Monthly Archives: October 2012

Hawthorne: Unknown ailment spreads to more horses in affected barn

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Three more horses have become seriously ill in a barn on the Hawthorne backstretch, bringing to five the total number of animals afflicted with an as-yet undiagnosed sickness, according to Dr. Dawn Folker-Calderon, the state-employed veterinarian at Hawthorne.

But as of Tuesday afternoon the outbreak remained confined to horses stabled in Barn A, suggesting isolation protocols introduced Sunday might have kept the illness from jumping into Hawthornes general horse population.

In response to the sicknesses, Kentucky, Florida, and Louisiana have banned horses shipping to or from Hawthorne.

A horse in Barn A, a 74-stall barn on the west side of the Hawthorne backstretch, became neurologically distressed late Saturday night after showing symptoms of an upper-respiratory ailment, including fever. A second horse followed a similar pattern Sunday before the three new cases were reported Tuesday. The afflicted horses displayed ataxia, or loss of coordination, that makes it impossible for a horse to stand. Laboratory test on the original two cases were being performed Tuesday with results expected sometime Wednesday. No diagnosis has been made, but symptoms are consistent with equine herpesvirus, a highly contagious viral disease.

One of the first two horses to fall ill had to be euthanized Tuesday, Dr. Folker-Calderon said. The body was sent to the University of Illinois for a necropsy. Other horses in Barn A have run a fever but all have responded to treatment. The horses in the affected barn trained by Jim DiVito, Roger Brueggemann, Mickey Goldfine, and Joe Kasperski are not allowed to leave the premises, while people exiting the barn must perform disinfecting procedures upon departure. Dr. Folker-Calderon said shes been in regular contact with officials at the Illinois Department of Agriculture. A quarantine of the Hawthorne backstretch could be imposed, depending on Wednesdays lab results.

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Hawthorne: Unknown ailment spreads to more horses in affected barn

The ghoulish facts about Halloween candy and your dog

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Halloween is just around the corner and what do dogs like more than getting into the cupboard and sniffing out the Halloween candy? Most pet owners know that chocolate is toxic to dogs, but did you know that xylitol-containing gum/candy/baked goods, macadamia nuts and raisins are also potentially toxic to dogs?

What is xylitol and why is it bad for dogs?

Xylitol is a common sweetener used in sugar-free gum, candy, mints, baked goods and oral-care products. While safe in humans, xylitol causes an unsafe drop in blood sugar in animals. Xylitol tricks the pancreas into releasing a large surge of insulin which causes a sudden drop in blood glucose. In large doses, xylitol can cause liver toxicity/failure and death.

How much does my dog have to ingest in order to be dangerous?

A 10 pound (4.5 kg) dog can eat as little as a stick and a half of gum to become hypoglycemic. The dose of xylitol that can cause hypoglycemia is anything greater than 0.1 grams per kilogram of body weight. A typical stick of gum will contain 0.3 to 0.4 grams of xylitol. Anything above 0.5 grams per kilogram of body weight of xylitol may potentially cause liver failure.

What are the clinical signs of xylitol toxicity and how fast do they occur?

Signs of xylitol toxicity can occur as quickly as 30 minutes after ingestion. These signs can include vomiting, weakness, depression, ataxia, collapse and seizures. Some dogs may be asymptomatic up to 72 hours post-ingestion. In these cases, the animal may be experiencing liver toxicity without hypoglycemia.

What do I do if I think my dog has ingested xylitol-containing gum or candy?

Seek veterinary attention as soon as possible. There they will induce vomiting, place him/her on IV fluids with dextrose for at least 24 hours and monitor blood glucose, electrolytes, liver enzyme activities and blood clotting times.

Why are macadamia nuts toxic to dogs and what are the signs of toxicity?

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The ghoulish facts about Halloween candy and your dog

Intellect Neurosciences Issues Letter to Shareholders

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NEW YORK, Oct. 16, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intellect Neurosciences, Inc. (ILNS), a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of disease-modifying therapeutic agents for proteinopathies, today issued the following Letter to Shareholders from Dr. Daniel Chain, Chairman and CEO.

Dear Shareholder,

I am encouraged by several recent developments that reinforce my confidence in our corporate strategy. Intellect's origins are rooted in my pioneering work from the late 90's that stimulated development of the monoclonal antibodies, which several global pharmaceutical companies have tested as treatments for Alzheimer's disease. While the recently reported Phase 3 clinical trial results for bapineuzumab fell short of expectations, the Alzheimer's community is encouraged by the demonstration using biomarkers that the drug had engaged the target, reduced the amount of plaque and slowed neurodegeneration based upon the decrease in the amount of tau protein measured in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). Similarly, Phase 3 data from Lilly's solanezumab appeared to show some clinical benefit in a pooled analysis of early Alzheimer's patients. Lilly is anticipated to present biomarker data at a conference later this month.

As I wrote in my recent blog, the presenters and expert panelists at the American Neurological Association (ANA) annual meeting in Boston last week conveyed a strong sense that Intellect is correct in its belief beta amyloid (A) plays a central and causative role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and that immunotherapy represents a realistic path forward. The next-generation drugs will have an improved probability of success because of the lessons we have learned, especially the need for earlier intervention and careful criteria for the selection of patients to improve homogeneity in clinical trials.

Importantly, these data support our investment in IN-N01, a next-generation antibody drug candidate that recently completed the humanization process. As explained in our joint announcement with MRC Technology on September 19, we anticipate IN-N01 will have an improved safety profile, which means that it can be used at higher, more frequent doses than the other amyloid-beta antibodies in development. The enhanced dosing likely will result in stronger clinical efficacy, particularly if administered to early stage or presymptomatic patients. We believe IN-N01 could be developed rapidly by using biomarker signals during Phase 2 trials in patients with mild disease, similar to Lilly's approach for solanezumab. This approach should offset the increased costs associated with lengthy trials anticipated to be required in presymptomatic patients. IN-N01 is patent protected until at least the mid-2020s in the United States, Europe and Japan.

With several license agreements to date and products in clinical development for Alzheimer's disease and Friedreich's Ataxia, Intellect has established an impressive track record of being at the forefront of tomorrow's therapeutic candidates for neurodegeneration. Moreover, based upon conversations with several pharmaceutical companies, we anticipate further transactions for a number of our preclinical assets, which have the potential to generate significant revenues for Intellect, long before any of our products reach the market.

Pipeline activities:

Our antibody-drug conjugate platform, CONJUMAB, provides potential development of two independent antibody-based products from the same starting material, our compound, IN-N01. Our recent agreement with Lonza, with whom we signed a letter of intent, was an important step in the development of our first ADC, CONJUMAB-A. We are excited to have reached a point at which Lonza is now manufacturing the preclinical materials for the drug optimization and drug selection program, and look forward to testing these compounds in the near future. With sufficient financial resources, we could reasonably expect to file two INDs within two years, one for CONJUMAB-A initially focused on age-related macular degeneration and a second for IN-N01 for a second indication such as familial Alzheimer's disease or traumatic brain injury, both of which could qualify as orphan diseases.

Patent news:

We remain determined to secure our ANTISENILIN patents still under review by the USPTO and hopeful that this can be accomplished over the next few months. The demonstration using biomarkers that bapineuzumab reduces amyloid plaque and neurodegeneration in the brain of Alzheimer's patients provides compelling new evidence in support of the ANTISENILIN platform technology. Similarly, we plan to continue with the appeal process that we initiated in February to overcome the challenge to our patents in Europe.

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Intellect Neurosciences Issues Letter to Shareholders

Spirituality and suicide: grace in the face of tragedy

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Mother discusses reclaiming life after daughters suicide in new book

BUTLER, Pa. (PRWEB) October 18, 2012

When her daughter left a heated argument and stabbed herself to death in the other room, Vaughn picked up the pieces.

In her new memoir Afterglow: A Test of the Human Spirit, Vaughn shares her story of triumphing after tragedy.

I vowed to share my experiences to show there is light at the end of the tunnel, Vaughn says. I was able to get through my childs suicide with a zest for life.

Vaughn says she also sought to provide a resource for the day-to-day realities of mourning, which she couldnt find during her own grieving process.

Vaughn also shares, page by page, her story of an unstable early life, two unsuccessful marriages and surviving domestic abuse.

Her two daughters, one who committed suicide, suffered from the genetic disorder Ataxia, which affects muscle coordination.

For years I yearned for a solid foundation and self worth, she says. Its all the more meaningful now, and I have such gratitude for life.

Afterglow: A Test of Human Spirit

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Spirituality and suicide: grace in the face of tragedy

Canadian Ataxia Conference 2012, Hosted by London, Ontario

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LONDON, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct 12, 2012) -

Editors Note: There is a photo associated with this press release.

The Canadian Ataxia Conference exists to elevate Ataxia awareness throughout the country while also raising funds for disability support and medical research for a cure.Ataxia is a neurological hereditary disease that has over 50 different gene types, experts believe that there are over 100 types yet to be identified.The many forms of Ataxia destroy mobility and central nervous system functions.

The Canadian Ataxia Conference 2012 will take place on Saturday, October 20th in the Central Library building, 251 Dundas St,. London, Ontario. This year''s conference supports two charities, Canadian Association for Familial Ataxias (CAFA) and Fight Ataxia Project. The Conference consists of a townhall, concert, and banquet.

11 am - The Fight Ataxia Town hall begins in Stevenson & Hunt room with speakers Jonas Cepkauskas, Dr. Teesta Soman, Dr. Jitender Sadhev, and other research presentations.

5 pm - "Bruteman Live!"Philanthropy concert begins in Wolf performance hall with musicians Bruteman, Sarah Smith, Ken Ross, Pete Comrie, Laura Gagnon, Dana Hartman,Ill at Will crew, and others.

6 pm - The CAFA Ataxia Banquet begins in the Stevenson & Hunt room with speakers Chelsey Sommerfield and Dr. Marie Caron.

To view the photo associated with this press release, please visit the following link: http://www.marketwire.com/library/20121012-CanadianAtaxiaConferenceimageLGA.jpg

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Canadian Ataxia Conference 2012, Hosted by London, Ontario

Tour Report: Els blog: Autism challenge on tap

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Ernie Els turns 43 on Wednesday and hosts the Els for Autism Golf Challenge this weekend. Little/Getty Images Ernie Els turns 43 on Wednesday and hosts the Els for Autism Golf Challenge this weekend.

Editors note: Ernie Els is writing a blog for PGATOUR.COM in 2012 and this is his most recent installment. For more information on the World Golf Hall of Famer, visit http://www.ernieels.com.

It was great to be back at CordeValle Golf Club for last weeks Frys.com Open. This was only the second time Id played this tournament, but before then Id done some corporate outings here for my sponsor SAP. Its just a wonderful place to play golf and its great being able to stay on the property during tournament week. Obviously I wanted to play well to make it an even nicer experience and, for the most part, I did.

Actually, it was a similar performance to when I played here in 2011. The golf course was playing a little bit firmer than last time, but the pattern of my scoring was much the same. Seven out of my eight rounds in this event have been in the 60s and Im 24-under par combined. Overall I hit a lot of quality shots out there and I could have easily been right in the mix. Both days over the weekend I started on the 10th tee and really got it going on the back nine, making a bunch of birdies, but both times I didnt manage to carry that momentum through the front nine.

That was a bit disappointing, but as I say, I played well and it was an enjoyable week. Its also my best finish since the Open. Right after that amazing week at Lytham it was such a hectic time for me, and although I was trying my best every week I teed it up, there were times when I felt like there wasnt much fuel in the tank. Now, its like things are coming around again. My focus and my energy levels are better and all last week I definitely felt like my swing was in a nice groove. That gives me a lot to look forward to in my next couple of tournaments and obviously for next year as well.

Theres plenty to look forward to this week, too. Its my birthday on Wednesday, so Im guessing as a family well all do something together. Then later in the week Ill be hosting the 2012 Els for Autism Golf Challenge Grand Finale in Las Vegas. Last years inaugural event was a great success and Liezl and I had a really fantastic time with everyone. Im sure its going to be more of the same this time around.

Weve got a great format and there are some amazing prizes up for grabs.

Liezl and I kick things off with a welcome champagne reception and dinner at Caesars Palace on Friday night. Then on Saturday morning the golf action starts at three great courses Rio Secco, Bears Best and TPC Las Vegas. Some of my fellow PGA TOUR pros are kindly hosting a coaching clinic at each venue and thats followed by the Grand Finale tournament itself. Later, its back to Caesars Palace for an awards ceremony and a good old South Africa-style braai. Nice!

Anyway like I said, it should be a lot of fun. Once were done Ill make sure we get some information and a gallery of images on the website. Hopefully it will inspire you to take part in the 2013 Els for Autism Golf Challenge.

Bye for now.

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Tour Report: Els blog: Autism challenge on tap

Adding up autism risks

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Public release date: 14-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr Hilary Glover hilary.glover@biomedcentral.com 44-020-319-22370 BioMed Central

The causes of autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are complex, and contain elements of both nature (genes) and the environment. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Molecular Autism shows that common genetic polymorphisms (genetic variation) can add up to an increased risk of ASD.

The contribution of inheritance and genetic mutation versus environmental factors to the risk of ASD is hotly debated. Most twin studies show the contribution heavily tilted toward inheritance, but the exact amount of involvement of genes in ASD risk is less apparent. This is because, while the impact of rare genetic variations on ASD risk is becoming clear, the role of more common variations, so called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), remains unresolved.

In a vast project involving researchers across the USA, genetic data from families in the Simons Simplex Collection (where one child, but neither parent or any brothers or sisters, have ASD) and the Autism Genome Project (where one or more children were affected), was compared to families from the HealthABC program a cross section of the population).

By analyzing one million of the common variations in each participant's genome, it became clear that, in families where only one child is affected, 40% of the risk of ASD is inherited. In families where more than one child is affected this increased to over 60%. By looking in more detail at the unaffected parents and siblings of children with ASD it appeared that the inherited risk was additive.

Prof Bernie Devlin, from the University of Pittsburgh, explained, "Each of the common variations involved in ASD has little effect on its own, however our results show that they add up. This could explain why, while the parents might each not show any symptoms, their children receive enough of the risk versions to be affected."

Overall these results suggest that there are a large number of common variants each with a very small effect. Prof Devlin continued, "This is a large step forward in our understanding of ASD. The genetic components alone are far more complex than many imagined a decade ago, including the additive effects we have found, rare inherited mutations, and new mutations arising spontaneously before conception."

Editors-in-Chief, Drs. Buxbaum and Baron-Cohen noted that this study represents "An exceptionally important breakthrough in our understanding of autism risk". They also note that, "The interplay between common SNP and rare risk variants could be key to understanding the considerable differences in presentation seen among individuals with an autism spectrum condition".

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Drugs Hint At Potential Reversal Of Autism

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MedicalRF.com/Corbis

A mutation, called Fragile X, on the X chromosome can cause retardation and autism. Seen here, a microscopic visualization of X chromosomes.

Roger Diehl, a college freshman with Asperger's and depression, and his mother, Sita Diehl, answer questions about what parents and education specialists can do to help kids with learning disabilities or mental illness make a strong transition to college.

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Scientific researchers can spend years in the lab on obscure topics, like how a sea slug remembers or how a fruit fly sees color. But every now and then, a basic scientist makes a discovery that changes human lives.

Mark Bear, who directs the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT, is one of those basic scientists. He's discovered a system in the brain that could change the lives of thousands of people with the genetic disorder known as Fragile X Syndrome.

Fragile X is a mutation on the X chromosome that can cause mental retardation and autism. Until now, there has been no treatment.

But Bear discovered that the mutation responsible for Fragile X appears to disrupt a system in the brain that regulates synapses the connections between brain cells. He says the system works a bit like a car.

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Impact of autism may be different in men and women

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Public release date: 17-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jyoti Madhusoodanan jmadhusoodanan@plos.org 415-568-4545 x187 Public Library of Science

Men and women with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) may show subtle but significant differences in the cognitive functions impacted by the condition, according to new research published Oct 17 by Meng-Chuan Lai and colleagues from the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, UK in the open access journal PLOS ONE.

Though individuals with autism show sex-specific differences in serum biomarkers, genetics and brain anatomy, little is known about any sex-dependent differences in cognition caused by ASC. Following their previous report on behavioral sex differences in adults with ASC (also published in PLOS ONE, see (http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0020835 ), in this new study the researchers compared four aspects of cognition in adults with ASC to those with typical development. They found that perception of facial emotions was equally impaired across both sexes in individuals with ASC. In tasks involving attention to detail or dexterity requiring strategic thinking, women with ASC performed comparably to women without ASC, but men with ASC showed more difficulties than neurotypical men.

According to the authors, their results suggest that the severity with which certain cognitive functions are affected by autism may be dependent on sex, and has implications for assessment and intervention of ASC.

"What we know about males with ASC should not be assumed to generalize to females", said Dr. Lai. "Their similarities and differences need to be investigated systematically in autism research."

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Citation: Lai M-C, Lombardo MV, Ruigrok ANV, Chakrabarti B, Wheelwright SJ, et al. (2012) Cognition in Males and Females with Autism: Similarities and Differences. PLoS ONE 7(10): e47198. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0047198

Financial Disclosure: The project was funded by the United Kingdom Medical Research Council (GO 400061, http://www.mrc.ac.uk/index.htm). MCL was supported by the Waterloo Foundation during the period of this study (921/1247, http://www.waterloofoundation.org.uk/index.html), MVL was supported by the Wellcome Trust and the British Academy, and SBC was supported by the Wellcome Trust. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interest Statement: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Impact of autism may be different in men and women

Children with autism can identify misbehavior but have trouble putting it in words

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Public release date: 17-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jyoti Madhusoodanan jmadhusoodanan@plos.org 415-568-4545 x187 Public Library of Science

Children with autism have difficulty identifying inappropriate social behavior, and even when successful, they are often unable to justify why the behavior seemed inappropriate. New brain imaging studies show that children with autism may recognize socially inappropriate behavior, but have difficulty using spoken language to explain why the behavior is considered inappropriate, according to research published Oct. 17 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Elizabeth Carter from Carnegie Mellon University and colleagues.

The authors say the results of their functional MRI studies support previous behavioral studies that reached similar conclusions about language impairment in children with autism. In the current study, the researchers asked children with autism and children with typical development to identify in which of two pictures a boy was being bad (social judgment), or which of two pictures was outdoors (physical judgment). Both groups successfully performed the task, but the children with autism showed activity in fewer brain regions involving social and language networks while performing the task. Even though language was not required for the task, the children with typical development recruited language areas of the brain while making their decisions.

According to the authors, their results support the hypothesis that children with autism may recognize socially inappropriate behavior, but have difficulty using spoken language to explain why the behavior is considered wrong. They suggest that this decreased use of language may also make generalization of the knowledge more difficult.

"These results indicate that it is important to work with these children on translating their knowledge into language", says Carter.

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Citation: Carter EJ, Williams DL, Minshew NJ, Lehman JF (2012) Is He Being Bad? Social and Language Brain Networks during Social Judgment in Children with Autism. PLoS ONE 7(10): e47241. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0047241

Financial Disclosure: This work was supported by a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Autism Center of Excellence grant (P50HD055748, PI: NJM) and a National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders K23 award (DC006691, PI: DLW). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interest Statement: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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Children with autism can identify misbehavior but have trouble putting it in words

Facility Offers One-Stop Shopping for Families of Kids with Autism

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In the three years since Ramona Marshall's son was diagnosed with autism, the Southern California woman has seen the inside of a lot of school conference rooms, doctors' offices and therapists' rooms. But she thinks she may have found a single place where her son, now age five, can receive much of the care and attention he needs.

At the Kids Institute for Development & Advancement in Irvine, Calif., Marshall can relax and chat with other parents of kids with autism while her son receives a range of services to help him overcome speech and social deficits. Or she can work out in a gym in the facility designed to give parents a healthy way to alleviate some stress. Or she can consult with one of the therapists on staff.

The facility, one of the first in the country attempting to combine a wide range of autism services in one location, has made life a little easier for the Marshall family.

MORE: After Her Daughter's Autism Diagnosis, Impassioned Mom Creates a Special Needs School

"I think we need places like this all over," Marshall says one afternoon while waiting for her son to finish a session with a therapist. "Families of kids with autism do enough driving as it is. This center is exciting for the kids; it's play-based, safe and clean. And for parents, it's like a support system."

Convenience for families and advancement for kids are the objectives at KiDA.Today one in every 88 kids has autism, and autism diagnosis rates gave risen more tahn 78 percent over the last decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The need for convenient, efficient and effective autism services has never been greater. But often that care is fragmented.

Earlier this year, KiDA opened a new 50,000-square-foot facility that offers multidisciplinary, comprehensive autism services under one roof. Kids can go to school, receive a range of one-on-one services, play in a gym, socialize and even see a neurologist -- sometimes all in one day. About 100 families are currently involved with the center.

"For a lot of families with kids on the autism spectrum, they have to drive around for medical appointments, therapies, education, family support," Kristen Coates,manager of administration at KiDA, told TakePart. "It's a lot of stress on the child and the family. It takes a toll. The founders wanted to see a place where everything came together under one roof now. They wanted to see a more integrated system that would really provide comprehensive services."

MORE: Temple Grandin: Autism Is Not My Identity

KiDA didn't begin with such a grand scheme, however. It was started in 2008 by a family with a child with autism who wanted a place for kids with the disorder to gather. In a 5,000-square-foot facility, a few families met to socialize and allow children with autism to play in a specially designed gym. Soon after, the group arranged to offer speech therapy on site.

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Stem cell model for hereditary disease developed

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ScienceDaily (Oct. 15, 2012) A new method of using adult stem cells as a model for the hereditary condition Gaucher disease could help accelerate the discovery of new, more effective therapies for this and other conditions such as Parkinson's, according to new research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Scientists at the University of Maryland School of Medicine reprogrammed stem cells to develop into cells that are genetically similar to and react to drugs in a similar way as cells from patients with Gaucher disease. The stem cells will allow the scientists to test potential new therapies in a dish, accelerating the process toward drug discovery, according to the paper published online in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on Oct. 15.

"We have created a model for all three types of Gaucher disease, and used stem cell-based tests to evaluate the effectiveness of therapies," says senior author Ricardo Feldman, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and a research scientist at the University of Maryland Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. "We are confident that this will allow us to test more drugs faster, more accurately and more safely, bringing us closer to new treatments for patients suffering from Gaucher disease. Our findings have potential to help patients with other neurodegenerative diseases as well. For example, about 10 percent of Parkinson's disease patients carry mutations in the recessive gene for Gaucher disease, making our research possibly significant for Parkinson's disease as well."

Gaucher disease is the most frequent lipid-storage disease. It affects 1 in 50,000 people in the general population. It is most common in Ashkenazi Jews, affecting 1 in 1,000 among that specific population. The disease occurs in three subtypes -- Type 1 is the mildest and most common form of the disease, causing symptoms such as enlarged livers and spleens, anemia and bone disease. Type 2 causes very serious brain abnormalities and is usually fatal before the age of two, while Type 3 affects children and adolescents.

The condition is a recessive genetic disorder, meaning that both parents must be carriers for a child to suffer from Gaucher. However, said Dr. Feldman, studies have found that people with only one copy of a mutated Gaucher gene -- those known as carriers -- are at an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

"This science is a reflection of the mission of the University of Maryland School of Medicine -- to take new treatments from bench to bedside, from the laboratory to patients, as quickly as possible," says E. Albert Reece, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland and John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "We are excited to see where this research goes next, bringing new hope to Gaucher patients and their families."

Dr. Feldman and his colleagues used the new reprogramming technology developed by Shinja Yamanaka in Japan, who was recognized with this year's Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology. Scientists engineered cells taken from the skin of Gaucher patients, creating human induced pluripotent stem cells, known as hiPSC -- stem cells that are theoretically capable of forming any type of cell in the body. Scientists differentiated the cells to form white blood cells known as macrophages and neuronal cells.

A key function of macrophages in the body is to ingest and eliminate damaged or aged red blood cells. In Gaucher disease, the macrophages are unable to do so -- they can't digest a lipid present in the red blood cell membrane. The macrophages become engorged with lipid and cannot completely clear the ingested red blood cells. This results in blockage of membrane transport pathways in the macrophages lodged in the bone marrow, spleen and liver. The macrophages that the scientists created from the reprogrammed stem cells exhibited this characteristic hallmark of the macrophages taken from Gaucher patients.

To further test the stem cells, the scientists administered a recombinant enzyme that is effective in treating Gaucher patients with Type 1 disease. When the cells were treated with the enzyme, the function of the macrophages was restored -- they completely cleared the red blood cells.

"The creation of these stem cell lines is a lovely piece of stem cell research," said Curt Civin, M.D., professor of pediatrics and physiology, associate dean for research and founding director of the Center for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "Dr. Feldman is already using these Gaucher patient-derived macrophages to better understand the disease fundamentals and to find novel medicines for Gaucher disease treatment. A major goal of our Center for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine is to translate our fundamental discoveries into innovative and practical clinical applications that will enhance the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of many human diseases. Clinical applications include not only transplantation of stem cells, but also the use of stem cells for drug discovery as Dr. Feldman's studies so beautifully illustrate."

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Beauty salon ‘offers’ stem cell therapy

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With all the publicity about the miraculous effects of stem cell therapy, the Department of Health (DOH) should prepare itself for the possibility that the new procedure would be performed by unqualified, and completely clueless, people.

I passed a beauty parlor recently and saw a huge poster on its door announcing the arrival of stem cell therapy. I was instantly reminded of botched breast enhancement and nose jobs performed by salon personnel who seemed to think it was as easy to learn complicated surgical procedures as it was to train to cut hair or do manicures and pedicures.

The DOH should start warning the public not to fall for these special offers just because they are available at giveaway rates.

Modern lifestyle problem

Experts have repeatedly talked about problems brought about by modern lifestyles. Changing diets and stress are two of the best known. Dr. Jaime G. Ignacio, section chief of gastroenterology at Veterans Hospital and head of the Digestive Malignancy Council of the Philippine Society of Gastroenterology, said constipation could be one of the consequences of the combination of these two factors.

Speaking at an event hosted by Boehringer Ingelheim, maker of Dulcolax (generic name Bisacodyl), a formulation for constipation relief, Ignacio, who, as a gastroenterologist is a specialist in digestive system disorders, defined the problem as having fewer than three bowel movements in a week (normal ranges from three times a week to three times a day).

He said constipation itself was not a disease but it could sometimes be a symptom of something serious, like colorectal cancer. But he said about 95 percent of cases were acuteoccurring suddenly and lasting for only a short periodresulting from some sudden lifestyle or hormonal changes, the taking of medication, lack of exercise, etc.

Ignacio said acute was easy to treat, with products like Dulcolax to solve the problem. But, if left unattended, acute constipation could lead to a chronic or long-term condition, which was the more worrisome, and would need medical attention.

He said constipation should be treated as soon as the problem had lasted for four or more days.

Constipation is part of modern living. [Like other diseases] prevention is the key. Safe and effective treatment is available [if needed], Ignacio stressed.

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Beauty salon ‘offers’ stem cell therapy

Stem cell doctor in court: Day 2

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COLLIER COUNTY -

A Southwest Florida doctor spent another day in court fighting for his right to practice medicine.

Bonita Springs cardiologist Zannos Grekos' license is currently suspended because two of his patients died after undergoing a controversial stem cell procedure.

Wednesday was day two of what's scheduled to be a four day trial. The courtroom was again filled with patients supporting Grekos and his stem cell treatment.

This hearing focuses only on the first patient that died after getting that treatment. Her family was also in attendance and wants Grekos' medical license revoked.

Dr. Richard Roland spoke about a call he got from Grekos in 2010. He had just performed a stem cell procedure on his patient Domenica Fitgzerald and something went wrong.

Roland was Fitzgerald's ICU doctor.

"I was quite shocked. My first comment was, 'You did what?' His response was, 'Yes. We've been having good luck with these procedures,'" Dr. Roland said. "I had concerns that this was criminal."

Fitzgerald's family says the breast cancer survivor was looking for a cure for nerve damage caused by chemotherapy.

They say Grekos gave her false hope.

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Stem Cells Reveal Defect in Parkinson's Cells

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The nuclei of brain stem cells in some Parkinson's patients become misshapen with age. The discovery opens up new ways to target the disease.

Nubby nucleus: Brain cells from a deceased Parkinsons patient have deformed nuclei (bottom) compared with normal brain cells from an individual of a similar age. Merce Marti and Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte

Stem cells in the brains of some Parkinson's patients are increasingly damaged as they age, an effect that eventually diminishes their ability to replicate and differentiate into mature cell types. Researchers studied neural stem cells created from patients' own skin cells to identify the defects. The findings offer a new focus for therapeutics that target the cellular change.

The report, published today in Nature, takes advantage of the ability to model diseases in cell culture by turning patient's own cells first into so-called induced pluripotent stem cells and then into disease-relevant cell typesin this case, neural stem cells. The basis of these techniques was recognized with a Nobel Prize in medicine last week.

The authors studied cells taken from patients with a heritable form of Parkinson's that stems from mutations in a gene. After growing several generation of neural stem cells derived from patients with that mutation, they saw the cell nuclei start to develop abnormal shapes. Those abnormalities compromise the survival of the neural stem cells, says study coauthor Ignacio Sancho-Martinez of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California.

Today's study "brings to light a new avenue for trying to figure out the mechanism of Parkinson's," says Scott Noggle of the New York Stem Cell Foundation. It also provides a new set of therapeutic targets: "Drugs that target or modify the activity [of the gene] could be applicable to Parkinson's patients. This gives you a handle on what to start designing drug screens around."

The strange nuclei were also seen in patients who did not have a known genetic basis for Parkinson's disease. The authors suggest this indicates that dysfunctional neural stem cells could contribute to Parkinson's. While that conclusion is "highly speculative," says Ole Isacson, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School, the study demonstrates the "wealth of data and information that we now can gain from iPS cells."

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Stem Cells Reveal Defect in Parkinson's Cells

Stem Cells Reveal Defect in Parkinson’s Cells

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The nuclei of brain stem cells in some Parkinson's patients become misshapen with age. The discovery opens up new ways to target the disease.

Nubby nucleus: Brain cells from a deceased Parkinsons patient have deformed nuclei (bottom) compared with normal brain cells from an individual of a similar age. Merce Marti and Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte

Stem cells in the brains of some Parkinson's patients are increasingly damaged as they age, an effect that eventually diminishes their ability to replicate and differentiate into mature cell types. Researchers studied neural stem cells created from patients' own skin cells to identify the defects. The findings offer a new focus for therapeutics that target the cellular change.

The report, published today in Nature, takes advantage of the ability to model diseases in cell culture by turning patient's own cells first into so-called induced pluripotent stem cells and then into disease-relevant cell typesin this case, neural stem cells. The basis of these techniques was recognized with a Nobel Prize in medicine last week.

The authors studied cells taken from patients with a heritable form of Parkinson's that stems from mutations in a gene. After growing several generation of neural stem cells derived from patients with that mutation, they saw the cell nuclei start to develop abnormal shapes. Those abnormalities compromise the survival of the neural stem cells, says study coauthor Ignacio Sancho-Martinez of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California.

Today's study "brings to light a new avenue for trying to figure out the mechanism of Parkinson's," says Scott Noggle of the New York Stem Cell Foundation. It also provides a new set of therapeutic targets: "Drugs that target or modify the activity [of the gene] could be applicable to Parkinson's patients. This gives you a handle on what to start designing drug screens around."

The strange nuclei were also seen in patients who did not have a known genetic basis for Parkinson's disease. The authors suggest this indicates that dysfunctional neural stem cells could contribute to Parkinson's. While that conclusion is "highly speculative," says Ole Isacson, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School, the study demonstrates the "wealth of data and information that we now can gain from iPS cells."

Go here to read the rest:
Stem Cells Reveal Defect in Parkinson's Cells

Realizing the potential of stem cell therapy: Studies report progress in developing treatments for diseases and injuries

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ScienceDaily (Oct. 15, 2012) New animal studies provide additional support for investigating stem cell treatments for Parkinson's disease, head trauma, and dangerous heart problems that accompany spinal cord injury, according to research findings released today.

The work, presented at Neuroscience 2012, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health, shows scientists making progress toward using stem cell therapies to repair neurological damage.

The studies focused on using stem cells to produce neurons -- essential, message-carrying cells in the brain and spinal cord. The loss of neurons and the connections they make for controlling critical bodily functions are the chief hallmarks of brain and spinal cord injuries and of neurodegenerative afflictions such as Parkinson's disease and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Today's new findings show that:

Other recent findings discussed show that:

"As the fields of developmental and regenerative neuroscience mature, important progress is being made to begin to translate the promise of stem cell therapy into meaningful treatments for a range of well-defined neurological problems," said press conference moderator Jeffrey Macklis, MD, of Harvard University and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, an expert on development and regeneration of the mammalian central nervous system. "Solid, rigorous, and well-defined pre-clinical work in animals can set the stage toward human clinical trials and effective future therapies."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Society for Neuroscience (SfN), via AlphaGalileo.

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Realizing the potential of stem cell therapy: Studies report progress in developing treatments for diseases and injuries

Harvard Ophthalmologist Dr. Ula Jurkunas Introduces Stem Cell Transplant for Eyes

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Grants Pass, OR (PRWEB) October 16, 2012

Harvard Ophthalmologist and Corneal Stem Cell Researcher Ula Jurkunas, MD, has announced an important new stem cell transplant procedure for the eyes.

Speaking on the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water radio show, Dr. Jurkunas, predicted that the procedure will offer a significant benefit to patients with certain corneal diseases, and corneal injuries such as chemical and thermal burns (The cornea is the eyes clear portion).

Stem cell research has been in the news because the 2012 Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded for stem cell research.

Dr. Jurkunas explained to host Sharon Kleyne that the human eye produces its own adult (non-embryonic) stem cells. These are found between the limbus (where the clear cornea meets the white of the eye) and the conjunctiva (the red meaty tissue in the eyes inner corner). Their function is to replenish corneal cells to keep the cornea clear and healthy.

Production of corneal stem cells, according to Dr. Jurkunas, can become impaired due to a disease entity such as an infection, severe allergy, severe dry eye, immunological disorder or chronic inflammation; or due to injury such as a chemical or thermal burn. These traumas can cause the cornea to become cloudy and ulcerated. Prior to the present corneal stem cell research, there had been no reliable, non-invasive treatment for these conditions.

Corneal stem cell transplantation, Dr. Jurkunas explains, has the advantage of utilizing the patients own tissue as donor cells. Stem cells may be taken either from healthy tissue elsewhere in the diseased eye, from the patients other eye, or from the patients inner cheek (which has many similarities to eye tissue and also produces adult stem cells). Donor stem cells are then isolated and grown in culture. The final step is to transfer them to the affected cornea using a stem cell bandage.

The procedure, says Dr. Jurkunas, has resulted in dramatic corneal clearing and sight restoration. Although research is ongoing and the procedure remains experimental, corneal stem cell therapy is available in clinical trials. Widespread applications of the procedure, including routine testing for corneal stem cell deficiency, are anticipated. Stem cell therapy, according to Dr. Jurkunas, could eventually be used for macular degeneration, glaucoma and other eye diseases.

Dr. Jurkunas stressed the importance of water and hydration in maintaining a healthy tear film and cornea. The tear film covering the cornea is 99% water and is essential to the light refraction that enables vision. Dry eye and related eye infections, according to Dr. Jurkunas, can damage both the cornea and adjacent stem cell producing tissues that enable the cornea to repair itself. Water in the tear film stimulates the healthy production of stem cells. Water is also critical to keeping stem cells viable during transplantation.

Mrs. Kleyne and Dr. Jurkunas agree that non-invasive therapies using the bodys own tissues, such as corneal stem cell transplantation, could eventually prove indispensable in combating the worldwide health effects of global drying and dehydration.

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Harvard Ophthalmologist Dr. Ula Jurkunas Introduces Stem Cell Transplant for Eyes

FDA issues warning letter to local stem cell company

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The Food and Drug Administration has informed the Sugar Land company involved in Gov. Rick Perry's adult stem-cell procedure that it is illegally marketing an unlicensed drug.

In a warning letter, the FDA gave Celltex Therapeutics Corp. 15 business days to submit a plan to address the agency's concerns, including correcting previously cited manufacturing problems. The letter said that failure to respond promptly could result in seizure or injunction by the FDA.

"Based on (our) information, your product violates the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Public Health Service Act," says the letter, sent on Sept. 24 and publicly posted Tuesday.

The letter comes about six months after the FDA made a 10-day inspection of the facilities where Celltex banks and grows stem cells taken from prospective patients. The agency subsequently filed a report, obtained by the Chronicle in June, detailing dozens of manufacturing deficiencies, from incorrectly labeled products to failed sterility tests.

The new warning letter reiterates those problems and asks for more information about them.

David Eller, Celltex's CEO, was unavailable Tuesday, but a public relations official said the company on Wednesday would make available a redacted copy of its letter to the FDA.

In a previous news release, Eller said Celltex "respectfully but firmly" disagreed with the FDA's position that its process causes the cells to be considered biological drugs and thus subject to the federal agency's regulations. Biological drugs involve living human cells, as opposed to chemically synthesized drugs.

"We are considering all options as we work with the agency toward a resolution," Eller said in the release.

Adult stem cells multiply to replenish dying cells. Long used to treat leukemia and other cancers, they have recently shown promise for tissue repair in other diseases, though most scientists in the field consider them not ready for mainstream use.

Treatment, at a price

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FDA issues warning letter to local stem cell company

FDA issues warning to Sugar Land stem cell company

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The Food and Drug Administration has informed the Sugar Land company involved in Gov. Rick Perry's adult stem-cell procedure that it is illegally marketing an unlicensed drug.

In a warning letter, the FDA gave Celltex Therapeutics Corp. 15 business days to submit a plan to address the agency's concerns, including correcting previously cited manufacturing problems. The letter said that failure to respond promptly could result in seizure or injunction by the FDA.

"Based on (our) information, your product violates the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Public Health Service Act," says the letter, sent on Sept. 24 and publicly posted Tuesday.

The letter comes about six months after the FDA made a 10-day inspection of the facilities where Celltex banks and grows stem cells taken from prospective patients. The agency subsequently filed a report, obtained by the Chronicle in June, detailing dozens of manufacturing deficiencies, from incorrectly labeled products to failed sterility tests.

The new warning letter reiterates those problems and asks for more information about them.

David Eller, Celltex's CEO, was unavailable Tuesday, but a public relations official said the company on Wednesday would make available a redacted copy of its letter to the FDA.

In a previous news release, Eller said Celltex "respectfully but firmly" disagreed with the FDA's position that its process causes the cells to be considered biological drugs and thus subject to the federal agency's regulations. Biological drugs involve living human cells, as opposed to chemically synthesized drugs.

"We are considering all options as we work with the agency toward a resolution," Eller said in the release.

Adult stem cells multiply to replenish dying cells. Long used to treat leukemia and other cancers, they have recently shown promise for tissue repair in other diseases, though most scientists in the field consider them not ready for mainstream use.

Treatment, at a price

Read the rest here:
FDA issues warning to Sugar Land stem cell company