by Stemedix | Mar 27, 2023 | Regenerative Medicine
Arthritis is a common condition, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is estimated that over 300 million people worldwide have some form of arthritis. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that over 54 million adults have doctor-diagnosed arthritis, which represents over 23% of the adult population. Arthritis can affect people of all ages and genders, but it is more common in older adults and women. The prevalence of arthritis is expected to increase in the coming years as the population ages. So does Regenerative Medicine work for Arthritis? Keep reading to learn more.
Arthritis is a general term used to describe inflammation and stiffness of the joints. It can refer to a range of conditions that affect the joints, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and gout, among others. Arthritis can cause pain, swelling, and difficulty moving the affected joint(s), and it can affect people of all ages and genders. Some types of arthritis are caused by wear and tear on the joints over time, while others are caused by autoimmune or inflammatory conditions.
Types of Arthritis
There are many different types of arthritis, and the causes can vary depending on the specific type. However, in general, arthritis is caused by inflammation and damage to the joints.
Osteoarthritis, which is the most common type of arthritis, is caused by the wear and tear on the joints that occurs with aging, as well as other factors such as obesity, injury, and genetics.
Rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, is an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the joints, causing inflammation and damage.
Other types of arthritis may be caused by infections, metabolic disorders, or other medical conditions.
In some cases, the exact cause of arthritis may be unknown. However, certain risk factors, such as age, family history, and obesity, may increase a person’s likelihood of developing arthritis.
Treatments for Arthritis
There are a variety of treatments available to help manage the symptoms of arthritis, and the specific treatment options will depend on the type and severity of the condition. Treatment options for arthritis may include medication, physical therapy, lifestyle changes, and, in some cases, surgery. Some common treatments for arthritis include:
Medications: Over-the-counter or prescription medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), may be used to reduce pain, inflammation, and joint damage.
Physical therapy: A physical therapist can work with patients to develop an exercise program designed to improve mobility and strength, and reduce pain.
Occupational therapy: An occupational therapist can teach patients how to modify daily activities to reduce stress on the joints and conserve energy.
Lifestyle changes: Losing weight, eating a healthy diet, and avoiding activities that exacerbate joint pain can help manage the symptoms of arthritis.
Assistive devices: Splints, braces, and other devices can help support and protect the joints, making it easier to perform daily activities.
Surgery: In some cases, surgery may be necessary to repair or replace damaged joints.
It’s important for individuals with arthritis to work closely with their healthcare provider to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that meets their unique needs and goals.
How Can Regenerative Medicine Help Arthritis?
So how does Regenerative Medicine work for Arthritis? A therapy option not in the mainstream of traditional medicine is regenerative medicine, also known as stem cell therapy. There is some evidence to suggest that stem cell therapy may be effective in treating arthritis, but more research is needed to fully understand its potential benefits and risks.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a type of adult stem cell that can differentiate into various types of cells, including bone cells, cartilage cells, and fat cells. MSCs are found in many different tissues throughout the body, including bone marrow, adipose tissue, and the umbilical cord.
MSCs have the ability to self-renew and differentiate into specialized cells, which makes them useful in a variety of medical applications, including tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. MSCs also have anti-inflammatory properties and can modulate the immune response, which makes them an attractive option for treating a variety of immune-mediated disorders.
Research into the therapeutic potential of MSCs is ongoing, and clinical trials are being conducted to investigate their potential in treating a variety of conditions, including arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and neurological disorders.
Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into different types of cells in the body, including cartilage cells. This has led researchers to investigate whether stem cell therapy could help repair damaged cartilage in patients with arthritis.
What Studies Have Been Done on Regenerative Medicine?
Some clinical trials have reported positive results, with patients experiencing reduced pain and improved function following stem cell therapy.
There have been several preclinical and clinical studies that have investigated the potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for treating arthritis, and some have shown promising results. Here are a few examples:
A 2019 randomized controlled trial published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine found that intra-articular injection of allogeneic MSCs was safe and effective in reducing pain and improving function in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
A 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology concluded that MSC therapy has the potential to provide a safe and effective treatment for osteoarthritis, although more well-designed clinical trials are needed to confirm its efficacy.
A 2021 study published in the journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy reported the results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that investigated the safety and efficacy of intra-articular injections of autologous MSCs in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The study found that the treatment was safe and well-tolerated, and resulted in significant improvements in pain, function, and quality of life compared to the placebo group.
Another 2021 study published in the journal Clinical Rheumatology investigated the safety and efficacy of a combination therapy of intra-articular injections of allogeneic MSCs and hyaluronic acid in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The study found that the combination therapy was safe and resulted in significant improvements in pain, function, and quality of life compared to a control group.
A 2022 study published in the journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy investigated the safety and efficacy of intra-articular injections of umbilical cord derived MSCs in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The study found that the treatment was safe and well-tolerated, and resulted in significant improvements in pain, function, and quality of life compared to a control group.
So to answer the question of ” Does Regenerative Medicine Work for Arthritis ” the answer is…Overall, these studies suggest that MSC therapy may be a promising treatment option for arthritis. Many patients are exploring stem cell therapy as an option in their healing journey along with other natural and traditional medicines. If you would like to learn more about the regenerative medicine options for Arthritis, contact us today at Stemedix!
by admin | Mar 15, 2023 | Health Awareness, Osteoarthritis, Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell Therapy
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that 25% of all adults in the United States suffer from arthritis. Arthritis can be a debilitating condition that affects many areas of the body. One of the most common locations for arthritis, however, is the hands. If you have hand arthritis, there are some things you can do to find relief.
Medications
Many medications have been developed to reduce the symptoms of arthritis and allow you to use your hands with less pain or no pain. The right medications can help reduce swelling as well as joint discomfort.
Some common arthritis medications include:
- Acetaminophen
- Corticosteroids
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
- Immunosuppressive drugs
While medications cannot stop the progression of the disease, they can help manage the symptoms and improve your quality of life.
Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative medicine, also known as stem cell therapy, uses stem cells to promote your body’s natural healing process. These cells target the affected joints, reducing inflammation, pain, and aching. Stem cell therapy can also increase joint flexibility and help with the regeneration of new cartilage.
Management Strategies
Physical exercises for your hands can help you regain some mobility in your joints. You can also turn to hot and cold packs. Cold packs reduce swelling and pain, and hot packs protect against stiffness. You also need to consider regular rest periods since rest can help reduce swelling.
If you smoke, quitting can also help reduce the symptoms of arthritis, as can losing weight if you are overweight or have diabetes.
Arthritis Help Is Available
You do not have to suffer through painful hand arthritis when there are treatments available that do not rely only on surgical procedures. With management strategies like hand exercises, as well as with medication and emerging treatments like stem cell therapy, you can get the relief you need.
by Stemedix | Feb 13, 2023 | Neurodegenerative Diseases, Regenerative Medicine
While all injuries should be treated and properly resolved, there are certain injuries that can have more serious prognoses than others. Neurologic injuries are one of the more significant types of injuries someone can sustain. Injuries to the brain or spinal cord can result in various debilitating symptoms. Here we will learn more about Regenerative Medicine for Neurologic Injury.
In the past, a neurologic injury came with a dire prognosis. There were few treatment options, and many patients were left with symptoms like an inability to speak or paralysis.
Fortunately, advancements in medicine have led to an array of new treatment approaches to neurologic injuries. One way to address these types of injuries is through regenerative medicine. Learn more about how regenerative medicine can treat neurologic injuries below.
What is Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative medicine, also known as stem cell therapy, involves stem cells that are the undifferentiated cells of a multicellular organism. These cells have the capability to produce and regenerate new cells of the same type. For this reason, stem cells can be potentially beneficial when managing numerous conditions.
Stem cells have the properties to help repair damaged cells or replace them with new, healthy ones. This has made stem cell therapy a potential approach when managing neurologic injuries.
Treating Neurologic Injury with Stem Cells
Recent studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells can be used to manage injuries to the brain and spine. One of these studies was discussed at length at the 2022 American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting.
A study by STEMTRA examined the efficacy of stem cells when treating patients with a TBI, or traumatic brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries occur when there is severe damage to brain tissue, resulting in the death of the tissue.
This scenario can lead to a number of symptoms, including the following:
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
- Loss of fine motor skills
- Difficulty speaking
- Impaired gait
- Paralysis
The study found that ongoing stem cell therapy helped a portion of these patients improve motor function and return to normal functional capabilities. Dexterity, gait speed, and even sensory reactions were improved with this stem cell treatment.
While studies are ongoing, stem cells are more often regarded as a potential treatment option for neurologic injuries. There is still research to be done to confirm how effective this type of regenerative medicine is for patients with grave injuries like TBI.
If you are interested in learning more about Regenerative Medicine for Neurologic Injury, you can inquire with a neurologist or regenerative medicine specialist at Stemedix for more information.
by Stemedix | Jan 16, 2023 | Regenerative Medicine
Developing weak and brittle bones from osteoporosis can lead to mild bone stress — like that from bending over — causing a fracture. Most bone fractures from osteoporosis occur in the wrist, hip, or spine. While there is no cure for osteoporosis, there are treatments and medications that can help strengthen and protect your bones. Here we will discuss the benefits of Regenerative Medicine for Osteoporosis.
What Causes Osteoporosis?
Bones are living tissue. Your body constantly breaks down old bone cells and replaces them with new cells. Young bodies form new bone faster than old bone breaks down, increasing bone mass. That process slows in your early 20s, and bone mass typically peaks by the age of 30.
After your bone mass peaks, the formation process slows, and you begin losing bone faster than you create it, causing a loss of bone mass.
Many factors contribute to developing osteoporosis. Your bone mass development is partially inherited, but it’s also affected by hormone levels, diet, exercise, medical conditions, and lifestyle choices.
How Does Regenerative Medicine Work?
Regenerative medicine, also known as stem cell therapy, involves stem cells that are often called the building blocks of all cells. They contain unique healing capabilities, as they’re the only cells in the body that can divide to create two more stem cells or differentiate to form two new specialized cells.
Stem cells lie dormant in tissue like bone marrow or adipose tissue (fat) until they’re needed to restore damaged or dead cells. Stem cell therapy extracts those dormant stem cells, then injects them into damaged areas to foster healing.
How Can Stem Cells Treat Osteoporosis?
From the beginning, researchers sought out mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to help manage osteoporosis. They believed that MSCs would increase bone mass by producing new bone cells faster than they age, similar to the process that happens in your youth.
They were pleased to find that MSCs have even more capabilities in treating osteoporosis than expected, as they secrete bioactive molecules and growth factors fostering bone tissue repair and remodeling.
Combining MSCs’ growth factor secretion and differentiation capabilities allows them to repair and restore bone cells efficiently. As a result, stem cell therapy has the potential to help manage the effects of osteoporosis and potentially restore bone strength and mass.
While research continues around specific protocols for using stem cells to manage osteoporosis, early studies show promise for this groundbreaking therapy. To learn more about regenerative Medicine for Osteoporosis contact a care coordinator today at Stemedix!
by Stemedix | Jan 9, 2023 | Regenerative Medicine
Once you recover from an initial pain from an injury, dealing with the lengthy recovery time required before you can fully resume your regular activities can become challenging. Regenerative medicine may be able to offer faster, more complete healing to help restore function after an injury and have you back on your feet more quickly.
What Is Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative medicine is an emerging field of care that focuses on amplifying the body’s natural healing abilities to restore damaged or diseased cells and tissues. Treatments such as stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma offer a minimally invasive way to expedite healing after an injury.
Stem Cell Therapy
Stem cells lie dormant in the body until there is a need to replace or repair specialized cells. Stem cells can divide infinitely and have the unique capability to differentiate or separate to create specialized cells, such as brain cells or muscle cells.
For example, if you tear a ligament in your knee, stem cells have the capability to differentiate into the cells necessary to repair your injured ligament. Stem cell therapy introduces a high concentration of those cells into the area, accelerating the healing process.
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)
The platelets in your blood serve as the body’s first responders when you experience a wound. While it’s common knowledge that platelets provide necessary clotting to stop you from losing excessive blood from a small cut, they also contain critical growth factors, proteins, and bioactive lipids that foster repair and recovery.
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) comes from your blood. After a standard blood draw, the sample goes into a centrifuge, where it is separated into PRP, platelet-poor plasma, and red and white blood cells. A physician then can administer the PRP into the injury site to stimulate the healing process and enhance its outcome.
What Conditions Can Benefit from Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative medicine can help manage a wide range of painful or slow-healing conditions, including:
- Sprains and strains
- Tendinitis
- Pulled muscles
- ACL tears
- Fractures
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Fractures
- Meniscus tears
Additionally, many sports medicine physicians offer regenerative medicine treatments to speed up surgery recovery or slow the progression of degenerative conditions.
Regenerative medicine provides an option to explore that may potentially allow you to quickly return to normal activities while amplifying your body’s healing process. For those who struggle to slow down as they recuperate, regenerative medicine offers a beneficial solution for a faster, more comprehensive recovery.
by admin | Jan 5, 2023 | Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Diabetes, Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Therapy, Umbilical Stem Cell, Wharton's Jelly
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent fibroblast-like cells found throughout the body and have been found to have self-renewing and multilinear therapeutic potential by providing new cells for tissue repair by replacing damaged cells.
Thought to stimulate repair and control the immune response through an expression of growth factors and other cytokines, MSCs are at low risk of rejection and repair tissue damage through immunomodulation, not by their ability to differentiate.
While MSCs can be isolated from a number of tissue sources, including bone marrow, peripheral blood, adipose (fat) tissue, umbilical cord blood, and umbilical cord tissue (Wharton’s jelly). MSCs derived from the human umbilical cords (UCMSCs) have been found to have significant advantages over MSCs isolated from other sources. These advantages include higher proliferation and self-renewal capacity and multilineage differentiation capability.
Unlike many sources of MSCs, the umbilical cord is considered medical waste, making the collection of UCMSCs noninvasive and eliminating ethical concerns associated with the collection of MSCs from other sources. These UCMSCs have been developed as effective “off-the-shelf” cell therapy for a number of conditions, including autoimmune diseases, and as a treatment for a number of emergency medical conditions.
This Phase 1 clinical study, designed and conducted by Chin et al., intended to determine the safety and efficacy of intravenous allogeneic infusion of UCMSCs in healthy volunteers and to determine the effective dose at which an immunomodulatory effect is observed. The findings of this study are intended to serve as a guideline and benchmark for future CVL-100 clinical research.
Analyzing the results of this clinical study, the authors report that there was no observed complication resulting from the infusion and no significant adverse event in either dosage group in the 6 months of follow-up. These findings led Chin et al. to conclude that UCMSCs infusion was safe among healthy subjects, results that were consistent with other UCMSC treatment-based studies.
The authors also reported that UCMSCs infusion posed no significant adverse effects in patients with type 2 diabetes. Despite the relatively small sample group of this study (11 subjects), the authors reported demonstrating an initial transient proinflammatory effect followed by a significant and prolonged anti-inflammatory effect.
In addition, Chin et al. report found that high-dose (HD) CLV-1000 infusion provided a significant increase in both hemoglobin level and MCV level that falls within the normal range. Biomarker assessment results also indicated that the HD group demonstrated a significant steady increase of cytokine IL-1RA from baseline up until 6 months of posttreatment. This finding is especially important as IL-1RA is a naturally occurring antagonist to the proinflammatory cytokine 1L-1.
The authors conclude that this study clearly demonstrates a difference in immunomodulatory effect between the high-dose and low-dose treatment groups, with the HD group demonstrating a significantly greater reduction of proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α and an increased level of specific anti-inflammatory cytokines within 6 months and in relation to those in the low dose group. Considering this, Chin et al. conclude that a CLV-100 dosage of two million MSCs per kilogram of body weight represents the optimal dose level for overcoming inflammatory conditions by displaying the best improvement in all parameters tested, absence of side effects, and SAEs.
The data collected in this study also suggests that this is the first study to report a significant reduction of globulin observed over the course of the study. This is important because globulin serves an important role in immunity. Additionally, increases in serum globulins are associated with several immune-mediated diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, chronic liver disease, diabetes mellitus, and cancer.
Considering these findings, the authors of this study conclude that high doses of allogeneic MSCs could help exert beneficial effects of repair and healing.
Source: “High Dose of Intravenous Allogeneic Umbilical Cord-Derived ….” https://www.hindawi.com/journals/sci/2020/8877003/.
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