The toddler, Celeste Carrer, suffers from muscular atrophy or progressive muscle wastage. In the past 18 months she has had several injections of stem cells taken from the bone marrow of her mother Elisabetta that reportedly enabled to her to move her head, arms and legs after near paralysis. The treatments were carried out by paediatrician Dr Mario Andolina at Brescia Hospital in Italy's north in conjunction with the Stamina Foundation, a non-profit organisation established in 2009 to promote stem cell research. However the child's treatment was stopped in May after Turin prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello launched an investigation into medical staff at the non-profit foundation. Police raided the hospital's laboratories while agents from the Agenzia del Farmaco, the national drug agency, blocked the "collection, transport, manipulation, cultivation, storage and administration of human cells" at the hospital and foundation. "The block on Brescia will unfortunately cause the death of several patients," said Dr Andolina."The therapy annoys people because the stem cell treatment is practically free apart from a bone marrow extraction from relatives. Traditional cures on the other hand cost thousands of euros." Elisabetta Carrer and her husband won legal approval in January 2011 to begin their child's transplants and are … Continue reading →

The toddler, Celeste Carrer, suffers from muscular atrophy or progressive muscle wastage. In the past 18 months she has had several injections of stem cells taken from the bone marrow of her mother Elisabetta that reportedly enabled to her to move her head, arms and legs after near paralysis. The treatments were carried out by paediatrician Dr Mario Andolina at Brescia Hospital in Italy's north in conjunction with the Stamina Foundation, a non-profit organisation established in 2009 to promote stem cell research. However the child's treatment was stopped in May after Turin prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello launched an investigation into medical staff at the non-profit foundation. Police raided the hospital's laboratories while agents from the Agenzia del Farmaco, the national drug agency, blocked the "collection, transport, manipulation, cultivation, storage and administration of human cells" at the hospital and foundation. "The block on Brescia will unfortunately cause the death of several patients," said Dr Andolina."The therapy annoys people because the stem cell treatment is practically free apart from a bone marrow extraction from relatives. Traditional cures on the other hand cost thousands of euros." Elisabetta Carrer and her husband won legal approval in January 2011 to begin their child's transplants and are … Continue reading →

American Jimmy Walker fired a bogey-free eight-under par 62 on Friday to seize a one-stroke lead in the second round of the storm-interrupted US PGA Wyndham Championship. Walker stood on 12-under 128 through 36 holes, one stroke ahead of reigning US Open champion Webb Simpson of the United States, the defending tournament champion who fired a 63. Spain's Sergio Garcia, Sweden's Carl Pettersson, American Harrison English and South Africa's Tim Clark shared third on 130 but players were scattered across the course, all with six holes or fewer to complete. Walker birdied the second and third holes and closed the front nine with back-to-back birdies as well. He birdied the 11th and then charged in with birdies at the par-5 15th, par-3 16th and par-4 17th to grab the lead. "It was pretty boring-looking golf -- not a lot of drivers, not a lot of 3-woods," Walker said. "There's a lot of 5-woods and some irons, and it's just kind of placement around the golf course." Walker, 33, is seeking his first PGA title. He had three top-10 finishes in his first six tournaments of the season but suffered a left knee injury and skipped the US Open for treatment … Continue reading →

Respond to early signs of heat stroke / 19 August 2012 With daytime summer temperatures approaching 50 degree Celsius, residents have become extremely susceptible to heat stroke, and hospitals have voiced their concern at the spiralling number of cases. Compounding the problem is the fact that most people are not aware of the early warning symptoms of heat strokes, resulting in delayed diagnosis and complications. A renowned medical expert, Dr Kadry Barry, Specialist in Internal Medicine from Saudi German Hospital-Dubai, corrected a common misconception: Most people assume that extreme heat only causes sunburn or skin cancer. But the reality is that if neglected, this condition can cause catastrophic damage to the brain, kidney, liver and muscles. On the down side, the complications can be life-long and life-threatening. But if people learn the symptoms and seek early treatment, they can feel an improvement within an hour. Heat stroke is medically categorised as a heat-related condition that deteriorates from heat cramps to heat exhaustion and eventually heat stroke. Preliminary symptoms of heat exhaustion include profuse sweating, feverish flushed skin, fatigue, nausea, rapid pulse, blackouts, confusion and dark-coloured urine. Dr Barry added that certain population demographics are more vulnerable than others: What makes … Continue reading →

U.S. Sens. Mark Pryor and John Boozman helped unveil new cancer research labs at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences on Friday. Located on the ninth and 11th floors of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the space features research labs designed with an open floor plan to promote collaboration and interaction among scientists. The opening of the new space results in an additional 33,660 net square feet of research space at the Cancer Institute, Arkansas' only academic cancer research center. According to UAMS officials, research labs on the ninth floor will be devoted to research on "liquid cancers" such as multiple myeloma, leukemia and lymphoma and also house a proteomics facility, where scientists study proteins and how they can lead to "personalized" medicine. Orthopaedic oncology and the Center for Orthopaedic Research already occupy previously constructed space on the ninth floor. The 11th floor labs will be dedicated to solid tumors, including brain, skin, breast and cervical cancers. The metabolomics and nanomedicine shared facilities also can be found on this floor. Metabolomics is the study of the small molecules in biological systems such as tumors. "Research is the key to understanding why cancer develops and in finding new, … Continue reading →