2 April 2012 Last updated at 07:16 ET By Hugh Schofield BBC News, Paris In many countries the standard way of treating autistic children is with behavioural therapy - stimulating and rewarding them to develop the skills they need to function in society - but France still puts its faith in psychoanalysis. And an increasing number of parents are now demanding change. For autism campaigners, it is one of the most serious health scandals of our times. How for decades France turned its back on the latest scientific thinking, and treated autism as a form of psychosis. How as a result tens of thousands of children were misdiagnosed - or not diagnosed at all - and consigned to lives of misery. And how to this day in its approach to autism, the French medical establishment continues to believe in the powers of psychiatry and psychoanalysis - long after the rest of the world has switched to alternative methods of treatment. "It is an out-and-out disgrace," according to Daniel Fasquelle, a member of parliament who campaigns on the issue. Today everyone knows that autism is a neuro-developmental problem. It is not a psychosis or mental disorder "Every day I am contacted … Continue reading →

Public release date: 2-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Jeremy Moore Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org 215-446-7109 American Association for Cancer Research PHILADELPHIA -- Scientists may have discovered a new paradigm for immunotherapy against cancer by priming antibodies and T cells with cancer stem cells, according to a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. "This is a major breakthrough in immunotherapy research because we were able to use purified cancer stem cells to generate a vaccine, which strengthened the potency of antibodies and T cells that selectively targeted cancer stem cells," said Qiao Li, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the department of surgery at the University of Michigan. Cancer stem cells are tumor cells that remain present, and ultimately resistant, after chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Scientists disagree on whether these cells have unique properties, but those who support the uniqueness idea have argued that these cells regenerate the tumors that lead to relapse. Despite the similar name, cancer stem cells are distinct from embryonic stem cells, and the two avenues of research are separate. For the current study, Li and colleagues extracted cancer stem cells from two immunocompetent mouse models and used them … Continue reading →

Early in March 2012, 77-year-old Richard Poling entered a clinic in Bonita Springs, Fla., for a stem cell treatment to help with age-related heart and lung conditions. Poling, an avid golfer and family man from Indiana, had sought several conventional therapies to alleviate his suffering with unsatisfactory results and was desperate for a treatment that would allow him to enjoy the pleasures of life again. Shortly after receiving his alleged treatment, however, Poling went into cardiac arrest at the clinic and died. According to investigators, the alleged stem cell treatment Poling received was not approved by the FDA. According to multiple reports, the local cardiologist who conducted the treatment removed fat cells from Poling's abdomen and sent them to a lab that claimed to process and isolate adult stem cells from a patient's own fat. A few hours later, a second procedure was allegedly performed at the same clinic in which Poling had the stem cells injected back into his bloodstream for their regenerative properties. The entire process took one day, and during the hours between the procedures, Poling enjoyed lunch out with his family. Poling was the second patient to die under the same doctor's care in the last … Continue reading →