Saturday, February 28, 2015 JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) A cannabis extract some parents believe may help treat seizures experienced by their children with epilepsy may be available in Missouri this fall. The Missouri Department of Agriculture last week issued permits for two companies to grow cannabis under a state law allowing some epilepsy patients to obtain an extract from cannabis plants, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune. The extract legalized in Missouri must have low amounts of the high-producing chemical tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and high amounts of cannabidiol, or CBD, which is the component parents believe helps ease seizures. The patients must register with the state with a doctors permission and must have attempted three other epilepsy treatments before turning to the cannabis product. Rep. Caleb Jones, who sponsored the measure last year, said its frustrating for the families who need treatment to have to wait. Some have moved to Colorado and other states where the CBD extract is available to get it for their children with epilepsy. Several lawmakers, including Jones, recently participated in a fundraiser for the Epilepsy Foundation. Going to an epilepsy dinner and seeing those parents talk about their children, how much they love them and … Continue reading →

B Lymphocytes as a Post-stroke Therapeutic Target At the International Stroke Conference in Nashville, Marion Buckwalter, MD, PhD, presented the results of a study looking at the link between B Lymphocytes a... By: HCPLiveTV … Continue reading →

In the new treatment, specialists use a high dose of chemotherapy to knock out the immune system before rebuilding it with stem cells taken from the patients own blood. Stem cells are so effective because they can become any cell in the body based on their environment. "Since we started treating patients three years ago, some of the results we have seen have been miraculous," Professor Basil Sharrack, a consultant neurologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, told The Sunday Times. "This is not a word I would use lightly, but we have seen profound neurological improvements." During the treatment, the patient's stem cells are harvested and stored. Then doctors use aggressive drugs which are usually given to cancer patients to completely destroy the immune system. The harvested stem cells are then infused back into the body where they start to grow new red and white blood cells within just two weeks. Within a month the immune system is back up and running fully and that is when patients begin to notice that they are recovering. Holly Drewry, 25, of Sheffield, was wheelchair bound after the birth of her daughter Isla, now two. But she claims the new treatment … Continue reading →

Published: Sunday, 3/1/2015 - Updated: 1 minute ago BY MARLENEHARRIS-TAYLOR BLADE STAFF WRITER Hockey legend Gordie Howes star power is raising awareness in the United States and Canada about advances in stem-cell therapies as he continues what is being called a miraculous recovery from a massive stroke. Those closest to him, including his son, Toledo radiologist Dr. Murray Howe, are convinced the former Detroit Red Wings player would have died if he had not traveled to a medical clinic in Tijuana, Mexico, for an experimental stem-cell treatment not yet available in the United States. After a debilitating stroke on Oct. 26, Mr. Howe, 86, had a few weeks of slight recovery, but then his health went downhill quickly, said Dr. Howe, director of sports medicine imaging for ProMedica Toledo Hospital. The family had started preparing for his funeral. But that all turned around after he had the adult stem-cell treatment on Dec. 8. If you saw him now, you wouldnt know he had a stroke, Dr. Howe said. Its been wonderful. Every day I would say hes a little bit better, and there are little hints of improvement. Certainly in the first month, every day his strength, coordination, and balance … Continue reading →