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U.S. FDA warns of injuries, deaths linked to 'liberation therapy' for multiple sclerosis

Posted: Published on May 10th, 2012

The FDA is warning health-care professionals and patients that injuries and death have been associated with the use of the experimental procedure. The therapy was devised by Italian physician Paolo Zamboni, who says MS is caused by vein blockages in the neck and upper chest that prevent blood from being drained from the brain. He says opening these veins with balloon angioplasty reverses symptoms of MS; Zamboni calls the vein blockages chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency or CCSVI. The FDA says studies exploring a link between MS and CCSVI are inconclusive, and the criteria used to diagnose CCSVI have not been adequately established. Scores of Canadians have travelled overseas to get the treatment; at least two Canadians are known to have died after undergoing the therapy. Dr. William Maisel, the chief scientist and deputy director for science in the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, says patients considering the treatment should discuss the pros and cons with a neurologist or other doctor familiar with MS and CCSVI. In a release, the FDA says it has learned of adverse events experienced by people who have undergone the treatment, including death, stroke, detachment and migration of stents that are sometimes used to … Continue reading →

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Melanoma genome sequencing reveals frequent PREX2 mutations

Posted: Published on May 10th, 2012

To gain a comprehensive view of the genomic landscape in human melanoma tumours, we sequenced the genomes of 25 metastatic melanomas and peripheral blood obtained from the same patients (Supplementary Table 1). Two tumours (ME015 and ME032) were metastases from cutaneous melanomas arising on glabrous (that is, hairless) skin of the extremities, representing the acral subtype. The other tumours were primarily metastases from melanomas originating on hair-bearing skin of the trunk (the most common clinical subtype). Further, ME009 represented a metastasis from a primary melanoma of a patient with a clinical history of chronic ultraviolet exposure. We obtained 59-fold mean haploid genome coverage for tumour DNA and 32-fold for normal DNA (Supplementary Table 2). On average, 78,775 somatic base substitutions per tumour were identified, consistent with prior reports3, 4 (Supplementary Table 3). This corresponded to an average mutation rate of 30 per Mb. However, the mutation rate varied by nearly two orders of magnitude across the 25 tumours (Fig. 1). The acral melanomas showed mutation rates comparable to other solid tumour types (3 and 14 mutations per Mb)5, 6, whereas melanomas from the trunk harboured substantially more mutations, in agreement with previous studies3, 7, 8. In particular, sample ME009 exhibited … Continue reading →

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Veterinary Q&A: Outdoor plants and your pets

Posted: Published on May 10th, 2012

Lilies are highly toxic to cats. It is safest to avoid all lilies -- both as cut flowers as part of a bouquet or as a garden plant. Dr. Denise Petryk, an emergency medicine vet and co-owner of the Animal Emergency Clinic / Puget Sound Veterinary Referral Center in Tacoma, answers this week's question. Answer: Spring in our Pacific Northwest is so beautiful. With a little careful planning, it is very easy to create a pet-safe garden. There are two main factors to consider when putting together our spring plantings: -- Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), pictured right -- vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, cardiac failure, death. -- Japanese Yew (Taxus cuspidata) -- tremors, difficulty breathing, vomiting, seizures, death. -- Jerusalem cherry (Solanum pseudocapsicum) -- vomiting, seizures, depression, trouble breathing. -- Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) -- vomiting, heart trouble, disorientation, coma, seizures. -- Lily (Lilium species) -- kidney failure in cats -- ALL parts of the plant, even in small amounts. -- Morning Glory (Ipomea sp.) -- vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, tremors, disorientation, ataxia, anorexia. -- Nightshade (Atropa belladonna) -- drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, depression, slow heart, weakness. More here: Veterinary Q&A: Outdoor plants and your pets … Continue reading →

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Testosterone Linked to Weight Loss in Obese Men

Posted: Published on May 10th, 2012

When Levels Were Low, Testosterone Replacement Led to Lost Weight, Smaller Waists May 9, 2012 -- Testosterone replacement may promote weight loss in obese older men who have low levels of the male sex hormone, a new study shows. But before men try to lose weight by bumping up their testosterone, experts agree that more studies are needed to show that the treatment is both safe and effective. Researchers followed a group of mostly older, overweight men receiving injections of the hormone for up to five years to treat erectile dysfunction and other symptoms associated with low testosterone. Their findings were presented at the 19th European Congress on Obesity in Lyon, France. The men who were treated the longest lost more than 30 pounds on average over the course of the study, and also showed improvements in blood pressure, blood glucose, and LDL (bad) cholesterol. Researcher Farid Saad, DVM, says the dramatic weight loss came as a surprise. "This study was not performed for the purpose of promoting weight loss," he tells WebMD. "This was an incidental finding that was entirely unexpected." The study included middle-aged and older overweight or obese men with low testosterone levels being treated with testosterone … Continue reading →

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Sweeping Transgender Bill of Rights Approved in Argentina [Equality For All]

Posted: Published on May 10th, 2012

By the unanimous consent of all voting lawmakers, Argentina yesterday approved a gender rights package that will allow all adult citizens to change their sex at will even without undergoing surgery or hormone replacement therapy. However, should a person opt to make physical changes to their appearance, those treatments will be fully covered by their health care providers, whether public or private. The vote came on a day of celebration for equal rights advocates in the US who have long waited for a sitting president to support the right of same-sex couples to marry. However, gender rights remain in the dark ages, comparitively, with many hoops transgender Americans must jump through in order to have their sex change legally recognized. "This law is going to enable many of us to have light, to come out of the darkness, to appear," openly gay Argentinian legislator Osvaldo Lopez is quoted as saying. "There are many people in our country who also deserve the power to exist." Underage residents of the country will also be able to take advantage of the new rights, with the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Argentina's president, Cristina Fernandez, has already acknowledged her support for the … Continue reading →

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Study Identifies Cell Subtypes For Potential Personalized Cellular Therapies

Posted: Published on May 10th, 2012

Connie K. Ho for RedOrbit.com A new study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has discovered two adult stem cell-like subpopulations in adult human skin. The findings allow for further research to be done in the area of personalized medicine and patient-specific cellular therapies. The study, using technology from Fibrocell Science, allowed the researchers to identify and confirm two types of cells in human skin cell cultures; the possible source of stem cell-like subpopulations from skin biopsies would be faster to perform, painless, and less invasive than current extractions from adipose tissues and bone marrow. The research, featured in the inaugural issue of BioResearch Open Access, discusses two subtypes of cells. BioResearch Open Access is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed journal. It features scientific topics like biochemistry, bioengineering, gene therapy, genetics, microbiology, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, stem cells, systems biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, and virology. Being able to identify two sub-populations of rare, viable and functional cells that behave like stem cells from within the skin is an important finding because both cell types have the potential to be investigated for diverse clinical applications, commented Dr. James A. Bryne, lead author of the report. Brynes research, first at … Continue reading →

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Gene-modified stem cell transplant protects patients from toxic side effects of chemotherapy

Posted: Published on May 10th, 2012

Public release date: 9-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Dean Forbes dforbes@fhcrc.org 206-667-2896 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center SEATTLE For the first time, scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have transplanted brain cancer patients' own gene-modified blood stem cells in order to protect their bone marrow against the toxic side effects of chemotherapy. Initial results of the ongoing, small clinical trial of three patients with glioblastoma showed that two patients survived longer than predicted if they had not been given the transplants, and a third patient remains alive with no disease progression almost three years after treatment. "We found that patients were able to tolerate the chemotherapy better and without negative side effects after transplantation of the gene-modified stem cells than patients in previous studies who received the same type of chemotherapy without a transplant of gene-modified stem cells," said Hans-Peter Kiem, M.D., senior and corresponding author of the study published in the May 9 issue of Science Translational Medicine. Kiem, a member of the Clinical Research Division at the Hutchinson Center, said that a major barrier to effective use of chemotherapy to treat cancers like glioblastoma has been the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs to other organs, … Continue reading →

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Navigating the IP Minefield of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Development

Posted: Published on May 10th, 2012

FARMINGTON, Conn., May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Global Information Inc. is pleased to announce two significant new reports Opportunities in Human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC) ProductsHuman embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, the stage reached 4 to 5 days after fertilization. They are the most pluripotent of all stem cell types, able to develop into any of over 200 different cell types in the human body, rending them tremendously useful for their therapeutic potential. However, human embryonic stem cell research is heavily encumbered by patents held by the University of Wisconsin's Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), which creates significant challenges for guidance for companies seeking to develop new products. BioInformant's new Opportunities in Human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC) Products market research report explores the complex IP landscape affecting development of human embryonic stem cell products, providing clear guidance for companies entering or already within the market. Over the past 15 years, WARF has been the major "gatekeeper" in determining which research product companies are able to conduct research, create commercial products, and develop novel therapies using hESCs. To date, WARF has entered into licensing agreements with only 27 commercial partners … Continue reading →

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International Stem Cell Corporation Announces New Stem Cell Manufacturing Technologies to Support its Therapeutic …

Posted: Published on May 10th, 2012

CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB: ISCO.OB - News) http://www.internationalstemcell.com today announced that the Company has developed new technologies to commercialize the use of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSC) to treat human diseases. The methods announced today are capable of producing populations of stem cells and their therapeutically valuable derivatives not only to a higher level of purity but also at a cost that is approximately several times lower than previously reported techniques. ISCOs research team has developed a new method to derive high-purity populations of neural stem cells (NSC) from hpSC and further differentiate them into dopaminergic neurons. This method is capable of generating sufficient quantities of neuronal cells for ISCOs pre-clinical and clinical studies and is highly efficient as it requires substantially less time and labor in addition to using fewer costly materials than traditional methods. ISCOs technologies make possible the creation of billions of neuronal cells necessary for conducting such studies from a small batch of stem cells. ISCO has also announced today that it has developed a new high-throughput cell culture method for growing human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSC) in large quantities. This new technique is easily scalable and can produce the quantities of … Continue reading →

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Advanced genetic screening method may speed vaccine development

Posted: Published on May 10th, 2012

Public release date: 9-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Joseph Caspermeyer Joseph.Caspermeyer@asu.edu Arizona State University Infectious diseasesboth old and newcontinue to exact a devastating toll, causing some 13 million fatalities per year around the world. Vaccines remain the best line of defense against deadly pathogens and now Kathryn Sykes and Stephen Johnston, researchers at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute, along with co-author Michael McGuire from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center are using clever functional screening methods to attempt to speed new vaccines into production that are both safer and more potent. In a recent study appearing in the journal Proteome Science, the group used high-throughput methods to identify a modulator of immune activity that exists naturally in an unusual pathogen belonging to the Poxviridae family of viruses. Parapoxvirus infection causes immune cell accumulation at the site of infection; direct screening in the host for this biological activity enabled the isolation of an immunomodulatorlabeled B2. Indeed, B2 by itself causes immune cell accumulation at the site of skin injection. When added to a traditional influenza vaccine, B2 improves the vaccine's protective capacity. Furthermore, the immunomodulator also demonstrated the ability to shrink the size of cancerous tumors, even … Continue reading →

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