandal is committed to giving her patients the most natural looking results.

______________________________

Mandal Plastic Surgery Center

2401 PGA Blvd., Suite 146

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Bellafill For Which Type Of Wrinkles? - Palm Beach Post

Cataracts result when the naturally clear lenses of your eyes begins to cloud, causing you to see halos around lights and experience difficulty seeing in dim light, eventually leading to blurred vision or complete vision loss.

Over 24 million adults over the age of 40 in the U.S. have cataracts and by the age of 80 over 50% of people will suffer from the condition.

Currently, the only effective treatment for cataracts is surgery to remove the clouded lens and replace it with an artificial one.

This makes focusing on cataract prevention vital to maintaining healthy eyesight.

Signs youre developing cataracts There are some warning signs to look for that could mean youre on the road to cataract development.

These include:

Discoloration of your eyes A yellowish or brown color in your eyes can be caused by clumps of protein that clouds your lens. Sensitivity to light Increased sensitivity to the light from car headlights, sunlight or indoor lighting such as lamps is often one of the first signs of cataract development. Cloudy vision This usually starts in a small part of your eye and then progresses to cover your entire lens. Frequent changes in prescription glasses or contacts If you find yourself needing a higher prescription for your contacts or glasses regularly, this could be a sign of cataract development. Problems with night vision Since cataracts cause problems with eyesight in dim light, night vision can be a problem. Fading or yellowing of colors The protein build-up in your lens that goes along with cataracts can result in problems perceiving true colors. Natural cataract prevention Now that you know if youre at risk, here a few things you can do to prevent cataract development naturally.

1 Take a multivitamin

Daily multivitamin use has been associated with a decrease risk of cataracts. In fact, some studies have shown up to a 36% decreased risk thanks to multivitamins for some types of cataracts.

2 Add bilberry and vitamin E

In one study, a combination of bilberry and vitamin E stopped the progression of cataracts in 96% of subjects. The dosage in the study was 180 mg of bilberry, standardized to contain 25-percent anthocyanosides and 100 mg of vitamin E twice per day for four months.

3 Supplement A and C

Vitamins A and C are antioxidants that help your eyes fight the damage caused by a free-radical attack. This is vital because this free radical damage can lead to cataracts. To achieve the optimal level of antioxidants for your eyes, take 5,000 IU of vitamin A (1.5 mg) and 2,500 mg of vitamin C per day.

4 Take lutein and zeaxanthin

In one study, people with the highest intakes of lutein and zeaxanthin were half as likely to develop cataracts as those with the lowest intake. For cataract prevention, take 15 20 mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin daily.

You can also get more of these important nutrients through your diet. Spinach and kale especially offer high levels of lutein and zeaxanthin, so eat up.

5 Wear sunglasses at times

Your doctor will tell you to wear sunglasses to prevent cataracts. But, while its important to protect your eyes against ultraviolet light, you also need the natural wavelengths found in sunlight to feed your eyes the nutrients they needs for good health.

Wear sunglasses for high exposure times such as when you plan to be out in the sun all day or in the snow or on the water where sunlight reflections can damage the eye. Otherwise, allow your eyes to absorb the sunlight they need.

6 Control your blood sugar

High blood sugar and diabetes increases your risk of developing cataracts. Watch your blood sugar levels, decrease your intake of carbohydrates and sugars and get more exercise to lower your risk and maintain healthy eyesight. Try this simple trick to lower your morning blood sugar.

7 Stop smoking

Smoking is directly linked to the development of cataracts. The good news is that kicking the habit reduces your risk steadily, the longer you avoid smoking so quit now.

Preserving your eyesight and preventing cataracts means taking steps every day to improve the health of your eyes. Use the tips above to maintain optimal vision for life.

Source: Easyhealthoptions

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7 Cataract Prevention Tips To Save Your Sight - Information Nigeria

ALTOONA, Pa. - Payton Hartman has always had a love for the game of baseball.

"I decided because I always thought it was cool when I was younger. So I decided to play."

And he's good at it- really good. Payton's batting .500 this season and is one of his team's top pitchers.

"He's definitely an MVP. I can put him anywhere in the field, shortstop, pitching, center field, catching and he excels in all the positions," says manager Stephen Pyo.

So it's almost impossible to believe that he's doing it with the sight of just one eye. Peyton has been blind in his left eye since birth, so he's learned to deal with half of his vision.

"Well it doesn't make it difficult for me. For other people it would probably be hard because they wouldn't be used to it. But when I was growing up, I got used to it." "He always been used to it. He always asks me, what's it like to have two eyes? I say, what's it like to have one? He is normal to me," adds his mom, Casey.

So he wasn't going to let one bad eye stand in the way of playing baseball. At first it was tough. But as they say: practice makes perfect.

"When I first started I wasn't good at all but then as the years went by, I just kept practicing and practicing and got better."

Now, he's not only crushing it on the field, he was just named an all star.

"Baseball is a very difficult sport with someone that has full vision, let alone an individual that may be blind or impaired in one eye. he plays the position and catches and pitches without much difficulty," says Pyo.

Payton's teammates don't even know he's blind. With the way he has worked through his blindness and succeeded. the sky is the limit for the 11 year old.

"I wanna be in the MLB when I'm older."

Originally posted here:
Keeping His Eye on the Ball - WTAJ

One of my comedy heroes, Greg Davies, described his teenage years as the 'Dark Years'. I think this is an apt description - for me it was acne, uncontrollable hormones, paranoia and the desperate need to 'fit in'. However, unlike Mr Davies and most of my secondary school peers, mine was actually a bit dark... literally! I have been visually impaired since I was three years old. I was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at three, leading to uveitis glaucoma (a condition of the eyes) with which I was diagnosed at four years old. Essentially my eyes and knees have spent the last 27 years being ruddy annoying! I don't want to clog this up with medical jargon but both these conditions are chronic and have resulted in permanent sight loss in my left eye and complete sight loss for a year when I was twenty-one years old. I retain decent vision in my right eye and live independently. My arthritis is controlled by medication and physiotherapy and all things considered I am very lucky to have the sight and mobility I have.

Now puberty is tough for anyone, but let me paint a picture of a teenage Georgie: very short, skinny, flat chested, buck-toothed, essentially a ball of teenage angst. I let the world know I wasn't happy and was what some might call, 'a bit of a Madam'. I was totally obsessed with the singer P!nk and even cut all my hair off to emulate her. Not a look that suited me and resulted in the nickname Rat-Man from my older brother. I shall never forgive him! I managed to get in with the cool crowd by being something of the class clown and that skill of being funny got me into the fold. I behaved like some court jester to fit in because teenagers are cruel, probably because they are also going through puberty and lashing out at a world they don't know how to fit into either.

All I wanted was for a boy to like me, to have some breasts and straight teeth. This fear of being 'different' was why I coped so poorly with my visual impairment during puberty. I tried to ignore my poorly eyes and dodgy knees through fear they would differentiate me from the other kids. In fact, I went blind in my left eye at 15 years old and didn't even sniff at it. I privately accepted it and publicly kept up appearances of being a cool, funny teenager. I didn't take certain medications, I was rude to my doctors and totally unappreciative of the amazing health care I received. A health system radically in decline but we'll come to that later.

I was convinced my inability to do PE would isolate me and if you mix that in with rampant hormones and self-loathing you have a nasty piece of work. I didn't reach out for help, didn't try to accept who I was and it was only my parents who saw my fears. I was in total denial that I was disabled; I feared it - which is part of the problem facing disability today. A fear I now tackle now in my own comedy. The trigger for me was when I lost the sight in my remaining right eye at 21. It took that for me to accept my disability but, more importantly, to be proud of it. It is a part of who I am and we must stop seeing disability as a flaw.

I deeply regret not being more accepting of who I was in my teens and implore any disabled young person not to do the same as me. Don't let the ravages of puberty and peer pressure get to you. The moment I became more accepting, I felt at peace with who I was and quietly proud. Sure, you might not be like the 'popular' girls at school. You might have to inject a medication or wear a wrist splint and big glasses and sit on the side-lines in PE. It's a part of who you are and you are more interesting because you have an extraordinary way of looking at the world. And if you're anything like me, quite literally you will look at the world differently! Our teens are such a tiny part of our lives. Don't waste them by being a moody hormonal paranoid teenager. Instead shout: "I am disabled. I am proud and I AM no different".

I would also add, don't make the easiest years of your life harder with hormonal paranoia taking over. The hardest years are yet to come. It's actually in recent years I have truly discovered what isolation feels like. My life is having to change due to government cuts to the benefits system, Disability Living Allowance and the NHS.

Nowadays I work with several disability charities, including the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), and my work as comedian and writer are inspired by my disability. I have essentially made my disability a commodity and it has been the beginning of my life's work. I bet teenage Georgie would never have expected this, me doing shows about my one eye, the state of the nation and weird doctors. She might have even hated the idea. But she can shut up because the time has come that we all talk about disability more and this should start from those crucial years of puberty and teen angst when you are just working out who you are. Disability wasn't the end of my world... it was just the beginning.

For advice, information and support about living with sight loss, visit RNIB's website or call the charity's helpline on 0303 123 9999.

Catch me at The Edinburgh Fringe from 4-28 August - check out my website for details.

HuffPost UK Lifestyle has launched EveryBody, a new section calling for better equality and inclusivity for people living with disability and invisible illness. The aim is to empower those whose voices are not always heard and redefine attitudes to identity, lifestyle and ability in 2017. We'll be covering all manner of lifestyle topics - from health and fitness to dating, sex and relationships.

We'd love to hear your stories. To blog for the section, please email ukblogteam@huffingtonpost.com with the subject line 'EveryBody'. To flag any issues that are close to your heart, please email natasha.hinde@huffingtonpost.com, again with the subject line 'EveryBody'.

Join in the conversation with #HPEveryBody on Twitter and Instagram.

Go here to see the original:
The Dark Years: Growing Up With Sight Loss - HuffPost UK

Stem cell therapy: the next wave in regenerative medicine?

All it involved was a quick injection no different, really, than a flu shot.

A few weeks later, Bill Ambrose realized hed become significantly less reliant on taking Aleve for knee pain, and he was re-learning how to walk without shuffling his feet.

Surgery, it turned out, might not be necessary after all.

Last November, Ambrose scheduled knee surgery to alleviate discomfort in his knees caused by what orthopedic doctors called true bone-on-bone at the joint. But for one reason or another, he kept missing pre-surgery and the surgery never happened.

The next month, Ambrose met with Dr. Bill Nolan, of Cherry Street Health Group, to discuss advertising space in the Danvers Herald.

For the purpose of full disclosure, Ambrose is an employee of Gatehouse Media Company, and he works in the advertising department for Wicked Local, the local branch of GHM newspapers.

After Nolans ads ran inthe Jan. 5issue of the Herald, Ambrose said he reached out to Nolan again. This time, for himself.

Nolans practice offered a solution to his knee pain an alternative to knee surgery he had never considered before: stem cell therapy.

Essentially, the solutionCherry StreetHealth Group offered was an injection of amniotic fluid into Ambrose's knee joint. The stem cells and other growth factorsin the fluid would allow for the regeneration of the cartilage at the joint.

I became interested so I decided to go ahead with it, Ambrose said.

He brought in scans to show Nolan, who said, contrary to what orthopedic doctors had told him, he didnt have true bone on bone. There was still a small space between the bones.

I decided to have one leg done and my knee started getting much better, he said.

Satisfied with the results of the first injection, Ambrose decided to get his left knee done in April.

I still experience some pain in [the left knee], but I get up in the morning and theres very little pain at all, he said in an interview a few weeks following the appointment.

The stem cell option

In the U.S., there are three ways that stem cells are used, Nolan said. Theyre either taken from bone marrow, fat cells, or the amniotic membrane of a healthy c-section from a consenting woman.

When stem cellsare injected into the body,they're expected to increase space at the joint, rebuild cartilage, and ultimately, provide more stability in the joint. As many as 570 businesses across the country advertise some kind of stem cell therapy, according to a 2016 paper.

Stem cell therapy is not necessarily a new discovery, but it is relatively recent in the world of regenerative medicine.Stem cells were first used as much as century ago, first for eye procedures and as filler for the spinal cord, according to Regenexx, which claims to have pioneered orthopedic stem cell treatments in 2005.

Adult stem cells are retrieved directly from the patient, either frombone marrow or fat cells,and concentrated beforeits reinjectedinto the patient's site of pain.

In the case of amniotic fluid therapy,amniotic fluid, which contains stem cells and other growth factors, is injected into the site. These cellshave been shown to "expand extensively" and show "high renewal capacity,"according to research published in the National Library of Medicine.

We know that as you age, your stem cell count decreases,Nolan said, explaining the benefit of using cells from the amniotic membrane. We know that when we get it from the amniotic membrane, theres a large amount of stem cells that are present. From the amniotic membrane, there are no antibodies or antigens, so its safe for anyone to get.

At Cherry Street Health Group, theproduct usedis produced by General Surgical and distributed by RegenOMedix, according to Nolan.The product, which is called ReGen Anu RHEO, is American Tissue Bank approved and FDA cleared.

RHEO is marketed as "a human tissue allograft derived from placental tissue; amniotic membrane and amniotic fluid."Its a"powerful combination" of amniotic fluid and mesencymal stem cells, which are known to differentiate into a variety of cell types, according to RegenOMedix.It also contains growth factor proteins andis "rich" in other necessary components for tissue regeneration.

The product is non-steroidal and comes with no side effects, and the company says no adverse events have been recorded using the product.

Nolan said stem cell therapy has been offered as a treatmentat Cherry Street since 2016.

Across the U.S., there are as many as 56 businesses marketing some form of amniotic stem cellsto its consumers, according to the same paper.

At Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, for example, orthopedic surgeon Adam Yanke enrolled one of his patients into an experimental amniotic cell therapy treatment program. The woman, a 65-year-old suffering from osteoarthritis in both knees, told reporters the injections were "by far the most effective pain treatment" she had tried, and so farthat relief has lasted up to a year.

But while the use of amniotic fluid therapyas a regenerative medicine is becoming increasingly popular throughout the U.S.,the use of amniotic stemcellsdoesn't comewithout concern from some within the community.

Dr. Chris Centeno, who specializes in regenerative medicine andthe clinical use of adult stem cells, has blogged numerous times for Regenexx on the "scam" of using amniotic stem cells most recently in sharply worded post on May 22.

"Regrettably, we have an epidemic on our hands that began when sales reps began telling medical providers thattheir dead amniotic and cord tissues had loads of live cells on it," he wrote.

Nolan said he was familiar with Centeno's posts.

"A lot of the stem cell stuff is new," he said. "Some of the products out there ... They were doing testing on them and not finding cells."

Cherry Street Health Group has treatedabout 50patients with this form of regenerative medicine and had significant success, according to Nolan. Although Nolan owns the health group on Cherry Street in Danvers, the stem cell treatments are provided under the medical practice of Dr. Pat Scanlan.

Weve had really, really amazing success, Nolan said. Weve had over 95 percent success of all the patients weve had in the office. Its been a game changer from a practice standpoint.

The "worst thing" that could happen is there might not be any regeneration, he explained.

"You might get pain relief, but no regeneration," Nolan said. "But from what weve seen, there have been no negative side effects."

At Cherry Street, knees are the most commonly treated joints, followed by hips, shoulders and the lower back. The cervical spine is the least common.

"I hesitated on the surgery, and I'm gladI did," Ambrose said. "Even if[the stem cells]don't do any more than what they've done, its been well worth it."

Patients who do present with true bone on bone, however, are not candidates for this form of therapy, Nolan said.

The cost comparison

At Cherry Street Health Group, the cost of the injection comes toroughly $4,000 per knee, a cost that isn't covered by insurance. By comparison, health-care providers often charge insurers more than $18,000 for knee replacement surgeries in the Boston area, according to a report by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

The report, however, doesn't account for what the patient actually pays.

Nolan said when other factors of post-op are considered time off of work, rehabilitation time and cost the out-of-pocketcost for surgery compared to stem cell treatment is comparable.

"When you really boil it down, it can be the same or, in a lot of cases, a savings," he said.

Ambrose said it "boggles his mind" that more people don't choose this treatment over surgery.

"Why would you spend $40,000 on a car and not want to spend $4,000 on a knee?," he said."Its crazy. Yes, its out of pocket. So what? We buy a lot of stuff we dont need, and then for something like this, something that people, if they do it, theyll be glad they did it. Its just hard to convince them to do it."

In arecent report in STAT news, a health news start up of the Boston Globe, a study of orthopedic procedures in the U.S. suggested an estimated one-third of knee replacement surgeries are inappropriate. More than 640,000 of these surgeries are performed each year, making for a $10 billion dollar industry in knee surgery.

The study said that evidence isn't limited to just knee surgeries.

"There's a lot that needs to change when we look at health care in general,"Nolan said. "It's really no surprise that something like doing this regenerative medicine is going to take time for it to really take off."

Continue reading here:
Danvers health group offers alternative solution to surgery - Wicked Local Danvers

The term 'beer belly' has a whole new meaning thanks to researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS), who have developed a probiotic beer that boosts the immune system and promotes a healthy stomach.

The new invention was a daunting task according to the inventor, who says that hops used in beer createan inhospitable environment for probiotics.

"The health benefits of probiotics are well known. While good bacteria are often present in food that have been fermented, there are currently no beers in the market that contain probiotics. Developing sufficient counts of live probiotics in beer is a challenging feat as beers contain hop acids that prevent the growth and survival of probiotics," said ChanMei Zhi Alcine,the undergraduate researcher at NUS who picked probiotic beer as her final-year project - and claim to a Nobel Prize if beer connoisseurs have their way.

The healthy brew is made with the probiotic strain Lactobacillus paracasei L26, which regulates the immune system and neutralizes toxins as well as viruses. The strain also gives the suds a sharp, tarty flavor.

"For this beer, we used a lactic acid bacterium as a probiotic micro-organism. It will utilize sugars present in the wort to produce sour-tasting lactic acid, resulting in a beer with sharp and tart flavours. The final product, which takes around a month to brew, has an alcohol content of about 3.5 per cent," explained Chan.

Her supervisor - Dr. Liu Shao Quan - added that the project is the perfect marriage of the craft beer movement with health-food trends.

"The general health benefits associated with consuming food and beverages with probiotic strains have driven demand dramatically. In recent years, consumption of craft or specialty beers has gained popularity too. Alcine's invention is placed in a unique position that caters to these two trends. I am confident that the probiotic gut-friendly beer will be well-received by beer drinkers, as they can now enjoy their beers and be healthy."

When those healthy ales hit shelves is up to the researchers, whohave patented probiotic beer to protect their recipe. So it looks like Chain's post-graduate project willbe raking in the dough with her healthy suds.

More here:
This Probiotic Beer Boosts The Immune System, Promotes Stomach ... - Civilized

July 4, 2017

IVF embryos whose cells have mixed chromosomal profiles - one normal, another abnormal - still have the potential to implant in the uterus and become a healthy pregnancy, according to a study presented today at the 33rd Annual Meeting of ESHRE.

This pattern of embryonic mosaicism, which is characterised by the presence of two or more genetically distinct cell lineages, typically one with a chromosome abnormality and the other with a normal chromosome composition, has become a controversial topic in recent months, with debate over their potential viability. In the light of this latest study, which was performed by the GENOMA group and European Hospital IVF Center in Rome, Dr Francesco Fiorentino from the Molecular Genetics Laboratory of GENOMA, who will present today's study, said that its results "confirm that mosaic embryos can develop into healthy euploid [chromosomally healthy] newborns".

This possibility was first raised by Dr Fiorentino's group and the European Hospital in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine in November 2015, which described six healthy deliveries in a small series of 18 women for whom embryo screening had found no chromosomally normal (euploid) embryos.(1) Up to this point mosaic embryos were not usually transferred in IVF because they (like all other aneuploid embryos) were considered abnormal. Even in their NEJM letter, the Rome investigators noted that "it is reasonable to assume that mosaicism reduces the likelihood of success of IVF".

The bottom line of this latest study reported at ESHRE is that success or failure following the transfer of a mosaic embryo in IVF depends on the extent of the mosaicism and chromosomal abnormality (aneuploidy) in the embryo.

The study included 73 women for whom embryo screening following IVF had found no chromosomally normal embryos for transfer. Screening had, however, identified mosaic embryos in each of these patients, which were then offered for transfer. For the purpose of the study and assessment of development potential, these mosaic embryos were classified as having low (<50%) or high (>50%) degrees of aneuploidy.

Results of the study showed that pregnancy and delivery were indeed possible following the transfer of mosaic embryos. However, the transfers of mosaic embryos with a high percentage of chromosomally abnormal cells (>50%) resulted in a live birth rate of 16.7%, with a miscarriage rate of 10%. In contrast, mosaic embryos with a lower aneuploidy percentage (<50%) resulted in a higher live birth rate of 39.5%, with miscarriage occurring in just 7.0% of the transfers. The difference between the two delivery rates was statistically significant, suggesting, said Dr Fiorentino, that "priority for transfer should be given to mosaic embryos with low levels of aneuploidy".

Dr Fiorentino said there are several reasons why an embryo with clearly detectable levels of aneuploidy might self-correct and develop into a healthy newborn. One reason, he explained, may be related to the fact that the aneuploid cells have a growth disadvantage or are simply eliminated by processes such as apoptosis. This may lead to a decline in number as the embryo develops, ultimately resulting in a normal fetus.

However, he added that mosaic embryos may now be considered a "distinct category" in terms of potential to implant and develop, lying somewhere between euploid and fully aneuploid embryos. "Euploid embryos have a higher implantation potential than mosaic embryos," said Dr Fiorentino, "and because of this we suggest that mosaic embryos should only be transferred in women with no euploid embryos available. The transfer of euploid embryos, when available, results in higher implantation rates and a lower risk of miscarriage, and represents the preferred option for IVF patients."

Dr Fiorentino added that this finding - that mosaic embryos have the potential for implantation and pregnancy and may influence the clinical outcome of IVF - now suggests that all women may benefit from aneuploidy testing before embryo transfer.

Explore further: The more eggs the better in IVF?

More information: Abstract O-182, Tuesday 4 July 2017: The extent of chromosomal mosaicism influences the clinical outcome of in vitro fertilization treatments

A higher number of eggs retrieved in an IVF treatment cycle is independently associated with more chromosomally normal embryos available for transfer, according to a new Australian study. However, the benefit of a greater ...

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The transfer of chromosomally 'abnormal' embryos can still result in pregnancy in IVF - Medical Xpress

Greenwood Genetic Center (GGC) recently recognized Kasia Ellsworth, PhD, and Catie Spellicy, PhD upon their completion of laboratory fellowships in Clinical Molecular Genetics and Genomics.

Dr. Ellsworth earned a PhD in Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics from Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. After finishing a Clinical Biochemical Genetics fellowship at GGC in 2016, she remained at the Center to complete a second fellowship in Clinical Molecular Genetics and Genomics. Dr. Ellsworth has joined GGCs DNA Diagnostic Laboratory as a Clinical Molecular Specialist.

Dr. Spellicy earned a PhD in Human and Molecular Genetics at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston (UTHSCH). Prior to enrolling in GGCs program, she also completed two postdoctoral fellowships, the first studying neural tube defects, also at UTHSCH, and the second at Baylor College of Medicine where she studied the genetics of addiction. In July, she will join Mission Fullerton Genetics Laboratory in Asheville, NC as a Clinical Molecular Geneticist.

GGCs two-year fellowships include intensive training in laboratory technologies, clinical genetics and diagnostic laboratory management. GGC is one of only 44 sites in the US and the only program in SC offering this post-graduate genetics training programs in all specialty areas.

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Since GGCs program began in 1989, nearly 40 fellows and residents have completed the training and have gone on to practice medical genetics or lead diagnostic laboratories.

Submitted by Lori Bassett

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GGC Graduates Two from Medical Genetics Training Program - Index-Journal

Three courts in Britain agreed with the hospital, as did the European Court of Human Rights, which last week rejected a last-ditch appeal by Charlies parents.

But Pope Francis and Mr. Trump have also weighed in, adding another dimension to an extraordinarily thorny bioethical and legal dispute that pits Britains medical and judicial establishment against the wishes of the childs parents.

Judges in the case have acknowledged that the case highlights differences in law and medicine and an American willingness to try anything, however unlikely the possibility of success but have held that prolonging the infants life would be inhumane and unreasonable. The case echoes the one of Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman who was left in a persistent vegetative state after a cardiac arrest and was also the subject of a court battle.

A Vatican spokesman, Greg Burke, told Vatican Radio on Sunday that the pope had been following the parents case with affection and sadness, praying that their desire to accompany and care for their own child to the end is not ignored.

Italys top pediatric hospital, which is run by the Vatican, told the Italian news agency ANSA on Monday that it would be willing to take Charlie.

We understand that the situation is desperate, said Mariella Enoc, director of the Bambino Ges hospital in Rome, noting that she had been in touch with British officials to signal a willingness to take the patient, the agency reported. We are close to the parents in prayer and, if this is their desire, we are open to receiving their child at our structure for the time it will take for him to live.

Mr. Trump, who was not known to have previously expressed a view on the matter, wrote on Twitter on Monday that if the United States could help, we would be delighted to do so.

Both the pope and the president stopped short of criticizing the court rulings or the hospital. Helen Aguirre Ferr, the director of the White House office of media affairs, said Mr. Trump had decided to speak out after he learned about this heartbreaking situation. Mr. Trump has not spoken with the family, she said, and does not want to pressure them in any way.

The president is just trying to be helpful if at all possible, she added.

Charlie was born on Aug. 4 with encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. He is thought to be one of only 16 children globally with the condition, the result of a genetic mutation.

Brendan Lee, the chairman of the department of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, who is not involved in the case, said in a phone interview that mitochondrial depletion syndrome has no cure. Treatments involve different types of vitamin supplementation, but none have been shown to definitively work through studies, he said.

Charlies parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, both in their 30s, have been waging a long and wrenching legal battle to keep him alive. They have raised more than 1.3 million pounds, or about $1.7 million, to help finance experimental treatment in the United States. There is also an international campaign, with an online petition, and there have been street protests in front of Buckingham Palace.

Charlie has been treated since October at Great Ormond Street Hospital, where doctors eventually decided that withdrawing life support was the only justifiable option. Although Charlies parents have parental responsibility, overriding control is by law vested in the court exercising its independent and objective judgment in the childs best interests, the hospital said in a statement laying out its position.

Siding with the hospital were the High Court, on April 11; the Court of Appeal, on May 25; and the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, on June 8.

The High Court ruled that Charlie would face significant harm if his suffering were to be prolonged without any realistic prospect of improvement. Moreover, it said the experimental treatment, known as nucleoside therapy, would not be effective.

Money is not at issue; an academic medical center in the United States has offered to provide the experimental treatment. But a neurologist at the hospital, who has offered to oversee the treatment, told the court by telephone: I can understand the opinion that he is so severely affected by encephalopathy that any attempt at therapy would be futile. I agree that it is very unlikely that he will improve with that therapy.

Neither the hospital nor the neurologist was identified in court documents, and the White House has declined to identify either.

The Court of Human Rights ruled last week that the British courts had acted appropriately in concluding that it was most likely Charlie was being exposed to continued pain, suffering and distress, and that undergoing experimental treatment with no prospects of success would offer no benefit, and continue to cause him significant harm.

The case has drawn attention to important differences in legal systems.

Claire Fenton-Glynn, a legal scholar at the University of Cambridge who studies childrens rights, said that under British law, the courts were the final arbiter in medical disputes about the treatment of children.

She noted a 2001 case of conjoined twins, Jodie and Mary, who were born sharing an aorta. Separating the twins would lead to the death of the weaker twin; if they were not separated, both would die. A court ruled that the twins should be separated against the wishes of their parents; as expected, one died.

Courts in the United States are less inclined to get involved when there are disputes between parents and doctors, said Professor Moreno of the University of Pennsylvania, stressing that it was usually left to doctors, in consultation with parents, to decide on a childs treatment.

He noted the case of Baby Jane Doe, who was born in 1983 with spina bifida and whose parents declined to approve surgery to prolong her life. That case led to a law, signed by President Ronald Reagan, that defined instances in which withholding medical treatment from infants could be considered child abuse, but also provided that in certain cases doctors and parents might choose to withhold treatment from seriously handicapped babies when such action would merely prolong dying.

G. Kevin Donovan, the director of the Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University Medical Center and a professor of pediatrics, said that in the United States, if parents insisted on continuing life-prolonging treatment against a doctors advice, the child would simply be transferred to another institution willing to comply with the parents wishes.

It doesnt seem to be a supportable position morally or ethically, he said of the stance taken by the hospital in London, adding that what is legal and what is ethical are not always the same.

In the Schiavo case, her husband, who was her legal guardian, wanted to have her feeding tube removed, but her parents disagreed, setting off a seven-year fight that ended in 2005, after courts ruled in the husbands favor. Life support was removed from Ms. Schiavo, who died at 41.

In that case, too, the pope, then John Paul II, and the president, George W. Bush, weighed in. Mr. Bush signed an act of Congress allowing federal courts to intercede in the case. But their interventions did not ultimately affect the outcome.

There was no immediate response to Mr. Trumps statement from Charlies parents, who last week appeared to accept the finality of the courts rulings. Photographs of the couple sleeping with their sick child have circulated on social media recently.

We are really grateful for all the support from the public at this extremely difficult time, Ms. Yates said on Friday. Were making precious memories that we can treasure forever with very heavy hearts. Please respect our privacy while we prepare to say the final goodbye to our son Charlie.

There was also no immediate reaction from the hospital.

In Charlies case we have been discussing for many months how the withdrawal of treatment may work, the hospital said. There would be no rush for any action to be taken immediately. It added that it would consult the family and that discussions and planning in these situations usually take some days.

Follow Dan Bilefsky @DanBilefsky and Sewell Chan @sewellchan on Twitter.

Reporting was contributed by Aneri Pattani and Roni Caryn Rabin from New York, Michael D. Shear from Washington, and Elisabetta Povoledo from Rome.

A version of this article appears in print on July 4, 2017, on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Dispute Over British Babys Fate Draws In President and Pope.

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Dispute Over British Baby's Fate Draws In Pope and US President - New York Times

Whole genome sequencing involves the analysis of all three billion pairs of letters in an individuals DNA and has been hailed as a technology that will usher in a new era of predicting and preventing disease.

However, the use of genome sequencing in healthy individuals is controversial because no one fully understands how many patients carry variants that put them at risk for rare genetic conditions and how theyand their doctorswill respond to learning about these risks.

Get more HMS news here

In a new paper published June 26 in the Annals of Internal Medicine by investigators at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Womens Hospital, along with collaborators at Baylor College of Medicine, report the results of the four-year, NIH-funded MedSeq Project, the first-ever randomized trial conducted to examine the impact of whole genome sequencing in healthy primary care patients.

In the MedSeq Project, 100 healthy individuals and their primary care physicians were enrolled and randomized so that half of the patients received whole genome sequencing and half did not.

Nearly 5,000 genes associated with rare genetic conditions were expertly analyzed in each sequenced patient, and co-investigators from many different disciplines, including clinical genetics, molecular genetics, primary care, ethicsand law, were involved in analyzing the results.

Researchers found that among the 50 healthy primary care patients who were randomized to receive genome sequencing, 11 (22 percent) carried genetic variants predicted to cause previously undiagnosed rare disease.

Two of these patients were then noted to have signs or symptoms of the underlying conditions, including one patient who had variants causing an eye disease called fundus albipunctatus, which impairs night vision.

This patient knew he had difficulty seeing in low-light conditions but had not considered the possibility that his visual problems had a genetic cause.

Another patient was found to have a genetic variant associated with variegate porphyria, which finally explained the patients and family members mysterious rashes and sun sensitivity.

The other nine participants had no evidence of the genetic diseases for which they were predicted to be at risk. For example, two patients had variants that have been associated with heart rhythm abnormalities, but their cardiology workups were normal. It is possible, but not at all certain, that they could develop heart problems in the future.

Sequencing healthy individuals will inevitably reveal new findings for that individual, only some of which will have actual health implications, said lead author Jason Vassy,an HMS assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Womens and primary care physician at the VA Boston Healthcare System.

This study provides some reassuring evidence that primary care providers can be trained to manage their patients sequencing results appropriately, and that patients who receive their results are not likely to experience anxiety connected to those results. Continued research on the outcomes of sequencing will be needed before the routine use of genome sequencing in the primary care of generally healthy adults can be medically justified, Vassy said.

Primary care physicians received six hours of training at the beginning of the study regarding how to interpret a specially designed, one-page genome testing report summarizing the laboratory analysis.

Consultation with genetic specialists was available, but not required. Primary care physicians then used their own judgment about what to do with the information, and researchers monitored the interactions for safety and tracked medical, behavioral and economic outcomes.

The researchers noted that they analyzed variants from nearly 5,000 genes associated with rare genetic diseases. These included single genes causing a significantly higher risk for rare disorders than the low-risk variants for common disorders reported by direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies. No prior study has ever examined healthy individuals for pathogenic (high-risk) variants in so many rare disease genes.

We were surprised to see how many ostensibly healthy individuals are carrying a risk variant for a rare genetic disease, said Heidi Rehm, HMS associate professor of pathology at Brigham and Women's anddirector of the Laboratory for Molecular Medicine at Brigham and Women's.

We found that about one-fifth of this sample population carried pathogenic variants, and this suggests that the potential burden of rare disease risk throughout our general population could be far higher than previously suspected,said Rehm, a co-investigator on the study who directed the genome analysis.However, the penetrance, or likelihood that persons carrying one of these variants will eventually develop the disease, is not fully known.

Additionally, investigators compared the two arms of the studyand found that patients who received genome sequencing results did not show higher levels of anxiety. They did, however, undergo a greater number of medical tests and incurred an average of $350 more in health care expenses in the six months following disclosure of their results. The economic differences were not statistically significant with the small sample size in this study.

Because participants in the MedSeq Project were randomized, we could carefully examine levels of anxiety or distress in those who received genetic risk information and compare it to those who did not, said Amy McGuire,director of the Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine.

While many patients chose not to participate in the study out of concerns about what they might learn, or with fears of future insurance discrimination, those who did participate evinced no increase in distress, even when they learned they were carrying risk variants for untreatable conditions, saidMcGuire, who supervised the ethical and legal components of the MedSeq Project.

There has also been great concern in the medical community about whether primary care physicians can appropriately manage these complicated findings. But when a panel of expert geneticists reviewed how well the primary care physicians managed the patients with possible genetic risk variants, the experts determined that only two of the 11 cases were managed inappropriately and that no harm had come to these patients.

MedSeq Project investigators note that the studys findings should be interpreted with caution because of the small sample size and because the study was conducted at an academic medical center where neither the patients nor the primary care physicians are representative of the general population. They also stressed that carrying a genetic risk marker does not mean that patients have or will definitely get the disease in question. Critical questions remain about whether discovering such risk markers in healthy individuals will actually provide health benefits, or will generate unnecessary testing and subsequent procedures that could do more harm than good.

Integrating genome sequencing and other -omics technologies into the day-to-day practice of medicine is an extraordinarily exciting prospect with the potential to anticipate and prevent diseases throughout an individuals lifetime, said senior author Robert C. Green, HMSprofessor of medicineat Brigham and Womens Hospital,associate member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MITandleader ofthe MedSeq Project. But we will need additionalrigorously designed and well-controlled outcomes studies like the MedSeq Project with larger sample sizes and with outcomes collected over longer periods of time to demonstrate the full potential of genomic medicine.

The MedSeq Project is one of the sites in the Clinical Sequencing Exploratory Research Consortium and was funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.

The Genomes2People Research Program at Brigham and Womens Hospital, the Broad Institute and Harvard Medical School conducts empirical research in translational genomics and health outcomes. NIH-funded research within G2P seeks to understand the medical, behavioral and economic impact of using genetic risk information to inform future standards. The REVEAL Study has conducted several randomized clinical trials examining the impact of disclosing genetic risk for a frightening disease. The Impact of Personal Genomics (PGen) Study examined the impact of direct-to-consumer genetic testing on over 1,000 consumers of two different companies. The MedSeq Project has conducted the first randomized clinical trial to measure the impact of whole genome sequencing on the practice of medicine. The BabySeq Project is recruiting families of both healthy and sick newborns into a randomized clinical trial where half will have their babys genome sequenced. Green directs the Program.

Adapted from a Brigham and Women's news release.

Link:
Genetic Testing for the Healthy - Harvard Medical School (registration)

President Trump on Monday offered to help a critically ill British child who has become a flashpoint in the United Kingdom debate over whether the government should have a say in individual matters pertaining to life and death.

Trump tweeted his support for Charlie Gard, a 10-month-old infant on life support due to complications from a mitochondrial disease. The controversy around Gard has engulfed the Vatican, which infuriated some on the right by not immediately siding entirely with the parents, who want to seek experimental medication in the U.S. or bring their child home to die.

If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so, Trump tweeted.

If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the U.K. and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so.

Gards case has created an international uproar and sparked debate over whether the government should be able to mandate death with dignity over a familys wishes to seek out experimental medication for their sick child.

Gard was born with a rare genetic condition and cannot move or breathe on his own.

The Great Ormond Street Hospital where he is staying has argued the child would suffer harm because there is no prospect he will recover. The British Supreme Court is backing the hospital, opening the door for doctors there to withdraw life support for the child.

Gards parents will also not be allowed to take him home to die.

White House director of media affairs Helen Ferre said members of the administration had spoken to the Gard family in calls set up by the British government.

The president is just trying to be helpful if at all possible, Ferre said, adding that Trump had not spoken directly with the family and does not want to pressure them in any way.

Citing legal issues, the White House declined to say whether a U.S. hospital or doctor had become involved in the discussions to provide care for the child.

The Vatican has weighed in, saying we must do what advances the health of the patient, but we must also accept the limits of medicine and avoid aggressive medical procedures that are disproportionate to any expected results or excessively burdensome to the patient or the family.

Likewise, the wishes of parents must be heard and respected, but they too must be helped to understand the unique difficulty of their situation and not be left to face their painful decisions alone, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia wrote.

If the relationship between doctor and patient (or parents as in Charlies case) is interfered with, everything becomes more difficult and legal action becomes a last resort, with the accompanying risk of ideological or political manipulation, which is always to be avoided, or of media sensationalism, which can be sadly superficial.

That statement infuriated conservatives, who are questioning why the Vatican did not prioritize the life of the child over the decision of the state.

Pope Francis on Sunday weighed in, saying the parents should be allowed to "accompany and treat their child until the end."

"The Holy Father is following with affection and emotion the situation of little Charlie Gard and expresses his closeness to his parents," a spokesman for the pope said. "He is praying for them, in the hope that their desire to accompany and care for their own child until the end will be respected."

This story was updated at 1:25 p.m.

Read more:
Trump offers help for critically ill British child - The Hill

When humans began their slow migration out of Africa some 100,000 years ago, they carried with them the genetic seeds necessary to help survive the bitter chill of Europe and Asia.

But, unknowingly, in the same genes lurked a painful burden that afflicts millions today with a new study finding that a gene variant that helped our ancestors survive extreme climates and frostbite also increases the likelihood of developing arthritis.

According to researchers at Stanford and Harvard universities, a variant of the GDF5 gene which is associated with bone growth and joint formation has two effects on those that carry mutations of the gene: it reduces bone length (and, subsequently, height), and it can almost double the chance of osteoarthritis.

"It's clear that the genetic machinery around a gene can have a dramatic impact on how it works," says one of the researchers, human evolutionary biologist Terence Capellini, now at Harvard University.

"The variant that decreases height is lowering the activity of GDF5 in the growth plates of the bone. Interestingly, the region that harbours this variant is closely linked to other mutations that affect GDF5 activity in the joints, increasing the risk of osteoarthritis in the knee and hip."

In the new study, the team identified a previously unknown region of DNA surrounding the GDF5 gene. Within this region called GROW1 the researchers found a nucleotide change that is prevalent in Europeans and Asians, but which rarely occurs in Africans.

The thinking goes that this genetic change which is found in half of Europeans and Asians was favoured when modern humans made the trek out of Africa between 50,000 and 100,000 years ago, conferring some kind of physiological benefit to the migrants on the trail.

"Because it's been positively selected, this gene variant is present in billions of people," says developmental biologist David Kingsley from Stanford University.

"So even though it only increases each person's risk by less than twofold, it's likely responsible for millions of cases of arthritis around the globe."

But how would a gene variant that reduces bone growth help our long-ago predecessors survive in colder climates anyway, especially since it's served with a side order of boosting arthritis prospects?

The hypothesis is that a more compact body structure with shorter bones may have helped curb the risk of breaking bones and incurring serious injury and that the benefits conferred from this stoutness outweighed the pain and inconvenience of sore joints.

"It's possible that climbing around in cold environments was enough of a risk factor to select for a protective variant even if it brought along an [increased] likelihood of an age-related disease like arthritis, which typically doesn't develop until late in life," Kingsley explains.

In addition to lowering the risk of broken limbs, it's also possible the reduced growth made it easier to withstand other dangers that come with colder weather, thanks to less exposed skin and extremities.

"Limb proportions in many endothermic animals follow a classic geographic pattern called Allen's rule, in which species at higher, colder latitudes evolve shorter distal appendages than do closely related species at lower, warmer latitudes," the authors explain in their paper.

"Shorter appendages conserve body heat and lessen the risk of frostbite in extremities in colder environments."

While the authors acknowledge that their hypothesis about why our ancestors favoured the GDF5 variant is speculative, there's clearly something going on here, because this genetic adaption didn't only happen once.

The migration out of Africa that took place between 50,000 and 100,000 years ago wasn't the first such journey. In earlier times, Neanderthals and Denisovans also made the migration, and an analysis of the DNA of these ancient forebears also indicated the GROW1 variant, suggesting humans have repeatedly favoured the mutation.

So, while many of us may in our lifetimes experience the pains and discomfort that come with osteoarthritis, perhaps in a small way we should be grateful.

After all, it's the legacy of an ancient and perhaps crucial survival trait and one, without which, some of us might not be here at all.

The findings are reported in Nature Genetics.

Read more:
The Mutation That Helped Ancient Humans Survive Frostbite Probably Gave Us Arthritis - ScienceAlert

UC Davis researchers say they have found a way to produce artificial cartilage that's pretty close to the real thing.

Researchers are hoping it will eventually help some people with arthritis avoid hip and knee replacements.

Cartilage is the padding between your bones that allows for movement and range of motion.

Kyriacos Athanasiou is a professor of Biomedical Engineering at UC Davis.

He says previous attempts at engineered cartilage have failed to withstand the long-term pressure we put on our joints.

"To give you an idea. Every time I take a step, I can apply six times my body weight across each one of my knees," says Athanasiou.

To develop a stronger cartilage, researchers in his lab slowly stretched the tissue as it was being generated from a few natural cells.

He says their engineered tissue is six times as strong as any other.

According to the Centers For Disease Control, 30 million Americans have osteoarthritis, also referred to as joint pain due to deteriorating cartilage.

Athanasiou says osteoarthritis starts with small defects in your cartilage.

With our approach, we should be able to treat these defects before they destroy the entire joint, says Athanasiou.

His tissue has been tested in rabbits, mice, sheep and other animals for short periods of time.

The next step is testing for longer periods and eventually going through a human safety test and an FDA approval process.

Read more:
UC Davis Researchers Produce Artificial Cartilage To Help Those With Arthritis - Capital Public Radio News

A few alterations to daily habits can ease joint pain in your joints or alleviate the symptoms completely!

Photo: newenglandspineanddisc

Wear and tear, swelling and chronic pain in the joints are symptoms of what is formally dubbed as arthritis. Rheumatic and osteoarthritis are the most common forms of arthritis in Pakistan, majorly affecting women over40.

Developing arthritis is wrongly attributed as a consequence of aging. There are, in fact, a number of commonhabits that may cause the symptoms to develop and maybe exacerbate your condition. Here is a list of tips to beat joint pain andget your life back!

1)Make your kitchen joint-friendly

Disclaimer: all mums take note!Laborious lifting and movement of utensils while working in the kitchen may cause chronic pain in the joints. An interesting tip to minimise joint pain is to use aluminum utensils that weigh lighter and electronic processors that make kneading, whisking and grinding easy. Utensils with two handles also ease pressure on the joints while working in the kitchen.

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2)Do notbe a couch patato

Research provesthat mild physical activity after every thirty minutes keeps the joints in shape. It is advisable to engage in mild physical activity if you have been sitting for too long. If your work requires you to sit for long stretches or you have been watching television non-stop basking on the couch, it is not a bad idea to set the alarm for a break after every half an houror maybe do push-upsduring commercial breaks! Every little goes a long way!

3)Make exercise a necessity

Some form of physical activity that races up your heartbeat for at least thirty minutes a day is imperative to your health. This could be anything from swimming, cycling to a walk in the park or doing yoga in your living room. Physical activity keeps your joints active and prevents the cartilage from swelling.

4)Keep an eye on your BMI

Studies have found a correlation between obesityand osteoarthritis. Keeping the weighing scales in check and within the range of a healthy BMI is important when it comes to steering clear of osteoarthritis. Excess weight makesmovementcumbersome for your joints and bones so keep that in mind before downing that giant cheesy burger!

5)Calcium and Vitamin D supplements

Make sure that your dailyintake of calcium and vitamin D is sufficient. It is advisable to take supplements as prescribed by your physician. Inadequate exposure to sunlight is a major cause of Vitamin D deficiency. If you want to leave no stone unturned in beating arthritis and joint pain, make sure youget your daily dose of sunshine or dhoop therapy!

6)Say YES tofish

Fish is jam-packed withomega-3s which help keep the cartilage healthy and intact, improvingthe lubrication between bones and joints. Making fish a major chunk of your weakly mealsis a way to escape arthritis before it even starts and for those of you who already inflicted by the condition, fish consumption will be a ray of hope we promise!

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7)Avoid the elevator, take the stairs

Yes! Thats correct! Our metropolitan lifestyles with high-rise buildings and automobiles have minimised the amount of movementwe need. Climbing stairs is a way to retain some level of physical activity that is essential to keep us fit. So the next time you have to go to the third floor, climb the stairs instead of taking the elevator and your bones, joints and muscles will thank you!

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7 ridiculously simple ways to beat arthritis - The Express Tribune - The Express Tribune

GEORGIA FORRESTER

Last updated17:59, July 4 2017

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A a female rheumatologist would be starting at Midcentral DHB in late July.

Palmerston North Hospital has employed anewrheumatologist, bringing much-needed relief to patients suffering from chronic pain.

MidCentralDistrict Health Board confirmed afemale rheumatologist would be starting in late July.

Rheumatologiststypically deal with chronic, long-term conditions,autoimmuneconditions and arthritis.

The hospital lost two rheumatologists in 2016after a longserving specialist retired in August, and the other resigned in December to moveoverseas.

READ MORE: *Concerns raised over shortage of arthritis specialists and delays in replacements *Arthritis sufferer told hospital department will close - DHB denies this

The almost eight month wait to fill the job has left some patients frustrated and forced others to seek treatment at other DHBs.

Scleroderma patient Catherine Thompson was "appalled" by the wait.

Thompson is one of a handful of patients in Manawatu with a rare condition that causes a thickening of the skin and connective tissues.

Scleroderma patients often sought help from rheumatologists, who had experience with autoimmune diseases, she said.

During the time there was no specialist in the district, some patients travelled to Wellington and one to Auckland for treatment, she said.

Palmerston North's Arthritis Support Group shared her concern.The group's secretary treasurer Anne Odogwu said one woman with particularlybad arthritis sought treatment in Wellington.

In a meeting on Tuesday, MidCentralchief executive Kathryn Cook admitted it taken "quite some time" to employ a rheumatologist.

Cook said it waschallenging to recruit people with the qualifications and skills during, at times,national and international shortages.

The hospital's workforce update report showed there were 56 full-time equivalent vacancies.

"We have less of a challenge in the nursing space and more of a challenge in the allied health and medical space for specific roles. But in saying that, our trend is worsening," Cook said.

Compared nationally, however, MidCentral was "certainly not" one of the worst performers when it came to recruitment, she said.

Hospital services operations director Lyn Horgansaidthere was a nationwide and international shortage of specialist rheumatologists.

MidCentral's rheumatology service was small, and dealt primarily with out-patients suffering arthritis, but it did also receive a small number of urgent referrals.

The arrival of the hospital's new specialist was delayed "longer than expected" due to the relocation process, she said.

In the interim, the services of a Hawke's Bay rheumatologist were used for urgent referrals and other follow-up clinic patients. Others were seen by their GPs.

-Stuff

Original post:
Palmerston North to get arthritis specialist after long wait - Stuff.co.nz

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WBTS) - It is a known way to relieve pain in people, and now the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island, is one of the first in the country to try acupuncture on a giraffe.

A nearly 2,000-pound patient named Sukari suffers from arthritis. The life expectancy for the species is usually in the teens, but Sukari is 24 years old and showing signs of aging.

When she started slowing down, the animal keepers and other veterinary professionals started various medical treatments before deciding to introduce acupuncture.

There were a lot of things we had to consider, Dr. Jeremy Goodman, the zoos executive director, said. Will the giraffe tolerate it? Would it be effective? Would the keepers be able to administer it, and how safe would it be?

Officials brought in a certified veterinary medical acupuncturist who used to intern at the zoo to begin treatments in March.

She had a little bit of hesitation right at the first treatment, some of the tail flicking and swishing, said Dr. Diva Malinowski Green.

While she administers the acupuncture, the keepers feed Sukari as a way to distract her and give her positive reinforcement for standing still.

The treatment for the animal is similar to human acupuncture in that the goal is to relieve pain by hitting certain points that reduce inflammation and assist with blood flow. The needles are also the same, even though the animal patient is much bigger.

The points are very much the same across species; however, because this species is built a little bit differently, you have to adapt the points, Green said.

After 45 minutes and 14 needles focused on the area around her hips, Sukari is finished with the session. She receives the treatment every other week, and so far, those at the zoo believe it is working.

We think it really is keeping her arthritis at bay, Goodman said. We know eventually her time will come, but until that point, and we hope its not for a while, shes going to have a great life here.

See the article here:
Aging giraffe receives acupuncture for arthritis - WTHR

The Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College in Pune has a rare painting depicting a life-saving emergency surgery that Mahatma Gandhi had to undergo, 23 years before India attained Independence.

It was at the Sassoon Hospital associated with this medical college that Gandhiji went under the surgeons knife on January 12, 1924. The circumstances in which that surgery happened were quite dramatic. Gandhiji was then in Pune, serving his six year sentence in a sedition case since 1922. However, two years later he was required to undergo an emergency appendectomy to remove an inflamed appendix. The archives at the BJ Medical College state that the surgery began on the night of January 12, 1924, as a thunderstorm raged on. The surgeon who operated on Gandhiji was a Britisher by the name of Colonel Maddock. As the records state, Gandhiji thanked his surgeon profusely and they became warm friends.

It was while the surgery was in progress that the electric bulb went off. The appendectomy had then to be finished by the light of a hurricane lamp.

A Gandhi Memorial was created in the old, stone building of the hospital, around this incident and in the room where the surgery was conducted. Located in the Opthalmology Department of the hospital, a painting commemorating that incident was installed in the room. However, this museum is kept under lock and key, depriving the public of visiting the museum and paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi. Without any explanation, BJ Medical College Dean Ajay S. Chandanwale and the hospital superintendent Ajay Tawade were firm that the memorial is not accessible to the public.

The Sassoon Hospital was constructed in 1867 after a generous donation by Jewish philanthropist David Sassoon from Bombay. It was 79 years later that B.J. Medical School funded by the Parsi philanthropist Byramjee Jeejeebhoy was expanded to form a medical college.

Continued here:
Pune hospital has rare painting of Mahatma Gandhi's surgery but ... - Hindustan Times

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Tony Norman: The GOP's plan to make America sicker Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (It bears noting that he is a doctor who practiced opthalmology for years in Kentucky.) He considers confiscating money from taxpayers to be set aside for any old deadbeat with a medical emergency a bad thing and contrary to the principles of democracy.

Read more from the original source:
Tony Norman: The GOP's plan to make America sicker - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette