A special dog used to help people is getting some much-needed help of her own at a Virginia clinic, myFOXdc.com reported. Red, a 12-year-old black Labrador, is one of the last surviving search and rescue dogs deployed during the 9/11 attacks. Her handler, Heather Roche, told WTTG-TV that Red was recently certified when Sept. 11, 2001, occurred, and the devastating terror attacks were her first big mission. Red's job was to find DNA evidence at The Pentagon's north parking lot with 26 other dogs, and according to Roche, she did a "fantastic job." "I got her as a puppy ... You have to convince [her] everything that she does, whether it's climbing ladders or any kind of search, that it's her idea," Roche told WTTG-TV. "No matter what I've asked her to do, she's done it and she's done it flawlessly." But in her old age Red developed crippling arthritis, and underwent stem cell regenerative therapy Monday to help ease her pain so she can get back out on the job. Dr. John Herrity of Burke Animal Clinic in Burke, Va., told WTTG-TV, "Red has a back issue that, after a fall from a ladder has not really been right, … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, March 20, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE Amex:NBS) ("NeoStem" or "the Company") is a leader in the cell therapy industry, developing cell based therapeutics supported by the Company's expertise in contract manufacturing. This strategic combination and depth of experience in cell therapy development and manufacturing provide NeoStem with unique capabilities to develop its own cell therapies and that sets the Company apart from others in the cell therapy landscape. 2011 represented a major year of strategic transition for NeoStem, and the Company plans to build upon that in 2012 and in the years ahead. NeoStem reported its audited results for 2011. Consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2011 were $73.7 million compared to $69.8 million for 2010. The Company's consolidated net loss for 2011 was $56.6 million, which included $10.3 million of non-cash equity-based compensation expense, $19.4 million of goodwill impairment charges and $9.0 million of depreciation and amortization. Overall, the Company's consolidated cash loss for 2011 was $15.5 million (see reconciliation below). Net loss attributable to NeoStem common shareholder interests for 2011 was $47.8 million, or $0.54 per share. As of December 31, 2011, the Company had consolidated cash and cash equivalents of … Continue reading →

To: HEALTH, MEDICAL AND NATIONAL EDITORS MIAMI, March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New findings from a transplant study led by scientists from the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and a DRI Federation center at Xiamen University in China showed that mesenchymal stem cells may replace a powerful anti-rejection drug in transplant recipients. The results of this pioneering study involving kidney transplant patients is published in the March 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and may fundamentally transform the future of clinical transplantation. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120126/DC42842LOGO) Patients undergoing a transplant routinely receive a regimen of immunosuppressive therapy to block the body's immune system from rejecting the donor organ or cells. While these drugs have been shown to improve graft function and minimize rejection episodes, they increase the risk of dangerous side effects, including infections and organ toxicity. To eliminate these adverse effects, scientists at the Diabetes Research Institute and collaborating centers worldwide have been investigating safer methods for preventing transplant rejection and have turned their attention to naturally-occurring cells in the body that have immuno-modulatory properties, like mesenchymal stem cells. A mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) is a type of … Continue reading →

Public release date: 20-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Omar Montejo omontejo@miami.edu 305-243-5654 JAMA and Archives Journals CHICAGO Among patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing living-related kidney transplants, the use of bone-marrow derived mesenchymal (cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types) stem cells instead of antibody induction therapy resulted in a lower incidence of acute rejection, decreased risk of opportunistic infection, and better estimated kidney function at 1 year, according to a study in the March 21 issue of JAMA. Induction therapy, routinely implemented in organ transplant procedures, consists of use of biologic agents to block early immune activation. New induction immunosuppressive protocols with increased efficacy and minimal adverse effects are desirable. "Antibody-based induction therapy plus calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) reduce acute rejection rates in kidney recipients; however, opportunistic infections and toxic CNI effects remain challenging. Reportedly, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have successfully treated graft-vs.-host disease," according to background information in the article. Jianming Tan, M.D., Ph.D., of Xiamen University, Fuzhou, China and colleagues examined the effect of autologous (derived from the same individual) MSC infusion as an alternative to anti-IL-2 receptor antibody for induction therapy in adults undergoing living-related donor kidney transplants. The randomized study … Continue reading →

Context Antibody-based induction therapy plus calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) reduce acute rejection rates in kidney recipients; however, opportunistic infections and toxic CNI effects remain challenging. Reportedly, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have successfully treated graft-vs-host disease. Objective To assess autologous MSCs as replacement of antibody induction for patients with end-stage renal disease who undergo ABO-compatible, cross-matchnegative kidney transplants from a living-related donor. Design, Setting, and Patients One hundred fifty-nine patients were enrolled in this single-site, prospective, open-label, randomized study from February 2008-May 2009, when recruitment was completed. Intervention Patients were inoculated with marrow-derived autologous MSC (12106/kg) at kidney reperfusion and two weeks later. Fifty-three patients received standard-dose and 52 patients received low-dose CNIs (80% of standard); 51 patients in the control group received antiIL-2 receptor antibodyplusstandard-dose CNIs. Main Outcome Measures The primary measure was 1-year incidence of acute rejection and renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]); the secondary measure was patient and graft survival and incidence of adverse events. Results Patient and graft survival at 13 to 30 months was similar in all groups. After 6 months, 4 of 53 patients (7.5%) in the autologous MSC plus standard-dose CNI group (95% CI, 0.4%-14.7%; P=.04) and 4 of 52 patients (7.7%) in … Continue reading →

TUESDAY, March 20 (HealthDay News) -- A novel technique that uses a kidney transplant recipient's own stem cells may someday replace or reduce the initial use of anti-rejection medications, new research suggests. Six months after receiving a kidney transplant, only about 8 percent of people given their own mesenchymal stem cells experienced rejection compared with almost 22 percent of people on the standard anti-rejection drugs, according to the study. "Mesenchymal stem cells are stem cells that can be differentiated into a variety of cells," explained Dr. Camillo Ricordi, study senior author and director of the Cell Transplant Center and Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. "If you infuse mesenchymal stem cells at the time of the transplant, you could replace the use of powerful anti-rejection drugs, and maybe replace immunosuppressants altogether," he said. This technique could be used in the transplantation of islet cells (in the pancreas) for people with type 1 diabetes, and for other organ transplants, such as the liver, he added. The people given their own stem cells also had improved kidney function earlier after transplant, Ricordi said. Results of the study appear in the March 21 issue of the Journal … Continue reading →