Failure to legislate will hurt research Tuesday, January 28, 2014 Even though stem cell manufacture has just been licensed in this country, the Governments ongoing failure to legislate in this area means pharmaceutical giants will still be wary of investing here, according to an expert in stem cell therapy. CCMI General Manager Andrew Finnerty, CCMI Director Tim O'Brien, Minister Sean Sherlock and President of NUI Galway Dr. James Browne. Photograph by Aengus McMahon Once the stem cells are harvested from the bone marrow of adult donors, they are grown in the Galway laboratory to generate sufficient quantities. The first clinical trial using these stem cells is being funded by the Health Research Board and Science Foundation Ireland and will investigate the safety of using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from bone marrow for the treatment of critical limb ischemia, a complication associated with diabetes which can lead to limb amputation. John ODea of the Irish Medical Devices Association (IMDA) said the centre was a key step. I look forward to seeing its continued growth to assist in developing the skill sets and techniques that will be needed to embrace the new manufacturing opportunities that this exciting area will bring, he … Continue reading →

Q&A - Stem cells could offer treatment for a myriad of diseases Tuesday, January 28, 2014 Q.What are stem cells? Stem cells are different however as they are at an earlier stage in cell development and this means they can make more cells and transform into different cell types such as a skin stem cell can make all the different types of skin cells. Q. And there are two types? A.Yes. There are two types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells can generate all cells of the human body. Adult stem calls generate a more limited number of human cell types. Q.Why are stem cells so important? A.For many years, adult stem cells have been used to treat rare blood and certain cancers. However, adult stem cells cant generate all cell types. For example, scientists say there doesnt appear to be an adult stem cell that can make insulin- secreting cells of the pancreas. Embryonic stem cells can, however, as they can generate all cell types and the aim of scientists is to use these embryonic cells to generate healthy tissue to replace cells compromised by disease. This means that embryonic cells are … Continue reading →

January 28, 2014 Ranjini Raghunath for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online Cancer treatment through chemotherapy, radiation or stem cell therapies can be physically and mentally exhausting for patients, especially younger ones. Many factors can help them feel positive about themselves and their treatment, including spiritual practices, supportive home environments and strong social connections with friends, family and physicians. Now, a new study shows that making music videos and writing song lyrics may also help young cancer patients better cope with their treatment. Researchers at the Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis, carried out the music therapy intervention study, which was published online in the journal Cancer. 113 young patients aged 11-24 undergoing stem cell transplants for cancer were selected randomly for the study. Half of them were given audiobooks (the control group) and the other half were given three weeks to write down song lyrics, collect images and record music videos. Patients in the second (test) group went through six training sessions each with a music therapist, who helped them identify and write about what was important to them, and guided them in creating the videos. It really targeted them writing, having an opportunity to write about whats important to them, … Continue reading →

A staged approach to epilepsy surgery -- with invasive brain monitoring followed by surgery in a single hospital stay -- is a safe and beneficial approach to treatment for complex cases of epilepsy in children, reports the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. "Staged epilepsy surgery with invasive electrode monitoring is safe in children with poorly localized medically refractory epilepsy," write Drs. Jonathan Roth and Howard Weiner of NYU Langone Medical Center, New York City, New York. Their 13-year review suggests that complication rates decrease further as surgeons gain experience with staged epilepsy surgery. Staged Surgery for the Most Complex Cases of Childhood Epilepsy From 1996 to 2009, the researchers performed staged surgery in 161 children with refractory epilepsy that could not be controlled with anti-seizure medications. The children averaged about seven years old. Most had "multifocal" epilepsy originating from more than one area of the brain, often related to a genetic condition called tuberous sclerosis complex. In the staged approach, children underwent two or more surgical procedures for epilepsy during one hospital admission. The first step was invasive … Continue reading →

Jan. 27, 2014 By JACK BOGACZYK HERDZONE.COM COLUMNIST HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Tom Herrion has a cause. It's about much, much more than winning or losing a basketball game. The Marshall coach and his close personal and professional friend, Towson Coach Pat Skerry, are taking their first organized steps in the fight against autism. It's a condition that afflicts their sons, Robert Herrion and Owen Skerry. The two coaches are taking the cause to a powerful lobby - the men's college basketball coaching community - in hopes of raising awareness about the condition. Autism is the result of a neurological disorder and impacts the development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. The condition, according to Autism Speaks Inc., is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental influences and can occur with no family history. Other Notes: Read the rest here: M. Basketball. BOGACZYK: Coaches Lining Up with Herrion in Autism Awareness … Continue reading →

For patients who have experienced a large stroke that cuts off blood supply to a large part of the brain, the use of standardized medical management protocol and surgery to decompress swelling can improve life expectancy, Mayo Clinic researchers found in a recent study. The medical protocol provided each patient with consistent procedures for airway management, ventilator settings, blood pressure control, fluid and electrolyte management, gastrointestinal and nutritional management, hematologic monitoring and management, intracranial pressure monitoring, sedation, use of medication, anticonvulsants, prevention against deep-vein thrombosis and rehabilitation. Surgery involved removing a large portion of the skull over the area of the stroke to provide extra room for the brain swelling. This reduced pressure in the head and risk of death. For surviving patients, the piece of skull was replaced via a second surgery after the brain swelling had resolved. "We discovered who -- out of this patient group -- was most at risk for mortality. We also determined that by using a standardized medical protocol -- in other words, treating every patient in the exact same way and preparing for each issue we may encounter -- we were able to reduce patient mortality by about 50 percent," says Douglas Chyatte, … Continue reading →

Stroke rehabilitation researchers at Kessler Foundation report an association between acute, severe spatial neglect post stroke and long-term recovery of mobility. This new study indicates that severity of spatial neglect during the acute inpatient rehabilitation for right brain stroke may predict functional mobility in the community after discharge. The article, "Severity of spatial neglect during acute inpatient rehabilitation predicts community mobility post stroke," was epublished ahead of print in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation on January 9, 2014. The authors are Mooyeon Oh-Park, MD, and Peii Chen, PhD, of Kessler Foundation, Cynthia Hung, MD, of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, and A.M. Barrett, MD, director of Stroke Rehabilitation Research at Kessler Foundation, and chief of Neurorehabilitation Program Innovation at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation. Drs. Barrett, Chen and Oh-Park have faculty appointments at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Spatial neglect is a disabling disorder of functional vision that often complicates recovery after right brain stroke," observed Dr. Oh-Park. "This study shows that there may be implications for physical, as well as cognitive, rehabilitation in patients who exhibit severe spatial neglect during acute inpatient rehabilitation." The research team looked at whether stroke survivors with more severe spatial neglect during their acute inpatient rehabilitation … Continue reading →