by admin | Oct 30, 2018 | Studies, Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Therapy
Spinal cord injury is the second leading cause of paralysis in the United States. When the spinal cord is severely injured, nerve cells in the spinal cord are damaged or destroyed. Also, a sort of scar forms in the affected area, which prevents nerve signals from traveling between the brain and the extremities. Consequently, people who sustain spinal cord injuries suffer from paralysis. The degree of paralysis depends on the location of the spinal cord injury; injuries higher on the spinal cord such as the neck or upper back area can lead to paralysis of all four limbs, for example. In almost all cases, the paralysis is permanent once it occurs, because nerve cells in the spinal cord do not regenerate.
Because spinal cord injuries are common and the consequences are usually permanent, researchers have been aggressively and tirelessly researching ways to treat this condition. One approach is to try to form new nerve cells in the spinal cord using stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells can become new nerve cells given the right set of circumstances. Unfortunately, simply injecting mesenchymal stem cells into patients with severe spinal cord injuries cannot reverse paralysis. On the other hand, using exosomes from mesenchymal stem cells may be the push that stem cells need to become nerve cells in the spinal cord.
Exosomes are tiny packets of cellular material released by stem cells. They contain a variety of potentially beneficial substances; perhaps the most important in cell regeneration is micro RNA (miRNA). miRNA can cause complex changes in cells that simple drugs, proteins, or even regular RNA cannot. Researchers cannot easily deliver miRNA to where it is needed in the body, but exosomes taken from stem cells can deliver miRNA right where it needs to be.
Researchers collected human mesenchymal stem cells and placed them in an environment that would cause them to become nerve cells. But instead of simply using the stem cells directly, they instead collected the exosomes from those stem cells. Those exosomes could then be used to prompt mesenchymal stem cells to become nerve cells. Simply put, the exosomes drove the process more efficiently than the stem cells alone.
What does this all mean? Exosomes taken from the mesenchymal stem cells could eventually be used to treat spinal cord injury. Those special exosomes would magnify the nerve cell-creating effect, perhaps restoring nerve cell function to a damaged spinal cord. Considerable research needs to be done before this possibility becomes a clinical reality, but this knowledge helps researchers design targeted experiments in the future.
by admin | Oct 18, 2018 | Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Therapy, Studies
A couple of weeks ago, scientists published findings showing that implanting human stem cells that are embedded within the engineered tissue can lead to the recovery of sensory perception in rats. The recovery of sensory perception is also accompanied by healing within the spinal cord and the ability to walk independently. The stem cells used in this experiment were collected from the membrane lining the mouth.
These results help demonstrate the potential for stem cells to help with spinal cord injuries but also point to the utility of combining stem cells with other factors to enhance their therapeutic effects. In this case, the researchers used a 3-dimensional scaffold to enable stem cells to attach and to stabilize them in the spinal cord. By adding growth factors, such as human thrombin and fibrinogen to the engineered tissue scaffolding, the researchers also increased the chances that attached stem cells would grow and differentiate.
The researchers compared the effects of their stem cell implants in paraplegic rats with the effects of adding no stem cells. Whereas the control rats who did not receive stem cells did not experience any improvement in mobility or sensation, 42% of the rats that did receive stem cells became better at supporting their weight on their hind limbs and at walking.
While these results are pre-clinical and do not apply directly to humans, the researchers conclude that further research is warranted. Given the positive impact of stem cells on the spinal cord in animals, it is reasonable to assume that stem cells may also benefit the human spinal cord. Further research will help clarify whether these stem cells can be adequately used to help treat patients with paraplegia.
by admin | Oct 18, 2018 | Health Awareness
Nitric oxide has been used in medical applications since the 1800s, but it wasn’t until fairly recently that scientist confirmed its presence in the body. In fact, its discovery by three pharmacologists in the 1990s won them the Nobel Prize. The compound was proclaimed molecule of the year in 1992, and for good reason: as a chemical messenger, its presence is essential in all living mammals. Discover what it is that makes this gas so important to our health below.
What is Nitric Oxide?
Nitric oxide is a colorless gas byproduct of reactions in which nitric acid is reduced. It’s long been known that miniscule amounts of the compound are released with exhalations. Yet, scientists originally didn’t think nitric oxide contributed much to bodily functions because its molecules are so small and have a lifespan of just a few seconds. Nonetheless, it was subsequently discovered that this couldn’t be further from the truth.
What Does It Do?
A key finding occurred in the 1990s when the American pharmacologists mentioned above discovered the compound’s role in the cardiovascular system. Specifically, the compound is produced by cells that line the artery walls. It then acts as a vasodilator that relaxes the arteries, thereby aiding in blood pressure regulation and overall circulation. Nitric acid also controls inflammation and oxidative stress.
In individuals with atherosclerosis, the root cause of heart disease and other vascular issues, the artery walls have a limited ability to produce nitric oxide. This spurs a dangerous cycle in which low nitric oxide levels further damage already compromised arteries, thereby increasing the likelihood of a cardiac event. With sufficient nitric oxide, however, artery walls stay healthy and blood circulation is optimized.
Beyond promoting cardiovascular health, nitric oxide also contributes to overall wellness in other ways. It supports white blood cell health and is used to fight serious illness, and it is also produced and used by the brain. As a signaling compound, nitric oxide is used for neurotransmission, which is why nitric oxide is touted for its potential to help minimize the risk of neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Nitric oxide can support digestion by relaxing muscles in the gastrointestinal tract. It also plays a role in energy utilization, respiratory function, and a host of other important bodily functions. For these reasons, making sure your body has plenty of nitric oxide can help support overall wellness.
How to Optimize Your Nitric Oxide Levels
One way to increase nitric oxide is through your diet. While protein-rich sources such as meat may spur the synthesization of nitric oxide through the amino acid arginine, a better alternative may be to eat more leafy greens. While rich in nitrates and nitrites, which stimulate the body’s natural ability to produce nitric oxide, these plant sources are also low in calories. Beet juice is also rich in nitrates, so if you’re looking to increase nitric oxide through dietary measures, consider sipping two cups per day.
Because nitric oxide production is inhibited by free radicals, antioxidants could also deliver added health benefits. Green tea, onions, and other foods rich in flavonoids can prevent free radical damage, thereby protecting nitric oxide. Because exercised muscles demand additional nutrients and oxygen, physical activity can also spur the natural release of nitric oxide to support cardiovascular health.
Depending on your doctor’s recommendations, you may also consider taking a supplement to boost nitric oxide synthesis. Stemedix offers a nitric oxide supplement, Neo40 Professional. This supplement helps open up the blood vessels in the body to stimulate healthy circulation. Neo40 Professional achieves this task by activating the immediate production of nitric oxide gas as it is dissolving. Neo40 also fixes the enzyme responsible for the conversion of the amino acid named L-Arginine to nitric oxide thereby improving the body’s own ability to produce NO. This leads to an improvement in endothelial function and activity. Always check with your physician prior to starting any supplements.
by admin | Oct 11, 2018 | Stem Cell Research
Myocardial infarction, also known as heart attack, can be a devastating or even deadly event. It occurs when blood flow in one or more coronary arteries is blocked. Since coronary arteries supply blood to the heart muscle, a blockage in a coronary artery prevents oxygen and nutrients from reaching heart tissue.
While the heart can sustain short periods of time without oxygen or nutrients, heart cells become dysfunctional and die if blood flow is not restored within several hours. While clot-busting drugs, percutaneous intervention (PCI), and balloon angioplasty have provided a way to restore blood flow to the heart during a heart attack, once heart cells die there is no way to bring them back. Since most heart tissue is cardiac muscle, dead heart tissue cannot participate in the contraction or squeezing of the heart during a heartbeat. Thus, people who have survived a heart attack are often left with poor heart function (e.g. congestive heart failure).
Stem cell researchers have begun to question whether heart tissue destroyed during a heart attack is necessarily gone forever. Research is beginning to show that stem cells given after myocardial infarction are able to improve the squeezing power of the heart. By extension, stem cell treatment is able to improve the abilities heart to pump blood throughout the body.
Researchers initially assumed that it was the stem cells themselves that became new heart cells, replacing dead and dysfunctional heart tissue. While there is evidence that this occurs, it seems that stem cells play an even bigger role in heart tissue repair than simply becoming new heart cells. Stem cells release small packets of a material called exosomes and microvesicles. Exosomes and microvesicles hold proteins, cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, DNA, messenger RNA, and micro RNA. Researchers now believe that these materials hold the true power of stem cells in cardiac repair and regeneration.
Various types of stem cells produce exosomes that could potentially help repair a damaged heart. While cardiac stem cells may seem like an obvious source for these exosomes, induced pluripotent stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells are also capable of releasing exosomes that are potentially beneficial in cardiac repair.
Stem cells—or more accurately the exosomes contained within the stem cells—help repair damaged heart tissue in several ways. Stem cell-derived exosomes contain factors that promote the survival of vulnerable heart cells and cells that are dysfunctional after a heart attack (but not dead). Exosomes also help new blood vessels to form in and around the damaged heart muscle in a process called angiogenesis. These new blood vessels deliver oxygen, nutrients, and molecules that help support the growth and function of heart tissue. Exosomes also appear to promote a healthy immune system response after a heart attack, rather than a destructive inflammatory reaction. In other words, the materials found in exosomes guide the immune system to clear away damaged tissue without creating extensive fibrotic (i.e., tough, nonfunctional) tissue.
While most clinical trials thus far have studied the effects of stem cells directly infused into humans after myocardial infarction, exosomes are rapidly becoming the focus of future clinical trials in this area.
by admin | Oct 10, 2018 | Health Awareness
A fecal transplant may sound like the work of fiction, but it is in fact very real and can even have a life-saving effect for people with certain medical conditions. Also referred to as a stool transfer or fecal microbial transplantation (FMT), the treatment involves the transfer of fecal matter from a healthy donor to a patient in need.
Why Would Anyone Need It?
To function properly, the digestive system requires a very specific equilibrium. When the intestinal tract’s microbiota, or its population of living microorganisms, becomes altered, serious health issues can occur, one of which is clostridium difficile infection (CDI).
CDI can be contracted in healthcare environments, and it can also occur as a result of taking strong antibiotics. While antibiotics are prescribed to fight serious infections, they also pose inherent risks. For one, they can also kill off the good gut bacteria, leading to CDI and its host of unpleasant symptoms, including severe abdominal pain, fever, and diarrhea. Transferring healthy stool into a patient’s gastrointestinal tract, either via enema, colonoscope, or nasogastric tubes, can help patients who have not responded to medications overcome CDI. In fact, it has a worked among 90% of patients who have received the treatment.
Could FMT Also Treat Other Conditions?
Beyond treating CDI, FMT has been used experimentally to treat other gastrointestinal conditions. Ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome, for instance, have been treated via FMT, because it changes the patient’s entire microbiome. Individuals with GI conditions tend to have a lower diversity of microbes in their guts. Because a more diverse microbiota is linked to better health, receiving a transplant from the right donor could be an effective therapy for patients with ulcerative colitis and similar conditions.
Recently, the interest in FMT has increased rapidly as scientists have begun to explore whether it can treat metabolic, autoimmune diseases, and neuropsychiatric diseases, as well as conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Because a balanced gut microbiota plays an integral role in so many aspects of health (including immune system functionality), the healing potential of this innovative treatment could be tremendous. For patients afflicted with certain gastrointestinal conditions, treatment is already available. While other practical applications are limited, evolving research may soon make FMT available to address a broad range of health issues.
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