Hma-Qubec has lowered the maximum age of those who can sign up to be stem-cell donors from 50 to 35, raising concerns among some people in minority ethnic communities that the policy will limit their chances of finding a match if they get certain forms of cancer. The organization that runs Quebec's blood and tissue bank made the change quietly last fall, only mentioning it in a newsletter it published in February. The director of Hma-Qubec's stem cell donor registry, Diane Roy, said transplant doctors generally prefer younger donors because their stem cells have an increased chance of survival for recipients. Plus, it costs nearly $500 to test each potential donor, which there's no point in spending on older donors if the doctors who are using the stem cells don't want them. Hma-Qubec also maintains that while in the rest of Canada, people can still register to be stem cell donors up to age 50, many European countries cut off registration at age 35. However, in France and Belgium, the maximum age is still 50, while in Britain it's 40. Hma-Qubec's new policy is already turning away potential donors of stem cells. Steve Bonspiel, a 36-year-old Mohawk man, attended a … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) A novel therapy in the early stages of development at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center shows promise in providing lasting protection against the progression of multiple myeloma following a stem cell transplant by making the cancer cells easier targets for the immune system. Outlined in the British Journal of Hematology, the Phase II clinical trial was led by Amir Toor, M.D., hematologist-oncologist in the Bone Marrow Transplant Program and research member of the Developmental Therapeutics program at VCU Massey Cancer Center. The multi-phased therapy first treats patients with a combination of the drugs azacitidine and lenalidomide. Azacitidine forces the cancer cells to express proteins called cancer testis antigens (CTA) that immune system cells called T-cell lymphocytes recognize as foreign. The lenalidomide then boosts the production of T-cell lymphocytes. Using a process called autologous lymphocyte infusion (ALI), the T-cell lymphocytes are then extracted from the patient and given back to them after they undergo a stem cell transplant to restore the stem cells' normal function. Now able to recognize the cancer cells as foreign, the T-cell lymphocytes can potentially protect against a recurrence of multiple myeloma following the stem cell transplant. "Every cell in the body … Continue reading →

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 1, 2012) - Oct. 3 marks International Stem Cell Awareness Day, a global celebration where leading scientists, researchers and supporters will acknowledge the scientific advances of stem cell research and its ability to potentially treat a variety of diseases and injuries in the 21st century. This dedicated community is committed to unlocking the potential of stem cells and has made significant strides since the discovery of a method to grow human stem cells less than 15 years ago. "This is a critical and historic time for stem cell research," said Peter Donovan, Ph.D., director, Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, UC Irvine. "We're literally on the brink of developing new treatments for some of the world's most devastating diseases and injuries. The act of simply raising awareness about this research is one of the best things people can do to help accelerate the process. This event is a great opportunity for everyone to help spread the word and build momentum through a timely mass effort." Scientists at UC Irvine and other research facilities around the globe continue to work diligently to develop therapies to treat life threatening and debilitating conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, … Continue reading →

Public release date: 1-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Elizabeth Streich estreich@columbia.edu 212-305-3689 Columbia University Medical Center An experimental treatment for blindness, developed from a patient's skin cells, improved the vision of blind mice in a study conducted by Columbia ophthalmologists and stem cell researchers. The findings suggest that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells which are derived from adult human skin cells but have embryonic properties could soon be used to restore vision in people with macular degeneration and other diseases that affect the eye's retina. "With eye diseases, I think we're getting close to a scenario where a patient's own skin cells are used to replace retina cells destroyed by disease or degeneration," says the study's principal investigator, Stephen Tsang, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology and pathology & cell biology. "It's often said that iPS transplantation will be important in the practice of medicine in some distant future, but our paper suggests the future is almost here." The advent of human iPS cells in 2007 was greeted with excitement from scientists who hailed the development as a way to avoid the ethical complications of embryonic stem cells and create patient-specific stem cells. Like embryonic stem cells, … Continue reading →

SALT LAKE CITY -- When Utah debuts a new Medicaid-funded program for children with autism, parents will have to compete for the limited number of slots for at-home services. The Utah Department of Health says it will open enrollment for 200 children Monday. Officials acknowledge Utah has thousands of children with autism, and they are preparing to hold a lottery to select a chosen few randomly. "We'll assign a certain number of openings to different geographic areas based on population," Health Department spokesman Tom Hudachko told The Salt Lake Tribune. "We want to make sure rural regions get their fair share." Another 50 children will be provided with at-home services through the Public Employees' Benefit and Insurance Program. That's an insurance plan for state workers. Legislators have created a third option for parents -- a state fund to accept private donations -- that could widen the coverage to 350 children. "This is so exciting," said Rep. Ronda Menlove, R-Garland, a sponsor of the efforts to help parents. "The federal government recognized that we are doing something innovative." Most health insurance plans in Utah don't cover comprehensive care for autism, leaving parents with few options. Menlove unsuccessfully sought earlier this year … Continue reading →

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 01, 2012 Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), the worlds largest provider of state-of-the-art, early intensive behavioral intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), announces The Help Group, considered the largest comprehensive non-profit organization serving the needs of individuals with autism spectrum and related disorders, will begin a 4-month pilot of Skills curriculum for 40 children with ASD, along with the CARD eLearning training in ABA to help maximize their treatment services for students on the autism spectrum. The Help Group offers a very comprehensive curriculum designed to meet the individual needs of its students. We are pleased to pilot CARDs innovative Skills program, said Pamela Clark, Director of The Help Groups Autism Schools. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in every 88 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with an ASD, making it more prevalent than juvenile diabetes, pediatric cancer and childhood AIDS combined. CARD develops and utilizes technology to increase access to training for professionals who work with individuals who have been diagnosed with ASD. Skills offers the first and only ABA-based comprehensive social skills, social cognition, and executive functions curricula available. Its also one of … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) Just six months of exercise can improve memory, language, thinking and judgment problems by almost 50 per cent, says a study presented October 1 at the Canadian Stroke Congress. Toronto researchers found that the proportion of stroke patients with at least mild cognitive impairment dropped from 66 per cent to 37 per cent during a research study on the impact of exercise on the brain. "People who have cognitive deficits after stroke have a threefold risk of mortality, and they're more likely to be institutionalized," says lead researcher Susan Marzolini of the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. "If we can improve cognition through exercise, which also has many physical benefits, then this should become a standard of care for people following stroke." Forty-one patients, of whom 70 per cent had mild to moderate walking problems requiring a cane or walker, followed an adapted aerobic and strength/resistance training program five days a week. Exercises designed to imitate daily life included walking, lifting weights and doing squats. The research team found "significant improvements" in overall brain function at the conclusion of the program, with the most improvement in attention, concentration, planning and organizing. Muscular strength and walking ability also increased. … Continue reading →

Public release date: 1-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Cathy Campbell cathy@canadianstrokenetwork.ca 613-852-2303 Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada When it comes to stroke rehabilitation, it takes a dedicated team to help a person regain as much independence as possible: physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, recreation therapists, caregivers and others. Now, a University of Calgary research team has added a robot to help identify and customize post-stroke therapy. Rehabilitation robots improve detection of post-stroke impairments and can enhance the type and intensity of therapy required for recovery, according to a study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress. Researchers studied 185 subjects -- 87 recovering from stroke and 98 people unaffected by stroke -- and found that tests using a robot better measure patients' sense of limb position, speed and direction of limb movement. Patients were assessed approximately 15 days after stroke. "For years, therapists have known that limb awareness is very important to predicting a person's outcomes after stroke. Yet we have never before been able to quantify it," says lead researcher Dr. Sean Dukelow. "Identifying these deficits opens the door to the next step: how do we treat it?" Until now, rehabilitation experts have … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) Medical residents training to work in the emergency department need more formal stroke training, says a study presented October 1 at the Canadian Stroke Congress, noting that, as the first point of contact in stroke care, they see nearly 100 per cent of stroke patients taken to hospital. Researchers surveyed 20 emergency medicine residency programs across Canada and found that very limited lecture time and mandatory on-the-job training are devoted to stroke and neurological care. Only two of 20 emergency medicine residency programs required on-the-job training in stroke neurology. The major benefits of on-the-job training are more practical experience with stroke and more thorough training by specialists in the field. "The treatment of stroke and TIA -- transient ischemic attack or 'mini-stroke' -- has changed dramatically over the last 15 years," says Dr. Devin Harris, lead researcher of the study and staff emergency physician at St Paul's Hospital in Vancouver. "We need to meet these challenges." He recommends that emergency residency programs include more stroke training to match the prevalence of stroke and the growing number of time-sensitive treatments. Without supplementary training in stroke, emergency physicians may take longer to diagnose stroke and administer clot-dissolving drugs. … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) Most people are completely unaware of one of stroke's most common, debilitating but invisible impairments, according to the first awareness survey of its kind in Canada released October 1 at the Canadian Stroke Congress. Thirty community volunteers trained by the York-Durham Aphasia Centre, a March of Dimes Canada program, collaborated with researchers from two Ontario universities in a survey of 832 adults in southern Ontario. They found that only two per cent of respondents could correctly identify aphasia as a communication disorder affecting the ability to speak, understand, read or write. The survey team recommends a national education campaign to promote awareness of aphasia and to increase the availability of speech-language therapy, knowledge of supportive communication strategies, as well as long-term programs and services available to people who live with this chronic communication disability. "Aphasia is poorly understood," says neurologist Dr. Michael Hill, Co-Chair of the Canadian Stroke Congress. "The sudden loss of language after a stroke creates huge challenges for individuals and their families." As many as 100,000 Canadians are living with chronic aphasia. "About one third of all people who have strokes experience some degree of aphasia but despite this high prevalence, it just … Continue reading →