Cancer i, also known as a malignant tumor or malignant neoplasm, is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body.[1][2] Not all tumors are cancerous; benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body.[2] Possible signs and symptoms include: a new lump, abnormal bleeding, a prolonged cough, unexplained weight loss, and a change in bowel movements among others.[3] While these symptoms may indicate cancer, they may also occur due to other issues.[3] There are over 100 different known cancers that affect humans.[2]

Tobacco use is the cause of about 22% of cancer deaths.[1] Another 10% is due to obesity, a poor diet, lack of physical activity, and consumption of ethanol (alcohol).[1] Other factors include certain infections, exposure to ionizing radiation, and environmental pollutants.[4] In the developing world nearly 20% of cancers are due to infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and human papillomavirus.[1] These factors act, at least partly, by changing the genes of a cell.[5] Typically many such genetic changes are required before cancer develops.[5] Approximately 510% of cancers are due to genetic defects inherited from a person's parents.[6] Cancer can be detected by certain signs and symptoms or screening tests.[1] It is then typically further investigated by medical imaging and confirmed by biopsy.[7]

Many cancers can be prevented by not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, not drinking too much alcohol, eating plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole grains, being vaccinated against certain infectious diseases, not eating too much red meat, and avoiding too much exposure to sunlight.[8][9] Early detection through screening is useful for cervical and colorectal cancer.[10] The benefits of screening in breast cancer are controversial.[10][11] Cancer is often treated with some combination of radiation therapy, surgery, chemotherapy, and targeted therapy.[1][12] Pain and symptom management are an important part of care. Palliative care is particularly important in those with advanced disease.[1] The chance of survival depends on the type of cancer and extent of disease at the start of treatment.[5] In children under 15 at diagnosis the five year survival rate in the developed world is on average 80%.[13] For cancer in the United States the average five year survival rate is 66%.[14]

In 2012 about 14.1 million new cases of cancer occurred globally (not including skin cancer other than melanoma).[5] It caused about 8.2 million deaths or 14.6% of all human deaths.[5][15] The most common types of cancer in males are lung cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, and stomach cancer, and in females, the most common types are breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and cervical cancer.[5] If skin cancer other than melanoma were included in total new cancers each year it would account for around 40% of cases.[16][17] In children, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and brain tumors are most common except in Africa where non-Hodgkin lymphoma occurs more often.[13] In 2012, about 165,000 children under 15 years of age were diagnosed with cancer. The risk of cancer increases significantly with age and many cancers occur more commonly in developed countries.[5] Rates are increasing as more people live to an old age and as lifestyle changes occur in the developing world.[18] The financial costs of cancer have been estimated at $1.16 trillion US dollars per year as of 2010.[19]

Cancers are a large family of diseases that involve abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body.[1][2] They form a subset of neoplasms. A neoplasm or tumor is a group of cells that have undergone unregulated growth, and will often form a mass or lump, but may be distributed diffusely.[20][21]

Six characteristics of cancer have been proposed:

The progression from normal cells to cells that can form a discernible mass to outright cancer involves multiple steps known as malignant progression.[22][23]

When cancer begins, it invariably produces no symptoms. Signs and symptoms only appear as the mass continues to grow or ulcerates. The findings that result depend on the type and location of the cancer. Few symptoms are specific, with many of them also frequently occurring in individuals who have other conditions. Cancer is the new "great imitator". Thus, it is not uncommon for people diagnosed with cancer to have been treated for other diseases, which were assumed to be causing their symptoms.[24]

Local symptoms may occur due to the mass of the tumor or its ulceration. For example, mass effects from lung cancer can cause blockage of the bronchus resulting in cough or pneumonia; esophageal cancer can cause narrowing of the esophagus, making it difficult or painful to swallow; and colorectal cancer may lead to narrowing or blockages in the bowel, resulting in changes in bowel habits. Masses in breasts or testicles may be easily felt. Ulceration can cause bleeding that, if it occurs in the lung, will lead to coughing up blood, in the bowels to anemia or rectal bleeding, in the bladder to blood in the urine, and in the uterus to vaginal bleeding. Although localized pain may occur in advanced cancer, the initial swelling is usually painless. Some cancers can cause a buildup of fluid within the chest or abdomen.[24]

General symptoms occur due to distant effects of the cancer that are not related to direct or metastatic spread. These may include: unintentional weight loss, fever, being excessively tired, and changes to the skin.[25]Hodgkin disease, leukemias, and cancers of the liver or kidney can cause a persistent fever of unknown origin.[24]

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Cancer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Having someone elses marrow or stem cells is called a donor transplant, or an allogeneic transplant. This is pronounced al-lo-jen-ay-ik.

The donors bone marrow cells must match your own as closely as possible. The most suitable donor is usually a close relative, such as a brother or sister. It is sometimes possible to find a match in an unrelated donor. Doctors call this a matched unrelated donor (MUD). To find out if there is a suitable donor for you, your doctor will contact The Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Register and other UK based and international bone marrow registers.

To make sure that your donors cells match, you and the donor will have blood tests. These are to see how many of the proteins on the surface of their blood cells match yours. This is called tissue typing or HLA matching. HLA stands for human leucocyte antigen.

Once you have a donor and are in remission, you have high dose chemotherapy either on its own or with radiotherapy. A week later the donor goes into hospital and their stem cells or marrow are collected. You then have the stem cells or bone marrow as a drip through your central line.

If you've had a transplant from a donor, there is a risk of graft versus host disease (GVHD). This happens because the transplanted stem cells or bone marrow contain cells from your donor's immune system. These cells can sometimes recognise your own tissues as being foreign and attack them. This can be an advantage because the immune cells may also attack any leukaemia cells left after your treatment.

Acute GVHD starts within 100 days of the transplant and can cause

If you develop GVHD after your transplant, your doctor will prescribe medicines to damp down this immune reaction. These are called immunosuppressants.

Chronic GVHD starts more than 100 days after the transplant and you may have

Your doctor is likely to suggest that you stay out of the sun because GVHD skin rashes can often get worse in the sun.

There is detailed information about graft versus host disease in the section about coping physically with cancer.

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Bone marrow or stem cell transplants for AML | Cancer ...

General Information About Prostate Cancer Key Points Prostate cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the prostate. Signs of prostate cancer include a weak flow of urine or frequent urination. Tests that examine the prostate and blood are used to detect (find) and diagnose prostate cancer. Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options. Prostate cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the prostate.

The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system. It lies just below the bladder (the organ that collects and empties urine) and in front of the rectum (the lower part of the intestine). It is about the size of a walnut and surrounds part of the urethra (the tube that empties urine from the bladder). The prostate gland makes fluid that is part of the semen.Enlarge

Anatomy of the male reproductive and urinary systems, showing the prostate, testicles, bladder, and other organs.

Prostate cancer is found mainly in older men. In the U.S., about 1 out of 5 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

These and other signs and symptoms may be caused by prostate cancer or by other conditions. Check with your doctor if you have any of the following:

Other conditions may cause the same symptoms. As men age, the prostate may get bigger and block the urethra or bladder. This may cause trouble urinating or sexual problems. The condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and although it is not cancer, surgery may be needed. The symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia or of other problems in the prostate may be like symptoms of prostate cancer.

Normal prostate and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). A normal prostate does not block the flow of urine from the bladder. An enlarged prostate presses on the bladder and urethra and blocks the flow of urine.

The following tests and procedures may be used:

Digital rectal exam (DRE). The doctor inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum and feels the prostate to check for anything abnormal.

Transrectal ultrasound. An ultrasound probe is inserted into the rectum to check the prostate. The probe bounces sound waves off body tissues to make echoes that form a sonogram (computer picture) of the prostate.

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Prostate Cancer Treatment - National Cancer Institute

Are there stem cell therapies available for spinal cord injury?

To our knowledge, no stem cell therapy has received Health Canada or U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for treatment of spinal cord injury at this time. Patients who are researching their options may come across companies with Web sites or materials that say otherwise and offer fee-based stem cell treatments for curing this disease. Many of these claims are not supported by sound scientific evidence and patients considering these therapies are encouraged to review some of the links below before making crucial decisions about their treatment plan.

For the latest developments read our blog entrieshere.

For moreabout stem cell clinical trials for spinal cord injuryclick here. For printed version:http://goo.gl/ZpNLg)

The basis of using stem cells to treat spinal cord injury would be as a source of new cells and products that could prevent further spinal cord damage, restore nerve function, generate new nerve cells and guide the regrowth of severed nerve fibres. Stem cells have an unparalleled regenerative capacity with the flexibility to grow into hundreds of different cell types and make factors that can support a range of physiological functions. Researchers are evaluating which types of stem cells are the best for growing neurons and other support cells in the brain, and making factors that promote nerve function. They want to develop strategies that transplant the support cells that wrap myelin insulation around nerve fibres to conduct electrical signals. A steady supply of these cells grown from stem cells could be a tremendous asset for studies that are exploring how to restore nerve function across damaged spinal cords.

Two main strategies for using stem cells to treat spinal cord injury are being explored: exogenous and endogenous repair (exo meaning outside the body and endo meaning inside the body). In exogenous repair the required cells are first grown from stem cells in the laboratory and then transplanted into patients. In endogenous repair stem cells are transplanted into the patient and the outcome depends on the bodys ability to coax the stem cells to grow into the required cells. Either way, the goal is to use stem cells to improve nerve function. There are no existing therapies that are able to repair spinal cord injuries.

Many research teams around the globe are working to develop stem cell therapies for spinal cord injury. Their common goals are to identify which stem cells are best suited for the job, which signals will be able to coax them into becoming neurons or support cells, and which large scale lab methods are effective at ramping up the production of the required cells.

The discovery of neural stem cells in Canada in 1992 kindled great hope among that stem cells could someday be used to regenerate the damage caused by spinal cord injury. Until around 1998, it was believed that the brain could not repair itself by regenerating new neurons. We now know that patients who have partial lesions to the spinal cord do experience a degree of spontaneous recovery arising from the ability of the brain to reorganize new connections. These observations spurred researchers to test their theories in animal models of spinal cord injury, and the positive results have provided the proof of principle that stem cells can potentially improve function after spinal cord injury.

Stem cell research is continuing on a number of different avenues and some of the successful stops along the way have yielded early Phase 1and 2 clinical trials for spinal cord injury. These trials are very small, mostly testing the safety of putting adult stem cells into patients. The results should yield information about the viability of this kind of therapy, but further clinical trials will be required to answer the question of whether a stem cell therapy can improve nerve function. For patients, the answer to that question is still many years away.

A North American clinical trial is using adult neural stem cell injections to treat spinal cord injury. Find out morehere.

See the article here:
Spinal Cord Injury | Canadian Stem Cell Foundation

A new study from the Forsyth Institute is helping to shed light on latent tuberculosis and the bacteria's ability to hide in stem cells. Some bone marrow stem cells reside in low oxygen (hypoxia) zones. These specialized zones are secured as immune cells and toxic chemicals cannot reach this zone. Hypoxia- activated cell signaling pathways may also protect the stem cells from dying or ageing. A new study led by Forsyth Scientist Dr. Bikul Das has found that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) hijack this protective hypoxic zone to hide intracellular to a special stem cell type. The study was published online on June 8th in the American Journal of Pathology.

Mtb, the causative organism of tuberculosis, infects nearly 2.2 billion people worldwide and causes 1.7 million annual deaths. This is largely attributed to the bacteria's ability to stay dormant in the human body and later resurface as active disease. Earlier research at Forsyth revealed that Mtb hides inside a specific stem cell population in bone marrow, the CD271+ mesenchymal stem cells. However, the exact location of the Mtb harboring stem cells was not known.

"From our previous research, we learned that cancer stem cells reside in the hypoxic zones to maintain self-renewal property, and escape from the immune system" said Bikul Das, MBBS, PhD, Associate Research Investigator at the Forsyth Institute, and the honorary director of the KaviKrishna laboratory, Guwahati, India. "So, we hypothesized that Mtb, like cancer, may also have figured out the advantage of hiding in the hypoxic area."

To test this hypothesis, Dr. Das and his collaborators at Jawarharlal Nehru Univeristy (JNU), New Delhi, and KaviKrishna Laboratory, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, utilized a well-known mouse model of Mtb infection, where months after drug treatment, Mtb remain dormant for future reactivation. Using this mouse model of dormancy, scientists isolated the special bone marrow stem cell type, the CD271+ mesenchymal stem cells, from the drug treated mice. Prior to isolation of the stem cells, mice were injected with pimonidazole, a chemical that binds specifically to hypoxic cells. Pimonidazole binding of these cells was visualized under confocal microscope and via flow cytometry. The scientists found that despite months of drug treatment, Mtb could be recovered from the CD271+ stem cells. Most importantly, these stem cells exhibit strong binding to pimonidazole, indicating the hypoxic localization of the stem cells. Experiments also confirmed that these stem cells express a hypoxia activated gene, the hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha).

To confirm the findings in clinical subjects, the research team, in collaboration with KaviKrishna Laboratory, the team isolated the CD271+ stem cell type from the bone marrow of TB infected human subjects who had undergone extensive treatment for the disease. They found that not only did the stem cell type contain viable Mtb, but also exhibit strong expression of HIF-1alpha. To their surprise, the CD271+ stem cell population expressed several fold higher expression of HIF-1alpha than the stem cell type obtained from the healthy individuals.

"These findings now explain why it is difficult to develop vaccines against tuberculosis," said Dr. Das. "The immune cells activated by the vaccine agent may not be able to reach the hypoxic site of bone marrow to target these "wolfs-in-stem-cell-clothing".

The success of this international collaborative study is now encouraging the team to develop a Forsyth Institute/KaviKrishna Laboratory global health research initiative to advance stem cell research and its application to global health issues including TB, HIV and oral cancer, all critical problems in the area where KaviKrishna Laboratory is located.

###

Das is the co-senior and co-corresponding author of the study, Rakesh Bhatnagar, PhD, professor of biotechnology, JNU, New Delhi, is the co-senior author of the study. Ms. Jaishree Garhain, a PhD student of Dr. Das and Dr. Bhatnagar, is the first author of the study. Other members of the team are Ms. Seema Bhuyan, Dr. Deepjyoti Kalita, and Dr. Ista Pulu. The research was funded by the KaviKrishna Foundation (Sualkuchi, India), the Laurel Foundation (Pasadena, California), and Department of Biotechnology, India.

About The Forsyth Institute

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Cardiac stem cells, which have the ability to differentiate (specialize) into mature heart cells and therefore could be used to repair damaged or diseased heart tissue, have garnered significant interest in the development of treatments for heart disease and cardiac defects. Cardiac stem cells can be derived from mature cardiomyocytes through the process of dedifferentiation, in which mature heart cells are stimulated to revert to a stem cell state. The stem cells can then be stimulated to redifferentiate into myocytes or endothelial cells. This approach enables millions of cardiac stem cells to be produced in the laboratory.

In 2009 a team of doctors at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, California, reported the first attempted use of cardiac stem cell transplantation to repair damaged heart tissue. The team removed a small section of tissue from the heart of a patient who had suffered a heart attack, and the tissue was cultured in a laboratory. Cells that had been stimulated to dedifferentiate were then used to produce millions of cardiac stem cells, which were later reinfused directly into the heart of the patient through a catheter in a coronary artery. A similar approach was used in a subsequent clinical trial reported in 2011; this trial involved 14 patients suffering from heart failure who were scheduled to undergo cardiac bypass surgery. More than three months after treatment, there was slight but detectable improvement over cardiac bypass surgery alone in left ventricle ejection fraction (the percentage of the left ventricular volume of blood that is ejected from the heart with each ventricular contraction).

Stem cells derived from bone marrow, the collection of which is considerably less invasive than heart surgery, are also of interest in the development of regenerative heart therapies. The collection and reinfusion into the heart of bone marrow-derived stem cells within hours of a heart attack may limit the amount of damage incurred by the muscle.

There are many types of arterial diseases. Some are generalized and affect arteries throughout the body, though often there is variation in the degree they are affected. Others are localized. These diseases are frequently divided into those that result in arterial occlusion (blockage) and those that are nonocclusive in their manifestations.

Atherosclerosis, the most common form of arteriosclerosis, is a disease found in large and medium-sized arteries. It is characterized by the deposition of fatty substances, such as cholesterol, in the innermost layer of the artery (the intima). As the fat deposits become larger, inflammatory white blood cells called macrophages try to remove the lipid deposition from the wall of the artery. However, lipid-filled macrophages, called foam cells, grow increasingly inefficient at lipid removal and undergo cell death, accumulating at the site of lipid deposition. As these focal lipid deposits grow larger, they become known as atherosclerotic plaques and may be of variable distribution and thickness. Under most conditions the incorporation of cholesterol-rich lipoproteins is the predominant factor in determining whether or not plaques progressively develop. The endothelial injury that results (or that may occur independently) leads to the involvement of two cell types that circulate in the bloodplatelets and monocytes (a type of white blood cell). Platelets adhere to areas of endothelial injury and to themselves. They trap fibrinogen, a plasma protein, leading to the development of platelet-fibrinogen thrombi. Platelets deposit pro-inflammatory factors, called chemokines, on the vessel walls. Observations of infants and young children suggest that atherosclerosis can begin at an early age as streaks of fat deposition (fatty streaks).

Atherosclerotic lesions are frequently found in the aorta and in large aortic branches. They are also prevalent in the coronary arteries, where they cause coronary artery disease. The distribution of lesions is concentrated in points where arterial flow gives rise to abnormal shear stress or turbulence, such as at branch points in vessels. In general the distribution in most arteries tends to be closer to the origin of the vessel, with lesions found less frequently in more distal sites. Hemodynamic forces are particularly important in the system of coronary arteries, where there are unique pressure relationships. The flow of blood through the coronary system into the heart muscle takes place during the phase of ventricular relaxation (diastole) and virtually not at all during the phase of ventricular contraction (systole). During systole the external pressure on coronary arterioles is such that blood cannot flow forward. The external pressure exerted by the contracting myocardium on coronary arteries also influences the distribution of atheromatous obstructive lesions.

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cardiovascular disease :: Cardiac stem cells | Britannica.com

SAN DIEGO(BUSINESS WIRE)Cytori Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CYTX) today confirmed that two Japanese regenerative medicine laws, which went into effect on November 25, 2014, remove regulatory uncertainties and provide a clear path for the Company to commercialize and market Cytori Cell Therapy and its Celution System under the Companys existing and planned regulatory approvals.

Japans new regenerative medicine laws substantially clarify regulatory ambiguities of pre-existing guidelines and this news represents a significant event for Cytori, said Dr. Marc Hedrick, President & CEO of Cytori. We have a decade of operating experience in Japan and Cytori is nicely positioned to see an impact both on existing commercial efforts and on our longer-term efforts to obtain therapeutic claims and reimbursement for our products.

Under the two new laws, Cytori believes its Celution System and autologous adipose-derived regenerative cells (ADRCs) can be provided by physicians under current Class I device regulations and used under the lowest risk category (Tier 3) for many procedures with only the approval by accredited regenerative medicine committees and local agencies of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW). This regulatory framework is expected to streamline the approval and regulatory process and increase clinical use of Cytori Cell Therapy and the Celution System over the former regulations.

Before these new laws were enacted, the regulatory pathway for clinical use of regenerative cell therapy was one-size-fits-all, irrespective of the risk posed by certain cell types and approaches, said Dr. Hedrick. Now, Cytoris point-of-care Celution System can be transparently integrated into clinical use by providers under our Class I device status and the streamlined approval process granted to cell therapies that pose the lowest risk. Our technology is unique in that respect.

Cytoris Celution System Is in Lowest of Three Risk Categories

The Act on the Safety of Regenerative Medicines and an amendment of the 2013 Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (the PMD Act), collectively termed the Regenerative Medicine Laws, replace the Human Stem Cell Guidelines. Under the new laws, the cell types used in cell therapy and regenerative medicine are classified based on risk. Cell therapies using cells derived from embryonic, induced pluripotent, cultured, genetically altered, animal and allogeneic cells are considered higher risk (Tiers 1 and 2) and will undergo an approval pathway with greater and more stringent oversight due to the presumed higher risk to patients. Cytoris Celution System, which uses the patients own cells at the point-of-care, will be considered in the lowest risk category (Tier 3) for most cases, and will be considered in Tier 2 if used as a non-homologous therapy.

Streamlined Regulatory Approval for Certain Medical Devices

In the near future, Cytori intends to pursue disease-specific or therapeutic claims and reimbursement for Cytoris Celution System and the Company would, at that point, sponsor a clinical trial to obtain Class III device-based approval and reimbursement. The new laws include changes to streamline regulation of Class II and some Class III devices, which will now require the approval of certification bodies rather than the PMDA, similar to the European notified body model. To date, certification bodies have only been used for some Class II devices.

Conditional Regulatory Approval and Reimbursement Potential

As a supplementary benefit to Cytori, the Company may also choose to take advantage of the new conditional approval opportunities granted under the new laws. Once clinical safety and an indication of efficacy are shown, sponsors may apply for their cell product to receive conditional approval for up to seven years and may be eligible for reimbursement under Japans national insurance coverage. Under the conditional approval, the sponsor can then generate post-marketing data to demonstrate further efficacy and cost effectiveness.

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japanese | StemCell Therapy MD

Directory: Characters Villains DBZ villains Bio-Androids

Perfect Cell Super Perfect Cell Android 21 Artifical Human no. 21 The Ultimate Fighter Mr. Cell The Perfect Being Future Cell Super (Albanian dub) The Perfect Warrior Celula (Spanish dub) Komrczak (Polish dub) Selas (Lithuanian dub) Artificial Human Cell

Cell () is a major supervillain who comes from a future timeline in the Dragon Ball manga and the Dragon Ball Z anime, also making an appearance in Dragon Ball GT. He is the ultimate creation of Dr. Gero, designed to possess all the abilities of the greatest fighters to have ever inhabited or visited Earth; the result is a "perfect warrior", possessing numerous favorable genetic traits and special abilities. Cell is one of the few Red Ribbon Androids not directly completed by Dr. Gero; the others are Android 15, Android 14, Android 13, and possibly Android 8. Cell, Android 13, Android 14, and Android 15's completions involve Dr. Gero's Super Computer.

Cell was named after the English word for "cell" because he absorbs humans and transforms.[8]Insects served as the model for Cell's design. Besides his design, the way in which he hatches from an egg and sheds his skin as he grows was also based on insects.[8] Thus Cell very much resembles an insect in both in appearances and in the way he goes through different stages of metamorphosis.

"You fool! Don't you realize yet you're up against the perfect weapon?!" "Save the World"

Cell has as an original personality with various other characters' personalities added in; Gero's computer redesigned the weak parts of the original personality, adding in the personalities of various different characters to make him the perfect weapon.[8] Throughout the Androids Arc, Cell's personality changes drastically with each transformation. At first, Cell's desire to complete his evolution by absorbing both Android 17 and Android 18 is what fuels him in his imperfect form. Upon reaching his final form, his eagerness to test the limits of his newfound power is what defines his character. Cell is unique among most villains of the series in that he is quite sophisticated. Because of his genetic composition from other warriors, he is able to psychologically manipulate those warriors and exploit their weaknesses to his advantage. He also found the Dragon Balls' reviving ability to be a nuisance, as evidenced by his relief when he learned that the Dragon Balls were rendered inert due to Piccolo and Kami's fusion.

Some initial sketches of Cell (Daizenshuu 4)

Initially, Cell is completely single-minded in pursuit of his goals and is very cautious, sneaky, cunning and calculating in achieving his main goal of perfection. Upon reaching his first transformation, he becomes far more brash and impulsive in his actions, relying less on strategy and more on brute force, often becoming clouded and not thinking rationally when things do not go his way. Upon reaching perfection, Cell displays a number of traits shared by those whose cells he possesses; Piccolo's cunning, Vegeta's pride, Goku's laid-back disposition, Frieza's smugness, and the Saiyan lust for battle. He is also shown to be calm and genuinely polite in this Perfect form. Perhaps Cell's most distinguishable trait in this form is his uninhibited vanity, which he shamelessly puts on display by launching the Cell Games, a tournament organized for the sole purpose of showing off his newfound power. It can also be seen during Cell's confrontation with Gohan when he affirms his true purpose: the annihilation of anything he considers imperfect, a category in which he places everyone and everything but himself.

In the English manga, Cell is referred to as "it", while in the anime (and the Japanese versions of both), he is referred to as "he." He is likely described that way in the English manga to emphasize the fact that he is an artificial being.

First colored image of Cell, made for the anime staff ("Ginger Town Showdown")

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Cell - Dragon Ball Wiki

During development from stem to fully differentiated, cells in the body alternately divide (mitosis) and "appear" to be resting (interphase). This sequence of activities exhibited by cells is called the cell cycle. Follow the events in the entire cell cycle with the following animation.

Interphase: Interphase, which appears to the eye to be a resting stage between cell divisions, is actually a period of diverse activities. Those interphase activities are indispensible in making the next mitosis possible. Interphase generally lasts at least 12 to 24 hours in mammalian tissue. During this period, the cell is constantly synthesizing RNA, producing protein and growing in size. By studying molecular events in cells, scientists have determined that interphase can be divided into 4 steps: Gap 0 (G0), Gap 1 (G1), S (synthesis) phase, Gap 2 (G2).

Gap 0(G0): There are times when a cell will leave the cycle and quit dividing. This may be a temporary resting period or more permanent. An example of the latter is a cell that has reached an end stage of development and will no longer divide (e.g. neuron).

Gap 1(G1): Cells increase in size in Gap 1, produce RNA and synthesize protein. An important cell cycle control mechanism activated during this period (G1 Checkpoint) ensures that everything is ready for DNA synthesis. (Click on the Checkpoints animation, above.)

S Phase: To produce two similar daughter cells, the complete DNA instructions in the cell must be duplicated. DNA replication occurs during this S (synthesis) phase.

Gap 2(G2): During the gap between DNA synthesis and mitosis, the cell will continue to grow and produce new proteins. At the end of this gap is another control checkpoint (G2 Checkpoint) to determine if the cell can now proceed to enter M (mitosis) and divide.

MitosisorM Phase:Cell growth and protein production stop at this stage in the cell cycle. All of the cell's energy is focused on the complex and orderly division into two similar daughter cells. Mitosis is much shorter than interphase, lasting perhaps only one to two hours. As in both G1 and G2, there is a Checkpoint in the middle of mitosis (Metaphase Checkpoint) that ensures the cell is ready to complete cell division. Actual stages of mitosis can be viewed atAnimal Cell Mitosis.

Cancer cells reproduce relatively quickly in culture. In theCancer Cell CAMcompare the length of time these cells spend in interphase to that formitosisto occur.

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The Cell Cycle - CELLS alive

There have been hundreds of science fiction stories and books written about growing organs in scientific laboratories as replacements for those that no longer function properly, or about injecting scientifically transmuted cells into ailing patients that can repair the broken cells within their bodies, bringing them back to robust health. In todays language what they were talking about was Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) Therapy.

Here, in the early 21st century, the gap between science fiction and science truth is closing at a record rate due to the rapid progress made in iPSC Therapy research, especially over the last three years.

After the virtual stop order placed on embryonic cell stem research in 2001, the race to find an alternative type of stem cell began in earnest, and in 2006 Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University in Japan announced his teams successful reprogramming of mouse cells into iPSCs. This was the breakthrough that made it possible for stem cell research to continue without the use of controversial embryonic stem cells.

The next major announcement came in 2007, again from Yamanaka in Japan, followed by one only a few weeks later by James A. Thompson from the University of Wisconsin, detailing the making of iPSC from adult human cells. Again, neither used embryos in their experiments.

From that time on the goal has been developing stem cell science that will eventually be safe iPS Cell Therapy modalities to be used in Regenerative or Reparative Medicine. What kinds of illnesses or diseases will iPSC Therapies be used to treat in the future? Only a partial list would include:

The world of iPSC Therapy research is wide open today and its on the move! This website is dedicated to bringing you first, the story of stem cell research, both embryonic and iPStem Cell, and the controversy surrounding them, as well as the most up to date information in the easiest to understand language about major milestone accomplishments in the field.

If you were to go back 100 years you would be amazed by how primitive medicine was. Even 60 years ago there were no organ transplants, no cystoscopic surgeries, and there was a massive polio outbreak in the United States that closed public swimming pools and beaches and other public gathering places across the country for the summer. Who can tell where medicine will be in 10 or 15 years? There is no predicting, but with the rapid advancement of the last few years and the bright promise shown so far, iPSC Therapy is sure to play a major role.

Continued here: iPSCTherapy.com: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell therapy

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iPSCTherapy.com: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell therapy ...

NEWARK, Calif., Jun 04, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) --

StemCells, Inc. STEM, +0.00% a world leader in the research and development of cell-based therapeutics for the treatment of central nervous system diseases and disorders, announced today that it has enrolled its first subject in Cohort 2 of its Phase II Pathway Study. The study is designed to assess the efficacy of the Company's proprietary HuCNS-SC platform technology (purified human neural stem cells) for the treatment of cervical spinal cord injury. Cohort 2 will enroll 40 patients and forms the single-blinded controlled arm of the Phase II study. The primary efficacy outcome being tested in Cohort 2 is the change in motor strength of the various muscle groups in the upper extremities innervated by the cervical spinal cord.

The Pathway Study is the first clinical trial designed to evaluate both the safety and efficacy of human neural stem cells transplanted into the spinal cord of patients with cervical spinal cord injury. Traumatic injuries to the neck can damage the cervical spinal cord and result in impaired sensation and motor function of the arms, legs, and trunk, also referred to as quadriplegia. The trial has 3 cohorts. The primary Cohort is Cohort 2 which is being conducted as a randomized, controlled, single-blind Cohort and efficacy will be primarily measured by assessing motor function according to the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI). The trial will follow the participants for one year and will enroll up to 52 subjects.

Cohort 1 of the Pathway Study is an open-label, HuCNS-SC dose-escalation arm involving six patients. Safety data from all six subjects was reviewed by an independent Data Monitoring Committee and approval was provided to commence with Cohort 2. No safety or tolerability issues were seen at any of the dosing levels. The six-month outcome from Cohort 1 will be disclosed as interim data later this year.

Cohort 3 is an optional open label Cohort targeted to enroll 6 patients. This Cohort is designed to assess safety and preliminary efficacy in patients with less severe injuries (AIS C).

"The initiation of Cohort 2 begins the next phase of our clinical efforts towards a potential breakthrough therapy for spinal cord injury," said Stephen Huhn, M.D., FACS, FAAP, Vice President, Clinical Research and Chief Medical Officer at StemCells, Inc. "This is the first blinded, controlled clinical trial to be conducted using human neural stem cells. The goal of this proof-of-concept study is to demonstrate the potential efficacy of our cells as a treatment for victims of spinal cord injury. We currently have seven sites enrolling patients and expect to reach a total of fourteen active North American sites by year end. Conducting a multi-center study on this scale should allow us to efficiently enroll the study."

The Company completed enrollment and dosing in its open-label Phase I/II study in thoracic spinal cord injury in April 2014 and has reported top-line results. Sustained post-transplant gains in sensory function were demonstrated in seven of the twelve patients. Two patients in the Phase I/II study converted from a complete injury (AIS A) to an incomplete injury (AIS B). The final results also continue to confirm the favorable safety profile of the cells and the surgical procedure.

About the Pathway Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Clinical Trial

The Company's Phase II Pathway Study, titled "Study of Human Central Nervous System (CNS) Stem Cell Transplantation in Cervical Spinal Cord Injury," will evaluate the safety and efficacy of transplanting the Company's proprietary human neural stem cells (HuCNS-SC cells), into patients with traumatic injury in the cervical region of the spinal cord. Conducted as a randomized, controlled, single-blind study, the trial will measure efficacy by assessing motor function according to the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI). The primary efficacy outcome will focus on change in upper extremity strength. The trial will enroll approximately 52 subjects and follow the patients for 12 months post-transplant. The first cohort of six patients completed enrollment in April and was designed to establish the cell dose for onward testing in the second cohort of the study.

Information about the Company's spinal cord injury program can be found on the StemCells, Inc. website at:

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StemCells, Inc. Announces Commencement of the Second ...

I just found this on the web,

Stem cells in skin care...What does it really mean?

By Jeanette Jacknin M.D.

Dr Jacknin will be speaking about Cosmaceuticals at the upcoming 17th World Congress on Anti-Aging and Regenerative Medicine in Orlando, Florida, April 23-25, 2009.

Stem cells have recently become a huge buzzword in the skincare world. But what does this really mean? Skincare specialists are not using embryonic stem cells; it is impossible to incorporate live materials into a skincare product. Instead, companies are creating products with specialized peptides and enzymes or plant stem cells which, when applied topically on the surface, help protect the human skin stem cells from damage and deterioration or stimulate the skin's own stem cells. National Stem Cell was one of the few companies who actually incorporated into their skin care an enzyme secreted from human embryonic stem cells, but they are in the process of switching over to use non-embryonic stem cells from which to take the beneficial enzyme.

Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body. When a stem cell divides, it can remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a skin cell. There are two types of stem cells, embryonic and adult.

Embryonic stem cells are exogenous in that they are harvested from outside sources, namely, fertilized human eggs. Once harvested, these pluripotent stem cells are grown in cell cultures and manipulated to generate specific cell types so they can be used to treat injury or disease.

Unlike embryonic stem cells, adult or multipotent stem cells are endogenous. They are present within our bodies and serve to maintain and repair the tissues in which they are found. Adult stem cells are found in many organs and tissues, including the skin. In fact, human skin is the largest repository of adult stem cells in the body. Skin stem cells reside in the basal layer of the epidermis where they remain dormant until they are activated by tissue injury or disease. 1

There is controversy surrounding the use of stem cells, as some experts say that any product that claims to affect the growth of stem cells or the replication process is potentially dangerous, as it may lead to out-of-control replication or mutation. Others object to using embryonic stem cells from an ethical point of view. Some researchers believe that the use of stem cell technology for a topical, anti-aging cosmetic trivializes other, more important medical research in this field.

The skin stem cells are found near hair follicles and sweat glands and lie dormant until they "receive" signals from the body to begin the repair mode. In skincare, the use of topical products stimulates the stem cell to split into two types of cells: a new, similar stem cell and a "daughter" cell, which is able to create almost every kind of new cell in a specialized system. This means that the stem cell can receive the message to create proteins, carbohydrates and lipids to help repair fine lines, wrinkles and restore and maintain firmness and elasticity.1

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Hair Loss Forum - Stem cells in skin care products, good ...

DURHAM N.C. May. 27 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ A new study appearing today inSTEM CELLS Translational Medicinedesigned to test how stem cell injections affect primates with spinal cord injury (SCI) showed the treatments significantly improved the animals motor function recovery and promoted faster healing too. The researchers call their findings a step forward toward the goal of improving outcomes for humans with chronic SCI.

Previous research conducted by various groups had indicated stem cell treatments helped rats with SCI. But because there are distinct differences in the nervous system and immunological responses between rodents and primates it is critical to determine how effective and safe the injections might be in a non-human primate SCI model as part of the translational research required for clinical trials explained Hideyuki Okano M.D. Ph.D. of Keio University School of Medicines physiology department and a co-author of the new study.

In this study the researchers grafted neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs)derived from marmoset (a type of monkey) embryonic stem cells into adult marmosets suffering from a moderately bruised spinal cord. The advantage of using common marmosets is the similarity between their nervous system and immunological responses and those of humans Dr. Okano said.

The injections were given 14 days after the SCI occurred which research shows is an optimal time window for SCI therapy as inflammation has generally subsided by then and scar tissue has not yet had time to form.(Doctors believe that an incomplete spinal cord injury such as those of the study animals offers better chance for recovery than a complete SCI injury.) The results were promising.

Eventually motor function recovery significantly improved in the transplantation group compared to a control group that did not receive stem cells reported co-author Masaya Nakamura M.D. Ph.D. of Keios Department of Orthopedic Surgery. An animal in the control group for example could not raise her hands up to head height at 12 weeks after injury when motor function almost plateaus. On the other hand at the same point in time a transplanted animalwas able to jump successfully and run so fast it was difficult for us to catch her. She could also grip a pen at 3 cm. above head-height.

In addition he added there were no signs of immune rejection or tumors which have been a side effect of some stem cell therapies.

The researchers say this study is a step forward in their goal is to improve patients with complete SCI at the chronic phase. But we believe it will require a combination of stem cell transplantation rehabilitation and pharmacological therapy with the stem cells a key part of the treatment Dr. Okano added.

This translational research using a nonhuman primate model is a critical step in eventually applying these cells to injured spinal cord in human patients said Anthony Atala M.D. Editor-in-Chief ofSTEM CELLS Translational Medicineand director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

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Stem Cell Treatment Speeds Up Recovery after Spinal Cord ...

Human beings entirely regenerate their skin every 7 days. Cuts and wounds heal themselves and disappear from sight within a couple of weeks. Every cell within the skeleton is replaced within 7 years. This all goes to show how dynamic our cells really are. A number of medical experts have mentioned that the future of medicine lies in understanding how the body creates a single cell and the various mechanisms that are involved in renewing the cell throughout life. It is believed that once this goal is achieved, serious diseases such as Alzheimers, cancer, spinal cord injuries and diabetes can also be treated.

Medical science may have a long way to go when it comes to understanding stem cells, but the world of skin care has managed to achieve significant breakthroughs. Studies have shown the numerous benefits of adding stem cell technology into skin care products, and this has made stem cells one of the latest buzzwords in skin care. Stem cells have theamazing ability of being able to develop into different types of cells. When these cells divide, they can remain as the original stem cell or transform into another cell type, such as a skin cell.

Thus, stem cells are different from other types of cells for two simple reasons they can renew themselves and can also mimic other cells to serve specific functions. Their regenerative properties make them extremely crucial for skin care, as they offer a new way to look at anti-aging and treating things like lines, wrinkles and other aging signs.

One of the most interesting studies on the use of stem cells in skin care was conducted by Dr. Gregory Bays Brown, a former plastic surgeon. During the course of Dr. Browns research, it became evidently clear that a substance known as Epidermal Growth Factor was released whenever the body suffered from wounds or injury in order to accelerate the healing process. It has been believed that these same molecules can be used to regenerate aging skin by making stem cells mimic these factors.

Studies have also shown that stem-cell production decreases due to things like pollution and the damage caused by UV rays. In the year 2008, LVMH Laboratories identified certain key ingredients which had the ability to protect the stem cells from external factors. According to experts, the power of protecting stem cells was extremely vital for maintaining the youthful appearance of the skin and boosting epidermal regeneration.

Another exciting study surrounding the anti-aging effects of stem cells derived from apples was conducted by researchers working for Mibelle Biochemistry. They first obtained human stem cells to show that a minute concentration of 0.1% of these cells could stimulate the proliferation of stem cells within the body by as much as 80%! The researchers then conducted a second experiment where they irradiated the umbilical cord stem cells with UV light. About half of the stem cells that were cultured using growth mediums ended up dying, but the stem cells that were cultured using apple extracts showed a very small decrease. This samestudy also includedan experiment to observe the anti-wrinkle effects of stem cell potions created using apple extracts. This potion was applied on the crows feet area of 20 people, 2 times each day. After just two weeks, the wrinkle depth reduced by 8%. This decrease increased to 15% within 4 weeks, thereby causing a reduction in the overall signs of aging.

Better yet, stem cells havent just been influencing the world of skin care. The NeuralStem trial has already demonstrated that human embryonic stem cells can be transplanted into the spinal cord to help people suffering from ALS. Research on the same technique is underway to determine whether the treatment can slow thedecline of health or improve functioning in the body.

Although stem cell studies have a long way to go before their exact benefits are known, researchers believe that topical applications may stimulate the growth of new stem cells, thereby keeping the skin young and healthy.

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Stem Cells Advanced Skin Care | Introstem

John W. McDonald, M.D., Ph.D. an associate professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the International Center for Spinal Cord Injury at Kennedy Krieger Institute taps into the bodys own repair mechanisms in search of treatments for spine injury.

Stem cells allow us to address questions Ive thought about forever. These are really exciting times for the repair of the nervous system, because we can move beyond mere correlation and get definitive answers.

Despite what I was taught in medical school, nervous system cells do divide and grow. Not all of them. But oligodendrocytes are the most prominent ones that do. If we were to follow newly born cells in an adult human brain for an hour, the majority of those cells would go on to become oligodendrocytes.

Injury and the consequence of injury disrupts the turning over of cells, basically because of reduced electrical activity, which oligodendrocytes depend on for survival and myelination.

Im convinced that endogenous stem cells in the spinal cordthose naturally born there by the million, every hour, even in spinal cord injured adultsrepresent an important therapeutic target.

Through the transplantation work were doing in mice, were learning a lot about the natural environment of cells in the nervous system. For example, mouse embryonic stem cells have the innate mechanism to overcome physical and chemical barriers. Their presence changes the microenvironment enough so that endogenous cells are able to cross barriers such as scars. We are working on figuring how to activate the same cues that cause those microenvironment changes without actually transplanting stem cells.

The whole nervous systemall the signaling between cellsruns by electrical activity. Were just now getting access to the imaging tools to be able to see and begin to understand it. If that ensemble of activity is disrupted by injury, what percent of connections remain, and how can we use what remains to recreate the orchestra?

New imaging methods now are confirming earlier animal studies that as much as 30 percent of connections can still remain below the level of spinal cord injury, even in the severe injury scenarios. This realizationthat we dont need to cure the nervous system, we just need partial repairis born out in people whove had bad spinal cord injuries who now can regain substantial function and even walk..

Our strategy is to maximize the physical integrity of your body so it can meet a cure halfway when a cure comes. We discovered that we can make a great impact on an individuals own spontaneous recovery by facilitating the bodys own micro-repair system.

What we do in lab is geared toward understanding these mechanisms of microrepair. We already know that myelination and birth of oligodendrocytes are incredibly dependent on electrical activity.

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Stem Cell Research at Johns Hopkins Medicine: Spinal ...

Tsai et al./Stem Cell Reports 2015

Weill Cornell investigators have discovered how to generate large numbers of rare cells in the network that pushes the heart's chambers to consistently contract. In this image, investigators stained these cells, generated from embryonic stem cells, to reveal cell-specific genes (green and red, indicated by arrows). The blue represents stained cell nuclei.

For the first time, scientists can efficiently generate large numbers of rare cells in the network that pushes the heart's chambers to consistently contract. The technique, published May 28 in Stem Cell Reports, could be a first step toward using a person's own cells to repair an irregular heartbeat known as cardiac arrhythmia.

This study, while done using mouse cells, will now allow us to develop human heart cells and test their function in repairing damaged hearts, said the study's senior author, Dr. Todd Evans, vice chair for research and the Peter I. Pressman Professor in the Department of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College.

The human heart beats billions of times during a lifetime, so it's not surprising that development of irregular heartbeats can lead to a variety of cardiac diseases, Evans says. But treatments for these disorders are costly, and often ineffective.

The government pays more than $3 billion each year for cardiac arrhythmia-related diseases. Despite this enormous expense, the treatments we have available are inadequate, Evans said. For example, artificial pacemakers are often used, but these can fail, and are particularly challenging therapies for children.

One solution is to coax a patient's own cells to generate the specific kinds of cells in the cardiac conduction system (CCS) that maintain a regular heartbeat.

We can imagine someday using these cells, for example, to create patches that can replace defective conduction fibers. Of course this is still a long way off, as we would need to study how to coax them into integrating properly with the rest of the CCS, Evans said. But previously, we did not even have the capacity to generate the cells, and now we can do so in a manner that is scalable, so that such preclinical research is now feasible.

Evans worked with Dr. Shuibing Chen, an expert in stem cell and chemical biology, and Dr. Su-Yi Tsai, a postdoctoral fellow and the study's lead investigator. Other key contributors were from the laboratory of Dr. Glenn Fishman, who specializes in cardiac physiology at New York University.

Their first goal was to increase the efficiency of coaxing mouse embryonic stem cells to become CCS cells. They created mouse stem cells that can express a CCS marker gene that can be quantified. This allows them to measure how many embryonic cells morph into CCS cells.

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Stem cell technology could lead to ailing heart mending ...

Plant and fruit stem cells are in bloom as ingredients du jour in a new generation of anti-aging skin care products.

What exactly are stem cells? Stem cells are in all living things: plants, animals, and humans. Theyre the most basic type of cells, kind of like the raw materials from which all other cells are made. Stem cells are able to develop into many different kinds of cells and are able to divide and regenerate for extended periods of time, making them a potential treasure trove for regenerating the body. In the past decade, human stem cells have been the subject of a lot of debate. But scientists have recently found a way to tap the healing and rejuvenating benefits of stem cells without all the ethical baggage: extract them from plants and fruits.

What can plant stem cells do for skin? Skin cells grow and die at a surprisingly fast rate, turning over about every month. With constant assaults from free radicals, UV rays, environmental toxins, and debased nutrition, every time our skin cells turn over, they run the risk of damage and mutation. Plus, with age, stem cells become depleted and turnover rate slows down. The result? Visible aging, wrinkles, and less-than lustrous skin. Supplying the skin with a fresh batch of stem cells could potentially allow for the creation of new, younger-looking skin. Could scientists have found the fountain of youth?

Do plant stem cells actually work? It depends on whom you ask. Cosmetic companies tout compelling information about plant and fruit stem cells miracles. And some studies, albeit limited, show that plant and fruit stem cells have the ability to stimulate the growth of human stem cells and protect human stem cells from UV damage and oxidative stress that causes aging. In time, the hopeful science of stem cell research may become something tried and true. In the meantime, many of the natural formulas that tout plant and fruit stem cells are also loaded with skin-beneficial ingredients with demonstrated anti-aging effects such as antioxidant vitamin C, collagen-building peptides, and nourishing plant oilsthe whole of which may be more than the sum of their parts.

Check out these plant and fruit stem cell products that can renew and regenerate your skin:

Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Moisturizer contains a proprietary blend of fruit stem cells to repair DNA and encourage new cell growth along with its signature antioxidant-rich fruit juice base, vitamin C, and hydrating plant oils. 1.7 fl oz, $65, juicebeauty.com

La Prairie Cellular Power Infusion is an ultra-deluxe formula infused with Swiss Red Grape stem cells to protect skins own stem cells, Swiss Snow Algae to activate longevity of cells, and an exclusive peptide to renew skin cells. 4 x 0.26 fl oz, $475, shoplaprairie.com

MyChelle Apple Brightening Serum combines PhytoCellTec apple stem cells to regenerate skin, and unique peptides to diminish sunspots as well as aid in UVA and UVB damage recovery. 1 fl oz, $44.30, mychelle.com

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Plant Stem Cells for Beauty | Women's Health Magazine

CTL019 is a clinical trial of T cell therapyfor patients with B cell cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and the adult disease chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). At this time, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is the only hospital enrolling pediatric patientson this trial.

In July 2014, CTL019 was awarded Breakthrough Therapy designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of relapsed and refractory adult and pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The investigational therapy is the first personalized cellular therapy for the treatment of cancer to receive this important classification.

In this clinical trial, immune cells called T cells are taken from a patient's own blood. These cells are genetically modified to express a protein which will recognize and bind to a target called CD19, which is found on cancerous B cells. This is how T cell therapy works:

30 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (25 children and 5 adults) have been treatedusing T cell therapy.Of those patients:

The most recent results were published in The New England Journal of Medicine in October 2014. Scientists at The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania are very hopeful that CTL019 could in the future be an effective therapy for patients with B cell cancers. However, because so few patients have been treated, and because those patients have been followed for a relatively shorttime,it is critical that more adult and pediatric patients are enrolled in the study to determine whether a larger group of patients with B cell cancers will have the same response, and maintain that response.

At this point CHOP's capability to enroll patients is limited because of the need to manufacture the T cell product used in this therapy. Our goal is to boost enrollment soon, by increasing our manufacturing capabilities and by broadening this study to other pediatric hospitals.

T cell therapy is a treatment for children and adolescents with fairly advanced B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and B cell lymphomas, but not other leukemias or pediatric cancers. It is an option for those patients who have very resistant ALL.

Roughly 85 percent of ALL cases are treated very successfully with standard chemotherapy. For the remaining 15 percent of cases, representing a substantial number of children in the United States, chemotherapy only works temporarily or not at all. This is not a treatment for newly diagnosed leukemia, only for patients whose leukemia is not responding to chemotherapy,and whose disease has come back after a bone marrow transplant.

It is important to note that while results of this study are encouraging, it is still very early in testing and that not all children who qualify for the trial will have the same result.

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T Cell Therapy (CTL019) | The Children's Hospital of ...

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Although a stem cell transplant (sometimes called a bone marrow transplant) is an effective treatment for several types of cancer, it can cause a number of different side effects. The type and intensity of these side effects vary from person to person and depend on the kind of transplant performed, the person's overall health, and other factors. Your health care team will work with you to prevent side effects or manage any that occur. This is called palliative or supportive care and is an important part of your overall treatment plan. Be sure to talk with your health care team about any side effects you experience, including new symptoms or a change in symptoms.

The two most serious side effects of stem cell transplantation are infection and graft-versus-host disease.

Infection

The chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy given before a stem cell transplant weakens a persons immune system, lowering the bodys defenses against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. That means stem cell recipients are especially vulnerable to infection during this early period of treatment.

Although most people think the greatest risk of infection is from visitors or food, most infections that occur during the first few weeks after a transplant are caused by organisms that are already in the patient's lungs, sinuses, skin, and intestines. Fortunately, most of these infections are relatively easy to treat with antibiotics.

The reduced immunity of the early transplant period lasts about two weeks, after which the immune system is back to near full strength and can keep most common germs at bay without the help of medications. This is true for both autologous (AUTO) transplant recipients (who receive their own stem cells) and allogeneic (ALLO) transplant recipients (who receive stem cells from another person).

However, a risk of serious infection remains for ALLO transplant recipients because they are given anti-rejection drugs. These drugs suppress the immune system to prevent the body from rejecting the donors stem cells. However, this low immunity also leaves the body more at risk for infection. This risk increases when more anti-rejection drugs are needed. Your treatment team will work with you to prevent and manage infections.

Graft-versus-host disease

People who have an ALLO transplant are also at risk of developing a post-transplant illness called graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). It occurs when the transplanted stem cells recognize the patients body as foreign and attack it, causing inflammation. GVHD ranges from mild to life-threatening. AUTO transplant recipients do not face this risk because the transplanted stem cells come from their own bodies.

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Side Effects of Stem Cell/Bone Marrow Transplantation ...

Stem Cell MX is dedicated to providing COPD and heart disease patients with information about stem cell therapy at Angeles Health International, Mexicos largest private hospital network.

Stem Cell Therapy is a fast growing area of medical research. Research into how stem cells can cure a number of conditions has been extensive over the past 3 decades and here at Stem Cell MX we are proud to be at the forefront of breakthrough discoveries and treatments. We dedicate ourselves to providing you with information about Stem Cells and what they can do for you.

At Stem Cell MX we can use Stem Cell therapy to treat 11 core treatable conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart conditions and joint conditions, such as osteoarthritis. We use two types of stem cell programs; autologous, meaning that we use your own stem cells, and allogeneic, where we use donated adult stem cells from one of the best labs in the world.

Stem cell research has had bad press over the years due to the misconception that Stem Cells can only come from embryos. This isnt true. Here at Stem Cell MX we only use Adult Stem Cells which have been harvested from either the donor or the patients themselves.

If you want to find out more about stem cell therapy with no obligation then contact us today. Our stem cell clinical trials are based on thirty years of research and clinical experience conducted by leading researchers and clinicians in Europe and the United States.

To find out the basics about stem cells read An Introduction to Stem Cells

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