Sponsored haircut will help two charities 4:33pm Tuesday 26th February 2013 in News By Julia Breen A CLEVELAND police worker had her hair cut off to help send a schoolgirl to the US for life-changing treatment. Helen Barron, 29, a police community support officer in Hartlepool, had 15 inches of blonde hair chopped off and donated to the Little Princess Trust at the Inspiration Hair Salon in the town today (Tuesday, February 26). The hair will be used to make real-hair wigs for children across the UK and Ireland who have lost their own hair due to cancer treatment. She is also raising money for the Jailed 4 Georgia fund, which is raising cash to send Hartlepool schoolgirl Georgia Hart overseas for clinical trials after she was diagnosed with rare, debilitating condition Freidreichs Ataxia. The 16-year-old needs 30,000 to get her to the USA for treatment, where more is known about the progressive illness, which damages the central nervous system. The incurable illness, which affects just one in 50,000 people, has left Georgia with curvature of the spine, fatigue and on daily medication to prevent heart disease. Mrs Barron said: People keep asking me why I would want to cut … Continue reading →

By JEROME R. STOCKFISCH | Tribune staff Published: February 26, 2013 Updated: February 26, 2013 - 5:00 AM In a development that could potentially benefit millions suffering from heart failure, a research team headed by a University of South Florida doctor has identified a genetic signature that can predict which heart patients might be saved from fatal arrhythmias. Dr. Stephen Liggett found that patients with a certain genetic variant in their DNA sequence, who are treated with a specific beta-blocker, had a better-than-50-percent reduction in sudden death or the development of fatal heart rhythms. Since that genetic variant is present in roughly half of all heart failure patients, "this presents a way to get the right drug to a substantial number of patients," Liggett said. About 5 million people in the United States have heart failure, a disease in which the pumping function of the heart is reduced and not enough oxygenated blood is supplied to the body. The heart is also enlarged and has abnormal electrical activity, leading to sudden death due to unstable heart rhythms. Liggett's research exemplifies USF Health's push toward personalized medicine, or understanding how an individual's genotype can lead to specific therapies. Liggett was lured … Continue reading →

ABC News recently reported on the societal implications of a pre-implantation genetic diagnosis procedure now being allowed in Germany. This procedure is also available at the IVF New Jersey Fertility Center, which offers insight as to its benefits. (PRWEB) February 26, 2013 While pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is not practiced in many countries, it is a fairly common and frequently successful procedure in the United States. Its a type of prenatal genetic testing that is nonetheless innovative, providing valuable information for parents-to-be. By screening embryos for genetic abnormalities prior to the embryo attaching to the uterus, couples are increasing the chance of a successful pregnancy and decrease the risk of passing certain genetic diseases to their children. The list of more than 30 diseases that preimplantation genetic diagnosis/genetic testing can detect at IVF New Jersey is continually evolving, and includes the following: Adenosine deaminase deficiency, Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, Alpers Syndrome, Cystic fibrosis, Gauchers disease, Hemophilia A and B, Huntingtons disease, Muscular dystrophy (Duchenne and Becker), Sickle cell disease, Spinal muscular atrophy, Tay Sachs disease. At IVF New Jersey Fertility Center, the PGD procedure begins with in vitro fertilization (IVF), using hormones to stimulate the growth and recovery of multiple eggs from … Continue reading →

Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Retinal Stem Cell Therapy The problems of AMD and its potential treatment with Retinal Stem Cell Therapy BIO 1103 at UGA By: grayson3447 … Continue reading →