Posted: January 20, 2015 at 6:40 pm
Stem Cell Therapy | Recent Strides Quell Stem Cell Debate
Ethical concerns for stem cells for arthritis could be mute...maybe. Reports show that adult stem cells (Autologous) have been shown in recent studies to have significant effects on osteoarthritis...
By: Nathan Wei
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Stem Cell Therapy | Recent Strides Quell Stem Cell Debate - Video
Posted: January 20, 2015 at 6:40 pm
Jeunesse Global Product Science and Stem Cell Research
http://jeunessesystem.com - Learn what the makes the Jeunesse products so revolutionary with stem cell technology and formulations backed by proven science.
By: Jeunesse System
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Jeunesse Global Product Science and Stem Cell Research - Video
Posted: January 20, 2015 at 2:59 pm
Health and Medicine for Seniors
Most cancers are just bad luck, others from bad genes, environment
Best way to eradicate these cancers will be through early detection, when they are still curable by surgery
See full-body graphics below in story.
Jan. 4, 2015 Two thirds of cancers in adults are just bad luck and the rest are due to inherited genes and environmental factors, according to scientists from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. They created a statistical model that measures the proportion of cancer incidence, across many tissue types, caused mainly by random mutations that occur when stem cells divide.
All cancers are caused by a combination of bad luck, the environment and heredity, and weve created a model that may help quantify how much of these three factors contribute to cancer development, says Bert Vogelstein, M.D., the Clayton Professor of Oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, co-director of the Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Cancer-free longevity in people exposed to cancer-causing agents, such as tobacco, is often attributed to their good genes, but the truth is that most of them simply had good luck, adds Vogelstein, who cautions that poor lifestyles can add to the bad luck factor in the development of cancer.
The implications of their model range from altering public perception about cancer risk factors to the funding of cancer research, they say.
If two-thirds of cancer incidence across tissues is explained by random DNA mutations that occur when stem cells divide, then changing our lifestyle and habits will be a huge help in preventing certain cancers, but this may not be as effective for a variety of others, says biomathematician Cristian Tomasetti, Ph.D., an assistant professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health.
We should focus more resources on finding ways to detect such cancers at early, curable stages, he adds.
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Most cancers are just bad luck, others from bad genes, environment
Posted: January 20, 2015 at 2:57 pm
This Tuesday, Jan. 20, President Barack Obama will honor an American tradition as old as George Washington: the State of the Union. The constitutionally ordained address to each new session of Congress has been a presidential ritual since 1790. Its a chance to check in on the present and make some pledges for our future.
Its that future bit that got us thinking: If all that talk had come true, even the crazy, far-out pledgesespecially the crazy, far-out pledgeswhat would our world look like today? Not political promises and posturing for lower taxes or immigration reform, but lifestyle manna such as supersonic jets and paralysis-curing implants.
So we read through 35 years of State of the Union addresses, from Obama back to Ronald Reagan, and found an interesting mix of science and science fiction with varying likelihoods of the prognostications ever becoming reality. Obama may have missed his goal of having 1 million electric cars on the road by 2015 (by 725,000 cars), but its bound to happen one day. Meanwhile, Reagans nuclear shield (popularly known as the Star Wars program) is a remnant of a time tormented by the Cold War. As for Clintons child-safe smart guns well, whos to tell?
Together, these visions offer a uniquely American version of Utopia. One wed be perfectly happy driving our Wi-Fi-enabled, 3D-printed, hydrogen-fueled car aroundbut maybe only for a day or two.
The Pledge: In 2013, Obama referred to a once-shuttered warehouse in the Rust Belt that became a state-of-the-art lab where new workers are mastering 3D printing and proposed replicating its success around the country.
The Reality? As Obama said, it has already happened in Youngstown, Ohio, thanks to his Manufacturing Innovation Institutes. But the likelihood of reviving former industrial towns with 3D printing hubs seems counterintuitive to the very idea of 3D printing, not to mention the fact that 3D printing is still pricier than the old-fashioned assembly line for most manufacturers.
The Pledge:In 2013, Obama also heralded the work of scientists who are developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs and urged Congress to keep making those investments.
The Reality? Things are looking good. Scientists have made great advances in regenerating organs using stem cells (doctors grew trachea way back in 2008). And ever since Obama removed some barriers for using stem cells in research, scientists have been steaming ahead.
The Pledge: In 2000, President Bill Clinton asked gun companies to invest in smart guns to keep weapons out of the hands of children, as well as other steps to keep guns out of the wrong hands.
The Reality? Despite the 15 years that have passed since Clintons call to action, its still a dreamone pretty much destined to fail, thanks both to the National Rifle Association and to lack of consumer interest. (We do have fingerprint-enabled gun casesand GPS locators that track when a gun is drawn and shot. Baby steps.)
More:
We Were Promised Space Lasers: State of the Union's Biggest Fibs
Posted: January 20, 2015 at 2:51 pm
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Transcription factor Twist1 is involved in many processes where cells change shape or function. Thereby, Twist1 is crucial for embryonic development, but has also been implicated in cancer progression. However, the precise contribution of Twist1 to these processes is under much debate. Scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen describe a new mode of action: a short-term, transient activation of Twist1 primes cells for stem cell-like properties. By contrast, prolonged, chronic Twist1 activity suppresses stem cell-like traits. These results, published in the journal Cell Reports, help to unravel seemingly contradictory observations and illuminate the complexities of transcription factor action in regeneration and tumor progression.
Team leader Christina Scheel summarizes the results: "Twist1 is a developmental master regulator that has also been implicated in cancer progression. We show that transient Twist1 activation primes certain cells for stem-cell-like properties and cellular plasticity. Said differently, induction of these traits depends on Twist1, but they are only displayed by the cells after Twist1 deactivation. By contrast, chronic Twist1 activity suppresses stem-cell-like properties and promotes a phenotype that is characterized by extreme changes in cell shape and function, effectively locking the cells into an invasive, non-proliferative phenotype. Thereby, our results provide an integrative view of seemingly contradictory results concerning the effects of Twist1 in physiological and pathological processes."
Duration of Twist1 activity decisive
Scientists from the Institute of Stem Cell Research and the Institute of Experimental Genetics at the Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen (HMGU) examined the effects of Twist1 activation on breast epithelial cells, paying particular attention to the duration of the Twist1-signal. To their surprise, cells were permanently altered after a short dose of Twist1-activation: they proliferated under very stringent conditions usually permissive only for stem cells and were able to generate complex multicellular structures, suggesting a gain of cellular plasticity.
Twist1 may fuel regeneration
A high level of plasticity implies regenerative potential. However, when activated during tumor development, Twist1 promotes aggressive behaviour in tumor cells. With their investigations, the team was able to reveal a new aspect of how Twist1 regulates cell shape and function and, thereby, impacts regeneration, but also tumor progression.
"Our results offer important insights for further mechanistic studies of regeneration in healthy and tumour cells", explains first author Johanna Schmidt. "The precise delineation of the different modes of action by Twist1 provide the basis for future studies aiming to manipulate its activity either to promote regeneration or target advanced tumors ," adds co-author Elena Panzilius.
Explore further: New mechanism involved in skin cancer initiation, growth and progression
More information: Schmidt, J. et al. (2015), Stem-Cell-like Properties and Epithelial Plasticity Arise as Stable Traits after Transient Twist1 Activation, Cell Reports, DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.12.032
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Twist1: Complex regulator of cell shape and function
Posted: January 20, 2015 at 5:47 am
Illustration: John Spooner
One of the joys for those who work in the health services area is bringing relief to patients from chronic conditions.
And as the level of desperation rises, some patients will pay over the odds for treatment, pursing unproven options in the hope of some improvement in their condition. And where there is unmet demand, supply soon steps in to fill the gap.
Last year, there was intense global media attention on stem cell treatments following a paralysed patient in Poland who walked after a cell transplant, a project involving Polish and UK researchers.
Stem cells may well offer significant potential promise for patients in a range of treatments. But to date, much of that optimism has run well ahead of the reality.
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Clinical trials to ensure the efficacy and safety of medical treatments is slow and laborious, taking several years, at the very least, to verify the merits of a treatment before then seeking approvals to offer the treatment to patients.
But for those searching for a stem cell treatment in Australia, there is a loophole: a referral from your doctor is often all it takes to get access, even though there is scant proof that the patient benefits.
Clearly, some patients so badly want to believe the treatment is good for them that this will override the necessary caution.
Much of this activity is taking place in private clinics, although sharemarket investors, too, have stem cell groups they can invest in.
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Optimism on stem cells, ahead of reality
Posted: January 20, 2015 at 5:47 am
Scientists are using stem cells extracted from abdominal fat Injections reduced leakage by up to 60 per cent Treatment involves taking fat from the tummy using liposuction Extracted stem cells from the fat are then injected into the patient
By Roger Dobson for the Daily Mail
Published: 18:37 EST, 19 January 2015 | Updated: 18:48 EST, 19 January 2015
Researchers are using injections of belly fat to treat incontinence in men following prostate surgery.
Early research suggests the treatment - using stem cells extracted from abdominal fat - reduced leakage by up to 60 per cent, with results being seen within days of the injections.
The scientists say the therapy may also work for female incontinence.
Fat tissue, especially around the abdomen, has higher concentrations of stem cells compared with other sites
Prostate surgery carries the risk of damaging nerves and muscles surrounding the gland, leading to complications such as impotence and incontinence.
Around one in five men is thought to suffer mild long-term leakage following the removal of their prostate, while one in 20 suffers more serious problems.
Stress incontinence is the most common type after surgery. Sufferers leak urine when they cough, laugh, sneeze or exercise, often because of problems with the muscular valve - the bladder sphincter - that keeps urine in the bladder.
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Jabs of tummy fat can reduce incontinence in men following prostate surgery
Posted: January 20, 2015 at 5:47 am
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Newswise ANN ARBOR, Mich. University of Michigan alumna Brooke Kendrick and her husband Stephen were ready to start a family.
But a devastating inherited nerve disease runs in her family, affecting her brother and threatening to kill or cripple any male child she has. So, the couple chose to conceive via in vitro fertilization, to have their embryos tested for the genetic defect, and to implant only disease-free ones.
Now, as they get ready to celebrate the first birthday of their healthy son Gus, and the arrival of his sibling conceived the same way, they know that theyve stopped adrenoleukodystrophy, or ALD, from traveling further down their family line.
But at the same time, theyve done something extraordinary for all families whose boys have ALD, whose men (like Brookes brother) have a less-severe form called AMN, or whose women and girls carry the genetic trait and might pass it on.
By donating the disease-affected embryos that they didnt want to a U-M Medical School lab, theyve made it possible for scientists to study ALD in its earliest stages.
The lab, called the MStem Cell Laboratories, derived embryonic stem cells from the embryo, and coaxed them to grow into nerve cells.
When genetically abnormal embryos would otherwise be discarded, families may donate them to research toward cures for diseases affecting their loved ones, says stem cell scientist Gary Smith, Ph.D., who directs the lab. Disease-specific human embryonic stem cells are the gold standard for research the purest pathway to understanding disease establishment and progression, and to discovering ways to prevent or alleviate pain and suffering caused by these diseases.
Scientists at U-M and around the world are now using the nerve cells developed from the ALD-carrying stem cells. Each nerve cell, or neuron, carries the ALD gene defect which lets scientists like U-M neurologist John Fink, M.D., study how the genetic abnormality affects nerve cells as they grow.
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Stem Cell Success: One Couple's Effort to Protect Their Son From Fatal Nerve Disease Will Help Other Boys Too
Posted: January 20, 2015 at 5:43 am
Stem Cell Therapy | Recent Strides Quell Stem Cell Debate
Ethical concerns for stem cells for arthritis could be mute...maybe. Reports show that adult stem cells (Autologous) have been shown in recent studies to hav...
By: Nathan Wei
See the original post here:
Stem Cell Therapy | Recent Strides Quell Stem Cell Debate - Video
Posted: January 19, 2015 at 8:41 pm
USA: Stem-cell research getting the space treatment from the ISS crew
Scientists aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are to conduct a number of stem-cell studies, announced Dr. Julie Robinson, in a press briefing in Ho...
By: RuptlyTV
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USA: Stem-cell research getting the space treatment from the ISS crew - Video
