Mercury-Caused Endocrine Conditions Causing Widespread Adverse Health Effects, Cognitive Effects, and Fertility Effects B.Windham(Ed.)http://www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/endohg.html

Introduction.
As will be documented in this paper, the majority of the population receives significant mercury exposures and significant adverse health effects are common. Mercury has been found to be an endocrine system disrupting chemical in animals and people, disrupting function of the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, thymus gland, adrenal gland, enzyme production processes, and affecting many hormonal functions at very low levels of exposure . The main factors determining whether chronic conditions are induced by metals appear to be exposure and genetic susceptibility, which determines individuals immune sensitivity and ability to detoxify metals(405). Very low levels of exposure have been found to seriously affect large groups of individuals who are immune sensitive to toxic metals, or have an inability to detoxify metals due to such as deficient sulfoxidation or metallothionein function or other inhibited enzymatic processes related to detoxification or excretion of metals. Read more...

Ayurtox for Body Detoxification

Obesity is a national health crisis--that  much we know. If current trends continue, it will soon surpass smoking in the U.S. as the biggest single factor in early death, reduced quality of life and added health care costs. A third of adults in the U.S. are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and another third are overweight, with Americans getting fatter every year. Obesity is responsible for more than 160,000 “excess” deaths a year, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association . The average obese person costs society more than $7,000 a year in lost productiv­ity and added medical treatment, say researchers at George Washington University. Lifetime added medical costs alone for a person 70 pounds or more overweight amount to as much as $30,000, depending on race and gender.

All this lends urgency to the question: Why are extra pounds so difficult to shed and keep off? It doesn’t seem as though it should be so hard. The basic formula for weight loss is simple and widely known: consume fewer calories than you expend. And yet if it really were easy, obesity would not be the nation’s number-one lifestyle-related health concern. For a species that evolved to consume energy-dense foods in an environment where famine was a constant threat, losing weight and staying trimmer in a modern world of plenty fueled by marketing messages and cheap empty calories is, in fact, terrifically difficult. Almost everybody who tries to diet seems to fail in the long run--a review in 2007 by the American Psychological Association of 31 diet studies found that as many as two thirds of dieters end up two years later weighing more than they did before their diet.

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As some of you may know, much of my recent social media energy has been spent on LinkedIn rather than blogging. This was not a conscious decision but I will admit to finding the immediacy and interconnectivity of the LinkedIn/Twitter combo to be more seductive of my limited time than the more laborious and seemingly more unidirectional facets of blogging. I'm still working on a return to more diligent and regular blogging - we'll see how that goes.

In any event, today's blog entry is ironically about the very thing which has replaced my blogging in many ways for the interim: the LinkedIn Cell Therapy Industry Group which I founded in July 2008 (about the same time as I launched this blog).

Primarily due to the outstanding participation of great members, the group has turned out to be what I had hoped would be and I believe has become a fairly valuable resource for those in or interested in the cell therapy industry.

The group grew exponentially throughout 2010 and we are proud today to announce our 1,000th member. Without his knowledge, Luc Gervais today became the 1,000th member of the LinkedIn Cell Therapy Industry Group.

Luc Gervais lists himself on LinkedIn as a "Technologist Entrepreneur" but is also a Researcher at IBM Research, Zurich Research Laboratory in addition to being a researcher at the University Hospital Basel.

He was recently involved in the development of IBM's novel, microfluidic "lab on a chip" technology that uses capillary action to create a potential one-step diagnostic tool, and which could ultimately test for a wide range of diseases and viruses. The chip requires only a small drop of blood, which it draws through tiny channels within the device. The blood reacts with different disease markers to provide accurate diagnoses in about 15 minutes.

Luc represents what I believe is one of the most exciting signs of development in and maturation of the cell therapy industry. Luc's career has included being a Game Developer at Unlikely Games, a Computational Chemistry Developer at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, and a Quality Assurance Specialist at Steltor. On LinkedIn, he lists "regenerative medicine" as one of his interests.

People with the kind of experience Luc possesses are bringing a world of scientific, technical, and commercial expertise to regenerative medicine and cell therapy from outside the sector. This promises to revolutionize the way we think about, develop, and apply our technologies.

Luc and others like him who are exploding into the regenerative medicine and cell therapy field bring with them the potential for interdisciplinary exploration, the opportunity to draw from lessons already learned in other sectors, and the chance to view our field not just in terms of the incredible potential for new therapeutics which cell therapy represents but how that fits into the broader world in which cell therapy is growing up. A world that includes phenomenal advancements in personalized medicine, diagnostics, theranostics, biomarkers, bioinformatics, the ability to access and interpret personal genomics data, etc.

I have yet to speak to Luc (this was all posted from publicly available information) but I'm hoping to bring you an interview of him shortly not because being the 1,000th member of the LinkedIn Cell Therapy Industry Group is deserving of any particular attention (and certainly will not rank in his list of accomplishments I'm sure) but because I'm curious about what Luc represents.

Stay tuned....

--Lee

http://www.celltherapyblog.com hosted by http://www.celltherapygroup.com

International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB:ISCO), http://www.internationalstemcell.com, applauds a recent announcement by researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital showing the use of parthenogenetic stem cells as a potential strategy to treat genetic diseases such as Huntington's disease, beta thalassemia or tuberous sclerosis.

In a scientific paper entitled, "Gene therapy by allele selection in a mouse model of beta-thalassemia" recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, a team of researchers from the Center for Molecular and Human Genetics (NationwideChildren's Hospital, Columbus, OH), the University of Pennsylvania, the University of North Carolina and the University of Minnesota led by John McLaughlin Ph.D., describe how they used a mouse model of an inherited blood disorder to show that parthenogenesis could be used to create "genetically clean" stem cells. These parthenogenetic stem cells demonstrated the ability to correct certain symptoms of such a disease.

Dr. Andrey Semechkin, CEO of ISCO, commented, "We at ISCO are particularly pleased to note this animal model research into the potential of parthenogenetic stem cells since ISCO has created method for creating immortal human parthenogenetic stem cell (hpSC) lines. We are constantly seeking ways to use such technology to treat human diseases, and this announcement is a positive indication showing the potential of parthenogenetic stem cells to treat certain types of autosomal dominant diseases such as particular forms of beta thalassemia or even Huntington's disease. We expect that the transition from animal models to human therapy using parthenogenetic cells will continue to evolve as ISCO continues to conduct its own therapeutic research and to collaborate with researchers across the world to discover new ways to use parthenogenesis and parthenogenetic stem cells to cure human disease. We have great hope that animal research such as that just reported will open new doors to human therapy and look forward to making our human parthenogentic lines available for such therapies."

ISCO created and patented the first proven technology to create human parthenogenetic stem cell lines from unfertilized human eggs. This technology has similar potential advantages as those described in the work done at Nationwide Children's Hospital; i.e., the creation of human parthenogenetic stem cells that could eliminate a defective copy of a gene and can be immune-matched to the egg donor. ISCO's technology has the additional ethical advantage of not harming a viable human embryo.

Dr Semechkin continues, "ISCO is actively conducting research on the creation and application of differentiated derivatives of hpSC for therapeutic use. Specifically, ISCO has initiated a number of pre-clinical animal studies utilizing both hepatocytes and separately retina pigment epithelium cells, derived from hpSC. ISCO's scientists were also the first to demonstrate the ability of hpSC to differentiate into neural cells and to develop approaches to obtain stable lines of parthenogenetic neural cells. These achievements open up the opportunity to assess the efficacy and safety of using parthenogenetic stem cells as a source to create neural cells for the treatment of diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and other neurodegenerative disorders. The work presented by Dr. McLaughlin once again confirms ISCO's unique position in the field of stem cell based therapies."

The work done by Dr. McLaughlin can be found at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/45377?search%5Barticle_text%5D=&search%5Bauthors_text%5D=mclaughlin.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL STEM CELL CORPORATION (ISCO.OB):

International Stem Cell Corporation is a California-based biotechnology company focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs). hpSCs avoid ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells with minimal immune rejection after transplantation into hundreds of millions of individuals of differing sexes, ages and racial groups. This offers the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell™, while avoiding the ethical issue of using fertilized eggs. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology and cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care. More information is available at ISCO's website, http://www.internationalstemcell.com.

To subscribe to receive ongoing corporate communications please click on the following link: http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1468&to=ea&s=0.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Statements pertaining to anticipated technological developments and therapeutic applications, and other opportunities for the company and its subsidiaries, along with other statements about the future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans, or prospects expressed by management constitute forward-looking statements. Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates,") should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in the development and/or commercialization of potential products, uncertainty in the results of clinical trials or regulatory approvals, need and ability to obtain future capital, application of capital resources among competing uses, and maintenance of intellectual property rights. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the company's business, particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Key Words: Stem Cells, Biotechnology, Parthenogenesis

International Stem Cell Corporation
Kenneth C. Aldrich, Chairman
760-940-6383
kaldrich@intlstemcell.com
or
Jeffrey Janus, Senior Vice President
760-940-6383
jjanus@intlstemcell.com

International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB:ISCO), http://www.internationalstemcell.com, announced today that its Chairman, Kenneth Aldrich and the CEO of its Lifeline Skin Care subsidiary, Ruslan Semechkin, PhD, will present a Webinar discussion of the State of the Company and its plans for its Skin Care subsidiary on Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. PST. In announcing the event, Mr. Aldrich stressed that its purpose is not to announce any new programs or financial results, but to attempt to provide an overview of events during the past year and offer shareholders a perspective on what to expect in the coming year. The dial-in number for participants is: 1 (800) 588-4973. Please provide the confirmation number 28808144 to the operator upon calling in. An alternate dial-in number is 1 (847) 230-5643. The confirmation number will be the same for both numbers. A replay of the call will be available on the home page of the company's website at:http://www.internationalstemcell.com.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL STEM CELL CORPORATION (ISCO.OB):

International Stem Cell Corporation is a California-based biotechnology company focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs). hpSCs avoid ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells with minimal immune rejection after transplantation into hundreds of millions of individuals of differing sexes, ages and racial groups. This offers the potential to create the first true stem cell bank, UniStemCell™, while avoiding the ethical issue of using fertilized eggs. ISCO also produces and markets specialized cells and growth media for therapeutic research worldwide through its subsidiary Lifeline Cell Technology and cell-based skin care products through its subsidiary Lifeline Skin Care. More information is available at ISCO's website, http://www.internationalstemcell.com.

To subscribe to receive ongoing corporate communications please click on the following link: http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1468&to=ea&s=0.

Key Words: Stem Cells, Biotechnology, Parthenogenesis

International Stem Cell Corporation
Kenneth C. Aldrich, Chairman
760-940-6383
kaldrich@intlstemcell.com
or
Ruslan Semechkin, PhD,
Vice President, ISCO, CEO Lifeline Skin Care
ras@intlstemcell.com

Millions of Americans have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, resulting in excessive fatigue and even more serious consequences. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC): "Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression...it is also responsible for motor vehicle and machinery-related accidents."

Of course, Big Pharma has come up with a huge array of supposedly easy solutions for those who have a hard time getting enough shut-eye. All you have to do is pop a pill such as the heavily hyped Sonata, Rozerem, Lunesta or Silenor and you'll soon be snoozing away happily, the drug advertisements promise. Of course, you might decide that's not the healthiest idea if you check out the side effects which can include hallucinations, thoughts of suicide, loss of coordination, fever, "sleep driving" while not fully awake and memory problems. Read more...

Immunice for Immune Support

Ever heard of people getting obnoxious amount of money to conduct research or get a PhD for pointless research. Thats what came to my mind when I first came across this news from IBM.

Just remind these were some of the winning ideas that funded by Government in US for Research papers and PhDs

1. the National Science Foundation once gave $100K grant to research why American players go to greater lengths to mod the popular MMO than do Chinese WoW players.

2.  Pressures Produced When Penguins Pooh — Calculations on Avian Defaecation”, Polar Biology, 2004

3. Suicide rates are linked to the amount of country music played on the radio, , Medicine, 2005

4. Rats can’t always tell the difference between Japanese spoken backwards and Dutch spoken backwards, winner, Linguistics, 2007

 As much as I stand to loose a chance to get a job at IBM by this post, its  so hard not to think loud, and ask IBM what the heck was wrong with your brains, when you made the decision to patent the patent.

 The Original Post Pasted from http://www.tomshardware.com/news/ibm-patents-the-patent,11868.html

IBM Files Application to Patent The Patent Process

   Reading through IT patents these days requires patience and tolerance. When you can patent common sense, there is clearly something wrong with the system. But as long as no changes are being made, you are inviting people to exploit what is available and IBM has just demonstrated what may be possible, if one of their most recent patent applications is accepted by the USPTO.

Neural Tumor-Initiating Cells Have Distinct Telomere Maintenance and Can be Safely Targeted for Telomerase Inhibition by Pedro Castelo-Branco and 12 co-authors, including Uri Tabori, Clin Cancer Res 2011(Jan 1); 17(1): 111-121 [Full text]. Translational Relevance:

Pediatric neural tumors (brain tumors and neuroblastoma) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in childhood cancer. This is due to their ability to recur after minimal disease is achieved. Telomerase is active in most malignant pediatric neural tumors. Therefore, telomerase inhibition may offer an effective treatment option for such patients. Because normal stem cells may require telomerase for continuous self-renewal, this therapy may have devastating effects on normal nervous system development and maintenance.

This study reveals that telomerase activation exists only in the tumor-initiating cancer subpopulation and is critical to sustain their survival and self-renewal potential. Importantly, normal neural or neural crest stem cells do not require telomerase for their self-renewal. Furthermore, as opposed to conventional chemoradiation therapies, telomerase inhibition results in irreversible loss of self-renewal capacity of tumor initiating cells in vitro and in vivo.

These observations uncover a difference between normal and cancer stem cell biology in the nervous system and suggest that telomerase inhibition may offer a specific and safe therapeutic approach for these devastating tumors.

For a commentary on this article, see: Anita B Hjelmeland and Jeremy N Rich, Clin Cancer Res 2011(Jan 1); 17(1): 3-5 (unlike the article, the commentary is not publicly accessible). Abstract:

Telomerase is an important mechanism by which cancers escape replicative senescence. In neural tumors, cancer stem cells express telomerase, suggesting that this may explain their preferential tumorigenesis. Oligonucleotide telomerase targeting selectively disrupts cancer stem cell growth through the induction of differentiation, adding to the armamentarium of anticancer stem cell therapies.

By Kathleen Doheny

WEDNESDAY, May 4 (HealthDay News) -- High daily levels of vitamin B6 may reduce the risk of getting colon cancer by 58 percent, claims a new study from Harvard Medical School.

The research, published in the May 4 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, builds on other studies that have already indicated a strong preventive effect from the vitamin.

"There are several smaller studies that have found a protective effect from dietary intakes of B6," said lead researcher Esther K. Wei, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital. However, "this is the first large study of women to look at blood levels of B6" and find a protective effect, she added.

Wei and her colleagues evaluated nearly 33,000 women who were participants in the Nurses' Health study, a long-running study that began in 1976. Since then, researchers have focused on subsets of the original 121,700 participants, all nurses between 30 and 55 years of age when they enrolled, to study various health issues. Read more...

Ayurstate for Prostate Care

Editor's Note: Carl Zimmer, author of this month's article, "100 Trillion Connections," has just brought out a much-acclaimed e-book, Brain Cuttings: 15 Journeys Through the Mind (Scott & Nix), that compiles a series of his writings on neuroscience. In this chapter, adapted from an article that was first published in Playboy , Zimmer takes the reader on a tour of the 2009 Singularity Summit in New York City. His ability to contrast the fantastical predictions of speakers at the conference with the sometimes more skeptical assessments from other scientists makes his account a fascinating read.  

Let's say you transfer your mind into a computer--not all at once but gradually, having electrodes inserted into your brain and then wirelessly outsourcing your faculties. Someone reroutes your vision through cameras. Someone stores your memories on a net of microprocessors. Step by step your metamorphosis continues until at last the transfer is complete. As engineers get to work boosting the performance of your electronic mind so you can now think as a god, a nurse heaves your fleshy brain into a bag of medical waste. As you--for now let's just call it "you"--start a new chapter of existence exclusively within a machine, an existence that will last as long as there are server farms and hard-disk space and the solar power to run them, are "you" still actually you?

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OFFICE OF , INSPECTOR GENERAL of US Department of Health and Human Services, released a report on the national incidence of adverse events for hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries, the preventability of such events, and associated costs to Medicare.

The report released last month month found that one in seven of the patients experienced an adverse event such as excessive bleeding, a hospital-acquired infection or aspiration pneumonia. Those events, both preventable and not preventable, led to about 180,000 deaths a year.

The complete report available at

http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-06-09-00090.pdf