Health Beat: Growing stem cells in space: Medicine's next big thing?

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -

Hemorrhagic stroke is responsible for more than 30 percent of all stroke deaths. It happens when a weakened blood vessel ruptures and bleeds into the brain.

Its something Jon Galvan experienced five years ago when he almost died from a hemorrhagic stroke while at work.

"I was typing away and I felt a pop in my head," Galvan said.

He was able to recover, but Dr. Abba Zubair, medical director of transfusion medicine and stem cell therapy at Mayo Clinic, Florida, said not everyone is as fortunate.

"If it happens, you either recover completely or die," Zubair said. "Thats what killed my mother."

Zubair said he wants to send bone marrow derived stem cells to the international space station.

"Based on our experience with bone marrow transplant, you need about 200 to 500 million cells," Zubair said.

But conventionally grown stem cells take a month. Experiments on earth have shown that stem cells will grow faster in less gravity.

"Five to ten times faster, but it could be more," Zubair said.

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Health Beat: Growing stem cells in space: Medicine's next big thing?

Stem Cells Could Be the Answer for Treating Fecal Incontinence After Injury or Disease

Durham, NC (PRWEB) May 05, 2014

A new study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine demonstrates the regenerative effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) on the anal sphincter. The work could have implications for the 11 percent of the population suffering fecal incontinence due to an injury or disease.

Massarat Zutshi, M.D., and Levilester Salcedo, M.D., led the research team made up of their colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland, Ohio) as well as those from Summa Cardiovascular Institute and Northeast Ohio Medical University (Akron, Ohio).

None of the current therapies for treating fecal incontinence are efficacious in the long-term or without complications related to the surgery or the device, Dr. Zutshi said. However, she added, adipose tissue, muscle and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have been shown to improve functioning of the heart and the urinary sphincter in animal models, leading researchers to test their effects in regenerating the anal sphincter, too.

In this most recent study the Zutshi/Salcedo team wanted to see how a single intramuscular (IM) injection of MSCs compared to a series of intravenous (IV) treatments. They used rats that had undergone an excision of 25 percent of their anal sphincter complex. Twenty-four hours after injury, one group received a single IM injection of stem cells directly into their anal sphincters. A second group began a series of six consecutive daily treatments delivered by IV through their tail veins, as did a group of non-injured animals. Another group of injured animals received no stem cells.

Anal pressures were recorded prior to injury, then again at 10 days and five weeks after treatment. Ten days after the IM treatment, resting and peak pressures were significantly increased in the injured groups compared to the control group that received no treatment. At five weeks, the anal pressures of the two groups of injured rats receiving treatments were almost on par with the non-injured group.

Both IM and IV MSC treatment after injury cause increase in anal pressures sustained at five weeks even though fewer cells were injected IM, Dr. Zutshi concluded. The MSC-treated groups showed less scarring than PBS treatment, with the IV infusion group showing the least scarring.

Since MSC delivered IM or IV both resulted in functional recovery, the IM route may be preferable as fewer cells seem to be needed.

This research demonstrates the regenerative effects of mesenchymal stem cells on the injured anal sphincter and, because fewer cells were needed for intramuscular injections, may direct the course of future clinical trials, said Anthony Atala, M.D., editor of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

The full article, Functional outcome after anal sphincter injury and treatment with mesenchymal stem cells, can be accessed at http://www.stemcellstm.com.

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Stem Cells Could Be the Answer for Treating Fecal Incontinence After Injury or Disease

Family boost for infertile men

A British expert said the stem cell research challenged the widely held view that the "door is closed" on men with the problem who want to have children.

Although still at a very early stage, the study raises the future prospect of lab-grown sperm that could allow them to become fathers.

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More immediately, it offers researchers a new way to study sperm development and assisted conception treatments.

Lead scientist Dr Reijo Pera, of Stanford University, America, said: "Our results are the first to offer an experimental model to study sperm development. Therefore, there is potential for applications to cell-based therapies in the clinic, for example, for the generation of higher quality and numbers of sperm in a dish.

"It might even be possible to transplant stem-cell-derived germ cells directly into the testes of men with problems producing sperm."

Infertility affects 10% to 15% of couples and in men often has a genetic origin, most commonly the loss of key genes on the male Y chromosome.

All three infertile men taking part in the study had missing regions of Y chromosome DNA associated with the production of few or no sperm.

Fibroblast connective tissue cells from skin samples taken from the men were first genetically engineered to transform them into induced pluripotent stem cells.

These are adult cells whose developmental clock has been turned back so they assume the properties of embryonic stem cells.

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Family boost for infertile men

Legislature could boost U stem cell research

The future of the University of Minnesotas regenerative medicine research program is looking brighter than ever.

State and federal leaders in the past have denied funding for the Universitys Office of Regenerative Medicine, which includes the Stem Cell Institute, because some had ethical disagreements with stem cell research.

But this legislative session, with a DFL majority and an overall shift in public opinion, researchers and legislators are confident funding will come through this year.

The current House bill sets aside $450,000 for the Office of Regenerative Medicine, while the Senate version outlines a $5 million increase each year from 2015-17. The bills texts dont specify how funds should be used and how they would be divided between the University and the Mayo Clinic, its research partner.

The Senates bill mandates that anadvisory task force comprised of members from the University, the Mayo Clinic and private industry, as well as two other regenerative medicine experts, recommend how to spend the state funding.

Dayton didnt include funds for the research in his original budget proposal this year, but Sen. Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka, said there seems to be a general consensus among legislators to work together and decide on a funding amount.

I have not heard many naysayers, she said.

Changing perceptions

The state plays a major role in moving the institutes research forward.

These days, legislators are more open to it than they were in the past, said Dr. Andre Terzic, director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Medicine.

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Legislature could boost U stem cell research

All Things Stem Cell Visual Stem Cell Glossary

Stem cells: Cells that are able to (1) self-renew (can create more stem cells indefinitely) and (2) differentiate into (become) specialized, mature cell types.

Embryonic stem cells: Stem cells that are harvested from a blastocyst. These cells are pluripotent, meaning they can differentiate into cells from all three germ layers.

Embryonic stem cells are isolated from cells in a blastocyst, a very early stage embryo. Once isolated from the blastocyst, these cells form colonies in culture (closely packed groups of cells) and can become cells of the three germ layers, which later make up the adult body.

Adult stem cells (or Somatic Stem Cell): Stem cells that are harvested from tissues in an adult body. These cells are usually multipotent, meaning they can differentiate into cells from some, but not all, of the three germ layers. They are thought to act to repair and regenerate the tissue in which they are found in, but usually they can differentiate into cells of completely different tissue types.

Adult stem cells can be found in a wide variety of tissues throughout the body; shown here are only a few examples.

The Three Germ Layers: These are three different tissue types that exist during development in the embryo and that, together, will later make up the body. These layers include the mesoderm, endoderm, and ectoderm.

The three germ layers form during the gastrula stage of development. The layers are determined by their physical position in the gastrula. This stage follows the zygote and blastocyst stages; the gastrula forms when the embryo is approximately 14-16 days old in humans.

Endoderm: One of the three germ layers. Specifically, this is the inner layer of cells in the embryo and it will develop into lungs, digestive organs, the liver, the pancreas, and other organs.

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All Things Stem Cell Visual Stem Cell Glossary

Emcell | Stem Cell Treatments | Stem Cell Cost | Embryonic …

THE WORLD'S LARGEST CLINICAL EXPERIENCE IN FETAL STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION FOR VARIOUS DISEASES AND CONDITIONS

Welcome to Cell Therapy Clinic EmCell

Who We Are?

EmCell clinic is a medical center founded in 1994. In all these years, we treated thousands of patients from different countries and performed more than 6,000 transplantations of fetal stem cells. The treatment methods developed and used in the clinic helped to save and prolong our patients' lives, restore different organs and tissues and achieve positive results in treating diseases and conditions that were considered incurable.

EmCell professionals perform fetal stem cell treatment (in vivo), work out indications and contraindications for the treatment of severe acquired and genetic diseases caused by or resulting in cell count reduction. Moreover, our clinic performs treatment for a wide range of conditions, such as aging, climax, infertility, functional disorders of the internal organs and chronic fatigue syndrome.

All the methods of fetal stem cell treatment used at our clinic are its property and protected by the patents of Ukraine, Russia, the USA and other countries. At present, a number of patents on fetal stem cell application for different diseases and conditions treatment are pending in the patent offices of many countries.

BBC documentary called EmCell clinic the "Last Hope Clinic" because we treated and followed-up the most complicated clinical cases from all over the world.

During the years of intensive work, EmCell team won international acclaim in the field of research and clinical application of fetal stem cells. Our achievements were awarded a number of certificates of the international medical congresses and conferences. But the best award for EmCell clinic is successful treatment and recovery of our patients and their words of gratitude.

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Emcell | Stem Cell Treatments | Stem Cell Cost | Embryonic ...

Recipe for Poor Wound Healing: Bacterial Infection Plus Stress

Sacramento, CA (PRWEB) April 28, 2014

The stress hormone epinephrine the source of the fight-or-flight response also heightens stresses at the cellular level, inhibiting wound healing and promoting a state of chronic inflammation that prohibits the bodys stem cells from migrating to a wound to encourage skin regeneration, UC Davis researchers have found.

The research, published in the April issue of the scientific journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine, is the first to show that epinephrine cross-activates other cellular pathways that feed off each other, generating inflammatory proteins in an exaggerated response that impedes wound healing. The research has important implications for the development of new treatments for chronic nonhealing wounds, conditions that affect more than 5 million Americans.

We have discovered that the pathways activated by the fight-or-flight hormone epinephrine and those activated by the presence of bacteria in wounds communicate with one another synergistically, greatly promoting inflammation, said Mohan R. Dasu, lead author of the study and an associate researcher in the UC Davis Department of Dermatology. The combination of stress and infection is a recipe for chronic infection.

Chronic infections are a major global health problem, with annual costs in the United States alone estimated to be more than $23 billion. Nonhealing wounds are particularly common in patients with diabetes, who often develop sores in the foot or leg that become chronic despite intensive antibiotic treatment and sometimes require amputation.

While chronic wounds are traditionally treated primarily with antibiotics, the findings open the way for enhancing therapy with agents that counteract stress hormones. Recent case studies have reported that topical treatment with beta blockers agents that block adrenergic receptors have improved chronic skin wounds, although until now, these outcomes have not been well explained.

Everyone knows that stress is harmful to the body, said Roslyn Isseroff, professor of dermatology at UC Davis and principal investigator of the study. Our findings provide a framework for systematically developing new therapeutic strategies that could selectively regulate inflammatory responses in nonhealing wounds. Isseroff is also chief of the dermatology service at the UC Davis-affiliated Department of Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System where she directs a multi-specialty wound clinic.

The biology of a nonhealing wound

Bacterial colonization produces in the body an inflammatory response mediated by Toll-like receptors on the cell membrane receptors that when activated, generate interleukin 6 (IL-6), a protein that plays an important role in fighting infection. Earlier work by lead author Dasu has demonstrated that activation of these receptors can contribute to nonhealing wounds in diabetic patients. In the current work, he provides an important advance to how this pathway works in the face of stress.

At the same time, wounds cause the release of stress hormones such as epinephrine that act on adrenergic receptors to also generate IL-6. Although IL-6 is essential to fighting infection, too much creates a state of chronic inflammation and actually impairs healing. Activation of adrenergic receptors also slows movement of the bodys stem cells that naturally migrate to a wound and promote healing and skin regeneration.

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Recipe for Poor Wound Healing: Bacterial Infection Plus Stress

Okla. House passes abortion clinic standards bill

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A bill that would impose strict new state regulations and requirements on abortion providers in Oklahoma easily won the approval of the state House on Thursday.

The legislation would require the Oklahoma Board of Health to establish standards regarding equipment and supplies that might be needed in a medical emergency. Abortion clinics would also be required to have a physician with admitting privileges at a nearby hospital present when an abortion is performed.

The measure has already passed the Senate. House members voted 75-15 for it after amending the bill to also ban stem cell research in the state, similar to personhood legislation that House leaders refused to hear two years ago.

The bill now returns to the Senate for consideration of the amendment.

One of two physicians who serve in the chamber said Thursday that the Board of Health, which has nonphysician members, is not an appropriate agency to set medical standards.

The state Board of Health has no business determining medical procedures. The medical profession sets those standards, said Rep. Doug Cox, R-Grove, an emergency room physician. A medical expert could be a physical therapist. Thats a dangerous precedent.

Rep. Cory Williams, D-Stillwater, said the bill could have a devastating effect on the entire practice of medicine, not just abortion access.

Logic and reason really dont have that much of a place around here, Williams said.

The bills author, Rep. Randy Grau, R-Edmond, said it will require abortion clinics to be equipped and staffed to deal with a medical emergency if an abortion occurs.

I dont have a problem holding them to a higher standard, Grau said.

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Okla. House passes abortion clinic standards bill

Colorado Clinic Now Accepting New Pain Management Patients at Three Locations in Northern Colorado Including Boulder …

Greeley, Colorado (PRWEB) April 21, 2014

The top pain management clinics in Northern Colorado, Colorado Clinic, now are accepting patients at three locations in Boulder, Greeley and Loveland. Treatment is provided by a Double Board Certified pain management doctor with most insurance being accepted.

Colorado Clinic offers a number of services dedicated for pain relief. This includes sports medicine treatment, medical and interventional pain therapies and hormone replacement therapy. With the various treatments, there are over 50 therapy options to customize for patient needs.

In addition to conventional pain treatments such as epidural injections and pain medication, Colorado Clinic also provides several cutting edge options. This includes regenerative medicine with stem cell procedures and platelet rich plasma therapy. Also, radiofrequency ablation, spinal cord stimulator implants, kyphoplasty and medial branch blocks are offered as well.

All types of acute and chronic pain conditions are treated at each location including back and neck pain, arthritis, sciatica, degenerative disc disease, fibromyalgia, RSD, headaches and much more.

All of the Colorado Clinic locations accept most insurances including Medicare, PPO's, some HMO's, Colorado Workers Compensation, Personal Injury Liens and self pay as well. To initiate treatment, call the closest location: Loveland Pain Management (970) 221-9451 Boulder Pain Management (303) 444-4141 Greeley Pain Management (970) 396-6994

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Colorado Clinic Now Accepting New Pain Management Patients at Three Locations in Northern Colorado Including Boulder ...

Lymphoma Research Foundation Convenes Scientific Meeting of World Leading Mantle Cell Lymphoma Experts

New York, NY (PRWEB) April 17, 2014

The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) the nations largest non-profit organization devoted exclusively to funding innovative lymphoma research and serving the lymphoma community through a comprehensive series of education programs, outreach initiatives and patient services announced today the publication of its Recent Advances in Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Report of the 2013 Mantle Cell Lymphoma Consortium Workshop in the journal, Leukemia & Lymphoma.

The worlds leading mantle cell lymphoma researchers convened at the Lymphoma Research Foundations 10th Annual Mantle Cell Lymphoma Consortium (MCLC) Scientific Workshop in Atlanta, GA on April 24-25, 2013 to report on the latest research findings and exchange ideas on how to improve treatment options for people living with mantle cell lymphoma. Key topics discussed at the Mantle Cell Lymphoma Consortium Scientific Workshop included new findings regarding the biology of MCL, novel potential targets for MCL therapy, and results of recent and ongoing clinical trials in MCL. This years meeting also featured a debate in which several researchers at the forefront of MCL treatment discussed how to best use stem cell transplantation in mantle cell lymphoma.

The Lymphoma Research Foundations Mantle Cell Lymphoma Consortium provides a unique forum for the worlds leading MCL researchers to share scientific and clinical findings, exchange ideas, and plan new collaborations, said Elizabeth Thompson, Chief Executive Officer of the Lymphoma Research Foundation. Since its inception ten years ago, the MCLC Scientific Workshop has helped researchers make significant strides in understanding MCL biology, evaluating potential new therapies, and optimizing the use of currently available therapies; the Foundation is proud to convene this annual meeting so that advances in MCL can be accelerated.

Highlights from LRFs 2013 Mantle Cell Lymphoma Consortium Scientific Workshop have been published in Leukemia & Lymphoma. The authors of the report are members of the Foundations MCLC Executive Committee and include: Leo Gordon, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Chair); Steven Bernstein, MD, University of Rochester Medical Center; Pedro Jares, PhD, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona; Brad Kahl, MD, University of Wisconsin, UW Carbone Cancer Center; Thomas Witzig, MD, Mayo Clinic; and Martin Dreyling, MD, PhD, University of Munich-Grosshadern. Traditionally accessible only to subscribers, Leukemia & Lymphoma is making this report available to the public for one month. To read the entire report, visit: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/10428194.2013.876634.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare and often aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), constituting about six percent of all NHL cases in the United States (more than 4,000 cases per year). In an effort to accelerate advances in the field of MCL, the Lymphoma Research Foundation established the Mantle Cell Lymphoma Consortium (MCLC) in 2003. To learn more about lymphoma or mantle cell lymphoma, visit lymphoma.org.

About the Lymphoma Research Foundation The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is the nations largest non-profit organization devoted to funding innovative research and serving the lymphoma community through a comprehensive series of education programs, outreach initiatives and patient services. To date, LRF has awarded more than $54 million in lymphoma-specific research.

For additional information on LRFs research, education and services, visit lymphoma.org

About Leukemia & Lymphoma Leukemia & Lymphoma in its fourth decade continues to provide an international forum for publication of high quality clinical, translational, and basic science research, and original observations relating to all aspects of hematological malignancies. The scope ranges from clinical and clinico-pathological investigations to fundamental research in disease biology, mechanisms of action of novel agents, development of combination chemotherapy, pharmacology and pharmacogenomics as well as ethics and epidemiology. The Journal is also dedicated to education in the form of reviews, commentaries, conference summaries and emerging drug profiles.

Leukemia & Lymphoma provides a premier reference source for physicians and scientists interested in clinical, translational, and laboratory research, as well as clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients with malignant hematological disorders.

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Lymphoma Research Foundation Convenes Scientific Meeting of World Leading Mantle Cell Lymphoma Experts