Multiple Sclerosis Also Affects Other Brain Areas ‘Normal’ at a First Look

This could explain the rapid progression of the fearful condition and why it affects multiple body functions, debilitating our entire organism

By Alexandra Lupu, Health News Editor

29th of August 2006, 09:50 GMT

A new research conducted by scientists at the Multiple Sclerosis Center at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, showed that multiple sclerosis does not only affect the visible regions of the brain. It goes farther and

deeper into the brain, affecting other neuronal areas, too, but this cannot be seen at a first look.

Even if the other brain parts affected by MS seem to be completely normal at a superficial analysis, Amsterdam scientists investigated the white and gray matter of MS patients and found that the debilitating disease expanded way more into the brain than previously thought and seen.

“This disease process in the normal-appearing brain tissue affects the brain globally and has substantial clinical impact. The areas of demyelination, or lesions, in patients with MS can be visualized with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, the volume of lesions visible at MRI only correlates moderately with clinical disability measurements. This may be due to disease activity outside the visible lesions,” pointed out the lead author of the study, Hugo Vrenken, Ph.D.

In order to find out more about how MS affects the brain of patients, the team carrying out the study investigated T1 changes in sufferers’ white and gray matter regions which appeared to be normal.T1 is a medical method to measure the proton relaxation after exposure to a magnetic field and a radiofrequency pulse. Found under the influence of the radiofrequency field, protons in and individual’s body become excited and afterwards relax, transmitting the excess energy caused by the excitation to the near body tissues. T1 measurement method investigates the time needed by protons to reach the relaxation state after being excited.

T1 measurement method was applied by researchers both to MS patients and healthy individuals. Results showed that in MS patients, large areas of the brain were found to be affected by the disease, even if this was not visible in MRI. Patients with the secondary progressive type of MS were found to have at least 31% of ‘normal’ white matter and 20% of the cortical gray matter affected by the debilitating condition. Patients with the relapsing-remitting type of MS had 16% of the ‘normal’ white matter and 9% gray matter affected. Patients with the primary progressive type of MS had 11% of ‘normal’ white matter and 8% of the gray matter affected.

via Multiple Sclerosis Also Affects Other Brain Areas ‘Normal’ at a First Look – This could explain the rapid progression of the fearful condition and why it affects multiple body functions, debilitating our entire organism – Softpedia.

Saving Stem Cells – Banking Stem Cells – From your teeth

Kristin Lowman

Megan Brown is no stranger to surgery. At 10 years old, Megan had a brain tumor

Megan says, “two surgeries to get the turmor out, now, I’m fine.”

So today’s wisdom teeth removal is nearly a walk in the park for Megan and her family.

But this procedure is special, because one day, it could save her life.

Megan says, “its been a recent discovery that your wisdom teeth contain stem cells. So I’m going to bank them.”

Dr. Robert Carpenter says, “in teeth, particularly dediuous baby teeth and wisdom teeth there is a tremendous quality of stem cells.”

There are two sources of stem cells, embryonic and adult. Obtaining embryonic stem cells is quite controversial while adult stem cells can be found in many organs and tissues in the body, including your teeth.

Living stem cells in extracted teeth are usually thrown out, but now, research shows saving those cells, could help with medical treatments down the road.

Dr. Carpenter uses a service called Stem Save, to harvest the stem cells.

Stem Save also tests the viability of those cells and cryogenically freezes them until they are needed.

Dr. Carpenter says, “you’re getting your own stem cells so there is no chance for rejection, no disease, and you can personalize them for any use you need throughout your life.”

Right now, dental stem cells are being used to treat MS, Parkinson’s, even liver and heart disease. Several hundred clinical trials are also underway around the world.

In just over a year, around 200 dentists across the country are using this service alone.

For Megan and her parents, its a safety net they are glad to have.

They start up cost for the service is around $600. Thats for testing the cells and for the first year of storage.

Right now, Dr. Carpenter says the service is not covered by insurance

via Saving Stem Cells – FOX23 News – The 10 O’Clock News.

www.Stemsave.com

In May 2008, I went for an adult stem cell treatment for my MS. My symptoms included fatigue, depression, a cognitive “cloud” and heat intolerance. The treatment consisted of 5 intrathecal injections, 5 physical therapy sessions, a mini-liposuction where they removed my stem cells from the fat and later injected them into me intravenously.

Today, nearly a year later the only symptom left is an occasional cognitive “cloud” moment. I talked to as many media outlets as would listen. You can google “Preston Walker MS” and find some of the coverage. I am a police sergeant in Fort Worth, TX and am still employed!! I am very lucky the disease was caught early. There is a great deal of hope in the treatment. I won’t say I am cured but symptom free!!

Preston Walker

Congrats Preston! You are a tribute to the power of adult stem cells to repair and heal. Thanks for the testimony!  Keep up the good work of spreading the word and let me know if there is anything I can do for you! -dg

for more on this story:

http://repairstemcell.wordpress.com/2009/03/20/stem-cell-research-talks-and-events-this-weekend/

http://donmargolis.com/blog/2009/01/stem-cell-treatment-keeps-helping-multiple-sclerosis-patient/

Stem Cell Treatment Keeps Helping Multiple Sclerosis Patient

I started following the saga of Preston Walker and Richard Humphries in June 2008, just after they had returned from Costa Rica to receive Adult Stem Cells to treat their Multiple Sclerosis.

Both men felt improvement immediately after the stem cell treatment.  And they still seem to be doing well- almost 9 months after the treatment.  They are gaining a following among Multiple Sclerosis patients who are well aware of their exploits.  Both Preston and Richard have become  role models for others suffering from Multiple Sclerosis

And now, Preston was featured on his local Fort Worth/Dallas Television Station:

In 2001, Walker was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, suffered from chronic fatigue, and began losing the use of his legs.

“I felt like my cognition was declining at a rapid pace,” Walker said. “I really felt at the end of last year that I wouldn’t be employed any longer because the cognition just wasn’t there.”

That feeling changed after his Adult Stem Cell therapy in Costa Rica:

For the first time ever, doctors took samples of their fat, drew stem cells from it, and reinjected it.  By the second injection the results were obvious.  The men had more energy than they’d had in years.  By the end of the treatment Humphries no longer needed a cane to walk.

The fatigue and leg problems were a thing of the past for Walker.  “I don’t suffer from any of those symptoms we talked about,” he said.  “The depression, the fatigue, the cognitive cloud¦ I mean it will still raise its ugly head occasionally, but it’s nowhere near everyday and every moment of everyday like it was.”

And hearing about Preston’s story is nice enough but read this part too:

Humphries admits there were risks in being test patients for the treatment.  “If we or somebody doesn’t become a guinea pig than how can that benefit others?” Humphries asked.

Since their treatment, dozens of others have followed in their footsteps to receive the benefits of stem cell transplants.

The full news story is here.

Preston and Richard’s Multiple Sclerosis blog is here.

I think this Rep has been reading my blog and drinking the kool-aid! Only a few corrections to what he wrote. -dg

Adult Stem Cells Are What Work

by Rep. J. Randy Forbes, 04/07/2009

Prof. Ian Wilmut of Edinburgh University is hardly a household name. However, most people would recognize his Nobel-Prize-winning scientific development. Prof. Wilmut was the individual who led the team that created the cloned sheep Dolly and pioneered a technique many would want to use for a type of embryonic stem-cell research. His action resulted in both uproar and applause all over the world and was instrumental in bringing the discussion of cloning and stem-cell research from the laboratory to the dinner table.

For years, the moral and ethical issue of destroying human embryos for scientific experimentation has been the biggest argument against embryonic stem-cell research.

(besides causing tumors and severe rejection issues -dg)

But now there is a new argument against embryonic stem-cell research: science.

Just recently, President Obama signed an executive order lifting the ban on the use of federal funds for embryonic stem-cell research, an act based more on politics than it was on science. (Private funding for this research has never been banned.) His action reignited the contentious issue for many individuals in the U.S. — it also ignored the miracles we’ve seen in advancing science.

Adult stem-cells are derived from umbilical cords, wisdom teeth, amniotic fluid, and various tissues, and they don’t hold the same ethical concerns that stem-cells taken from human embryos do. Over the years, adult stem cells have resulted in 73 successful treatments

(it’s up to 130+ now – dg)

for various diseases like Alzheimer’s, Type 1 Diabetes, Parkinson’s, and various forms of cancer.

A U.S. doctor, Amid (Amit – dg) Patel, has used adult stem cells to successfully treat over 1,800 patients who suffered from severe heart failure, dramatically increasing their quality of life and chances of survival. Two years ago, I met a man named Stephen Sprague, who had been treated for leukemia through the use of adult stem cells taken from umbilical cord blood. There are success stories like Dr. Patel’s and Stephen Sprague’s scattered across the globe where individuals have been treated for their diseases by adult stem cells, and the hope for future breakthroughs seems limitless. On the other hand, despite millions of dollars of research, not one — not one — embryonic stem-cell trial has resulted in the successful treatment of a human patient.

Perhaps most incredibly, though, is the fact that scientists have just recently figured out how to reprogram adult stem cells

(actually adult skin cells but they are turned into iPS and some argue that they must pass through an adult stem cell state while doing so – dg)

to the point where they function exactly like an embryonic stem cell. These cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), can do everything an embryonic stem cell is capable of, only without having to destroy a human embryo. Because of this development, there is likely no medical benefit that can come from embryonic stem-cell research that cannot be obtained from adult stem cells.

(this is way to broad a generalization.  how can we determine what we can learn from something unless it is studied? – dg)

IPS cells also have a greater advantage because they can be derived from a person’s own cells, so a patient’s body is less likely to reject the stem-cell treatment.

(while this is true, many IPS cells are from other peoples cells.  recent iPS cells come from foreskins of other people or allogenic cells as opposed to autologous cells – dg)

Science is truly outpacing the embryonic stem-cell debate. Scientists across the world who were once advocates of this research have reversed course. They overwhelmingly say the future of stem-cell research lies in iPS cells and adult stem cells. Dr. James Thompson, known as the father of embryonic stem-cell research, has said that “it’s probably the beginning of the end for that controversy.” In fact, even the sheep-cloning Prof. Wilmut has abandoned embryonic stem-cell experimentation saying that the use of iPS cells is “extremely exciting and astonishing” and shows more promise for the future.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=31364/trackback/

• Why would someone like Michael J Fox not seek treatment outside the U.S.?

Good question Laura. I have heard a number of theories on that…and the answers could apply to Christopher Reeve as well (but not Farrah Fawcett!).  In a nutshell…

Unfrotunately, Michael J Fox is a victim of the misleading media blitz that has been perpetrated on the US public for about 6-8 yrs. All focus was on embryonic stem cell research and no one in the US even knew about the advances that were going on outside except for some scientists and doctors.

If you were to google adult stem cells dated prior to about 3 days before the Superbowl this year, you will barely find even a dozen positive articles in a popular US periodical regarding the benefits of adult stem cells…that were happening any where in the world. And these treatments have been going on for up to 8 or so years! I have even heard rumors of quotes from the few pro-adult stem cell published articles being completely reversed or the articles themselves getting completely pulled without retraction or comment…but that’s a story for another day.

• That explains the lack of knowledge the general public has about the advances of adult stem cells…but what about the scientists and doctors who are on the cutting edge of research?  Surely they knew what was going on outside the US?

Your logic makes sense and some were aware of what was happening outside the US borders but American scientists and doctors have been trained to believe that the American way (FDA, clinical trials, drug development = $500 million and 7-12 yrs to develop) is the only way to go.

This is also the only way the pharma companies can get patents and sell their drugs exclusively for 5-10 yrs to make back the $500 mill cost of bringing a drug to public.  And make no mistake, the FDA considers stem cells a drug. I have posted a number of article on this subject on my blog.

The scientists and docs have also been trained with an extremely exclusive amero-centric philosophy.  Just about every US scientist will take a verified, completed, peer reviewed clinical trial…even in a well-respected publication like the New England Journal of Medicine, but PERFORMED IN ANOTHER COUNTRY and they will REPEAT IT while following US codes and standards before they will allow themselves to begin to believe the results. I have confirmed this with 3 different scientists.

• You would think that MJF, with his incredible resources of his assets and foundation, would be able get to the truth behind all of this…

I agree and I’m not quite sure why he is in the dark about adult stem cell and iPSC advances.  I checked his scientific advisory board and he has many brilliant scientists/docs and at least 7 from Europe so I have no idea why he and his foundation have been so incredibly embryonic focused.

Maybe that was his decision?  Maybe when you get to the top echelons of science you are very reluctant to put your name behind any treatment that hasn’t been fully tested, documented, etc.?

I don’t know but I was amazed to watch the video of Dr Oz talking to MJF and Oprah about Parkinsons and what he (Dr Oz) referred to as the death of the stem cell debate.  When I followed the expressions on Oprah and MJF’s faces I was sure that they were hearing about things they had rarely or never heard of before.

These are just a few theories I’ve heard bouncing around.  If anyone has others, I’d love to hear them.

ScienceDaily (Apr. 6, 2009) — Despite great hopes for stem cell therapy, major structural and cultural changes within the National Health Service (NHS) are needed if it is to succeed in the UK. Currently the chances of getting effective treatments into routine use in the short-term are small and the industry is at serious risk of ‘market failure’.

These are the findings of two major studies into the commercialisation and adoption of stem cell therapy carried out by researchers at The University of Nottingham.

Dr Paul Martin, from the Institute of Science and Society said: “While the government has identified regenerative medicine as a national priority and the US has lifted its ban on stem cell therapy, urgent public policy action is needed if it is to become a reality. Although cell therapy is now established as an important branch of medicine, innovative firms struggle to make money, putting the UK industry in a very vulnerable position in the short term. Unless the situation changes the industry will contract and the progress needed to develop important cell therapies will be adversely affected.”

via Stem Cell Innovation At Risk In UK, Studies Find.

Stem Cell Research Saves Diabetes Patient’s Leg From Amputation

Posted 6 April, 2009 in Peripheral Artery Disease |

Victory for Adult Stem Cell Research- Saves a Man’s Leg

Tom Fisher already had his right leg amputated due to complications from Diabetes and he was in danger of losing his left leg as well. However, stem cell research in the form of Adult Stem Cells has saved his leg from amputation and have healed all his ulcers and infections and gangrene bringing back his leg to 94% normal.

Stem Cell Therapy- Clinical Trial in Charleston, South Carolina

Fisher, 84 years old was treated at Roper Hospital in South Carolina where there is an ongoing randomized stem cell research trial for a stem-cell therapy to treat critical limb ischemia, a result of Peripheral Artery Disease.

From the stem cell news article:

“That was astounding,” said Dr. Jeb Hallett, medical director at the Roper St. Francis Heart and Vascular Center. “The results have been amazing.”

Of the nine area patients participating, seven still have their limbs, Hallett said.

Approximately 70-80% Success in Saving a Leg

The trial is sponsored by Harvest Technologies, a stem cell research company in Massachusetts who are also sponsoring similar studies in India and Europe.  According to Dr. Hallett, 87.5% of the Indian patients were able to keep their legs while in Europe, the results are 70% were able to keep their legs.

Without stem cell treatment, in similar cases of Peripheral Artery Disease, 80% LOSE their legs.  So, a 70-80% success rate for this Adult Stem Cell treatment is wonderful.

Stem Cell Treatment Before Pigs Fly?

What is not so wonderful is the results of the trial are not due until 2012.  Only 3-4 more years?? Are you serious?  Can’t we wait longer to use our own stem cells to heal ourselves?

Medicare is very interested in this as the price of stem cell treatment is cheaper than that of an angioplasty or bypass and thus would save them millions of dollars if approved by the FDA.

So if I understand correctly:

1. the stem cell treatment is cheaper than other alternatives (angioplasty or bypass) for Peripheral Artery Disease,
2. the therapy is safer and less invasive (just simple injections using a syringe of stem cells into the legs),
3. it has no side effects because it uses your own Adult Stem Cells,
4. and is probably 60-70% more effective than any other intervention— but it won’t be available for at least 4 more years (and that is being very optimistic).

Think how many legs will be lost in that time.  Way to Go FDA- your silly rules of treating a person’s own stem cells as a drug is costing lives and limbs.

Other People Helped by Adult Stem Cells for their Peripheral Artery Disease

Stem Cells for Peripheral Artery Disease

via Stem Cell Research Helps Saves Diabetes Patient’s Leg From Amputation | Adult Stem Cell Research.

1. Adult stem cells are relatively smart and will go to their “designated organ” and repair what needs repairing (some “spilling” occurs).
2. Nano technology will make them Einstein-ian.
3. And magnets will control where they go like the slot cars I used to have as a kid.

So, the bottom line is…

you can get stem cells to go ANYWHERE YOU NEED THEM in the human body…

except for

INTO A PATIENT THAT NEEDS THEM IN THE US!

Sorry Farrah. Tough luck. -dg

Bone-repairing stem cell jab hope

Page last updated at 12:39 GMT, Monday, 6 April 2009 13:39 UK

By Michelle Roberts

It may be possible to control stem cells with a magnet

Doctors may soon be able to patch up damaged bones and joints anywhere in the body with a simple shot in the arm.

A team at Keele University is testing injectible stem cells that they say they can control with a magnet.

Once injected these immature cells can be guided to precisely where their help is needed and encouraged to grow new cartilage and bone, work on mice shows.

The aim is to treat patients with injuries and arthritis the UK National Stem Cell Network conference heard.

The ultimate aim is to repair cartilage and bone

Professor Alicia El Haj

Keele University

Professor Alicia El Haj, working with Professor John Dobson, also of Keele University, says the technology, patented by Magnecell, could be tested in humans within five years.

It would provide a way to treat disease without invasive surgery or powerful drugs.

The injection would use the patient’s own stem cells, harvested from their bone marrow.

These mesenchymal cells would be treated in the lab to give them a coating of minute magnetic particles.

Use in scans

These same magnetic nanoparticles are already approved in the US where they are routinely used as an agent to make MRI scans clearer to read.

Targeted magnetic fields could then move the cells around the body to the desired place and switch them into action without the need for drugs or other biochemical triggers.

Professor Al Haj said: “The ultimate aim is to repair cartilage and bone. We have been able to grow new bone in mice. Now we will look at whether we can repair damaged sites in goats.

“We should be able to move to human trials within five years.”

Meanwhile, experts at the University of Southampton, led by Professor Richard Oreffo, have treated four patients with hip joint problems using stem cell therapy.

The technique combines the patients own bone marrow stem cells with donor bone cells to patch-repair damaged bones that would otherwise need treatment with metal plates and pins.

They say it is only a matter of years before their method could be used routinely to treat some of the 60,000 people who fracture a hip in the UK each year.

via BBC NEWS | Health | Bone-repairing stem cell jab hope.