Healthy Medicine

All Pericardial Mesothelioma Information Faq

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:45:00 +0000

What is pericardial mesothelioma?

Pericardial mesothelioma is a serious heart condition which consists of cancerous cells building up on the lining of the heart. Similarly to pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, this is a terminal illness due to the importance of the area on which it grows.

What causes pericardial mesothelioma and who are most at risk?

The primary cause of pericardial mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos dust and fibres. Therefore those at risk are those who are most likely to have inhaled these deadly fibres such as construction workers and asbestos manufacturers. Those in contact with these people also have a chance of getting pericardial mesothelioma because these people may have asbestos fibres stuck to their clothes or hair.

What are the symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma?

The symptoms of pericardial mesothelioma change from patient to patient. Usual symptoms include persistent coughing, coughing up blood, shortness of breath, chest pain and palpitations. Other symptoms patients may experience are nausea, weight loss, vomiting and loss of appetite.

What are the treatments available for pericardial mesothelioma?

There are various different treatments for pericardial mesothelioma although none of these have a high success rate. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, dual therapy and surgery are the treatment methods available. Chemotherapy includes using drugs to kill off cancerous cells and radiation therapy uses doses of radiation to kill cancer cells although this is difficult in the case of pericardial mesothelioma due to the surrounding vital organs such as the heart and lungs. Dual therapy is a treatment combining radiation therapy with chemotherapy. Surgery comes in two forms; aggressive surgery and palliative procedures. Aggressive surgery is a very difficult procedure and consists of removing large chunks of cancerous cells in an attempt to gain long term control over the cancer. Palliative procedures just attempts to lessen the symptoms for the patient.

How much exposure to asbestos is needed for there to be a possibility of getting pericardial mesothelioma?

This depends on how strong and resistant the person is to disease and on the concentration of asbestos in the environment around him. It is possible to get pericardial mesothelioma from as little as a couple of months of exposure to asbestos although on average it would take a couple of years for enough asbestos fibres to build up to cause cancer.

What is the prognosis for pericardial mesothelioma?

This is highly dependent on how early and how aggressively the cancer is treated. If pericardial mesothelioma is treated when it has fully developed and matured then the chances of a patient’s survival is very small. The prognosis could be only a couple of months.

Is there any promising research into cures for pericardial mesothelioma?

Research into cures of pericardial mesothelioma and all other forms of mesothelioma is being done in numerous research labs all over the USA. Many pharmaceutical companies are also working hard to research new drugs for chemotherapy. So far, research has been mostly unsuccessful.

Top Ten Power Packed Foods

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 21:16:00 +0000

What is the secret to a long and healthy life? It is in the food that we eat. As you well know, all foods are not created equal. Choosing and eating the right foods may help increase your life expectancy as well as the quality of your life.

Here are ten of the top power packed foods designed to give you energy, vitality and all around good health!

1. Beans – If they give you gas, take precautions before you eat them. Soaking them first can help. Beans of all kinds (kidney, navy, lentils, chickpeas, Northern) are high in protein. This is plant protein so it contains very little fat, carbs and calories. If fiber is a problem in your diet, eating a healthy portion of beans each day can keep your digestive system healthy.

2. Oatmeal – Oatmeal is coming into popularity as a food that lowers blood cholesterol. You can make it yourself with rolled oats or eat the instant kind if you are in a hurry. Oatmeal is a filling grain that also provides much needed fiber to keep hunger at bay and your blood sugar constant.

3. Fruits – Fruits are filled with antioxidants such as Vitamin C and A. Antioxidants fight free radical damage in the body and reduce the risk of cancer. Berries such as blueberries and grapes have the highest amount of antioxidants. But choose an array of fruits in a wide variety of colors for maximum health. The antioxidants in fruit boost the immune system to fight the effects of aging in the body.

4. Allium foods – This class of foods includes garlic, onions, leeks and shallots. Garlic is known for lowering cholesterol. Allium vegetables healp guard the body against the risk of cancer and many other ailments. They also help lower blood pressure and prevent blood clots. Eating these power packed vegetables in their natural state especially garlic increases their health benefits.

5. Salmon – Eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids reduces the risk of heart disease and other conditions like atherosclerosis. Wild salmon is a fatty fish but it contains good fats that has been proven to improve health in children and adults. Salmon is rich in protein which is of great use after an exercise session to build muscle tissue.

6. Flax seed – Like salmon it contains omega-3 fatty acids. These seeds also contain omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids. You get a lot of power to fight high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes with this seed. Ground flax seed can be added to fruit smoothies, sprinkled in yogurt, eaten with cereal or added to pancake mix to name a few.

7. Peppers – Peppers are colorful. They contain antioxidants like beta-carotene and Vitamin C. Peppers range from mild and sweet to so hot you’ll be calling the fire department. All peppers contain a substance called capsaicin. Capsaicin has the properties of an anti-inflammatory, a pain reliever, lowers cancer risk and heart disease. They are good in salads, salsa and all sorts of dishes.

8. Nuts and seeds – Nuts are high in fat but those fats are the good kind. Peanuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts and pistachios are all providers of good fats and protein. Crush them into a fine powder and use as a coating instead of higher carb bread crumbs. Nuts help to lower cholesterol. Eat them right out of the shell with no additives.

9. Açai – This berry has been in the news lately. It is rich in antioxidants and increases energy. You can get more done and look better while doing it. You can get Acai juice and supplements in your health food store.

10. Yogurt – The fat free variety is good for you. Yogurt contains calcium, Vitamin B, and protein. If you don’t drink milk, yogurt is an alternative to get your calcium in to build strong bones and teeth. Live yogurt also contains friendly bacteria to help promote a healthy digestive system.

Building a better healthier body begins with what you eat. Try these super foods to get started on the right foot.

The Power of Antioxidants for Staying Young

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 15:16:00 +0000

Everyone wants to grow old gracefully. Some go under the knife to get that youthful look while others opt for a more natural way to maintain that healthful glow. The way to make peace with age can be found in the types of foods that we eat and the miracle ingredient they contain.

This hidden “miracle” is called antioxidants. They have graced the pages of magazines, medical journals and every product from hand cream to supplement pills. But what are antioxidants and what can they do to keep you looking your best?

Antioxidants are substances that fight the aging process that goes on in your body. They are not produced by the body so to get the benefit of these power-packed substances you must ingest them. A variety of foods contain antioxidants.

Let’s go back to the beginning. The body continually replenishes its cells. Through a process called cellular metabolism, the body produces energy, more cells and repairs any damage. One by-product of cellular metabolism is unstable molecules called free radicals.

Free radicals are molecules that damage your body. They are unstable because they are missing an electron. To get another one and become stable, free radicals will steal electrons from cells. That theft damages the cells in a variety of ways.

The results are visible and invisible changes to our bodies. The development of diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis and neurological deficiencies may begin to affect you as you age. Also, thinner skin wrinkles and brittle bones are a problem. Free radicals enter our body from outside sources as well: cigarette smoke, radiation and the sun’s UV rays. The more free radicals we encounter, the greater the damage that can be done.

Antioxidants have been shown to be of great help in the free radical problem. Antioxidant substances combine with free radicals and neutralize them. Once they are neutralized, they can no longer do any damage. Scientists don’t have any idea of a recommended daily dose of antioxidants to correct free radical damage and the diseases that come with age, but they do know that eating foods rich in antioxidants makes a huge difference in how we live.

Where do you find antioxidants? They are all around us. Look no further than your local farmer’s market or produce aisle in the grocery store. Fruits and vegetables contain the principle sources of antioxidants.

Examples of antioxidants include:

* Vitamin C

* Vitamin A

* Vitamin E

* Lutein

* Lycopene

* Beta-carotene

Certain minerals like zinc and selenium also function in the body. They are not antioxidants but they boost the immune system to fight against free radical damage.

Antioxidants are also found in nuts, legumes, cold water fish, seafood and red meat. So, eating a varied diet of fruits, vegetables and the foods just named will increase the amount of antioxidants in your system and help reduce the incidence of disease. Eating fruits and vegetables in their natural form instead of juices brings the benefit of other nutrients found in the foods. Juices also contain a lot of sugar that is not needed by your body.

Food does more than stave off hunger. Natural substances found there can cause us to live longer and stay free of disease as we age.

How to Overcome Emotional Eating

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:16:00 +0000

Eating is a part of life. Your body gets its nutrients from food. Sometimes we can go overboard with our eating habits and it can result in gaining weight. One issue with food is emotional eating.

The problem of emotional eating may end with the scale but it begins in the mind. Stress takes its toll on your life. When your defenses are compromised your health takes a hit and so do your emotions.

Everyone has good days and bad days. How we deal with the bad ones brings emotional eating into play. You look for comfort for your hurts. People who turn to food for comfort find a coping mechanism that won’t judge them, hurt them or tell them “no.” To complicate the issue, eating pleasurable foods can stimulate the release of endorphins just like exercise. So, after you eat, you feel better.

Emotional eaters use food to relieve stress. They hide behind the food instead of seeking solutions to the problems. This is not uncommon when the stressor is something horrible such as physical abuse or a death.

But, how do you know you are using food in this way? The first sign is obvious. You will gain weight if you eat too much. In light of the weight gain, examine other areas of your life:

* Have you been under stress lately at work or at home?

* Has anything traumatic happened in the last year?

* Are you dealing with a problem but haven’t found a solution?

Answering “yes” to any of these questions could mean that you are an emotional eater. You eat but you are not necessarily hungry at the time. The foods that you choose are what we term “comfort foods”:

* High fat foods like French fries, fried foods

* High carb foods like macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes

* Sugary foods like ice cream, donuts, cookies, cake

There is help for emotional eaters. The first step is recognizing that you have a problem. You’ll experience feelings of helplessness and guilt. The guilt is over potentially ruining your health and the helplessness lies in the fact that you don’t see a way out.

Secondly, seek counseling. There are many types of counselors out there that can meet your need. Emotional eating has nothing to do with dieting or changing your eating habits but gaining control over your emotions.

A counselor might suggest things like visualization, practicing problem solving skills, relaxation techniques and family support. Visualization helps you to see your problems in a realistic way and not blown out of proportion. You will also learn to see food as nutrition for the body and not an emotional crutch.

Thirdly, your family can learn your triggers for stress and be on the lookout for changes in your eating habits. They can help you be aware of the foods you are eating, assist you in making healthy food choices and exercise along with you. Proper diet and exercise increases immunity, blood flow and positive thinking. Yoga enhances the mind/body connection so you don’t eat when you aren’t hungry.

Finding new ways to solve your problems and deal with stress will push food out of the equation. You’ll feel good about finding solutions which will replace the dependence on food.

Five Easy Toning Exercises you can Do Anywhere

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 03:16:00 +0000

Exercise is an important part of our lives. Staying in shape is one way to increase your life expectancy. Weight bearing exercises are important also for increasing muscle mass and bone density as you age.

Most of us have learned what to do when it comes to exercising. The problem is where and when to get the job done. With a busy lifestyle, making time for exercise is a challenge.

Weight bearing exercises aren’t just for bodybuilders. As you age, especially once you hit the age of forty, you begin to lose muscle mass. For women especially, bone loss becomes a problem. When the body is in need of calcium it can rob it from your bones. Building muscle not only increases their mass but your strength.

Here are five easy toning exercises that can be done anywhere and whenever you have time. At home, at the office, or on vacation, you can do these easy yet extremely effective exercises.

1. The Bridge Butt Lift – Sounds like a plastic surgery technique but it is an easy way to tone your buttocks. Lay down with feet flat on the floor, legs shoulder width apart. Place your hands, palm side down, on either side of your body. Pushing with your feet, squeeze your gluteal muscles and lift your butt off the floor. Hold the position for a count of five to ten and release down to the floor.

2. Squats – Squats work the butt, the hamstring muscles and the quadriceps. If you aren’t sure of proper form, you can use a chair. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and feet firmly planted. Push your butt back as if you were preparing to sit in a chair. Keep your abs tight and your upper body straight. Once you reach chair level stop and hold the position for a count of two to five and release. At the lowest point, place all of your weight on your heels for balance and maximum toning.

3. Reverse Lunges – Lunges work the quadriceps muscles. They can be hard for people with knee problems. A reverse lunge still tones the right muscle groups but with less pressure on the knee. Stand with feet together and arms at your sides. Take one leg and move it backwards until you are in lunge position: front leg bent at a 90 degree angle and back leg extended until you are on the ball of your foot. From this position lower yourself down until the back knee almost touches the floor. Hold for a count of two and return to starting position.

4. Pushups – This is a classic toning exercise that works all areas of the arms plus the chest muscles. If you aren’t comfortable or strong enough to perform a pushup on your toes, lower your body to your knees. Be sure your arms are tucked into the body and your back straight as you lower and lift your body.

5. Crunches – Abdominal muscles can be worked every day to build strength and muscle tone. Lying on the floor in sit up position, lace your fingers behind your head. Squeezing your abdominal muscles, lift your upper body until your lower back is about to come off the floor. Hold for two to five counts and return to starting position.

These five exercise moves can be done whenever you have time. The best thing about exercise is that its effects are cumulative. Even five or ten minutes at a time will work to your advantage.

Effective Steps for Managing Anxiety

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:16:00 +0000

Have you ever been in a situation that brought on sweats, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath? You probably weren’t having a heart attack but an anxiety attack. If you suffer from anxiety disorders, learning to manage it is the first step to overcoming it.

Anxiety is characterized as extreme reactions to fearful situations. When someone follows you into a dark alley, those anxious feelings of a racing heartbeat and sweaty palms gives way to heightened senses and a rush of adrenalin that can save your life. This is the fight or flight syndrome.

In the case of frequent anxiety, the fearful feelings are dread of a particular situation and not the situation itself. Getting caught in traffic can cause an anxiety attack over what might happen when you get to work late. Starting a new job can bring on anxiety attacks. You don’t know anyone and fear of that unknown can send you into a panic.

Everyone experiences panic or anxiety in small ways. Like the fight or flight example, it can save your life. In new situations, we get panicky but when the outcome we fear fails to materialize, the anxiety stops. For someone with chronic anxiety, this is not the case.

Every situation that brings anxiety is not life-threatening. More than likely it is an extremely stressful situation that has brought on the anxiety as a way of dealing with it. Unchecked anxiety of this type can lead to depression.

If you suffer from anxiety attacks on occasion or a more frequent anxiety disorder, there are steps you can take to keep your anxiety under control.

1. See a professional. This is always a good first step. Self-diagnosis of any type of physical or mental condition is unwise and can be dangerous. A professional psychologist can help you understand your anxiety and prescribe medication or other effective techniques.

2. Get a good night’s sleep. During the sleep cycle, your body repairs itself. You feel more rested after several hours of restorative sleep, reaching the REM stage. Most people need eight hours a night which varies within an hour or two each way.

3. Exercise on a consistent basis. Exercise helps you to use oxygen more efficiently. It helps to get more oxygen to the brain. It also increases focus which may help you see solutions to problems rather than simply worrying about them.

4. Meditate. Meditation is more than chanting mantras. Yoga is an exercise that involves quieting the mind and controlling your breathing. Simple mediation such as taking 5 minutes to clear your mind everyday can work wonders in the fight against anxiety.

5. Manage the worry. When you feel your pulse start to quicken, count backwards from ten. As you count, focus on the situation. What has actually happened? Resist the urge to read anything more into the situation.

6. Don’t use alcohol. You might think that the glass of wine is relaxing your tension but alcohol is a depressant. In anxious situations you could rely too heavily on it and gain another problem in the process.

7. Find some relaxing activities. Stress can rob you of your energy. On a regular basis, do something you like such as gardening, painting, reading or listening to music.

Anxiety can come into your life at any time. It’s normal. When the anxiety becomes frequent you could be at risk for more serious conditions. If you feel your anxiety is starting to take over your life or increasingly causing you problems, seek professional help immediately. There is no need to suffer this terrible condition in silence.

RegenoCELL Announces That Patients Can Be Treated With Its Autologous Stem Cell Therapy In Greece

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:16:00 +0000

Article Opinions: 1 posts
RegenoCELL Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCBB: RCLL) , a leader in adult stem cell therapy, is pleased to announce the opening of another state of the art facility in Greece for patients to be treated for congestive heart failure and peripheral artery disease with its autologous stem cell therapy.

The Company's treatment for congestive heart failure is administered at the Metropolitan Hospital in Athens, which is part of the PERSEUS Heath Care Group. Greece is a convenient location for patients living in Europe and offers patients an additional location where the company's autologous stem cell treatments are permitted.

Cardiac Disease

There are therapies to treat congestive heart failure. But there comes a treatment point when the only option may be a heart transplant. Over 25,000 people are on the transplant lists but fewer than 2,500 receive one. The mean life expectancy of a heart transplant recipient is 8 years. A new therapeutic approach to treat this disease is needed.

Peripheral Artery Disease

The same RCLL adult stem cell treatment can be used to treat peripheral artery disease. In the United States, there are over 10 million people suffering from the lack of sufficient blood flow to the extremities with an equal number in Europe. This disease is most often experienced by diabetics in their toes and lower legs.

Since 2005, the company's stem cell therapy has successfully treated over 500 patients. The typical patient is suffering from congestive heart failure with no treatment options and 3 to 6 months to live. A half liter of blood is extracted from the patient and sent to the company's subsidiary cell processing facility in Israel. There the patient's stem cells are extracted and grown from tens of thousands into many millions. The stem cells are primed for angiogenesis or blood vessel formation. The patient then travels to a jurisdiction where autologous therapy is permitted and has the stem cells transplanted in a hospital in a catherization laboratory in a procedure similar to angioplasty.

Source: RegenoCELL Therapeutics, Inc

Researchers Reprogram Brain Cells To Become Heart Cells

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 09:16:00 +0000

For the past decade, researchers have tried to reprogram the identity of all kinds of cell types. Heart cells are one of the most sought-after cells in regenerative medicine because researchers anticipate that they may help to repair injured hearts by replacing lost tissue. Now, researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania are the first to demonstrate the direct conversion of a non-heart cell type into a heart cell by RNA transfer. Working on the idea that the signature of a cell is defined by molecules called messenger RNAs (mRNAs), which contain the chemical blueprint for how to make a protein, the investigators changed two different cell types, an astrocyte (a star-shaped brain cell) and a fibroblast (a skin cell), into a heart cell, using mRNAs.

James Eberwine, PhD, the Elmer Holmes Bobst Professor of Pharmacology, Tae Kyung Kim, PhD, post-doctoral fellow, and colleagues report their findings online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This approach offers the possibility for cell-based therapy for cardiovascular diseases.

"What's new about this approach for heart-cell generation is that we directly converted one cell type to another using RNA, without an intermediate step," explains Eberwine. The scientists put an excess of heart cell mRNAs into either astrocytes or fibroblasts using lipid-mediated transfection, and the host cell does the rest. These RNA populations (through translation or by modulation of the expression of other RNAs) direct DNA in the host nucleus to change the cell's RNA populations to that of the destination cell type (heart cell, or tCardiomyocyte), which in turn changes the phenotype of the host cell into the destination cell.

The method the group used, called Transcriptome Induced Phenotype Remodeling, or TIPeR, is distinct from the induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) approach used by many labs in that host cells do not have to be dedifferentiated to a pluripotent state and then redifferentiated with growth factors to the destination cell type. TIPeR is more similar to prior nuclear transfer work in which the nucleus of one cell is transferred into another cell where upon the transferred nucleus then directs the cell to change its phenotype based upon the RNAs that are made. The tCardiomyocyte work follows directly from earlier work from the Eberwine lab, where neurons were converted into tAstrocytes using the TIPeR process.

The team first extracted mRNA from a heart cell, then put it into host cells. Because there are now so many more heart-cell mRNAs versus astrocyte or fibroblast mRNAs, they take over the indigenous RNA population. The heart-cell mRNAs are translated into heart-cell proteins in the cell cytoplasm. These heart-cell proteins then influence gene expression in the host nucleus so that heart-cell genes are turned on and heart-cell-enriched proteins are made.

To track the change from an astrocyte to heart cell, the team looked at the new cells' RNA profile using single cell microarray analysis; cell shape; and immunological and electrical properties. While TIPeR-generated tCardiomyocytes are of significant use in fundamental science it is easy to envision their potential use to screen for heart cell therapeutics, say the study authors. What's more, creation of tCardiomyoctes from patients would permit personalized screening for efficacy of drug treatments; screening of new drugs; and potentially as a cellular therapeutic.

These studies were enabled through the collaboration of a number of investigators spanning multiple disciplines including Vickas Patel, MD and Nataliya Peternko from the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Miler Lee, PhD and Junhyong Kim, PhD from the Department of Biology and Jai-Yoon Sul, PhD and Jae Hee Lee, PhD also from the Department of Pharmacology, all from Penn. This work was funded by grants from the W. M. Keck Foundation, the National Institutes of Health Director's Office, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Source:
Karen Kreeger
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Research Targets Malignant Glioma Stem Cells

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 03:16:00 +0000

Cleveland Clinic researchers have identified a cellular pathway that cancer stem cells use to promote tumor growth in malignant glioma, an aggressive brain tumor. The research - published in Cell - also found that existing medications block this cancer-promoting pathway and delay glioma growth in animal models, suggesting a new treatment option for these often fatal brain tumors.

Malignant gliomas account for more than half of the 35,000-plus primary malignant brain tumors diagnosed each year in the United States. Unfortunately, the outlook for patients with malignant gliomas is poor. For patients with the most severe, aggressive form of malignant glioma (grade IV glioma or glioblastoma multiforme), median survival is 9 to 15 months with the best available therapies. These treatments include surgery followed by radiation therapy with the chemotherapy temozolomide followed by additional temozolomide treatment.

Although differences in tumors between people were known to exist, researchers have only recently begun to understand the importance of differences between cancer cells within the same patient. Groups of cells within a glioma which promote brain tumor formation in animal models - called cancer stem cells - have been identified. These cancer stem cells are often resistant to radiation and chemotherapy, making them an important target for developing new and effective disease treatments.

In a recently published manuscript, a team of Cleveland Clinic researchers - led by Jeremy Rich, M.D., Chairman, and Anita Hjelmeland, Ph.D., of the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine of the Lerner Research Institute of Cleveland Clinic - define a novel molecular pathway that cancer stem cells use to promote tumor growth. Cancer stem cells produce elevated nitric oxide, a molecule whose role in cancer is not well defined but which has been linked to therapeutic resistance, evasion of cell death, and enhanced proliferation. Nitric oxide is produced in cancer stem cells through increased levels of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2); decreasing the level or activity of this enzyme reduces cancer stem cell growth. When drugs inhibiting the NOS2 enzyme were given to mice with gliomas, the growth of the tumors was delayed. Using the National Institutes of Health supported database of glioma specimen data, they also found that increased levels of this enzyme are associated with decreased survival of glioma patients. Targeting this pathway could therefore provide benefits for glioma patients.

Current therapies for cancer have many side effects, because they rely on the increased sensitivity of the cancer cells to drugs which are toxic to normal cells. It is therefore important to consider the potential side effects of any new proposed cancer treatment. The current study did compare the levels of the enzyme NOS2 and the effects of its inhibitors in cancer stem cells and normal neural stem cells. Normal neural stem cells have some similar properties as cancer stem cells from gliomas but cannot form tumors. Only cancer stem cells were found to depend on the enzyme for their growth. Drugs inhibiting the NOS2 enzyme were evaluated in patients for the treatment of other diseases and had minimal toxicity. The authors suggest that these drugs may therefore be useful for enhancing the effects of current therapies without adding a lot of side effects. NOS2 inhibitors may thereby pose a potential therapeutic breakthrough for this lethal disease.

Source:
Dan Doron
Lerner Research Institute

Coping With Stress, Its Effects On Your Skin And Health, And Turning Back The Clock

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:55:00 +0000

Stress comes in many forms, workplace stress, family stress, grief over loss of a loved one, etc... Some can be avoided, but as we know, many cannot. Some people handle stress better than others, and some even thrive onit.Regardless, stress takes its toll.

Stress has been proven to rid your body of many essential vitamins and minerals. Particularly vitamins C, E, and B. This leads to lethargy, lower focussed mental activities (clinically stress causes more erratic brain activity and a reduction in short term and long term memory), drying out and aging of the skin (in some), and in others a increase in the sebaceous gland activity - which usually brings postules, acne, and rosacea - which all bring more stress as we then become more entangled in how others view our physical appearance.

We cannot stop all stress, but we can take steps to stop or limit its toll on our skin and body. Take a full vitamin suplament every day. Eat a well balanced diet - especially fish meat like salmon (high in omega 3's which is proven to increase brain function and cellular activity, but it also is proven to reduce the aging process of the skin and make cuts and bruises heal faster). Eat more raw fruits and vegetables - atleast 5 servings per day - you will see a notable difference in 4-6 weeks and you will feel better (along with better colon health.

Exercise more often. Aerobic exercise has been proven to release powerful hormones that actually counteract the harmful chemicals and results of stress as it will also improve your bodys abilities to cope with oxidants.

I can't say enough about meditation and prayer. Study after study have proven a reduction in every skin and body malody even cancer symptoms from people that pray and meditate daily. Take 20 minutes every day and do this you will also live longer.

The latest rage is skin peels for a quick fix. Skin peels will slough off the top layers of skin and reveal fresher, cleaner skin. The most effective are TCA peels and phenol peels (phenol peels are dangerous and should only be performed by a licensed plastic surgeon). TCA, trichloroacetic acid, is a medium depth skin peel that works on the most skin ailments - aging skin, sun damage, even has been proven to treat and cure acne. No other skin peel can safely do all that a TCA peel can.

So there you have it - clear, younger skin in 500 words. Great advice to follow and don't forget to always run anything new by your doctor. They are licensed for a reason and know whats best for you. by your doctor. They are licensed for a reason and know whats best for you.

Breast Cancer; Its Causes

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 05:35:00 +0000

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor developed from cells of the breast, and it is one of the most common cancers affecting females, at time has not been established what is the exact cause of this one, but last researches clearly pointing that there are several risks factors;
These are the most probably breast cancer risk factors;

- Last researches have established that in the age group above 50 years there is a high incidence; on the other hand, in the age group below 25 years the incidence is very low. It is very important to say that this disease is very aggressive in patient 25-50 years old.

- Menstrual cycle is other factor that should be considered; common in the ladies who have a longer menstrual life, i.e. the onset of menarche is earlier and cessation of menstruation is late.

- The women that smoke and drink alcohol increase the risk of developing breast cancer.

- Breast cancer is developed more frequently in spinsters and married woman that have not given birth to children, or if given birth then have not breast fed their offspring.

- The women that have had a breast cancer on one side have greater risk to develop cancer on the opposite side, and if there are antecedents of breast cancer in their families (mother, sisters and daughters), there are greatest risks too.

- Breast cancer is linked with obesity and higher intake of saturated fatty acids

- Breast cancer is linked too, with the continuous or sequential uses of combined oestrogen plus progestin hormone therapy (CHT)

- Women that have been using oral anti contraceptives for more than ten years are more vulnerable to the development of this disease.

On the other hand, women doing 4-5 hours of exercises per week reduce their risk of developing breast cancer.

In short, these facts derive from the statistical analysis; they should not be taken as causative or predisposing factors.

First Time Ever, Patient Gets A New Trachea Made From A Synthetic Scaffold Seeded With His Own Stem Cells

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:16:00 +0000

In a recent breakthrough, the first successful transplantation of a synthetic tissue engineered windpipe was performed on a patient suffering from late stage tracheal cancer on June 9th 2011, at the Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge, Stockholm, by professor Paolo Macchiarini and his colleagues.

Professor Macchiarini, who works at the of Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet, led an international team including professor Alexander Seifalian from the UCL (University College London, UK) and Harvard Bioscience (Boston, USA).

Professor Alexander designed and built the nanocomposite tracheal scaffold, and Harvard Bioscience produced a specifically designed bioreactor used to seed the scaffold with the patient

Bodybuilding

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:15:00 +0000

Bodybuilding is an activity that operates according to scientific principles and science is mathematically based. Bodybuilding is not an exact science and it's not healthy to look up to some guru for all your answers. Bodybuilding is the art and the science of developing your body. Modern bodybuilding is ritual, religion, sport, art, and science, awash in Western chemistry and mathematics. An extremely important aspect of bodybuilding is proper nutrition. The diet aspect of bodybuilding is just as important, if not more, than the weight-lifting aspect. Bodybuilding is not a one-hour training session five days a week. Bodybuilding is more a philosophy of life than a straightforward physical activity. Bodybuilding is not just a sport; it is an investment in your body and your life. Bodybuilding is not about lifting weights, but about training muscles. Bodybuilding is designed to develop the muscles for general, sportive or corrective purposes. Bodybuilding is more than just a sport, it's a life style. Bodybuilding is a sport that mainly emphasizes physical appearance, body configuration and shape, trying to achieve aesthetics perfection.

If you're looking for a way to feel and look great - then bodybuilding is for you. Bodybuilding is, in its method and ideals, a contradictory practice.

Anxiety - Questions Asked By Concerned Candidates

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:55:00 +0000

What is anxiety is a question asked by many people who tend to feel confused when trying to decipher the difference between this illness as it is seen and that of others. Is anxiety an illness - is it an ailment or is it a disorder - yes anxiety is classed as all three. Different stages denote whether it is an illness or a disorder.

For the severe cases that show signs of stress which is escalating out of control is a sure way of telling that the patient is suffering from an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety gives out a feeling of uneasiness. At some stage in a persons life there will have been times where they have experienced the discomfort of anxiety with anxious moments. Moments like this can arise when faced with dilemmas otherwise seen as stressful situations, for example before going for a job interview - sitting for an exam or during that of a worrying time through illness.

Most questions asked once again by concerned candidates is it normal to feel anxious when faced agains`t something difficult or dangerous, yes everyone can suffer from anxious bouts - it is not an unusual response to stressful situations. It has been known to improve performance in some cases

However, in the UK the one in ten people that suffer from anxiety are cases of severity where the anxiety interferes with their normal daily lifestyle. Excessive anxiety is notably directed or associated with many other psychiatric conditions, like depression. Anxiety is without doubt considered abnormal when the signs or symptoms hang around longer than necessary - in other words prolonged.
Another strong cause behind prognosis of severity is when the anxiety bouts develop to a stage where it takes hold over on how you live your life - once again meaning how it interferes with day to day activities.

If this being the case then those anxious events is classed as an anxiety disorder - where medical treatment is needed

The physical symptoms of anxiety are identified by how the brain sends signals to other parts of the body preparing for a fight or flight reaction. The human brain releases stress hormones, which includes adrenaline. Common symptoms that can occur are: abdominal discomfort, rapid heartbeat or palpitations, dizziness, diarrhoea, shortness of breath, dry mouth, tightness or pain in chest, frequent urination or finding it difficult to swallow.

Anxiety is seen as the culprit when a mental health problem is recognised, such as depression, alcohol abuse, personality disorder, even withdrawal from the long-term use of drugs or tranquillisers.

The signs to look out for when psychological anxiety is present are: inability to concentrate, fear of madness, insomnia, irritability or anger - even the common feeling of discomfort where loss of control of your actions is evident - which is a familiar symptom high on the list of the psychological side. Some types of anxieties are closely associated with physical illnesses which - can be a thyroid disorder. If treatment takes place for whatever the diagnosed illness is, then the anxiety can improve over time.

If at any time that you or a member of the family even a close friend are showing signs of stress related concerns then please consult with your doctor - especially before buying over the counter medication.

Advice And Information To Help You To Lose Weight

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 01:35:00 +0000

More and more people are looking into ways of losing weight. Obesity is an ever increasing problem and being over-weight can cause many different health problems. This article gives free advice to help people in their fight to lose weight.

There are many different diets out there which try to help people to lose their excess fat, these can be very difficult to follow as the whole reason we are over-weight is because of our love for food. The diets themselves normally recommend us to eat healthy but uninspiring foods. These diets have never really worked for me, mainly because I have possibly not got the right attitude but mainly because I find it hard to stick to them. A month maybe, six months certainly not.

In my opinion exercise is the best way to lose weight. Going to a gym is certainly not for everyone and is somewhere I feel out of place and exposed. I always feel that people are looking, talking and laughing at me behind my back. Maybe I am just too paranoid.

I personally would recommend hiring a personal trainer. Now you might think that only the rich and famous could possibly do this but you would be wrong. There are many personal fitness trainers who are either connected to a gym or who advertise locally in newspapers or magazines.

These are specially trained people who are willing to come to your house to show you how to correctly exercise and they do not cost an arm and a leg.

If you have attempted this route before but have had a negative experience do not despair. It may well be because you just did not hit it off with your personal trainer. I have been using a personal trainer for the last five months and only plumped for him after trying out four others first.

My personal trainer is very good for me. He keeps me on my toes, is very good at making me continue to work hard when all I want to do is quit. He is also very fair and seems to understand how far to push me. Together we have worked out and agreed a program which includes various goals for the future. He seems to also understand about the types of food which I should and should not be eating. I am happily still able to eat a lot of foods which I like and he has also introduced me to a number of other ideas which are healthy but also very tasty.

Hiring a personal trainer was the best thing I have ever done with regards to losing weight and I would recommend it to other people. I have now lost the beer belly and still continue working hard, it is now more as a fitness thing rather than to lose even more weight.

The trainer has even stated that I am likely to actually gain weight in the future as certain muscles grow. I will not be fat though, I will be toned and a little but muscular. I look forward to the future and can also now for the first time in a number of years enjoy shopping for clothes.

About Acne: Getting the Most from Your Doctor

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:15:00 +0000

There’s nothing trivial about having acne problems. If you are one of the millions that suffer from acne outbreaks, you know that it can be uncomfortable and even sometimes devastating to someone who is seriously afflicted. As you consider treatment options, you may want the professional help of a physician or dermatologist. These highly trained specialists can be invaluable in helping you achieve clear skin again. While they are not magicians who can make your acne disappear overnight, they can be essential in diagnosing and treating you so that you don’t have to suffer any longer than necessary.

It is important to remember a few things when visiting a skin care specialist. Because there are so many people in the world that suffer from acne outbreaks, dermatologists are often very busy with lots of clients. Don’t let this vex you; a doctor is concerned about your condition and wants to help you. Here are some things that you can do to maximize your visit when you see them. Having effective doctor visits will help you overcome your acne sooner and also help you save money and time.

First, don’t be afraid to ask questions about your condition. Remember, we are all different, so a treatment that is highly effective with one person is not necessarily what is going to work for you. Knowledge about the particulars of your condition will help you better understand the condition you are trying to overcome. You may even want to write down any specific questions you may have to make sure you cover all the topics you want to know about.

The most important aspect of having an effective doctor visit is good communication. By keeping some facts or aspects about your condition from the dermatologist, you are only hurting yourself by giving them an incomplete knowledge of the facts. The doctor can only base his diagnosis on what you have told him, so try to be thorough with the details about your acne. Tell them how long your acne has been affecting you, what other treatments you’ve attempted to do before, what worsens your condition, and any other factors that you think may apply. Tell them how your acne is affecting you emotionally and socially, as mental health is synonymous with your physical health.

Once your doctor and you have discussed your condition, make sure that you fully understand what they will be doing in regards to your treatment. Be sure to understand the correct way to apply the treatment, how long the treatment will last, and how long it will be before you begin to see results. Also, be sure and find out if there are any side effects that go along with the use of the treatment; this will help you be better prepared for any occurrences or problems that may arise. Schedule a follow-up appointment with the doctor and discuss what the status of your condition should be when you return. If you are knowledgeable about the treatment and looking for the desired results, you will know sooner whether your current method is working or not.

Remember that there are many treatments available that work better or worse for different people. Don’t be discouraged if the first method you try does not attain the desired results. Be patient and work with your doctor and you will soon be able to find the most effective treatment that is right for you.

Embryonic Stem Cells Used In New Model For Studying Germ Cell Tumors In Testes

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:16:00 +0000

A team of researchers from Spain and Switzerland have developed a new model for studying the development of testicular germ cell tumors by transplanting embryonic stem cells into the seminiferous tubules in mouse models, resulting in the development of testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) that mimic the early stages of TGCT development. The study, published in Cell Transplantation (20:5), is now freely available on-line here.

"Over the last fifteen years, cell transplantation into seminiferous tubules has become a valuable tool for studying germinal cell biology," said the study's corresponding author Dr. Juan Arechaga of the University of Basque Country, Spain. "The blood-testes permeability barrier establishes a sealed compartment that protects against influences such as immunological rejection. Thus, our lab has developed a tumor assay to study the cancer invasion process in testicular germ cell tumors using embryonic stem cells injected into the seminiferous tubules."

According to Dr. Arechaga, the tumors generated by the transplantation of early embryos possess gene expressions and differentiation patterns similar to those in testicular germ cell tumors.

The researchers point out that testicular germ cell tumors are uncommon in non-human animals, so there have been no previously suitable animal models for study. However these tumors appear to be genetically regulated and the specific genes related to the development of this kind of tumor have been identified.

"Embryonic stem cell transplantation into mouse seminiferous tubules represents a model with very valuable potential applications because it mimics the pre-invasive state of TGCTs," said Dr. Arechaga. "Donor cells can be transfected with different transgenes before transplantation to evaluate certain genes during the invasive process."

The authors also note that the approach could also be useful in screening novel therapeutic drugs, including inhibitors of angiogenesis and metastasis, to potentially treat TGCTs.

"This study demonstrates the development of an animal model of testicular germ cell tumor formation" said Dr. David Eve, associate editor of Cell Transplantation and Instructor at the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, University of South Florida. "Study of this model will further our understanding of how testicular cancers arise and potential ways to treat it."

Citation: Silván, U.; Díez-Torre, A.; Andrade, R.; Arluzea, J.; Silió, M.; Aréchaga, J. Embryonic Stem Cell Transplantation Into Seminiferous Tubules: A Model for the Study of Invasive Germ Cell Tumors of the Testis. Cell Transplant. 20(5):637-642; 2011.

Source:
David Eve
Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair

Neural Stem Progenitor Cell Transplantation's Potential To Aid Spinal Cord Injury Tested

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:16:00 +0000

A study published in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (20:5) investigating optimal routes for transplanting neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs) in animal models of spinal cord injury (SCI) has demonstrated that intralesional (IL) injection conferred benefits over intravenous injection (IV) and intrathecal (IT) injection. The study, by a team of Keio University (Japan) researchers, is now freely available on-line here.

"Spinal cord injury usually results in severe, paralytic damage because the adult central nervous system has little potential for regeneration after injury," said corresponding author Dr. Masaya Nakamura of the Keio University School of Medicine's Department of Orthopedic Surgery. "With cell transplantation of neural stem/progenitor cells being a promising strategy, our study sought to determine the best method of application for optimal cell survival and subject safety."

For their study, the researchers used a new reporter gene, called "ffLuc," a novel fusion protein, for bioluminesence (BLI) imaging in order to track the transplanted cells via MRI from injection site to spinal cord lesion.

"MRI signals from dead cells cannot be distinguished from those of living cells," noted Dr. Nakamura. "To overcome this difficulty, we used a BLI system that tracked only living cells."

After inducing SCI in mouse models, the researchers compared the safety and efficacy results of IL, IT and IV injection methods for transplanting NS/PCs. IL grafting emerged as the best method since the IL-injected animals showed the best survival rates for grafted cells post-injection with no complications in the animals. IT injection showed low animal survival rates. IV injection resulted in no grafted cells migrating to the SCI lesion sites and many of the test animals died of a pulmonary embolism soon after injection.

"Taken together, our findings indicate that the best method for transplanting NS/PCs into the spinal cord injury site is by intralesional injection," summarized Dr. Nakamura.

"It is interesting that this study observed the greatest cell survival after neural stem cell transplantation directly into the lesion site after spinal cord injury" said Dr. Paul Sanberg, coeditor-in-chief of Cell Transplantation and executive director of the University of South Florida Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair. "It will be of considerable importance to determine if this finding translates to increased recovery and also whether this translates to other disorders".

Citation: Takahashi, Y.; Tsuji, O.; Kumagai, G.; Hara, C. M.; Okano, H. J.; Miyawaki, A.; Toyama, Y.; Okano, H.; Nakamura, M. Comparative study of methods for administering neural stem/progenitor cells to treat spinal cord injury in mice. Cell Transplantation 20(5):727-739; 2011.

Source:
David Eve
Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair

Study Will Test Transplantation Of Gene-Modified Cells To Explore A Potential Cure For HIV Infection

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 03:16:00 +0000

Whether a stem cell transplant using an HIV-infected person's own genetically modified immune cells can become a cure for the disease is the focus of a new $20 million, five-year research grant award announced today by the National Institutes of Health to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Hutchinson Center researchers will use the grant to lead a multifaceted team of scientists and institutions to study whether a person's own stem cells can be engineered to deny HIV entry into the body's blood cells. The researchers also will work to develop tools to eradicate existing reservoirs of infection in the body.

"Funding for research to find a cure for HIV-infected persons represents a paradigm shift," said Keith Jerome, M.D., Ph.D., an expert in viral infections and co-principal investigator of the grant. "HIV has been an incurable, lifelong infection that at best sentences people to a lifetime of complex drug therapies. Now the research field is shifting to address the possibility of a cure. No one would have talked about this approach five years ago."

Jerome is an associate member of the Hutchinson Center's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division. The other co-principal investigator is stem cell transplant researcher Hans-Peter Kiem, M.D., a member of the Hutchinson Center's Clinical Research Division and recipient of the Center's Jose Carreras/E. Donnall Thomas Endowed Chair for Cancer Research.

"I am particularly excited that we can explore stem cell-based therapies for the cure of HIV," Kiem said. "It is a perfect fit for our institution, which has such a unique history of pioneering stem cell transplantation and research in HIV."

The Hutchinson Center grant was one of three announced today by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to fund research focused on developing strategies for eradicating HIV infection via its Martin Delaney Collaboratory program.

"I applaud the NIAID's efforts to open up new areas of research funding to find a potential cure for HIV," said Larry Corey, M.D., president and director of the Hutchinson Center. "The work to be done in this grant is groundbreaking and the kind of public/private collaboration that is needed to move the science forward."

The research projects will focus on ways around a major obstacle to long-term control and cure of HIV: the persistence of HIV provirus in reservoirs throughout the bodies of infected persons. The infected cells in these reservoirs are long lived and remain a threat during the lifespan of infected persons. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), although successful at keeping the spread of HIV under control by inhibiting viral replication, does not eliminate these reservoirs. If a patient discontinues HAART, the virus rebounds.

One approach under investigation is autologous stem cell transplantation, in which the infected patient's own immune cells are genetically modified to be resistant to HIV by eliminating one of the receptors, called CCR5, which HIV needs to infect new cells. This method builds on the Hutchinson Center's long-standing expertise in using transplantation to treat and cure blood cancers and some autoimmune diseases, a Nobel Prize-winning accomplishment that has boosted survival rates from nearly zero to 90 percent for certain types of leukemia.

Stem cell transplantation to eliminate HIV infection has one intriguing precedent.

In 2008, a group of German physicians published results of transplanting an American man who had acute myeloid leukemia and HIV. The so-called "Berlin patient" received a new immune system from donor cells that also carried a rare genetic variation that made them resistant to HIV. The man was able to stop HAART and the virus remained undetectable. However, few stem cell donors have this genetic mutation, so a way must be found to modify the patient's own immune cells to be HIV resistant in order for such a transplant to be more widely available.

A second approach to be studied involves developing DNA-targeting proteins to directly attack the reservoirs of HIV provirus without harming the infected cells themselves. This method would complement the stem cell-based approach and could potentially lead to elimination of the HIV provirus.

In addition to better understanding the biology and virology of gene-modified cells, another goal will be to optimize the combination of stem cell protection and HIV reservoir-purging techniques. Researchers expect to have enough data to begin human clinical trials in five years.

The team of scientists and institutions that will conduct the studies includes Sangamo Biosciences of Richmond, Calif., Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope in Duarte, Calif., the University of Washington and Seattle Children's.

Source:
Dean Forbes
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Stem Cell Treatment May Restore Cognitive Function In Patients With Brain Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 21:16:00 +0000

Stem cell therapy may restore cognition in patients with brain cancer who experience functional learning and memory loss often associated with radiation treatment, according to a laboratory study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Charles Limoli, Ph.D., a professor in the department of radiation oncology at the University of California, Irvine, said radiation therapy is the standard of care for most brain cancers, but the side effects can be devastating.

"In almost every instance, people experience severe cognitive impairment that is progressive, debilitating and adversely impacts quality of life," he said. "Pediatric cancer patients can experience a drop of up to three IQ points per year."

In the current study, Limoli and colleagues subjected rats to cranial irradiation and followed up two days later with human neural stem cell transplants. A significant proportion of these cells survived and turned into brain cells found at one- and four-month evaluations. Cognitive function significantly improved compared with control rats.

Limoli said the findings of this study were significant, and may help pave the way for a human safety trial to be conducted within a few years if appropriate funding can be secured. Neural stem cells like those used in this study do not present the same ethical questions as embryonic stem cells.

Source: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

Adult-Derived Stem Cells Could Pave The Way For New Treatment Of Diabetes

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:16:00 +0000

Stem cells from early embryos can be coaxed into becoming a diverse array of specialized cells to revive and repair different areas of the body. Therapies based on these stem cells have long been contemplated for the treatment of diabetes, but have been held back by medical and ethical drawbacks.

Now researchers at Tel Aviv University are capitalizing on the "memories" of stem cells generated from adult cells to bring new hope to sufferers of juvenile or type 1 diabetes, which affects three million people in the United States.

Prof. Shimon Efrat of TAU's Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, says these "induced pluripotent stem cells," derived from adult cells, represent an embryonic-like state. To some degree, he found, the cells retain a "memory" of what they once were - when created from pancreatic beta cells, the cells responsible for the production of insulin, these pluripotent cells prove more efficient than their embryonic counterparts in creating insulin-producing cells. Prof. Efrat says that this discovery promises to advance the development of cell replacement therapy for diabetics, possibly leading to an effective alternative to organ transplants.

His research, pursued with his PhD student Holger Russ and in collaboration with Prof. Nissim Benvenisty and Ori Bar-Nur from the Hebrew University, was recently published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

Choosing adult over embryo

Diabetes is caused by the destruction of pancreatic beta cells, and the idea of using stem cells as a method of correcting this deficiency in diabetic patients is nothing new. Embryonic stem cells have been the preferred choice, since they can be easily grown in the lab in almost unlimited numbers, and can form any cell type in the body.

"But turning them into pancreatic beta cells is not an easy task," says Prof. Efrat, who notes that the process has remained inefficient despite a long struggle for improvement. Instead, he was inspired to test the efficiency of pluripotent stem cells that were derived from adult insulin-producing cells themselves.

"When generated from human beta cells, pluriponent stem cells maintain a 'memory' of their origins, in the proteins bound to their genes," says Prof. Efrat. As though receiving a prompt from their past life, the cells already have some understanding of their purpose, making them more efficient in generating beta cells.

Avoiding the transplant list

Today, diabetics can opt for an organ transplant to replace damaged pancreatic beta cells, but that is a long and arduous road, limited by a shortage of organ donors, and patients can wait years. Currently, Prof. Efrat notes, the ratio of donors to potential recipients is about one to 1,000. A better option is sorely needed, and stem cells present a viable hope for the future.

The discovery made by Prof. Efrat and his fellow researchers was licensed to a start-up company that promotes the research and development of technology of innovative treatments for diabetes.

Source:
George Hunka
American Friends of Tel Aviv University

Stem Cells Restore Cognitive Abilities Impaired By Brain Cancer Treatment

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 09:16:00 +0000

Human neural stem cells are capable of helping people regain learning and memory abilities lost due to radiation treatment for brain tumors, a UC Irvine study suggests.

Research with rats found that stem cells transplanted two days after cranial irradiation restored cognitive function, as measured in one- and four-month assessments. In contrast, irradiated rats not treated with stem cells showed no cognitive improvement.

"Our findings provide solid evidence that such cells can be used to reverse radiation-induced damage of healthy tissue in the brain," said Charles Limoli, a UCI radiation oncology professor.

Study results appear in the July 15 issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Radiotherapy for brain tumors is limited by how well the surrounding tissue tolerates it. Patients receiving radiation at effective levels suffer varying degrees of learning and memory loss that can adversely affect their quality of life.

"In almost every instance, people experience severe cognitive impairment that's progressive and debilitating," Limoli said. "Pediatric cancer patients can experience a drop of up to three IQ points per year."

For the UCI study, multipotent human neural stem cells were transplanted into the brains of rats that had undergone radiation treatment. They migrated throughout the hippocampus - a region known for the growth of new neurons - and developed into brain cells.

Researchers assessed the rats one month and four months after transplantation, noting enhanced learning and memory abilities at both intervals.

Additionally, they found that transplanting as few as 100,000 human neural stem cells was sufficient to improve cognition after cranial irradiation. Of cells surviving the process, about 15 percent turned into new neurons, while another 45 percent became astrocytes and oligodendrocytes - cells that support cerebral neurons.

Most notably, Limoli said, he and his colleagues discovered that about 11 percent of the engrafted cells expressed a behaviorally induced marker of learning, indicating the functional integration of those cells into memory circuits in the hippocampus.

"This research suggests that stem cell therapies may one day be implemented in the clinic to provide relief to patients suffering from cognitive impairments incurred as a result of their cancer treatments," Limoli said. "While much work remains, a clinical trial analyzing the safety of such approaches may be possible within a few years, most likely with patients afflicted with glioblastoma multiforme, a particularly aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer."

Munjal Acharya, Lori-Ann Christie, Mary Lan and Erich Giedzinski of UCI and John Fike and Susanna Rosi of UC San Francisco contributed to the study, which was funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Source:
Tom Vasich
University of California - Irvine

Clinical Trial Of New Stem Cell Therapy For Use In Patients Up To 19 Days After Stroke

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 03:16:00 +0000

The first Texas patient has been enrolled by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) in the country's first double-blind clinical trial studying the safety and efficacy of an innovative stem cell therapy that can be given up to 19 days after an ischemic stroke.

The Phase II study, cleared by the Federal Drug Administration, examines a regenerative therapy developed by Aldagen that uses a patient's own bone marrow stem cells. The therapy, called ALD-401, consists of stem cells that are identified using Aldagen's proprietary technology to isolate cells that express high levels of an enzyme that serve as a marker of stem cells. Studies found that these cells enhance recovery after stroke in mice. The cells are administered into the carotid artery.

"This represents a new approach using stem cells for stroke," said Sean Savitz, M.D., senior investigator for the multi-center study and associate professor of neurology at the UTHealth Medical School. "A major question in the field of stem cell research is whether we can extend the time window for administering stem cells. A longer window increases the number of patients that might be helped."

Preclinical research, including research at UTHealth, has suggested that stem cells can promote the repair of the brain after an ischemic stroke, which is caused by a blood clot in the brain. Stroke is a leading cause of disability and the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States, according to 2008 statistics reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Houston resident (who cannot be identified by name at this time because of the study design) received either placebo or ALD-401 on June 8 at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center after suffering a stroke May 23 while on a trip to California. Her stroke was caused by previously undiagnosed atrial fibrillation.

"We were waiting for our taxi at the hotel and I immediately couldn't talk and my husband said my face was drooping," said the 67-year-old cosmetics developer. "We were just three blocks from a major trauma center. I had an angel with me because if it had happened two hours later, I would have been on an airplane."

Once back in Houston, she was referred to Savitz' study by Erin Furr-Stimming, M.D., UTHealth assistant professor of neurology, who treats her for Parkinson's disease.

While she doesn't know whether or not she received the stem cells in the double-blind study, she didn't hesitate to join the trial.

"I did a lot of research on stem cells online. I was very excited when I heard about the trial. I wanted to participate in the research for me, if possible, and for other people behind me," she said.

Savitz and his research team are studying other stem cell therapies for acute stroke, and these must be administered within a few days of the stroke. One of those, a safety and efficacy trial using a patient's own bone marrow stem cells administered intravenously, is funded by the National Institutes of Health. UTHealth researchers in the Department of Pediatric Surgery also are studying the use of stem cells for pediatric traumatic brain injury.

Savitz' team is working to enroll patients at other area hospitals and facilities into the study, something that is possible because the cells can be administered up to 19 days after a stroke. The trial, funded by Aldagen, will enroll a total of 100 patients with unilateral (one-sided) cortical ischemic strokes. For information, call 713-500-7183 or email jennifer.m.garrett

The Complexity Of Glue Molecule's Role In Cancer Revealed By Stem Cell Study

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 21:16:00 +0000

A protein molecule that 'glues' cells together and so has a key role in cancer is also responsible for many other important functions of cells, a new study has found.

University of Manchester scientists say their unexpected findings are important because they could lead to a better understanding of why some cancer cells are difficult to eradicate in patients and lead to new cancer treatments.

The research - published in PLoS One - looked at the role of the cell-adhesion molecule E-cadherin in embryonic stem (ES) cells. As well as the expected findings associated with changes in adhesion, the team found that the protein may also regulate up to 25% of the genes within cells.

"E-cadherin is a 'glue' that keeps cells together in the body - without it we would not develop beyond a bundle of cells a few days after conception," said Dr Chris Ward, who led the study in the University's School of Dentistry.

"E-cadherin is also important during cancer progression from benign to malignant states, with loss of this molecule leading to increased movement of the cells which can lead to secondary tumours within the body.

"Whilst E-cadherin has been studied intensively there has been no research that has identified all of the genes that E-cadherin regulates. Our lab has carried out profiling of ES cells lacking E-cadherin and found this protein is responsible for regulating up to 25% of the genes within cells.

"As well as the expected findings associated with changes in cell adhesion, we found that E-cadherin exerts an effect on a diverse range of biological functions within the cell. This unexpected result demonstrates that E-cadherin, often viewed as no more than a cell 'glue', is an important part of regulating the biology of ES cells."

The group found that E-cadherin regulates genes associated with, amongst other things, cell proliferation, cell death, metabolism of fats and sugars and the deciphering of messages received by cells from outside.

Since loss of E-cadherin is implicated in higher death rates in cancer patients and a more aggressive tumour type, the group has suggested that this molecule may have a much more important role to play in preventing tumour development.

Dr Ward added: "Essentially, abnormal regulation of E-cadherin can lead to a significant change in a cell and this may be one of the reasons why such cells are difficult to eradicate in cancer patients. Further investigation of specific changes in these cells may lead to the development of novel treatments for cancer."

Source:
Aeron Haworth
University of Manchester

A Basic Outline To Cope With Stress!

noreply@blogger.com (jaringan otak) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:33:00 +0000

Your ears might have heard countless number of times “do this… and get away from stress,” or, “do that…, and you will be totally relieved of stress,”turning you even more stressed out!!

…Stop scratching your head over what to be or what not to be done. I have compiled a definite set of action plan to cope with stress in life. I have tried it in the past and it really helped. In fact, I have used them time and again.

This might help you as well, simply read on.

1. Beware of your own warning signs. For, this could just be a sudden feeling of anxiety.

2. Consider what is really causing stress to you? You may be surprised to find the fact.

3. Think over what you could do to change the things. Find out how much of stress is indeed caused by you?

4. At times, due to excessive stress we fall into vicious trap of not eating properly and go to ill practices such as smoking and drinking to further worsen the situation. Instead, you should try and eat a balanced diet.

5. Eat complex carbohydrates rather than refined ones. This will really help you cope with mood swings.

6. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and keep sugar and salt intake low.

7. Drink plenty of water, it will rehydrate your body. Try to keep caffeine consumption to the minimum.

8. Avoid nicotine or any other self prescribed drug.

9. Don’t feel guilty about including a period of relaxation every day. We all need to turn off from time to time.

10. Do something that is creative and helps you relax. Say, listen music, do yoga, meditate, enjoy aromatherapy or any other stress busting exercise.

11. Learn to be more assertive and try to manage your time properly.

12. You can even consider attending a stress management training course.

13. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

These are certain steps that can truly help you cope with stress. It will work wonders for you. The choice is yours, if you wanna live with stress or acquire any of these good points to mar the stress out of your life.