Page 100«..1020..99100101102..110120..»

Can Stem Cell ‘Patch’ Help Heart Failure? – Everyday Health (blog)

By daniellenierenberg

Scientists report another step in the use of stem cells to help treat people with debilitating heart failure.

In an early study of 27 patients, Japanese researchers used patients' own muscle stem cells to create a "patch" that was placed on the heart.

Over the next year, the patients generally showed small improvements in their symptoms -- including the ability to walk without becoming breathless and fatigued.

However, experts cautioned that while the results are encouraging, there's a lot of work left ahead before stem cells can be used to treat heart failure.

"They've shown that this approach is feasible," said Dr. Eiran Gorodeski, a heart failure specialist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

But it's not clear whether the stem-cell tactic was actually effective, said Gorodeski, who was not involved in the study.

RELATED: Antidepressant No Help to Heart Failure Patients

That's because the study didn't include a comparison group that did not receive stem cells.

So it's possible, Gorodeski explained, that the "modest" symptom improvements would have happened anyway. All of the patients were on standard medications, and some had heart devices implanted.

Stem cells are primitive cells that mature into the various cells that make up the body's tissues. In the past 15 years or so, scientists have tried to use the cells to help repair some of the damage seen in heart failure.

Heart failure is a progressive disease where the heart muscle is too damaged to efficiently pump blood throughout the body. It often arises after a heart attack.

Symptoms of heart failure include fatigue, breathlessness and swelling in the limbs. The condition cannot be cured, although medications and implantable devices can treat the symptoms.

In the new study, the researchers used stem cells from the patients' own thigh muscle to create a patch they placed on the heart.

That's in contrast to many past studies, where researchers have injected stem cells -- often from patients' bone marrow -- into the heart.

The patch tactic could have some advantages, said senior researcher Dr. Yoshiki Sawa, of Osaka University.

He said animal research suggests that cells in sheet form survive for a longer period, compared to injections.

To test the safety of the approach, Sawa's team recruited 27 patients who had debilitating symptoms despite standard heart failure therapies. The scientists extracted stem cells from each patient's thigh muscle, then cultured the cells so that they formed a sheet.

The sheet was placed on each patient's heart.

The tactic appeared safe, the researchers said, and there were signs of symptom improvements over the next six months to a year.

Why would stem cells from the thigh muscle affect the heart? It's not clear, Sawa acknowledged.

The stem cells don't grow into new heart muscle cells. Instead, Sawa explained, they seem to produce chemicals called cytokines that can promote new blood vessel growth in damaged areas of the heart. The theory, he said, is that "hibernating" cells in the heart muscle can then function better.

Still, it's too soon to know what the new findings mean, said Gorodeski.

This type of trial, called phase 1, is designed to look at the safety and feasibility of a therapy, Gorodeski said. It takes later-phase trials -- where some patients receive the treatment, and others do not -- to prove that a therapy actually works.

Those trials are underway, Sawa said.

Other studies are further along. Last year, researchers reported on a trial testing infusions of stem cells taken from the bone marrow of patients with severe heart failure.

Patients who received the therapy were less likely to die or be hospitalized over the next year, versus those given standard treatment only. But the study was small, and the stem cells had only a minor impact on patients' heart function.

So it's not clear why the stem-cell patients fared better, Gorodeski said.

For now, he stressed, all stem-cell therapies for heart failure remain experimental.

"There's no cell therapy that we can offer patients right now," Gorodeski said.

The message for patients, he added, is that heart failure can be treated, and researchers are looking for "innovative" ways to improve that treatment.

The study was published April 5 in theJournal of the American Heart Association.

Read more here:
Can Stem Cell 'Patch' Help Heart Failure? - Everyday Health (blog)

To Read More: Can Stem Cell ‘Patch’ Help Heart Failure? – Everyday Health (blog)
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Can Stem Cell ‘Patch’ Help Heart Failure? – Everyday Health (blog) | dataApril 7th, 2017
Read All

Girl still in need of bone marrow match – Temple Daily Telegram

By Dr. Matthew Watson

The search continues.

Gabi Ornelas was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in February 2015.

An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety.

If you have previously registered on tdtnews.com, and have a current online subscription you may login with your email and password. Online subscribers get access to all of the Temple Daily Telegram's online content, plus a digital replica of the print edition. Some third party content, including circulars may not be available online.

If you have questions regarding access, please contact circulation at tdtcir@tdtnews.comor 254-778-4444 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Need an account? Create one now.

kAmr96>@E96C2AJ :D?E 8@:?8 E@ 4FC6 E96 5:D62D6 2?5 v23: 😀 8@:?8 E@ ?665 2 3@?6 >2CC@H @C DE6> 46== EC2?DA=2?E] $@ 72C[ ?@ >2E49 92D 366? 7@F?5] w6C 72>:=J 92D 366? E6DE65 2?5 ?@?6 2C6 >2E496D]k^Am

kAm~? $2EFC52J[ E96 &?:G6CD:EJ @7 |2CJ w2C5:?q2J=@C 32D632== E62> 😀 9@DE:?8 2 q6 %96 |2E49 3@?6 >2CC@H 5C:G6 DE2CE:?8 2E `aib_ A]>] 2E #65 |FC77 u:6=5 😕 q6=E@?]k^Am

kAm%96 5C:G6 H:== ?@E @?=J 36?67:E v23:[ :7 2 >2E49 😀 7@F?5 7@C 96C[ 3FE E9@FD2?5D @7 @E96CD 24C@DD E96 4@F?ECJ H9@[ E@@[ ?665 E@ 7:?5 2 3=@@5 >2CC@H 5@?@C[ D2:5 $E6A92?:6 y2C5@E[ 4@>>F?:EJ 6?8286>6?E >2?286C 7@C E96 $4@EE U2>Aj (9:E6 |65:42= r6?E6C q6 %96 |2E49 q@?6 |2CC@H s@?@C !C@8C2>]k^Am

kAmv23: 92D 96C FAD 2?5 5@H?D[ 96C 8C2?5>@E96C rJ?E9:2 #:@D D2:5]k^Am

kAm%96 J@F?8DE6C 2EE6?5D y6776CD@? t=6>6?E2CJ 😕 %6>A=6] w6C D49@@= 52JD 2C6 D9@CE6?65 E@ 2 92=7 52J[ 96C 8C2?5>@E96C D2:5]k^Am

kAmv23: 92D 496>@E96C2AJ 6G6CJ EH@ H66

kAm$96 =:<6D E@ D:?8 2?5 52?46[ D96D 2? 2>2K:?8 =:EE=6 8:C=[ #:@D D2:5]k^Am

kAmv23: E6==D 96C 8C2?5>@E96C E92E D96 H:== 7:89E F?E:= 2 >2E49 😀 7@F?5]k^Am

kAm$96 42==D 96CD6=7 2 ?:?;2 H2CC:@C[ #:@D D2:5]k^Am

kAmtG6CJ E9C66 >:?FE6D D@>6@?6 😀 5:28?@D65 H:E9 2 3=@@5 42?46C[ 244@C5:?8 E@ q6 %96 |2E49 #68:DECJ]k^Am

kAm(96? 2 A6CD@? ;@:?D E96 q6 %96 |2E49 #68:DECJ[ E96:C E:DDF6 EJA6 😀 25565 E@ E96 C68:DECJ] xED ?@E 2 >2CC@H 5@?2E:@?j E96J 5@?E 24EF2==J 5@?2E6 F?E:= E96J 2C6 2 >2E49 7@C 2 A2E:6?E]k^Am

kAmy@:?:?8 E96 C68:DECJ C6BF:C6D 2 D2>A=6 @7 46==D[ FDF2==J 4@==64E65 3J DH233:?8 E96 :?D:56 E96 4966<] %9:D D2>A=6 😀 FD65 E@ 4@>A2C6 DA64:7:4 AC@E6:? >2C<6CD @7 A2E:6?ED H9@ ?665 2 3@?6 >2CC@H EC2?DA=2?E]k^Am

kAmx7 2 >2E49 😀 >256] E96 5@?2E65 >2CC@H 😀 C6EC:6G65 7C@> E96 9:A 2?5 8:G6? E@ E96 A2E:6?E 😕 E96 7@C> @7 2 EC2?D7FD:@?]k^Am

kAms@?@CD ?665 E@ 36 36EH66? E96 286D @7 `g 2?5 cc]k^Am

kAm~?=J b_ A6C46?E @7 A2E:6?ED 7:?5 2 >2E49 H:E9:? E96:C 72>:=:6Dj f_ A6C46?E C6=J @? DEC2?86CD]k^Am

kAmu@C :?7@C>2E:@?[ 42== adcfacag`` @C 6>2:= >2CC@H k2 9C67lQ>2:=E@i5@?@CoDH]@C8Qm5@?@CoDH]@C8k^2m]k^Am

Read more from the original source:
Girl still in need of bone marrow match - Temple Daily Telegram

To Read More: Girl still in need of bone marrow match – Temple Daily Telegram
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Girl still in need of bone marrow match – Temple Daily Telegram | dataApril 7th, 2017
Read All

Spherical biodegradable carriers support scalable and cost-effective stem cell expansion and bone formation – Medical Xpress

By Dr. Matthew Watson

April 5, 2017 Stem cells (red) on polycaprolactone-based microcarriers. Credit: Elsevier

Bone tissue engineering is theoretically now possible at a large scale. A*STAR researchers have developed small biodegradable and biocompatible supports that aid stem cell differentiation and multiplication as well as bone formation in living animal models.

Mesenchymal stem cells self-renew and differentiate into fat, muscle, bone, and cartilage cells, which makes them attractive for organ repair and regeneration. These stem cells can be isolated from different sources, such as the human placenta and fatty tissue. Human early mesenchymal stem cells (heMSCs), which are derived from fetal bone marrow, were thought to be best suited for bone healing, but were not readily accessible for therapeutic use.

Existing approaches to expand stem cells for industrial applications tend to use two-dimensional materials as culture media, but their production yields are too low for clinical demand. Furthermore, stem cells typically need to be harvested with enzymes and attached to a scaffold before they can be implanted.

To bring commercially viable cell therapies to market, Asha Shekaran and Steve Oh, from the A*STAR Bioprocessing Technology Institute, have created directly implantable microscopic spheres in collaboration with the A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering. These spheres, which acted as heMSC microcarriers, consist of a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer called polycaprolactone.

According to Shekaran, their initial aim was to expand stem cells on microcarriers in bioreactors to scale up production. However, this strategy threw up difficulties, especially when attempting to effectively dissociate the cells from the microcarriers and transfer them to biodegradable scaffolds for implantation.

"A biodegradable microcarrier would have a dual purpose," Shekaran says, noting that it could potentially provide a substrate for cell attachment during scalable expansion in bioreactors, and a porous scaffold for cell delivery during implantation.

The researchers generated their microcarriers by synthesizing polycaprolactone spheres and coating them with two proteins polylysine and fibronectin. These proteins are found in the extracellular matrix that assists cell adhesion, growth, proliferation, and differentiation in the body.

Microcarriers that most induced cell attachment also promoted cell differentiation into bone-like matrix more strongly than conventional two-dimensional supports. In addition, implanted stem cells grown on these microcarriers produced an equivalent amount of bone to their conventionally-derived analogs.

"This is encouraging because microcarrier-based expansion and delivery are more scalable than two-dimensional culture methods," says Shekaran.

The team now plans to further investigate the therapeutic potential of these microcarrierstem cell assemblies in actual bone healing models.

Explore further: Study shows adipose stem cells may be the cell of choice for therapeutic applications

More information: Asha Shekaran et al. Biodegradable ECM-coated PCL microcarriers support scalable human early MSC expansion and in vivo bone formation, Cytotherapy (2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2016.06.016

What do financial mathematics (stock price prediction) and particle diffusion in liquids have to do with building a better HIV vaccine? According to University of Iowa microbiologist Hillel Haim, you can apply concepts from ...

Rutgers University scientists have determined the three-dimensional structure of the target of the first-line anti-tuberculosis drug rifampin. They have also discovered a new class of potential anti-tuberculosis drugs that ...

Aneuploidy is a condition in which cells contain an abnormal number of chromosomes, and is known to be the cause of many types of cancer and genetic disorders, including Down Syndrome. The condition is also the leading cause ...

Washington State University researchers have found a promising way to preserve sperm stem cells so boys could undergo cancer treatment without risking their fertility.

A PET imaging probe developed by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators appears able to diagnose and stage pulmonary fibrosisan often life-shortening lung diseaseas well as monitor the response to treatment. ...

Lots of factors can contribute to how fast an organism ages: diet, genetics and environmental interventions can all influence lifespan. But in order to understand how each factor influences agingand which ones may help ...

Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more

See the rest here:
Spherical biodegradable carriers support scalable and cost-effective stem cell expansion and bone formation - Medical Xpress

To Read More: Spherical biodegradable carriers support scalable and cost-effective stem cell expansion and bone formation – Medical Xpress
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Spherical biodegradable carriers support scalable and cost-effective stem cell expansion and bone formation – Medical Xpress | dataApril 7th, 2017
Read All

Jonathan Pitre ‘strong’ as he endures first days of chemo – Ottawa Citizen

By Sykes24Tracey

Jonathan Pitre rests in bed, his pillow with his Boston terrier, Gibson, on it close by. Tina Boileau / -

As he continues high-dose chemotherapy in advance of his second stem-cell transplant, Jonathan Pitre is keeping his dog, Gibson, close to his heart.

Pitre, 16, is wearing a glass pendant with a picture of his Boston terrier throughout his days in the University of Minnesota Masonic Childrens Hospital.

He says that having it around his neck except for sleeping gives him strength even in the darkest moments, said his mother, Tina Boileau, who had the pendant made for him one day after he entered the hospital.

It was the only thing he really wanted, Boileau said.

Pitre is in Minnesota for his second stem-cell transplant, seven months after the first one failed to engraft. Usually, patients undergoing a second transplant so soon after the first do not receive full doses of chemotherapy and radiation because their immune systems are already weakened.

Jonathan Pitre wears his glass pendant that has a picture of his Boston terrier, Gibson, in it. His mom had the pendant made for him after he entered the hospital. Tina Boileau / -

But doctors are taking no chances with Pitre.Hes receiving eight days of high-dose chemotherapy and one day of full-body radiation the same regimen as his first transplant in order to increase the probability of success.

The conditioning regimen is necessary to destroy Pitres bone marrow cells so that the transplanted cells will have room to grow; it also suppresses Pitres immune system so that it doesnt attack the donated stem cells.

Blood tests show Pitre has not developed antibodies to combat another infusion of stem cells from his mother, the original donor. It means Boileau can again serve as the stem cell donor when the transplant takes place on April 13.

As part of the conditioning regimen, doctors are also infusing Pitre withantithymocyte globulin (ATG), a drug designed to further suppress the immune system by acting against specific white blood cells that can attack bone marrow stem cells.

On Thursday, Pitre was three days into the nine-day regimen. Boileau said hes had a low-grade fever, but has otherwise tolerated the treatment well.

He is as strong mentally and physically as he can be, Boileau said. If anything, hes fighting even harder this time; hes really focused on making this transplant work.

Pitrebelieves his incredible willpower might be able to operate on a cellular level, and he has vowed to direct his own cells to co-operate with his mothers stem cells.

Pitre is the first Canadian to take part in the clinical trial operated by the University of Minnesotas Dr. Jakub Tolar, a pediatric transplant specialist who has adapted stem-cell therapy as a treatment for the most severe forms of epidermolysis bullosa (EB).

Pitre suffers from recessive dystrophic EB, a rare, painful and deadly form of the blistering skin disease.

Although the transplant can be accompanied by life-threatening complications, it is the only EB treatment that holds the potential to dramatically improve the condition. Two-thirds of theEB patients who have survived the transplant have experienced reduced blistering and better wound healing.

Read the original post:
Jonathan Pitre 'strong' as he endures first days of chemo - Ottawa Citizen

To Read More: Jonathan Pitre ‘strong’ as he endures first days of chemo – Ottawa Citizen
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Jonathan Pitre ‘strong’ as he endures first days of chemo – Ottawa Citizen | dataApril 7th, 2017
Read All

Lungs of mice found to produce blood – The Manitoban

By daniellenierenberg

Home Science & Tech

By Malak Abason April 5, 2017

Lungs are a crucial organ in many animals, including humans. While their function has always seemed pretty straightforward to take in oxygen, transfer it into blood, and exhale carbon dioxide scientists have found a previously unrecognized function of the lungs of mice: blood production.

The study, which was published in Nature by researchers at the University of California San Francisco, was performed by inserting fluorescent protein into the mouses genome.

The protein caused the platelets (small blood cells that bind together to help create blood clots when a blood vessel is damaged), in the mouse to glow, allowing scientists to trace the platalets paths. What they found was a massive number of megakaryocytes, a stem cell that produces in the lungs.

When researched further, scientists found that the lung was producing over 10 million blood-producing platelets per hour, and the platelets produced by the lung accounted for the majority of platelets in the mouses circulatory system. Researchers are theorizing that the megakaryocytes are created in the bone marrow, but then travel to the lung to produce platelets.

While it is known that human lungs produce platelets and produce blood, as small amounts of megakaryocytes have been found in lungs before, if these findings are reproduced in humans, it will prove that the sheer amount that lungs produce has been greatly underestimated.

The study also found a reservoir of stem cells with the ability to become blood cells in the lungs. Researchers implanted lungs with the fluorescent megakaryocyte cells into mice that had been engineered to have no blood stem cells in their bone marrow, and found that the fluorescent cells travelled from the lungs to the marrow, and helped to produce platelets and other ingredients in blood, including neutrophils. In cases where the bone marrow is dealing with platelet or stem cell deficiency, these stem cells were able to leave the lung and contribute to the refilling of platelets in the marrow.

If further research indicates that these findings also apply to humans which they very well may, considering the genetic and biological similarities between mice and humans it will not only disprove the current theory that states the bone marrow accounts for most of the human bodys platelet production, but it will also affect how scientists approach treating blood diseases in humans, particularly ones that result in a platelet deficiency, such as thrombocytopenia.

Link:
Lungs of mice found to produce blood - The Manitoban

To Read More: Lungs of mice found to produce blood – The Manitoban
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Lungs of mice found to produce blood – The Manitoban | dataApril 5th, 2017
Read All

New technique helps researchers determine how stem cells differentiate – Phys.Org

By daniellenierenberg

April 5, 2017

Stem cell differentiation can now be seen thanks to a combination of machine learning and microfabrication techniques developed by scientists at the RIKEN Quantitative Biology Center in Japan. The results, published in PLOS One, followed the differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) which are easily obtained from adult bone marrow.

MSCs have proven to be important for regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy because they can potentially repair many different types of organ damage, as they have the ability to differentiate into various cell types including bone, muscle and fat. Depending on the way the cells are grown the results can be quite different and so controlling differentiation is an important goal.

Observing MSC differentiation under different conditions is an essential step in understanding how to control the process. However, this has proved challenging on two fronts. First, the physical space in which the cells are grown has a dramatic impact on the results, causing significant variation in the types of cells into which they differentiate. Studying this effect requires consistent and long lasting spatial confinement. Second, classifying the cell types which have developed through manual observation is time consuming.

Previous studies have confined cell growth with fibronectin on a glass slide. The cells can only adhere and differentiate where the fibronectin is present and are thus chemically confined. However, this procedure requires high technical skill to maintain the confinement for an extended period of time. To overcome this, the first author of the study, Nobuyuki Tanaka, decided to look for a new way to confine them. Using a simple agarose gel physical confinement system, he found that he could maintain them for up to 15 days. Tanaka says, "It was wonderful to be able to do this, because agarose gel is a commonly used material in biology laboratories and can be easily formed into a micro-cast in a PDMS silicone mold."

He continues, "The advantage of this system is that once the PDMS molds are obtained the user only needs agarose gel and a vacuum desiccator to create highly reproducible micro-casts." The vacuum pump pulls the agarose gel into the mold. He explains, "We provided the protocol to our coauthors at ETH Zurich and they performed the agarose micro-casting and conducted the stem cell differentiation study. Stem cells were captured in the micro-structures and their differentiation was controlled under the captured condition."

Tanaka's paper also describes an automated cell type classification system, using machine learning, which reduces the time and labor needed to analyze cells. "Combined together, these tools give us a powerful way to understand how stem cells differentiate in given conditions."

According to Yo Tanaka, leader of the Laboratory for Integrated Biodevice, where the research was conducted, "We hope this will break down the barriers that have hindered research in this area so far and help to establish harmony between biologists and engineers. The focus of engineers has traditionally been to develop new technologies, but scientists prefer to use well established technologies. However, if our newly developed technology is simple enough it can spread rapidly, this is our goal."

Explore further: Stem cells seem speedier in space

More information: PLOS One (2017). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173647

Journal reference: PLoS ONE

Provided by: RIKEN

Growing significant numbers of human stem cells in a short time could lead to new treatments for stroke and other diseases. Scientists are sending stem cells to the International Space Station to test whether these cells ...

To date, it has been assumed that the differentiation of stem cells depends on the environment they are embedded in. A research group at the University of Basel now describes for the first time a mechanism by which hippocampal ...

Scientists have discovered a new way to replicate the regenerative power of stem cells in the lab, which could lead to powerful treatments for injuries and diseases.

Though immune therapy and regenerative medicine are promising areas of research for future medical therapies, they are limited today by the difficulty of creating stem cells, and scientists around the world are searching ...

Researchers at the UCLA Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research have discovered that a metabolic molecule called alpha-ketoglutarate helps pluripotent stem cells mature early in the process ...

Tissue Regeneration Materials Unit at MANA, NIMS successfully developed gold nanoparticles that have functional surfaces and act on osteogenic differentiation of stem cells.

Great apes help a person access an object when that person thinks they knowswhere it is but is mistaken, according to a study published April 5, 2017 in theopen-access journal PLOS ONE by David Buttelmann from Max Planck ...

What's brightly colored, lives on shipwrecks, filter-feeds like a whale, and shoots webs like Spiderman? If you can't readily come up with an answer, that's okay: until now, such animals weren't known to science. But as of ...

When whiteflies take off, they don't just spread their wings and fly. Just .03 of an inch long, these tiny insects possess a variety of sophisticated techniques that provide them with exceptional stability in the air. Tel ...

An American who fell in love with both the Great Barrier Reef and his wife via The University of Queensland has led a breakthrough discovery that could protect one of the Seven Natural Wonders. Husband-and-wife Professor ...

A detailed analysis of 39 U.S. fisheries by Duke University economists offers strong new evidence that catch shares curb the "race to fish" that compresses fishing seasons.

(Phys.org)A team of researchers from several institutions in Germany has found that middle-age killifish fed the gut contents of younger killifish lived longer than normal. In their paper uploaded to the bioRxiv preprint ...

Adjust slider to filter visible comments by rank

Display comments: newest first

This is really great! Getting stem cells to differentiate in to desired adult cells is what is holding back stem cell therapies. This is a MAJOR step in that direction!

Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more

Originally posted here:
New technique helps researchers determine how stem cells differentiate - Phys.Org

To Read More: New technique helps researchers determine how stem cells differentiate – Phys.Org
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on New technique helps researchers determine how stem cells differentiate – Phys.Org | dataApril 5th, 2017
Read All

Stem Cells Show Promise For Treating Autism – Disability Scoop

By daniellenierenberg

A small, but promising study suggests that stem cells from a childs own cord blood may offer an effective treatment for autism symptoms.

Most children on the spectrum who received an infusion from their own umbilical cord blood showed improvements in behavior, communication and socialization, among other measures, while experiencing no significant downsides from the treatment.

The findings come from a study of 25 kids with autism ages 2 to 5 published Wednesday in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

All of the children who participated in the research had their cord blood banked at birth. For the trial, the kids were given a series of behavioral and functional assessments before receiving a one-time cord blood infusion. Follow-up assessments were conducted at six and 12 months after the infusion.

Not only did the researchers find that the treatment was safe, but parent reports as well as clinical assessments indicated that more than two-thirds of the children saw improvements in autism symptoms.

Most of the behavioral gains were seen in the first six months after the infusion, the study found, but they were sustained over the following six months.

We are pleased that this study demonstrated the safety of treating children with ASD with their own cord blood, said Joanne Kurtzberg, a pediatric bone marrow transplant specialist at Duke Health who worked on the study. Were also encouraged that, while small and non-randomized, there were observed improvements in a majority of the children reported by clinicians and parents.

While the findings are encouraging, researchers said that further study involving more participants is needed before any firm conclusions can be reached about the effectiveness of cord blood infusions.

We are now hoping to replicate these preliminary results in a Phase II randomized clinical trial for which enrollment is nearly complete, Kurtzberg said.

Originally posted here:
Stem Cells Show Promise For Treating Autism - Disability Scoop

To Read More: Stem Cells Show Promise For Treating Autism – Disability Scoop
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Stem Cells Show Promise For Treating Autism – Disability Scoop | dataApril 5th, 2017
Read All

Stem-cell therapy is poised to disrupt the Tommy John epidemic in baseball – Quartz

By NEVAGiles23

For about half a decade, its been something of an open secret in baseball that playerspitchers especiallyregularly undergo stem-cell therapy to stave off surgeries and lost playing time. Its a cutting-edge medical procedure, done by everyone from high-school standouts to major-league all-stars. Its rarely discussed by players, or by their coaches, parents, doctors, or employers.

So when the Los Angeles Angels went public in 2016 with the news that first Andrew Heaney and then Garrett Richards were undergoing stem-cell therapy for torn ulnar collateral ligaments (UCLs), it was both anticlimactic and a revelation. For the first time, baseball pitchers and their employers were openly admitting trying this novel procedure that, while fairly well-proven anecdotally, has yet to be validated by any well-designed scientific study.

By now, that so-called Tommy John surgery for a torn or damaged UCL has become a rite of passage for the top-flight professional baseball pitcher is a cliche of sports punditry. Every young arm that can fold and then unfold itself into tortuous patterns that facilitate throwing baseballs at 95 miles per hour or faster is bound for the knife, once those upper body contortions inevitably tears the tissue on the inside of their elbows connecting their upper and lower arms, the UCL.

The first Tommy John surgery (or more properly, UCL reconstruction) was performed in 1974 by the orthopedic surgeon Frank Jobe, then the team physician for the Los Angeles Dodgers, on the eponymous pitcher. It was a great success; Tommy John came back to pitch 14 more years in the pros, racking up 164 wins with four different teams.

TJ surgery is fairly straightforward: the connective tissue that makes up the UCL is either replaced with a tendon taken from elsewhere in the patients own body or from the donated tissue of a cadaver.

Nevertheless through the mid-1970s and into the 80s, TJ was something of a rarity; just a handful of baseball players underwent that particular knife. In the 1990s the numbers started to tick up, and then in the 2000s, they exploded. From 1995 to 2005, there was an average of 28 TJ surgeries per year across all levels of pro baseball; from 2005 to 2015, there was an average of 84 TJ surgeries per year.

Then something strange happened. In 2016, the total number of TJ surgeries performed dropped to 90, from 127 the year before, a 30% decline. Only one other year in Tommy John history, 2008, saw such a precipitous drop from the previous year. By 2009, TJ numbers were back to 2007 levels; obviously it remains to be seen whether 2017 will look more like 2015 or more like last year. But the data suggest that if TJ surgery numbers are in fact starting to trend downward, it might have something to do with the rise of stem-cell therapy.

What makes stem cells unique is that they are whats called undifferentiated; they can become other specialized cells depending on the bodys need at the time. There are two types of human stem cells, embryonic and adult. Embryonic stem cells come from a very early-stage embryo; these are what you likely think of when you hear the term stem cellstheyre at the center of one of most exciting fields of medical science research today. Embryonic stem cells are now used or are being studied for a shockingly wide range of applications, from Alzheimers and autism to vision impairment and infertility. However, thanks to the religious right-driven opposition to the harvesting, study, and use of embryonic stem cells, theyve been mired in controversy in the US.

On the other hand, the use of adult stem cellswhich can be harvested from bone marrow, fat, or blood of any person of any age (the name is a bit misleading)is widely accepted by both the medical community and politicians. They have less range, so to speak, than embryonic stem cells; they are primarily to repair and replace damaged tissue in the area they are found. That makes them just about perfect for repairing a torn UCL.

The first pro baseball player known to have undergone stem-cell therapy for a UCL weakness was Bartolo Colonand he was basically forced into talking about it. Following a long run of success culminating with a Cy Young Award season in 2005, Colon had four frustrating years racked with injury and ended up unsigned after 2009. He took a year off to recuperate and in spring of 2011, he was back, signed with the New York Yankees and feeling good. Serge Kovaleski, an investigative reporter with the New York Times, started digging into how Colon had made his comeback, and uncovered the name of Joseph Purita, an orthopedic surgeon and stem-cell therapy pioneer.

As Purita tells it, there was nothing illegal or nefarious about the work hed done on Colon; there was just never a plan to broadcast it, either. Then, he recalls, the Times called me up and said were going to write a story whether or not. So, Purita offered details. In April 2010, he told the paper, a team of Dominican doctors used stem-cell therapy to help repair Colons ligament damage and torn rotator cuff.

Colons recovery was a resounding success. Hes been an all-star twice, is the current active leader in major league wins, and, at age 44, is signed to a $12.5 million contract to be the Atlanta Braves number two starter for the 2017 season.

I cant give names but there are some professionalsBut instead of thrusting stem-cell therapy into the mainstream, the Colon incident forced it to stay underground. The treatment was not well understood at that point, and the circumstancesthat it was done offshore, that it was unearthed by investigative reporting, and that, in 2012, Colon was suspended for 50 games for testing positive for testosterone useclouded public opinion on it. Many were convinced Colon had gotten performance-enhancing drugs in the Dominican Republic. Purita denies this vociferously, and MLB inquiries back him up.

The upshot is that every doctor I spoke to who studies and performs stem-cell therapy for torn-ligament repair says some version of the same thing: I cant give names but there are some professionals who have come in for treatment, says Joshua Dines, an orthopedic surgeon at New Yorks Hospital for Special Surgery, and an assistant team physician for the New York Mets.

Purita says that since Colon, hes worked with some players that had team approvaland some just come on their own, but none wanted to go public about the procedure.

If use of your arm is mostly limited to spreadsheet jockeying and lifting forkfuls of pasta or salad from plate to maw, TJ is no big dealin that case, youre ready to go back to work in six weeks. But if you throw a ball at top speed past another pro athlete for a living, youre going to be out of commission for 18 months or more as you regain strength in your money arm.

And money is the (post) operative word. In 2016 alone, MLB teams lost nearly $60 million in player value because they had to fulfill dozens of contracts of players recovering from Tommy John. Thats nearly enough to field an entire pro teamdefinitely enough to roster a top-of-league pitching staff. And that $60 million doesnt come close to accounting for the losses suffered by players who had to undergo the knife during the last year of a contract, and found themselves released by their previous teams with no new offers on the table while they recovered.

There was never going to be a way to prevent the need for Tommy John surgeries. Baseball players throw far too hard, with far more breaking pitches, starting at far too young an age, to realistically stop UCLs from tearing (though all sports medicine experts do now warn coaches and parents to keep kids and teens at low pitch counts). The alternative was always going to be something that could cure ligament tearsbut better than TJ surgery, with a faster recovery time.

Everything weve seen in the past decade or so suggests stem-cell therapy is exactly that. At this point, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are common first-line defenses against UCL injuries. The procedure entails harvesting PRP from the player and injecting it into the injured part of the body. PRP is dense with proteins specialized for injury repair.

You can think of these injections as a precursor to stem-cell therapy; both are considered biologic treatments and entail wielding the bodys own weapons against injury. Many of the doctors now doing stem-cell therapy started off with PRP procedures. When baseball players have a torn ligament, they typically try PRP first. If that fails, its Tommy John time.

Everyone in the field says that at this point PRP is last decades technologyExcept, everyone in the field says that at this point PRP is last decades technology, more than ready to be replaced by stem-cell therapy, which does much the same thing but better. Adult stem cells essentially are there for the very purpose of tissue repair. Why not take them from a part of the body thats all good, and send them to a region where reinforcements are desperately needed?

Dines says that in his own practice, hes been able to cut down the need for Tommy John surgery by about a third, thanks to his reliance on stem-cell therapy. He doesnt believe that the procedure will lower the number of players that have to have TJ, but it will limit the number of overall TJ surgeriesbecause at this point, many pitchers have to get the surgery twice in their career. Dines says stem-cell therapy can get 15- or 16-year-old pitchers through their first partial tear. They may still need to get a full TJ surgery by age 24, but avoiding that first one is still a huge victory. (A growing number of middle-age first-time TJ patients could also explain the overall drop in Tommy John surgeries.)

Purita is even more optimistic. While most orthopedic surgeons say that, right now, stem-cell therapy is effective on partial, but not full, ligament tears, Purita is confident his version can handle any UCL. He sent Quartz a photo showing a patientan MLB pitcher who wishes to remain anonymous, Purita sayswho had a full UCL tear in November 2011 and, after receiving stem-cell therapy at Puritas clinic, made a full recovery by February 2013.

You never say something replaces something else entirely, Purita says. Stem-cell therapy is not going to replace every case [of Tommy John], but it could probably replace the majority of cases.

Talk to anyone who knows the field and theyll rattle off the same reasons why stem-cell therapy for UCL tears isnt already the standard of care: One reason is that, relative to the population, the number of UCL tear patients is extremely small, which means theres only a tiny pool from which to draw potential study participants. Two, a trial for a new medical treatment is typically only considered well-designed if the subjects are blindthat is, they dont know if they are getting the real treatment or a placebo. But what kind of team or player is going to risk a million-dollar arm on a properly designed study where theres a 50% chance that the injury gets a placebo?

Thats not to say that this is some sort of back-alley procedure. Its performed by some of the most prestigious orthopedic surgeons and medical research centers in the US, and the US Food and Drug Administration approves its use: US doctors are allowed to harvest a persons stem cells and use those cells to treat that same person, as long as you dont manipulate (e.g. genetically modify) the cells.

Someone making $20 million a year is not going to do something he hasnt checked out wellThe lack of literature on the procedure hasnt exactly inspired the confidence of players and teams to go public with their decision to pursue it; nor does the fact that the procedure for years had, as Dines puts it, a bad rap[it] would get lumped in with things that were illegal. There was this specter of cheating. But Dines, and others, say thats changing.

The needle is moving towards this being a valid way of treating things, says Purita. People are starting to recognize that someone making [or risking] $20 million a year is not going to do something he hasnt checked out well.

Amadeus Mason, a sports medicine and biologics expert at Emory University, compares stem-cell therapy today to Tommy John in the 1980s. It was, Okay, were going to try this and see, says Mason, who trained with orthopedic surgeon James Andrews. (Andrews is the Michael Jordan of ligament repairhes saved the arms and careers of some of the greatest pitchers in major league baseball history.) There wasnt a big fanfare going in when players started with Tommy John surgeries, Mason says, but when players came back to pitch [there] was. Same thing here.

Mason thinks stem-cell therapy hasnt quite reached the inflection point, but it is near. Here, too, he sees a comparison with Tommy John: It took a while for them to perfect the procedure so that more and more doctors could do the surgery and reproduce the results well.

Right now, Mason says, there is a relatively small handful of doctors who can do stem-cell therapy for UCL tears, but that list is growing rapidly. For example, the annual conference of the Orthobiologic Institutea professional organization for regenerative medicine researchers and practitionersstarted in 2009 with 20 or so doctors; last years event had nearly 1,000.

Some players can throw faster after they have the surgeryThe Angels didnt want to talk to me about why they decided to go public with Heaney and Richards stem-cell therapies. Perhaps thats because Heaneys, on May 2, 2016, was unsuccessful. The 25-year-old former first-round draft pick underwent Tommy John surgery in July of that year after failing to regain strength in his left arm. Hell miss the entire 2017 season, setting back a promising young career.

Richards had his stem-cell procedure just 14 days after Heaney. So far, it seems to have worked. He didnt return to pitch in 2016, but in spring training this year, he was throwing nearly 100 miles per hour. Probably the Angels best starting pitcher, Richards will take the mound on April 5, and all eyes will be on his right throwing armand on his face, to see if it is registering any pain.

If Richards stays healthy this yearand next year, and the year after thathe could become something like the 21st-century Tommy John. Every team will have a stem-cell therapy expert on its medical staff, or at least one on speed dial. Careers will be saved, and so will millions of dollars.

But wider use of stem-cell therapy also will force the MLB to confront an interesting potential side effect of the procedure. Some players can throw faster after they have the surgery, says Purita. By definition, its making the performance better. Right now, major league baseball does not include stem-cell therapy in its list of banned performance enhancers (pdf). But what happens when a baseball player, perhaps a fringe pitching prospect in the low minors, feels some elbow pain one day and gets an MRI, and is diagnosed with nothingbut decides to get stem-cell therapy anyway, since it could give him an extra four miles per hour on his fastball?

The MLB will have a decision to make: To accept potential competitive imbalances to save young arms, or to seek to preserve a level playing field (or even just the fiction of one) at the cost of some of the games best players. The question is all but inevitable.

View post:
Stem-cell therapy is poised to disrupt the Tommy John epidemic in baseball - Quartz

To Read More: Stem-cell therapy is poised to disrupt the Tommy John epidemic in baseball – Quartz
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Stem-cell therapy is poised to disrupt the Tommy John epidemic in baseball – Quartz | dataApril 5th, 2017
Read All

Stem Cell Transplant Making Rapid Progress – Financial Tribune

By Dr. Matthew Watson

Around 6,000 hematopoietic stem cell transplantations are carried out annually in Iran using the patients own cells, and a far higher number are performed using cells from donors who are often close relatives of the patient, according to the Hematology-Oncology Research Center and Stem Cell Transplantation (HORCSCT) affiliated to the Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Ardeshir Qavamzadeh, head of the center, said the number of stem cell transplants is on par with developed countries. The success rate in the treatment of diseases requiring transplant is 67% at HORCSCT, ISNA quoted him as saying. Referring to the fast and progressive development of stem cell discipline in Iran, he said since 1983, when the adult leukemia specialty was initiated in the country, nearly 300 specialists have been trained in the field and there is at least one specialist in each province now. Today, one cannot find a treatment method of stem cell transplant in the worlds advanced research centers that is not available or practiced in Iran. We have reached a level where we can compete with the developed nations. HSCT Hubs There are 10 hubs for hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) in the country. Each includes medical universities from the provinces with one as the focal point. Medical universities of Zanjan, Qazvin, Alborz and Qom comprise one of the hubs with Zanjan as the center, said Mehdi Eskandari, education deputy at Zanjan University of Medical Sciences. HSCT is the transplantation of multi-potent hematopoietic stem cells, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood. It may be autologous (when the patients own stem cells are used) or allogeneic (stem cells from a donor). It is a medical procedure in the field of hematology, most often performed for patients with certain cancers of the blood or bone marrow, such as multiple myeloma or leukemia. Since HSCT is a relatively risky procedure with many possible complications, it is reserved for patients with life-threatening diseases. However, as the survival rate following the procedure has increased, its use has expanded beyond cancer, including in autoimmune diseases, blood diseases like thalassaemia major, metabolic disorders, alcoholic liver, and even rheumatism.

See the original post:
Stem Cell Transplant Making Rapid Progress - Financial Tribune

To Read More: Stem Cell Transplant Making Rapid Progress – Financial Tribune
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Stem Cell Transplant Making Rapid Progress – Financial Tribune | dataApril 5th, 2017
Read All

Three Bangladeshi patients undergo stem cell therapy in Mumbai – India Today

By NEVAGiles23

Mumbai, Apr 4 (PTI) Three Bangladeshi patients, suffering from an incurable muscular dystrophy, today underwent first stem cell therapy at a Navi Mumbai based treatment centre.

"We applied a simple therapy to the patients. We took out the stem cells from their bone marrow in the hip bone and after the required processing we injected it back into their body.

"We will wait for the results as to how they respond to such treatment. Meanwhile, physiotherapy and occupational therapy is being offered to them as well," Avantika Patil, coordinator between the patients and the treating centre told PTI.

Patil, is part of the team of NeuroGen, a brain and spine institute that keeps the track of its patients.

"We learnt about the patients through an article in an international newspaper and decided to contact them as we specialise in treating such diseases.

"I am also in contact with one Noor Khan from Bangladesh, an activist who helped the three patients to furnish documents and visa procedures," she said.

A Mumbai-based organisation specialising in such diseases, Meditourz, in collaboration with NeuroGen based in Navi Mumbai, offered to provide treatment to them.

The trio have been suffering from a rare disease Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy since their birth. This is a genetic disorder which causes progressive muscle degeneration and patients rarely live beyond 30 years of age, Patil said.

Among the three, Shorab (8 year old) is having a mild disorder and early medical intervention will definitely help in terms of less painful life. Compared to him, the disease is progressive in other two patients, she said.

Tofazzal Hossain, a fruit vendor from rural Meherpur in Bangladesh, had sought mercy killing for his sons - Abdus (24) and Rahinul (14) - and grandson Shorab from his government as he could not afford the cost of their treatment.

The Navi Mumbai based centre approached the three patients through Indian government and expressed willingness to provide treatment to the disease.

Air India also offered free round trip tickets to the six persons -- three patients and three caretakers accompanying them to Mumbai from Kolkata following an appeal from Alok Sharma, neurosurgeon at the NeuroGen.

"The three patients and the three persons accompanying them took this evenings Air India flight from Kolkata to Mumbai and will also return by an Air India flight after treatment - entirely free of any charges," Air India said in a statement. PTI ND RMT

Original post:
Three Bangladeshi patients undergo stem cell therapy in Mumbai - India Today

To Read More: Three Bangladeshi patients undergo stem cell therapy in Mumbai – India Today
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Three Bangladeshi patients undergo stem cell therapy in Mumbai – India Today | dataApril 4th, 2017
Read All

Bone Marrow Registration Drive to be held at UP Health System – UPMatters.com

By JoanneRUSSELL25

Image courtesy UP Health System - Marquette.

Image courtesy UP Health System - Marquette.

Like Local 3 News on Facebook:

April 4, 2017 - MARQUETTE - UP Health System Marquette will host a bone marrow registry drive on April 12th, 2017 on the 3rd floor of the North Entrance to the hospital.

Every four minutes, someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer in the US. For thousands of patients with leukemia or other blood diseases like sickle cell anemia, a marrow transplant is their only hope.

Joining the bone marrow registry takes roughly 10 minutes of paperwork and a cheek swab. Only 1 in 430 registry members go on to donate.

If you match with a patient in need, you will receive a phone call asking to donate. Donation is always voluntary. Surgery is not always required for bone marrow donation; almost 80% of donors donate their blood stem cells in a non-surgical procedure that is very similar to donating plasma.

Please note that UP Health System - Marquette is not affiliated with the National Marrow Donor Program or the Be The Match organization. Our presence here will be to help facilitate and educate those interested in joining the Be The Match registry.

Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) which manages the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world, working to save lives through transplant.

Read the rest here:
Bone Marrow Registration Drive to be held at UP Health System - UPMatters.com

To Read More: Bone Marrow Registration Drive to be held at UP Health System – UPMatters.com
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Bone Marrow Registration Drive to be held at UP Health System – UPMatters.com | dataApril 4th, 2017
Read All

Stem cell treatment begins for dystrophy patients from Bangladesh – Daily News & Analysis

By JoanneRUSSELL25

Three Bangladeshis suffering from a highly debilitating muscular dystrophy, who arrived in Mumbai on Sunday have begun their treatment at a Navi Mumbai spine clinic.

Abdus, Rahinul and Shorab aged 24, 14 and 8 respectively were diagnosed with this crippling disease at the time of their birth.

They arrived on Sunday evening and we started the treatment on Monday, said Avantika Patil, spokesperson NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute in Seawoods, Navi Mumbai, who is treating them for free.

They are undergoing an autologous bone marrow derived stem cell treatment. Stem cells are taken from the bone marrow in their hip bone, treated in our lab and then injected into to the patients again. We will provide a combination of stem cell therapy and neuro-rehabilitation which will also includes yoga and speech therapy sessions, Patil explained.

While the hospital is not willing to say what kind of progress can be expected in these particular cases, they revealed that in one case, a bed-ridden patient was able to walk slowly after six years of treatment.

In January, fruit seller Tofazzal Hossain sparked a rare debate about euthanasia in conservative Bangladesh in January when he pleaded with the authorities to allow his grandson and two sons to die.

Read this article:
Stem cell treatment begins for dystrophy patients from Bangladesh - Daily News & Analysis

To Read More: Stem cell treatment begins for dystrophy patients from Bangladesh – Daily News & Analysis
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Stem cell treatment begins for dystrophy patients from Bangladesh – Daily News & Analysis | dataApril 4th, 2017
Read All

Lorena: Residents support teacher who needs bone marrow transplant – KWTX

By Dr. Matthew Watson

LORENA, Texas (KWTX) Lorena residents and others from around Central Texas turned out Monday to register as bone marrow donors in support of a first grade teacher with a rare medical condition, the only cure for which is a bone marrow transplant.

Melinda Colyer, who teaches at Lorena Primary School, was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome with myelofibrosis about two weeks ago.

"It's actually a disease that causes the destruction of your stem cells in your bone marrow. They do consider it a form of cancer. The only cure that will be provided is through a bone marrow transplant, Colyer said.

She said receiving the news was tough, but she says shes a fighter.

I decided to pick myself up and was able to go forward and that's what I'm doing at this point, said Colyer.

Lorena Primary School Principal Liza Cunningham said Colyer shines with positivity despite the diagnosis.

"Ms. Colyer is one of the most upbeat people you will ever meet in your entire life. She always has a positive attitude, she has a love for kids. It's very apparent in everything she does, said Cunningham.

The drive Monday was held at Midway High Schools Distance Learning Center.

The process takes less than five minutes, and involves a mouth swab to collect DNA samples.

Prospective donors must be in good health and between the ages of 18 to 44.

Anyone interested in becoming a bone marrow donor can sign up with Scott & Whites Marrow Donor Program.

"She wants everybody to go out and be tested because even if we are not a match for her, we would be a match for somebody else. And that's really what she's been telling us about this whole event and that's very selfless of her, Cunningham said.

See more here:
Lorena: Residents support teacher who needs bone marrow transplant - KWTX

To Read More: Lorena: Residents support teacher who needs bone marrow transplant – KWTX
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Lorena: Residents support teacher who needs bone marrow transplant – KWTX | dataApril 4th, 2017
Read All

Northern Colorado Surgeon Releases Three Year Results of Bone Marrow Stem Cell Treatment – PR Web (press release)

By Dr. Matthew Watson

This study provides the first long term evidence of the safety and feasibility of utilizing a patient's own bone marrow concentrate stem cells to treat severe low back pain

Fort Collins, Colorado (PRWEB) April 03, 2017

Retired orthopedic spine surgeon, Kenneth Pettine, M.D. is excited to release the three year results of his bone marrow stem cell treatment study. Dr. Pettine has been a pioneer in the use of bone marrow concentrate stem cell injections. He was the first surgeon to inject biologics into the human spine as part of an FDA Study in the U.S. almost seven years ago. He has the only U.S. Patent on the method of treating orthopedic and spine pathology with a patient's own stem cells.

This study provides the first long term evidence of the safety and feasibility of utilizing a patient's own bone marrow concentrate stem cells to treat severe low back pain, said Dr. Pettine. Thats terrific news for patients who up until now only had the option of undergoing expensive and invasive back fusion or artificial disc surgery.

Degenerative disc disease is a common back pain diagnosis in the United States and affects millions of patients. The symptoms of the condition can become so painful that patients may be forced to miss work and are prevented from participating in regular daily activities. Treatment is often limited to palliative care such as chiropractic, physical therapy, narcotics, injections or invasive surgical procedures to try to decrease the daily chronic low back pain. Numerous studies have shown surgery improves back pain in the average patient only 40%. Stem Cell therapy improved the average patient 70% with long term follow up.

Dr. Pettines treatment uses a patient's own bone marrow concentrate stem cells to help reduce inflammation in the spine and stimulate the creation of new tissue in the spinal disc to help reverse the effects of the disease. The office procedure is performed with I.V. sedation and usually takes 45 minutes. The study noted that patients who received higher concentrations of stem cells in their injections saw a greater improvement in their back pain.. This three year follow-up research study shows utilizing a patient's own stem cells can provide long-term back pain relief and prevented the need for invasive surgery in 77% of the patients.

If you live in the Northern Colorado area and are experiencing neck or back pain due to degenerative disc disease, you can learn more about Dr. Pettines treatment and research by visiting his website at http://www.KennethPettine.com.

About Dr. Kenneth Pettine Dr. Pettine has been the principal investigator of 18 FDA studies about stem cells and their uses and is considered a pioneer in the field. He founded The Rocky Mountain Associates in Orthopedic Medicine in 1991 to offer patients a non-fusion surgical option for their neck and back pain. He co-invented the FDA-approved Prestige cervical artificial disc and the Maverick Artificial Disc. He is currently focused on the use of Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for patients desiring to avoid orthopedic or spine surgery. You can learn more about the therapy and Dr. Pettine at his website, http://www.KennethPettine.com.

Share article on social media or email:

Read this article:
Northern Colorado Surgeon Releases Three Year Results of Bone Marrow Stem Cell Treatment - PR Web (press release)

To Read More: Northern Colorado Surgeon Releases Three Year Results of Bone Marrow Stem Cell Treatment – PR Web (press release)
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Northern Colorado Surgeon Releases Three Year Results of Bone Marrow Stem Cell Treatment – PR Web (press release) | dataApril 4th, 2017
Read All

Stem cells could be used to create ‘endless supply of blood’ – BioNews

By NEVAGiles23

A new method of producing red blood cells outside the body on a large scale has been developed by researchers at the University of Bristol.

'We have demonstrated a feasible way to sustainably manufacture red cells for clinical use We've grown litres of it,' saidDr Jan Frayne, one of the authors of the research which waspublished in Nature Communications.

Previously the most effective technique involved taking stem cells from bone marrow, which makes blood cells in the body,and inducing them to do the same in lab conditions. This was of limited practical success because each stem cell will only make about 50,000 blood cells before dying by comparison, a few drops of blood can contain around one billion red cells.

Working with NHS Blood and Transplant, the Bristol team overcame this limitation by engineering the stem cells to make them 'immortal', using DNA. from the human papilloma virus (HPV) which causes cervical cancer. Red blood cells cannot continue to divide in the bloodstream, and as they mature they shed their nuclei and with it the virus DNA. Thus the adult cells that might in the future be given to patients, if the technique is applied in clinical trials, would not contain the any of the HPV genetic material.

'It's a brilliant approach, and they seemed to have solved several of the really important bottlenecks,' said Dr Robert Lanza, chief scientific officer at the Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine, who was not involved in the project.

The lab-grown blood is likely to be much more expensive than donated blood, but there may be a number of potential applications. Lab-grown blood could be used for patients with rare blood types for whom a match is difficult to find. It could also be useful in military or disaster situations where there is no time for blood typing people who are critically injured. Interest has also been expressed by researchers of malaria and other blood-borne diseases.

The first studies to assess the safety of manufactured blood are due to begin at the end of this year, although the first trial will not test this new type of blood cell. Even if safety is established, for the time being there is not currently enough capacity to produce it and industrialising the process could be costly.

'To make big huge vats of it would be outside of our ability in a research lab,' said Dr Frayne. 'We'd have to have company interest.'

See the article here:
Stem cells could be used to create 'endless supply of blood' - BioNews

To Read More: Stem cells could be used to create ‘endless supply of blood’ – BioNews
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Stem cells could be used to create ‘endless supply of blood’ – BioNews | dataApril 4th, 2017
Read All

Benefit dinner will help family of baby girl recovering from bone marrow transplant – CTV News

By raymumme

A benefit dinner will be held April 1 in honour of seven-month-old Madalayna Ducharme. The Warrior Princess fundraiser starts Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Parkwood Gospel Temple. All proceeds will support the family's ongoing expenses related to her medical treatment.

Madalayna suffers from malignant infantile osteoporosis, a rare genetic disorder of bone development in which the bones become thickened and unhealthy. It leads to bone fractures, short stature, poor bone growth and a thicker skull which may delay development of teeth. Left untreated, it could be fatal.

Early this year, her family started a Facebook campaign that went viral asking for people to sign up to become stem cell or bone marrow donors. Thanks to the number of people who volunteered to be tested, a match was found and Madalayna underwent a bone marrow transplant earlier this month.

The recovery is expected to be lengthy as the transplant process is grueling on an infants body. Its expected that she will need to stay in a Toronto hospital for three months while she undergoes treatment.

Excerpt from:
Benefit dinner will help family of baby girl recovering from bone marrow transplant - CTV News

To Read More: Benefit dinner will help family of baby girl recovering from bone marrow transplant – CTV News
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Benefit dinner will help family of baby girl recovering from bone marrow transplant – CTV News | dataApril 1st, 2017
Read All

If Young Blood Can Combat Aging, It May Be Thanks to Just One Protein – Futurism

By LizaAVILA

In Brief Studies are being done on the value of replacing older blood with younger blood via transfusions. Other researchers are studying the effects of a certain protein, osteopontin, on blood cell production. 1000 Ways To Live Forever

Society is gradually changing its classification of aging as a natural phenomenon to a disease. We have made strides in our research on preventing and potentially reversing the effects of aging.In addition to the ongoing research in molecular biology ontelomeres, there is the interesting idea of utilizing young blood to combat aging. Ironically, the legends of Dracula might be vindicated in light of new research involving young blood to rehabilitate cognitive abilities in mice, which has inspiredclinical trials that may give patients a chance at beating the Grim Reaper.

Ambrosia, a company inspired by the work done by Stanford University neuroscientistTony Wyss-Coray with parabiosis in mice, charges $8,000 per patient for its human clinical trial ofparabiosis. Although there may be 600 people whotake part in the study transfusing 1.5 liters of plasma with donors between the ages of 16 and 25, thestudy is being done without the blessing of Wyss. He believes that the study does not genuinely represent the science and that, theres just no clinical evidence, and youre basically abusing peoples trust and the public excitement around this.

While Ambrosia is operatingwithout clinical evidence to support the trials, the science behind utilizing young blood in repairing and restoring aged cellular processes is worth taking a look at.

Red and white blood cells are produced from stem cellswithin bone marrow, and as we grow older, our bodys ability to replenish the number of red and white blood cells greatly depletes. Similar to the mouse trials ran by Wyss-Coray, researcherHartmut Geigerand his team at the University of Ulm in Germany looked at the bone marrow in mice at varying ages and determined that older rodents produce very low levels of the protein osteopontin.

Rather than looking at blood transfusions for apossible solution like Wyss-Corays team, Geigers team looked the potential of stem cells to test the importance of the deficient protein.The team introduced fresh stem cells into mice that had little to no osteopontin and noticed that the stem cells aged very quickly. When older stem cells were introduced to a dish with osteopontin and anactivator protein, the stem cells began to propagate blood cells.

While companies like Ambrosia are testing blood transfusions on humans to mimic an experiment that utilized a shared circulatory system between an older mouse and a younger mouse, Geigers team notes that long-term studies must be done on their work to verify the effect of osteopontin on rejuvenating cells completely.

The team is developing a drug with the protein and its activating factor, but they do not promise a fountain of youth. They do believe that there would be benefits for the immune systems of the elderly, which may be better positioned to fight diseases that are linked with cardiovascular agingafter takingthe drug.

While all this talk about immortality is exciting, it might be a while before we can actually reap the benefits of researchers studiesin the way we hope. In the meantime, we can keep dreaming away death.

Go here to read the rest:
If Young Blood Can Combat Aging, It May Be Thanks to Just One Protein - Futurism

To Read More: If Young Blood Can Combat Aging, It May Be Thanks to Just One Protein – Futurism
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on If Young Blood Can Combat Aging, It May Be Thanks to Just One Protein – Futurism | dataApril 1st, 2017
Read All

I’m a woman of color with cancer. Here’s why I can’t find a bone … – KUOW News and Information

By daniellenierenberg

Alexes Harris tells KUOW's Katherine Banwell her story.

When ProfessorAlexes Harris learned she had a rare form of leukemia, she knew she was in a fight for her life. But she didn't realize how difficult it would be to find a bone marrow match as a woman of color. This is her story.

I have a rare blood cancer called myelodysplastic syndrome.

I was diagnosed in May 2016 after a year of various tests.Prior to being diagnosed, my only health complaints were a random onset of what felt like asthma attacks during my cycling classes (the only reason I went to the doctor), feeling very tired, and not always thinking clearly. I was told that if I did not begin treatment right away I would have two years to live.

Im a 41-year-old mother of a 9 year old and 5 year old (and wife to an amazing husband), so my only true option was to begin treatment.

After being presented with treatment options, we opted for an intensive round of in-patient chemotherapy, which I underwent in June 2016 and managed symptoms in July, 2016.During my initial diagnosis I learned that I would eventually need a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. This would be my only hope of a cure.

We immediately started research to learn about how matches were found and I discovered that because I am a person with a mixed race and ethnic background (African American, Filipino and white) I would have a difficult time finding a full donor match.

While whites have a 75 percent chance of finding a full match in the existing bone marrow registry, African Americans only have a 19 percent likelihood of finding a match. African Americans comprise only 7 percent of the United States registry.

And, it is projected that by 2017 our likelihood of finding a match will only raise to 21 percent. Within the United States registry, the likelihood for finding a full match is higher for people of Mexican (37 percent), Chinese (41 percent), South Asian (33 percent), Hispanic Caribbean (40 percent) and Native American (52 percent) ancestry than for African Americans, but still significantly lower than the likelihood for whites.

Finding a non-related full match is difficult if you are a person of color, especially people of mixed race origin. Having a 100 percent match is crucial in predicting positive outcomes post-transplant. While the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance has been searching for a match, today, I still do not have a full bone marrow donor match and am moving forward with an alternative stem cell transplant using donated umbilical cord blood. My transplant for using cord blood was in September.

This is why we are organizing a national bone marrow donation registry campaign.I want to make my cancer matter, so my great friends stepped in to make this happen. Our goal is to have 4,000 new people registered by this effort. We need people of all backgrounds to become potential matches to help people like me live.

I am a professor of sociology and teach about social stratification, inequality and racial outcomes in institutional processing.I research class and racial differences in criminal justice processing and outcomes. I am the daughter of a black and Filipino man, wife to a black man, sister to black men, and mother of a black son and daughter.I live in the United States and, as many of us know, understand the racial inequalities in our broader society.Many times I feel overwhelmed about the lack of ability to make institutional differences, be it in our systems of education, criminal justice and health care.

Yet, when it comes to bone marrow donation, and other blood products and organ donation, we can make a difference. We can, for ourselves, save ourselves. Becoming involved in donation empowers us in a way like no other to alleviate health care disparities.

You can learn a lot about my story and this campaignatteamalexes.com. We had bone marrow registries in five cities last fall Seattle, Los Angeles, Houston, Washington, D.C., and New York.

Please consider signing up for the bone marrow registry. You can literally be a superhero and save someones life.

Dr. Alexes Harris is a professor of sociology at the University of Washington. This essay was originally published on her personal website.

Read the original post:
I'm a woman of color with cancer. Here's why I can't find a bone ... - KUOW News and Information

To Read More: I’m a woman of color with cancer. Here’s why I can’t find a bone … – KUOW News and Information
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on I’m a woman of color with cancer. Here’s why I can’t find a bone … – KUOW News and Information | dataApril 1st, 2017
Read All

Exclusive: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy speaks out about injury – ABC News

By NEVAGiles23

"Dancing With the Stars" pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy has been posting pictures on social media while getting treatment for his calf injury and now he's speaking out for the first time.

In exclusive video obtained by "Good Morning America," the past Mirror Ball champ is talking via video to his "DWTS" partner Heather Morris and telling her that he does not intend to lose this season.

Chmerkovskiy sat out Monday's show and Morris was paired up with pro stand-in Alan Bersten.

"I still feel like we have a chance," he tells Morris and Bersten in the video. "You deserve it and I want to give you 150 percent effort and be physically active as I was at my best."

"I want to come back and win," he says.

Chmerkovskiy has been posting several selfies from the hospital, with one captioned, "Gettin' un-broken."

Chmerkovskiy's fiancee Peta Murgatroyd previously told "Access Hollywood" that he is getting surgery for what could be tears in his calf muscle.

"It's gonna take a couple of weeks at least to get better," she said. "He's having a surgery done," but she added that he's a fighter and will be back as soon as he can.

"GMA" anchor Lara Spencer said today that doctors made a concentrate from Chmerkovskiy's bone marrow stem cells and injected them into his calf to speed up the recovery process.

Earlier in the week, the dancer thanked his fans for all their "love and support!"

"Please rest assured that I'm taking this thing very seriously and, although I don't have a concrete return date, I'll give it my all!" he said on Wednesday.

"Dancing With the Stars" returns Monday night on ABC.

Here is the original post:
Exclusive: 'Dancing With the Stars' pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy speaks out about injury - ABC News

To Read More: Exclusive: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy speaks out about injury – ABC News
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Exclusive: ‘Dancing With the Stars’ pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy speaks out about injury – ABC News | dataApril 1st, 2017
Read All

Some restoration drama at the Big A as Dodgers top Angels, 3-1 – Los Angeles Times

By JoanneRUSSELL25

Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill put some distance between himself and his spring of discontent Friday night, while Angels right-hander Garrett Richards put the finishing touches on his spring time of renewal.

Hill allowed four hits in 3 2/3 scoreless innings in a 3-1 exhibition victory at Angel Stadium, striking out two and walking one, a marked contrast from the 8.03 earned-run average he posted in five Cactus League starts, when he walked 14 and struck out 13 in 12 1/3 innings.

Hill said he was not particularly worried about his spring numbers. After all, he posted an 11.25 ERA last spring, then a 2.12 ERA during the season. Still, he was pleased with his performance Friday.

Everything is going in the right direction, he said. Today was a good outing, a good way to finish up spring training.

He said his curve and slider were the sharpest they had been all spring.

It was pretty weak contact throughout the game, he said. I think thats an indication of how the ball is coming out of your hand.

Richards allowed one run and two hits in four innings, striking out three and walking one in a 57-pitch tuneup for his regular-season debut Wednesday in Oakland.

His only blemish was a 1-and-1 slider that Justin Turner lined over the left-field wall in the fourth for a solo home run, giving the Dodgers third baseman, who is batting .385, a team-leading four homers and 16 runs batted in for the spring.

That Richards will open the season in the rotation is something of a miracle considering his setback last spring. He tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in May and seemed headed for Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery.

Instead, he opted for stem-cell therapy, in which stem cells from his own bone marrow were injected into his elbow. A procedure that didnt work for teammate Andrew Heaney worked for Richards, who pitched in the instructional league last fall and has looked strong this spring, his fastball clocked in the 96-mph range.

I just feel very blessed, very thankful, for my teammates, who stood by me the whole time, for our training staff and doctors, Richards said. Everybody did such a great job with me, and I really appreciate it. Its been a long time, and Ive got to watch a lot of baseball, so its good to be out there competing again.

Richards said any doubts about the integrity of his elbow were eliminated in the instructional league. He had to overcome a similar mental hurdle in the spring of 2015 when he returned from major left-knee surgery.

I feel normal, Richards said. My body is finally feeling complete again. Im over the knee, my arm feels good.

Richards only concession to the elbow injury will be a pitch limit that the Angels hope to keep at around 100. A workhorse by nature, Richards threw 118 pitches and 115 pitches in consecutive April games last season.

I dont think well see 110-pitch outings from Garrett, but theres nothing to say he wont pitch deep into games, Angels Manager Mike Scioscia said. I think the extremes with Garret are something well avoid. Early in the season, were not going to see him throw 115 pitches. It just doesnt make sense.

The Dodgers were encouraged by Hills command Friday night, when he walked one of 16 batters after walking 14 of 58 batters in Arizona. He struck out Albert Pujols looking at a looping curve to end the first. He pitched out of a two-on, two-out jam in the second and retired the side in order in the third.

Left fielder Andrew Toles helped Hill with a running, lunging catch of Jefry Martes drive to the wall in the fourth, and Hill finished his night by striking out Danny Espinosa looking at a full-count curve.

The Dodgers scored twice off Angels reliever Kirby Yates in the eighth when Erick Mejia and Franklin Gutierrez led off with doubles and Cody Bellinger hit a two-out RBI double.

Angels right-hander Blake Parker may have solidified a bullpen spot when he struck out the side in the ninth, extending his consecutive strikeout string to 17 batters.

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen struck out two of three in the fifth, and probable Angels closer Cam Bedrosian retired the side in order in the seventh, giving him nine scoreless innings this spring.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com

Follow Mike DiGiovanna on Twitter @MikeDiGiovanna

Read more:
Some restoration drama at the Big A as Dodgers top Angels, 3-1 - Los Angeles Times

To Read More: Some restoration drama at the Big A as Dodgers top Angels, 3-1 – Los Angeles Times
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Some restoration drama at the Big A as Dodgers top Angels, 3-1 – Los Angeles Times | dataApril 1st, 2017
Read All

Page 100«..1020..99100101102..110120..»


Copyright :: 2024