Forget about cashstart banking your body. Using a technology that echoes science fiction movies, a French company is offering people a "bank" to store their own stem cells for years in a bet that those cells may be used to grow replacement organs and possibly save their lives someday. "It's a personal deposit of your cell," said Dr. Andr Choulika, CEO of the biotech company Cellectis, which is launching the stem-cell bank known as Scil this month. Given the rate of developments in stem-cell research and their potential for curbing health costs, Choulika thinks Scil's model of creating and storing stem cells one day will become so cheap that it will become mandatory for people with medical insurance. "This pace of science currently goes so fast, probably in a few years, less than 10 years, everyone will have their own cell backup, and it will be a requirement," said Choulika, whose company is named after the Gaelic word for "story," and is pronounced "sail" by Choulika. "We believe that regenerative medicine is the future," he said. In the present, though, it is anything but cheap. Scil's services cost $60,000, Choulika said, adding that it is "a one-time payment, for your … Continue reading →

It is important to know the causes and treatments for conditions such as sunburn, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, because symptoms can escalate to a possible life-threatening situation. One can reduce the severity of each condition, and may even save a life by simply being aware of the treatment necessary for heat illnesses. Sunburns are the result of overexposure to radiation from the sun. There are two types of radiation, which include long wave and short wave ultraviolent radiation. Long wave ultraviolent light is known as UVA, and short wave ultraviolet light is known as UVB. Both types of radiation can enter the atmosphere and cause skin conditions associated with sunburns, premature aging and skin cancer. UVB rays are the main cause of sunburn, while UVA rays are capable of reaching deep layers of the skin. Tanning beds may also be sources of UV rays. They can damage the skin over extended periods of time. Sunburns cause peoples skin appear red after they have experienced too much exposure to ultraviolent light emitted from the sun. Overexposure to ultraviolent light causes blood vessels to expand. Skin also responds with inflammation due to irritation from the sun. Redness usually appears … Continue reading →

They studied 24 stroke survivors with aphasia, 13 of whom were given 20 minutes of low-level brain stimulation using a hand-held magnetic coil. Eleven were given a sham treatment. Each patient then received 45 minutes of speech and language therapy, and the same regime was repeated daily for 10 days. On average, the patients who underwent the brain stimulation each day made 20 to 30 per cent more improvement, researchers reported in the Stroke journal. Dr Alexander Thiel, who led the study, said: "This is similar to physical rehabilitation where the unaffected limb is immobilised with a splint so that the patients must use the affected limb during the therapy session. "We are entering exciting times where we might be able in the near future to combine speech and language therapy with non-invasive brain stimulation earlier in the recovery. This could result in earlier and more efficient aphasia recovery and also have an economic impact." More: Brain stimulation helps stroke recovery … Continue reading →

ANN ARBOR (WWJ) Two University of Michigan clinician-scientists will receive three-year grants to pursue translational medical research aimed at helping patients with life-altering neurological disorders, the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute announced. Henry Paulson, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed a Taubman Scholar and will receive $150,000 per year for three years to pursue research into the causes and treatments of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimers disease. I am honored to be selected a Taubman Scholar, said Paulson. With this award, the talented scientists in my lab can accelerate our push toward therapies for currently untreatable degenerative brain disorders. Brad Foerster, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed a Taubman Emerging Scholar and will receive a grant of $50,000 per year for three years. He uses multiple advanced imaging techniques to study brain alterations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. I am thrilled to be selected as an Emerging Taubman Scholar, said Foerster. This award will allow me to study inflammatory changes in the brains of ALS patients and has the potential to reveal new opportunities for effective treatments. The Taubman Scholars program provides funding for selected senior UM Medical School clinicians who also are distinguished research scientists. Currently the institute funds eight … Continue reading →