Category Archives: Alabama Stem Cells

By Whit Gibbons

Back when a phone booth was where Clark Kent went to don his Superman costume, inside each booth hung a phone directory. At the back of the directory was an alphabetical list of advertisements collectively known as the Yellow Pages. Today, few people have access to printed Yellow Pages. But advertisements are ubiquitous, which means you can still play what I call the Yellow Pages Game.

The rules are simple. How many advertised services and products can you find that parallel activities in nature? In other words, what advertisements targeted for people mirror the actions of plants and animals? A few, such as ads for legal services, are uniquely human, but not many.

We need not look beyond ads for the home to find countless examples. Heating and cooling, home security, house construction, all these are represented in the natural world. Take, for example, air-conditioning. Definitely not restricted to humans. Honeybees are the consummate climate control experts, maintaining the hive at a near constant temperature year-round. During hot weather, selected worker bees place water droplets in the hive and wave their wings in unison. Fanning the hive in that way can lower the temperature several degrees. During winter, workers become heater bees, continually flexing their muscles isometrically to warm the hive.

Home security is essential throughout the plant and animal kingdoms. Honeybees, wasps and hornets are on constant guard against intruders and have the weapons to defend their homes. A plants home is the plant itself, and numerous plants produce toxins or thorns that ward off many of their predators. Sensitive mimosa plants have what is equivalent to an alarm system. When a stem is disturbed by a hungry insect, the leaves can rapidly fold up, which may startle the insect into leaving. Some acacia trees of Africa have an association with ants that live on them and protect the trees from plant-eating insects. The ants attack an invading beetle or aphid that plans to make a meal of acacia leaves. The ants meanwhile get their nutrients from the acacia tree, much like a homeowner might feed his Doberman. Either is a good security system.

Home construction is common to innumerable animals. Honeybees come to mind again, with their elaborate combs of hexagonal cells that serve as storage for honey and for developing larvae and pupae. The American beaver is not to be outdone in home building, with its dams and lodges, and most avian species build something humans would have difficulty duplicating -- bird nests. Prairie dog colonies consist of tunnels, passageways and side chambers, the quintessential underground estate.

And what about advertising itself? Do plants and animals advertise? Absolutely. The phenomenon is all around us. As spring arrives we will see myriad examples in flowers with their colorful displays designed to attract pollinating insects. Lots of fish and lizards are also more brightly colored during mating season. Males of many of the usually drab darters, small fish that have their greatest biodiversity in Alabama, are noted for their spectacular color displays during the breeding season. As with humans, sound is a common advertising tool. Frogs and birds give mating calls in an effort to attract mates. Fireflies, both males and females, use lights to advertise their availability to procreate.

As with our own commercials, false advertising must constantly be guarded against. The deep-sea angler fish produces a light that dangles in front of its mouth and means sure death for a would-be predator trying to grab a morsel in the dark. Pitcher plants use sweet-smelling aromas to lure unsuspecting insects into the trumpet-shaped tube filled with liquid. Bola spiders have their own scam, producing chemicals that mimic the perfume-like pheromones that female moths use to attract mates.

Advertising is a part of life worldwide, and most human merchandise and trades that are advertised are duplicated in nature. Finding analogies can be a fun and enlightening exercise at home or in the classroom.

Whit Gibbons, professor emeritus of ecology, University of Georgia, grew up in Tuscaloosa. He received bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Alabama and his Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Send environmental questions to ecoviews@gmail.com.

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ECO VIEWS: Advertising is not just for humans - Tuscaloosa News

Back when a phone booth was where Clark Kent went to don his Superman costume, inside each booth hung a phone directory. At the back of the directory was an alphabetical list of advertisements collectively known as the Yellow Pages. Today, few people have access to printed Yellow Pages. But advertisements are ubiquitous, which means you can still play what I call the Yellow Pages Game.

The rules are simple. How many advertised services and products can you find that parallel activities in nature? In other words, what advertisements targeted for people mirror the actions of plants and animals? A few, such as ads for legal services, are uniquely human, but not many.

We need not look beyond ads for the home to find countless examples. Heating and cooling, home security, house construction, all these are represented in the natural world. Take, for example, air-conditioning. Definitely not restricted to humans. Honeybees are the consummate climate control experts, maintaining the hive at a near constant temperature year-round. During hot weather, selected worker bees place water droplets in the hive and wave their wings in unison. Fanning the hive in that way can lower the temperature several degrees. During winter, workers become heater bees, continually flexing their muscles isometrically to warm the hive.

Home security is essential throughout the plant and animal kingdoms. Honeybees, wasps and hornets are on constant guard against intruders and have the weapons to defend their homes. A plants home is the plant itself, and numerous plants produce toxins or thorns that ward off many of their predators. Sensitive mimosa plants have what is equivalent to an alarm system. When a stem is disturbed by a hungry insect, the leaves can rapidly fold up, which may startle the insect into leaving. Some acacia trees of Africa have an association with ants that live on them and protect the trees from plant-eating insects. The ants attack an invading beetle or aphid that plans to make a meal of acacia leaves. The ants, meanwhile, get their nutrients from the acacia tree, much like a homeowner might feed his Doberman. Either is a good security system.

Home construction is common to innumerable animals. Honeybees come to mind again, with their elaborate combs of hexagonal cells that serve as storage for honey and for developing larvae and pupae. The American beaver is not to be outdone in home building, with its dams and lodges, and most avian species build something humans would have difficulty duplicating bird nests. Prairie dog colonies consist of tunnels, passageways and side chambers the quintessential underground estate.

And what about advertising itself? Do plants and animals advertise? Absolutely. The phenomenon is all around us. As spring arrives, we will see myriad examples in flowers with their colorful displays designed to attract pollinating insects. Lots of fish and lizards are also more brightly colored during mating season. Males of many of the usually drab darters, small fish that have their greatest biodiversity in Alabama, are noted for their spectacular color displays during the breeding season. As with humans, sound is a common advertising tool. Frogs and birds give mating calls in an effort to attract mates. Fireflies, both males and females, use lights to advertise their availability to procreate.

As with our own commercials, false advertising must constantly be guarded against. The deep-sea angler fish produces a light that dangles in front of its mouth and means sure death for a would-be predator trying to grab a morsel in the dark. Pitcher plants use sweet-smelling aromas to lure unsuspecting insects into the trumpet-shaped tube filled with liquid. Bola spiders have their own scam, producing chemicals that mimic the perfume-like pheromones that female moths use to attract mates.

Advertising is a part of life worldwide, and most human merchandise and trades that are advertised are duplicated in nature. Finding analogies can be a fun and enlightening exercise at home or in the classroom.

Whit Gibbons is an ecologist and environmental educator with the University of Georgias Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. Send environmental questions to ecoviews@gmail.com.

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ECOViEWS: Advertising is not just for humans - Aiken Standard

Over the course of 2016, we lost a great many pioneers, not only in the world of music, film and entertainment, but also in science and technology. On the first day of the new year, we said goodbye to another unsung hero Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb.

I first learned about Dr. Cobb from a 1989 essay she authored titled A Life in Science: Research and Service, published in the journal SAGE A Scholarly Journal of Black Women. (Another article featured in that issue was an essay penned by STEM pioneer Dr. Evelyn Boyd Granville.) Cobbs essay was an empowering narrative of academic persistence and detailed the challenges and triumphs of being a woman of color in a STEM career.

Cobb was indeed a trailblazer for women in the sciences, a prolific researcher in biology and the first African American woman west of the Mississippi to serve as president of a large research institution. Still today, there are very few African American women leading research institutions and few people of color holding any sort of STEM leadership positions in academia. Thus, I proudly tell the story of cell biologist, educator and college president, Dr. Jewel Plummer Cobb, another Unsung STEM hero and pioneer.

Cobb was born in Chicago in January of 1924. Her father Frank V. Plummer was a physician specializing in dermatology. Her mother Caribelle Cole Plummer was a physical education teacher.

After graduating from Englewood High School, Cobb enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1941 to pursue a degree in biology. She described her experiences at Michigan in her 1989 essay in SAGE. The choice of Michigan socially, on one level, was also a good one in one way. For example, at that time over 200 Black students (over half of whom were graduate students), attended the university. Many were from the South where they could not, as Black students, be admitted to their state university or study for a professional degree. So those southern states paid the tuition and other fees for those students to study in the North.

However, Cobb experienced some challenges at Michigan as well. The choice of the University of Michigan, as well as Illinois and other Big Ten Universities, was a disaster for Black students then, however, in terms of dormitory living arrangements, she wrote in that same essay. As a result, she transferred in 1942 to Talladega College in Alabama to complete her undergraduate degree in biology. From there, Cobb enrolled in the graduate biology program at New York University. She earned her masters in 1947 and her Ph.D. in 1950 under the direction of biochemistry professor M.J. Kopak. Cobbs dissertation research focused on the investigations of melanin pigments using the enzyme tyrosinase.

Jewel Plummer Cobb was a 2008 inductee to Connecticut Womens Hall of Fame.

In July of 1950, Cobb received a postdoctoral fellowship sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and accepted a position at the Harlem Hospital Cancer Research Foundation, led by Dr. Louis T. Wright. (Wright, a 1915 graduate of Harvard Medical School, was the first African American surgeon at Harlem Hospital.) Cobbs experiences at Harlem Hospital laid the foundation for her 31-year career focused on cancer research.

She started out investigating the effects of a new chemotherapy agent, triethylenemelamine, on human tumor cells. She co-authored two papers with Wright, and a third with him and his daughter Jane, who was a trailblazer and pioneer in cancer research as well. After the death of her father, Dr. Jane C. Wright established a fruitful collaboration with Cobb focused on fundamental cell research, which led to a paper published in the journal Cancer in 1957. Cobbs research collaborators included other female scientists Grace Antikajian and Dorothy G. Walker

In 1954, she married Roy Cobb. The couple later divorced, but had one son, Jonathan.

Over the course of her career, Cobb held several positions in academia, including at the University of Illinois, New York University, and Sarah Lawrence College. However, in 1969 she officially began her career as an academic administrator, when she was appointed Dean of Arts and Sciences and professor of zoology at Connecticut College.

In 1976, Cobb served as the Dean of Douglass College and as a professor of biology at Rutgers University. In 1981, she was named the third president of California State University, Fullerton until her retirement in 1990. During her tenure, CSU-Fullerton saw significant growth, including campus dormitories, new science and engineering facilities, and progressive policies to increase the numbers of women and people of color in the STEM disciplines.

In addition to her contributions to the field of cancer research and as an advocate for diversity in STEM, Cobb received numerous awards and accolades, including appointment to the National Science Board, which establishes the policies of the National Science Foundation.

Sibrina Collins is an organometallic chemist and former writer and editor for the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. In July, 2016, she became the first executive director of the Marburger STEM Center at Lawrence Technological University in Southfield, Michigan.

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Unsung: Jewel Plummer Cobb - Undark Magazine

Hall of Fame Packers QBs Bart Starr, left, and Brett Favre at a Thanksgiving game in Green Bay in 2015.(Photo: Mike Roemer, AP)

HOUSTON The MVP of the first Super Bowl has special plans for Super Bowl LI.

Hes going to watch Sunday'sgame at home with family and friends in Alabama, happy to be recovering his health again after all that hes suffered since 2014.

Its a long list for Bart Starr, 83. In 2014 and 2015, he suffered two strokes, a heart attack, a bronchial infection and a broken hip. Last year, he underwent bladder surgery and later developed a staph infection.

Im not even sure that he will go much further than hes gone because its just a miracle that hes even alive to begin with, Starrs wife, Cherry, told USA TODAY Sports.

Every day now is a victoryit seems much bigger than when the Hall of Fame quarterback led the Green Bay Packers to a 35-10 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in that historic game 50 years ago.

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Starr's latest setback was a staph infection linked to his previous bladder condition an ailment that required strong medication before he overcame it about six weeks ago, Cherry Starr said.Since then, she said her husband has made significant strides, showing improvement with his appetite, cognition, reading and physical exercise. Recently, she said he even enjoyed catching replays on television of Super Bowls I and II. Starr was named MVP of each game.

He actually recognized himself as being on the field playing football, she said. That was good. That was great.

Starr's reputation and his name also will be recognized again Saturday, when New England Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater is scheduled to receive the Bart Starr Award, given annually to the NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community.

Bart Starr Jr., son of Bart and Cherry, will be on hand to present it before returning home to watch the game with his parents in Alabama.Cherry Starr notified Slater last month that he won the award, surprising him with a call that was put on speaker phone in a Patriots team meeting. Slater became emotional during the conversation. His father, Hall of Fame tackle Jackie Slater, won the same award in 1996.

Thank you so much, Slater said to Cherry Starr. Wow. I dont even know what to say. Im so humbled. I really ... Your husband. I know so much about him and what he stood for. Im blown away.

Starr still has that effect on peopleall these years later. In 2015, he made an improbable return to Green Bay for a Thanksgiving appearance on the field with Brett Favre, another legendary Packers quarterback. The crowd roared. But Cherry Starr said they probably wont be able to return to Green Bay because travel is too difficult for them now.

She also said her husband isnt likely to receive additional, experimental stem-cell treatments, which she credits for helping his condition improve in recent years. The Starrs made multiple trips to Tijuana, Mexico, for the treatments, which are not approved for use in the U.S. and have not been proven to be effective under U.S. standards. The cells are manufactured by Stemedica, a company in San Diego that ships them to a clinic in Tijuana for a clinical trial there.

Starr instead hopes to keep improving through rest and exercise. Cherry Starr said the recent staph infection was quite a setback and devastating.

Yet Bart Starr is still as tough as ever and beat it back.

I just see better things happening in the next few months, she said. His quality of life is going to be much better.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. E-mail: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

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Bart Starr prepares to watch Super Bowl from home as health keeps improving - USA TODAY

Anthony Romero 87,executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, says that President Donald Trumps executive order on immigration has hit a live nerve with the American people and donations to the ACLU are soaring as a result. The New York Times

Jordan Roth 97, the youngest theater owner on Broadway in more than a decade, discusses his journey from business school to becoming a producer. Financial Times

The Rochester Institute of Technology has selectedDavid Munson *79,a former dean of engineering at the University of Michigan, to be its 10th president. Democrat and Chronicle

The McClatchy Co., which operates 29 newspapersin the United States, has namedCraig Forman 82,a digital entrepreneur and investor, as its new CEO. Sacramento Business Journal

Jae Shin *11created the New York City Housing Authoritys first design guidelines for the rehabilitation of buildings, which include avoiding asthma-triggering spray products and implementing green roof technologies. FastCompany Co.Exist

Heather Ann Thompson *95,author ofBlood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy, speaks about how she uncovered new details about the tragic clash between state troopers and rebelling prisoners. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

Princeton sociology professorDouglas Massey *78says that if President Trump repeals Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), great damage will be done to the fabric of American society and its standing in the world. Foreign Policy

University of Pennsylvania political scienceprofessorMarie Gottschalk *85s work on mass incarcerations is featured in the Academy Award-nominated documentary13th. The Daily Pennsylvanian

Unrest, a documentary directed byJennifer Brea 05,discusses patients suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and chronicles Breas own struggles with the disease. It was featured in the Sundance Film Festival. Variety

Cardozo School of Law professorAkil Alleyne 08recommends that in replacing Obamacare, Congress and President Trump let health-insurance companies compete across state lines to reduce premiums and increase competition. The Hill

Cheryl LaFleur 75has been named the acting chairwoman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates the interstatetransmission of electricity, oil, and natural gas. The Springfield (Mass.) Republican

Former U.S. Trade RepresentativeMichael Froman 85,who helped negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership and left government following the change in presidential administrations, has joined the Council on Foreign Relations as a distinguished fellow. Council on Foreign Relations

The Pope Center for Higher Education Policywas renamedthe James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal in honor of former North Carolina Gov.James Martin *60, a longtime elected official and former chemistry professor at Davidson College. The News & Observer

Alabama Rep.Terri Sewell 86says that President Trump should investigate cases of voter suppression, and has sponsored a bill to restoreprovisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. AL.com

Sally Blount 83,the dean of Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Management, says that in order to advance in a career, people should be open to receiving negative feedback. Fortune

Frances Arnold 79,a professor of chemical engineering at Caltech, received the 2017 Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in Convergence Research for her work in protein function and evolutionary theory. National Academy of the Sciences

Rockefeller University ProfessorElaine Fuchs *77received the 2017 McEwen Award for Innovation, which recognizes groundbreaking work relating to stem cells or regenerative medicine. Rockefeller University Newswire

David Berlin 86,the former head of the New York State Athletic Commission, received the Boxing Writers Association of Americas Integrity Award. NYFights.com

Stephen Ban 84,who has run over 100 triathlons, joined the board of trustees of the USA Triathlon Foundation. Inside the Games

Jane Randall 13,a former contestant on Americas Next Top Model, is now running and promoting the New Jersey nonpartisan news aggregator Jersey Report. Politico

Christian Birky 13,who tutored prisoners during his junior year at Princeton and launched a luxury T-shirt company in Detroit last year, has joined an effort to hire employees who previously served time in prison. Crains Detroit Business

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Romero '87 Sees ACLU Donations Soar, Munson *79 to Lead RIT, and More - Princeton Alumni Weekly

Professor, Medical Director of the BMT&CT Program

She currently serves as the Professor, sits on the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) Board of Directors, and serves as the Director of Education Committee of FACT. She also serves as the Associate Chief of Staff for the University Hospital, in addition to being the Co-Director of the Blood Management Committee.

For more information on Dr. Salzman, please click here.

Assistant Professor, Medical Lab Director, and Medical Director of the UAB Myeloma Clinic

Dr. Innis-Shelton received her MD degree from the Medical College of Georgia, and has been affiliated with Atlanta Medical Center, Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, California, the Cancer Center of Guam in Tamuning, and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville before being appointed Assistant Professor of Medicine for the Bone Marrow Transplantation & Cell Therapy at UAB.

For more information on Dr. Innis-Shelton, please click here.

Lawrence S. Lamb, PhD

Professor and Director of the Cell Therapy Laboratory

He is currently a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology and the Director of the Cell Therapy Laboratory for the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program at UABs School of Medicine.He has academic appointments in the Department of Pathology and Pediatrics, as a Senior Scientist in the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.

For more information on Dr. Lamb, please click here.

Associate Professor

His research focuses on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for different hematological diseases and utilizing graft manipulation to improve the outcome of transplant. He has authored several articles and book chapters.

Assistant Professor

His research areas of interest include immunotherapy, graft v. host disease prevention and treatment, myelodisplastic syndromes, and acute myeloid leukemia. His work has been published in high-impact journals such as Blood, and The New England Journal of Medicine. He has also authored four book chapters, and has lectured in the US and Europe.

Associate Professor

Prior to joining UAB, he held an appointment as Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Research for the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at the Medical University of South Carolina from 2008 to 2014. His prior clinical research includes transplant and non-transplant management of lymphoproliferative and plasma cell disorders. He has also been deeply engaged in strategies for optimization of hematopoietic progenitor cells mobilization and in population outcomes of blood cancers.

Administrative Director

Sandra D. Rudolph, MSN, MPh

Patient Services Coordinators

Angela H. Holmes, Patient Coordinator Karuna L. Henderson, Patient Coordinator Serita Sutton, CPAR (insurance verification)

Inpatient Nurse Practitioners

Stephen Horn MSN, CRNP Jessica Logan MSN, CRNP Natalie E. McRae MSN, CRNP Amy Nance MSN, CRNP Binita Parekh MSN, CRNP Melinda RodgersMSN, CRNP Melissa Sentell MSN, CRNP Aaron Streufert MSN, CRNP

Post-Transplant Coordinators

Sharon Jones RN, BSN

Patient Education

Kaitlin Johnson RN, MSN

Social Worker

Nel Williams, MSW, LCSW

Quality Manager

Arina L. Riley

Cell Therapy Lab

Lauren Bongo, Laboratory Supervisor Joscelyn Bowersock, Laboratory Quality Specialist Cheryl Fitts, Medical Laboratory Technician Leisa Whitlow, Medical Laboratory Technician

Research Office

Tiffany D. Hill, RN - Research Nurse Melanie M. Goodson

Information Services (Data) Office

Hetty Owusu, Data Manager Shiney Isaacs, Data AbstractorRivvi Kukkamalla, Data Abstractor

Information Systems & Informatics

Daniel Gardner, MBA

Administrative Office

Gloria Owens Sharron Thornton

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Meet the Team - The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Posted: Dec 22, 2016 6:17 PM CST

by Jalea Brooks

Weve seen medical advancements using stem cells in humans, but one Tallasee dog is reaping the benefits of a relatively new procedure using her own stem cells.

Dr. Michelle J Mitchell says were using the pets own adult stem cells and were giving them back to the pet in such a way as to elicit healing, promote healing, decrease pain, decrease inflammation, it actually has been shown to rebuild some cartilage in damaged joints, it is an amazing technology that has improved the quality of life in numerous pets.

Mitchell is one of 3 veterinarians in Alabama, that perform this stem cell therapy procedure. Katie is a 5-year-old Coon-hound Mix with severe hip dysplasia and premature degenerative joint disease, making her a perfect candidate for stem cell therapy.

Mitchell says that this pet has been suffering from a pretty significant amount of degenerative joint disease and pain for sometime and as you know there are medications we can use to increase their comfort but again its a progressive condition so therefore it just keeps getting.it doesnt do anything to heal it just manages the pain so theyre more comfortable

According to Mitchell, the procedure itself is relatively simple.

She explains were gonna be harvesting her stem cells from the fat, gonna go inside the abdomenthen were gonna mix those stems cells with her own platelet rich plasma and then were gonna inject it back onto her hips knees her shoulders and any site of energy.

She and her staff only operate on the pet for about 30 minutes and the longest part is processing the fat and extracting the stem cells to be injected, which can take about 4 hours.

She says that once those cells are in those joints, they start working immediately, any site of inflammation is a magnet for stem cells.

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Tallasee Dog Undergoes Stem Cell Procedure - Alabama News

Dermal fibroblasts are cells within the dermis layer of skin which are responsible for generating connective tissue and allowing the skin to recover from injury.[1] Using organelles (particularly the rough endoplasmic reticulum), dermal fibroblasts generate and maintain the connective tissue which unites separate cell layers.[2] Furthermore, these dermal fibroblasts produce the protein molecules including laminin and fibronectin which comprise the extracellular matrix. By creating the extracellular matrix between the dermis and epidermis, fibroblasts allow the epithelial cells of the epidermis to affix the matrix, thereby allowing the epidermal cells to effectively join together to form the top layer of the skin.

Dermal fibroblasts are derived from mesenchymal stem cells within the body.[3] Like corneal fibroblasts, dermal fibroblast proliferation can be stimulated by the presence of fibroblast growth factor (FGF).[3] Fibroblasts do not appear to be fully differentiated or specialized. After examining the CD markers of the fibroblast cells, researchers at BioMed Central discovered that these cell lack "distinctive markers" confirming that these cells can be further differentiated.[3]

One example of further differentiation of dermal fibroblasts is that upon injury, dermal fibroblasts can give rise to myofibroblasts, fibroblast cells with smooth muscle characteristics. Dermal cells differentiate into myofibroblasts by altering their actin gene expression (which is silenced in dermal fibroblasts).[4] When dermal fibroblasts express actin,the cells can slowly contract. This contraction plays a critical role in wound healing and fibrosis. By pulling tissues closed differentiated myofibroblasts, seal the skin after an injury (thereby, preventing infection but inducing scar formation.[4] Interestingly, myofibroblasts can also be derived from non-fibroblast sources. Based on evidence of -SMA expression from lung injuries, myofibroblasts can "arise de novo" directly from mesenchymal stem cells.[5]

Unlike other fibroblast cell types, dermal fibroblasts are far less likely to change into other cell types.[4] For example, when a dermal fibroblast and a corneal fibroblasts are placed in the same concentrations of fibroblast growth factor, dermal fibroblast will not differentiate or change. As noted by Dr. J. Lewis and Dr. A. Johnson authors of Microbiology of the Cell, "fibroblasts from the skin are different" and behave differently from other fibroblast cells to identical chemical stimuli.[4]

Furthermore, dermal fibroblasts are less likely to replicate in either in vivo and in vitro environments than are other fibroblast types. Dermal fibroblasts require far higher concentrations of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) in order to undergo cell replication.[4]

Dermal fibroblasts are responsible for creating the ECM which organizes the stratified squamous epithelial cells of the epidermis into a unified tissue. Furthermore, dermal fibroblasts create long fibrous bands of connective tissue which anchor the skin to the fascia of the body. Therefore, without dermal fibroblasts, the largest and heaviest organ would not tightly adhere to body's frame.

Since dermal fibroblasts play a critical role in wound healing, researchers are attempting to generate mature dermal fibroblasts to repair second and third degree burns.[6] When the body sustains a third degree burn, the skin's dermal layer is completely destroyed by heat (and the all fibroblast cells within the wound site perish. Without fibroblasts, the wound site cannot regenerate extracellular matrix and epidermis skin cells cannot proliferate over the wound site.[6] Therefore, without dermal fibroblasts the skin cannot properly recover from injury. Yet, by differentiating mesenchymal stem cells from other regions of the body and injecting them into the wound site, scientists can restore dermal fibroblasts to burned regions of the body. By restoring fibroblasts to the burned regions, the body can restore the ECM within the wound site and recover from the injury.[7] As noted "The injured dermis is also repaired by the recruitment and proliferation of fibroblasts producing extracellular matrix and keratinocyte growth promoting factors." [7]

Similarly, FGF is being inserted into fibrin sealants to enhance the long term repair and sealing of tissue.[6] FGF-1 has been experimentally shown to encourage the bodys own adhesive tissue to develop and effectively seal the wound (thereby stymieing infection and mitigating scar formation).[6] Using FGF stimulate fibroblast activity is a more effective means of sealing tissue than current tissue sealants due to the robust nature of collagen which makes up connective tissue. A study conducted by researchers at the University of Alabama examined the adhesive properties of fibrin tissue adhesives. The tests found that fibrin adhesives even at its intended medical concentration (29mg/mL at the wound site) had shear strength of only 17.6 kiloPascals.[8] Furthermore, another study performed at the University of California determined that the modulus (the stress/strain) of fibrin adhesives was on average 53.56 kPA.[9] To seal together tissues the human body uses collagen and elastin to obtain superior shear strength. Type I collagen which includes collagen strands bundled into strong fibrils has a unique tri-helical structure which increases the proteins structural integrity. In fact, a study performed by the Department of Medicine in University College London experimentally determined that pure type I collagen has a modulus of 5 GPa to 11.5 GPa.[10] Therefore, pure type I collagen has nearly one million times greater structural integrity than fibrin. Collagen is therefore much harder to deform than fibrin, and collagen fibers create much stronger bonds between tissues than strands of fibrin polymer.

By generating adhesive proteins like fibronectin, fibroblasts are used within research laboratories to help to culture cells which typically demonstrate low survival rates in vitro. For example, fibroblasts have been utilized to increase the survival rate for human stem cells which easily undergo cell apoptosis. As noted by researchers at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, dermal cell "human keratinocyte [stem cells] could be propagated in vitro when culture on fibroblast feeder cells."[7]

In addition to improving the culture and proliferation of stem cells, dermal fibroblasts can also become stem cells. Although dermal cells demonstrate less plasticity than other fibroblast cell types, researchers can still turn these cells into induced pluripotent cells (IPCs).[7]

As noted by researchers within the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, researchers obtained fibroblasts from a mouse with sickle cell anemia and, using a virus, "reprogrammed these cells into pluripotent [stem cells], corrected the genetic deficiency by homologous recombination, and redirected these pluripotent cells toward the hematopoietic lineages, and transplanted these engineered cells to a lethally irradiated mice."[7] The animals which received the fibroblast stem cell treatment exhibited increased activity levels, indicating recovery from the disorder.[7]

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Dermal fibroblast - Wikipedia

Stem Cell Hair Growth Home Stem Cell Hair Growth Hair Transplant Clinic Huntsville, Alabama Give us a call today at (256) 382-2000!

Stem cells are special cells that have the remarkable capacity to morph into all of the 220 types of cells that a human being is composed of. Specifically, stem cells can regenerate themselves without losing their ability to morph into any other cell type. As the cells in our bodies that make our organs must always be renewed, and the failure to do so successfully is essentially the root cause of aging and disease, the application of stem cells in rejuvenating human cells to treat a variety of aging symptoms is quite promising.

Of course, balding is no exception, and it appears that moving forward stem cell hair growth will be the preferred hair loss treatment. No matter what the cause of balding is, what happens when we lose our hair is that our hair follicles -the small glands from which hair grows out of- shrink to a point where hair can no longer grow out of them. Stem cell hair growth is genetic regeneration of hair follicles. This is why at Steve Latham Hair Transplant Clinic we provide the stem cell hair growth Huntsville, AL residents can be assured is effective.

Without getting too far into the specifics of the complicated biological processes, there are two main ways stem cells can be used to regenerate stem cell hair growth. Both of these are covered by our procedures at Steve Latham Hair Transplant Clinic. Our stem cell hair growth Huntsville, AL hair loss sufferers have used for years is proven to tackle both major aspects.

The first way involves using human stem cells that are harvested from the fatty material (adipose is the technical term) around the belly button. Products and treatments containing these adipose stem cells have proven existingto be very successful in hair follicle repair and subsequent hair growth.The other way involves stimulating the stem cell material that is still present in your hair follicles.

Whether its through the application of new stem cells, or activation of your already existing stem cells in your scalp, at Steve Latham Hair Transplant Clinic in Huntsville, AL, we can find the stem cell hair treatment that is right for you through careful diagnosis and consultation. We perform the stem cell hair growth Huntsville, AL residents can always trust to be effective.

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Stem Cell Hair Growth Huntsville | Steve Latham Hair ...

by: Mr. Bradley Richard Hughes Jr.

With increasing frequency, American citizens and others from around the globe are experiencing newfound freedom from disease, affliction, and infirmity. Individuals' lives are forever changed with the strengthened faith and renewed hope that arise from healed bodies and physical restoration. These seemingly miraculous cures are the result of adult stem cell treatments. Yet the debates in the popular media tend to ignore and obscure the medical breakthroughs made by adult stem cell research--success that has conspicuously eluded embryonic stem cell treatments.

Adult stem cells (or, more accurately, tissue stem cells) are regenerative cells of the human body that possess the characteristic of plasticity--the ability to specialize and develop into other tissues of the body. Beginning in an unspecialized and undeveloped state, they can be coaxed to become heart tissue, neural matter, skin cells, and a host of other tissues. They are found in our own organs and tissues such as fat, bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, placentas, neuronal sources, and olfactory tissue, which resides in the upper nasal cavity. This simple fact has remarkable implications for medicine--diseased or damaged tissue can become healthy and robust through the infusion of such cells. This has consequently commanded the attention of many researchers as well as those suffering from disease.

It is necessary to note that the power of adult stem cells is not nebulously potential, but tangible and real, as it has produced wonderful results in multiple cases. These have been documented in clinical trials, that is, treatments with human patients. With adult stem cells, physicians have successfully treated autoimmune diseases such as lupus, multiple sclerosis, Crohn's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. Furthermore, adult stem cells have helped to avert corneal degeneration and to restore vision in cases of blindness. They have also restored proper cardiac function to heart attack sufferers and improved movement in spinal cord injury patients.

It is also important to note that all of these successes have come exclusively from adult stem cell research. Embryonic stem cell research, which requires the destruction of early human life to acquire the cells, has not produced any successes in human patients. The breakthroughs demonstrated by adult stem cells are detailed below.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries are one of the most severe forms of debilitation known to humanity. Many times they result in different forms of paralysis, including paraplegia and quadriplegia; other times they involve the immediate or imminent death of the patient. Laura Dominguez is an example of the former. Living in San Antonio, Texas, she was a sixteen-year-old girl attending summer school in 2001. On her way back from class, she and her brother encountered an oil spill on the highway that caused their car to careen out of control. The accident left her paralyzed from the neck down with a C6 vertebrae burst fracture. She subsequently entered various hospitals to be emphatically informed that she would never walk again.

After relocating to San Diego, California, Dominguez and her mother checked into a protracted physical therapy program. While there, they consulted with many spinal cord injury specialists and concluded that the most promising option existed in Portugal, where a cutting-edge procedure was being performed.

This procedure, known as olfactory mucosa transplantation, involves transplantation of stem cells found in the nasal region into the injured area (these cells include renewable neurons, remyelinating olfactory ensheathing cells, and progenitor stem cells). Dr. Carlos Lima, a neuropathologist of Egaz-Moniz Hospital in Lisbon, leads the procedure. Lima's procedure has proven successful in 26 patients, states Dr. Jean D. Peduzzi-Nelson, a co-researcher at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Dominguez was the tenth person in the world and the second American to undergo the surgery.

Completion of the surgery permitted a return to the United States, which ushered in the continuation of the therapeutic process and the resumption of home life in San Antonio. After an MRI was conducted, physicians informed her that her spinal cord had begun healing and that 70 percent of the lesion had recovered into normal spinal tissue. Within six months she had acquired sensation down to the abdominal region. By 2004, she had gained upper body agility and the ability to stand for extended periods of time with the aid of a walker. In addition, she reported improved motor skills, including the ability to stand on her toes and contract her quadriceps and hamstring muscles. She also announced that she had walked more than 1400 feet with the use of braces and outside help. Laura is inspired by the results and hopes to walk unassisted by the time she turns 21.

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Adult Stem Cell Success - Children of God for Life