Dog receives stem cell therapy In recent years, Kumba, a 13-year-old rottweiler mix, and beloved pet, had been living a life in pain. "Kumba had a lot of problems with his back legs; both his hips and his knees were affected by really severe arthritis and he was having a hard time getting up and down and his quality of life was really being affected," said Dr. Cristina Miliaresis, who is a veterinarian at Surf Paws Veterinary Hospital in Hawaii Kai. Reports show it's a painful problem affecting up to 40 percent of the 164 million cats and dogs in the United States. "When we heard about the therapy, it was an option for us and for Kumba to live a better quality of life," said Kumbas owner Rumi Hospedar. In June, veterinarians took fat tissue from Kumba's shoulder, separated the stem cells, then injected it back into his ailing joints. In the past, veterinarians had to send tissue to the mainland, but a company called MediVet provided the equipment to do it all in clinic. "He came back today so we could check up on him and see how he's doing," said Dr. Miliaresis. She said most of their … Continue reading →

Public release date: 6-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Sally Stewart Sally.stewart@cshs.org 310-248-6566 Cedars-Sinai Medical Center LOS ANGELES Sept. 6, 2012 A team of Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute stem cell researchers today was awarded a $1.3 million grant from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine to continue study of an experimental stem cell therapy that treats heart attack patients with heart-derived cells. Earlier this year, data from the first clinical trial of the stem cell treatment showed the therapy helped damaged hearts regrow healthy muscle. To date, this cell therapy, developed by Eduardo Marbn, MD, PhD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and Mark S. Siegel Family Professor, is the only treatment shown to regenerate the injured human heart. In this therapy, human heart tissue is used to grow specialized heart stem cells, which then are injected back into the patient's heart. The new research will focus on understanding the cellular mechanisms that have produced favorable outcomes. "We have seen encouraging results in patients with this treatment, and it has the potential to revolutionize how we treat heart attack patients," Marbn said. "This further study will allow us to better understand how it works, which we hope will lead … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Sep. 6, 2012) An international team of researchers, led by scientists at the University of California, San Diego and Yale University schools of medicine, have identified a form of autism with epilepsy that may potentially be treatable with a common nutritional supplement. The findings are published in the Sept. 6, 2012 online issue of Science. Roughly one-quarter of patients with autism also suffer from epilepsy, a brain disorder characterized by repeated seizures or convulsions over time. The causes of the epilepsy are multiple and largely unknown. Using a technique called exome sequencing, the UC San Diego and Yale scientists found that a gene mutation present in some patients with autism speeds up metabolism of certain amino acids. These patients also suffer from epileptic seizures. The discovery may help physicians diagnose this particular form of autism earlier and treat sooner. The researchers focused on a specific type of amino acid known as branched chain amino acids or BCAAs. BCAAs are not produced naturally in the human body and must be acquired through diet. During periods of starvation, humans have evolved a means to turn off the metabolism of these amino acids. It is this ability to shut down that metabolic … Continue reading →

Researchers may have discovered a potential treatment for a rare form of autism marked by epileptic seizures a simple nutritional supplement. In a recent international study, a team of scientists from the University of California, San Diego and Yale University schools of medicine have identified a genetic mutation in certain patients suffering from this unique type of autism. After performing what is known as exome sequencing a type of selective genome sequencing the team found that these patients speed up the metabolism of specific amino acids called branched chain amino acids, or BCAAs. According to Autism Speaks, approximately one-third of those suffering from autism also suffer from epilepsy, a neurological disorder marked by periods of seizure or convulsion. The discovery could lead to better understanding of the mechanisms behind autism and epilepsy, as well as lead to ways to treat the condition sooner. After recognizing this deficiency in BCAAs, the researchers thought that a large supplement of amino acids would help to compensate for their faster metabolisms. These are amino acids we cant produce in our bodies, Gaia Novarino, a staff scientist in the UCSD Department of Neurosciences and the studys first author, told FoxNews.com. So we have to take … Continue reading →

by Saiful Bahari, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on September 7, 2012, Friday CONGRATULATIONS: Fatimah (centre) presenting a certificate of achievement to one of the patients who attended the session at the centre as Azerina (second left), Empiang (left) and an unidentified person look on. Photo by Chimon Upon KUCHING: There is a need to educate the rural community on stroke and its threats, symptoms and the importance of getting proper treatment and rehabilitation. Women, Welfare and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, who pointed this out, said there were many cases of people in the rural areas, especially senior citizens, refusing to go for treatment or rehabilitation due to the belief that doing so would make matters worse. Some of those in the rural were not well informed of the medical conditions or complications, and they had the perception that by going for treatment in hospitals, the condition will worsen, said Fatimah, who pointed out that some still hung to the belief that there was no necessity to seek medical treatment in hospitals. This mentality, according to her, needed to be changed as some cases, especially those in the early stages, could be cured. She was speaking at the Hari Raya Ramah … Continue reading →