MONDAY, Aug. 4, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Could stem cell injections help rejuvenate your face or body? Probably not, plastic surgery experts say, but ads for these types of bogus procedures abound on the Internet. "Stem cells offer tremendous potential, but the marketplace is saturated with unsubstantiated and sometimes fraudulent claims that may place patients at risk," a team led by Dr. Michael Longaker, of Stanford University Medical Center, wrote in a review published in the August issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The experts say consumers need to be wary of advertisements promoting the benefits of "minimally invasive, stem cell-based rejuvenation procedures." Claims for stem cell procedures for facelifts, breast augmentation and vaginal rejuvenation are not only unsubstantiated, but also risky, Longaker's team said. They note that, to date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved only one cosmetic stem cell procedure designed to treat fine facial wrinkles. And since that single procedure was approved, the product involved has been monitored extensively. Overall, cosmetic stem cell procedures have not undergone significant scientific scrutiny, the Stanford team said. The risks associated with stem cell and tissue processing have not been closely examined. The effects of aging on stem cells … Continue reading →

MONDAY, Aug. 4, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Could stem cell injections help rejuvenate your face or body? Probably not, plastic surgery experts say, but ads for these types of bogus procedures abound on the Internet. "Stem cells offer tremendous potential, but the marketplace is saturated with unsubstantiated and sometimes fraudulent claims that may place patients at risk," a team led by Dr. Michael Longaker, of Stanford University Medical Center, wrote in a review published in the August issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. The experts say consumers need to be wary of advertisements promoting the benefits of "minimally invasive, stem cell-based rejuvenation procedures." Claims for stem cell procedures for facelifts, breast augmentation and vaginal rejuvenation are not only unsubstantiated, but also risky, Longaker's team said. They note that, to date, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved only one cosmetic stem cell procedure designed to treat fine facial wrinkles. And since that single procedure was approved, the product involved has been monitored extensively. Overall, cosmetic stem cell procedures have not undergone significant scientific scrutiny, the Stanford team said. The risks associated with stem cell and tissue processing have not been closely examined. The effects of aging on stem cells … Continue reading →

Gary Valenciano. File Photo. MANILA Veteran singer and concert performer Gary Valenciano is set to undergo a stem cell therapy so he could continue dancing. In an interview with entertainment site Push, Valenciano said the treatment is primarily for his knees. Kasi medyo masakit na talaga siya. I have hardly any cartilage left. Yung meniscus ko has multiple tears and it has been like this for years so Im going through a procedure na sana mag-regenerate yung cartilage ko, he said. Because of this, Valenciano said he will take a short break from his showbiz commitments. "Ill give myself a little time na mawala yung pain and then hataw ulit. Kasi hindi ko talaga mapigilan yung sarili ko eh. Even if sinasabi ko na sa sarili ko na Tama na, tama na hindi eh," he said. Valenciano, who just staged the repeat of his concert "Arise" at the SM Mall of Asia Arena last weekend, also explained why he no longer holds concerts as often as before. "I slowed down na kasi if you watched my past concerts yun yung talagang pure energy ang thrust ko eh. Yun ang ginawa ko ngayon, he said. Ayaw ko kasi yung manood yung … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 4-Aug-2014 Contact: Jamie Brown jamie.brown@liverpool.ac.uk 44-151-794-2248 University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool has been awarded 2 million to become a leading centre in the UK for tracking the fate in the body of materials used in breakthrough medicines. Researchers will be using radioactive labelling to find out where key materials used in nanomedicines go once the medicines have entered the body. Nanomedicines are a relatively new class of therapy which can deliver small quantities of a drug in a targeted way to the affected part of the body. Unlike traditional therapies, nanomedicines are formulated to use lower quantities, with the potential for cost savings, fewer side-effects and more rapid treatment of disease. Part of nanomedicine formulations involve the use of polymers or other materials which help the drug reach its target, but until now there has been little research into where the carrier materials accumulate, despite them often making up over half of the mass of the medicine. The Liverpool Radiomaterials Chemistry Laboratory at the University will 'tag' parts of the medicines by making some of them harmlessly radioactive and then monitor how they move around the body once drugs are administered. The process of making … Continue reading →