Public release date: 21-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Maggie Francis Maggie.Francis@heart.org 214-706-1382 American Heart Association In the first human study of its kind, researchers activated heart failure patients' stem cells with gene therapy to improve their symptoms, heart function and quality of life, according to a study in the American Heart Association journal Circulation Research. Researchers delivered a gene that encodes a factor called SDF-1 to activate stem cells like a "homing" signal. The study is unique because researchers introduced the "homing" factor to draw stem cells to the site of injury and enhance the body's stem cell-based repair process. Generally, researchers extract and expand the number of cells, then deliver them back to the subject. "We believe stem cells are always trying to repair tissue, but they don't do it well not because we lack stem cells but, rather, the signals that regulate our stem cells are impaired," said Marc S. Penn, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Research at Summa Cardiovascular Institute in Akron, Ohio, and lead author and professor of medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University in Rootstown, Ohio. SDF-1 is a naturally occurring protein, secreted by cells, that guides the movement of other cells. Previous … Continue reading →

Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles partners with California School Nurses Organization to bring critical epilepsy education to school nurses San Diego, CA (PRWEB) February 20, 2013 The sessions provided an opportunity to learn about the basics of epilepsy/seizures, seizure first aid and safety, current treatments, and the impact of epilepsy and/or treatments on learning, behavior and mental health. Videos of the more common types of seizures experienced by students were shown so school nurses would be better able to recognize seizures. There were also updates on Diastat in the school, and best practices around developing seizure action plans and the key elements for training teachers and other school personnel. A childs only job is to learn. Susan Pietsch-Escueta, Executive Director of the Epilepsy Greater Los Angeles emphasized during her opening remarks and later expanded on this to say that, school nurses have an important role in helping to ensure the students safety and well-being in order to optimize their learning experience. Partnering to improve the safety and well-being of students with epilepsy in California included: Dr. Sonya Wang, an assistant professor of neuroscience at UC San Diego and pediatric neurologist at Rady Childrens Hospital, gave an overview on Students … Continue reading →

Emma Guitard, and her father J.D. play together on an iPad Six-year-old Emma Guitard loves the color pink, the "Backyardigans" cartoon show, and her family. "She is a sweetheart. She is so loving," says her mother, Christy Guitard. "She will give you a smile, a hug, and a kiss." Guitard says her daughter is also a hard worker when it comes to her treatment. Emma started showing signs of autism around the time she turned a year old, and doctors diagnosed her soon after. Non-verbal, and requiring help with many daily tasks, Guitard says Emma falls on the more severe end of the autism spectrum. Doctors instructed Guitard to have her daughter in therapy at least 40 hours each week. The family soon learned how much that would cost them. "I was very shocked to find out that our insurance, which is a very good insurance plan through my husband's work, but it did not provide any coverage at all for autism," Guitard said. She says her family is covered under Blue Cross, Blue Shield. She says the plan will allow Emma 30 combined speech and occupational therapy visits per year, far less than the doctor's order. That help comes … Continue reading →