“Latest Stem Cells News”

Two stem cell-based plastic surgery operations were successfully performed in Rome. The operations, a face-lift and a mastoplastic additive were performed at the Nuova Villa Claudia Clinic in Rome by Roberto Scalco, who is specialized in reconstructive plastic surgery and the president of the “Advanced esthetic surgery” medical association.

“This is the first face-lift performed in Europe with this method, the only previous operation like this was done in Tel Aviv,” was written in a statement.

Scalco, assisted by his team, used fat stem cells removed from the same patient treated with the ‘Celution’ system, a machine that is able to specifically select a colony of fat stem cells and concentrate them. Once an adequate amount of cells were treated, a very high concentration of stem cells was reinserted to increase breast size without making any incisions. The same procedure was performed also for a face-lift, with the insertion of treated stem cells into the neck, face, and on scars. The result was a minimally invasive operation.

The operation required few, very small cuts for the face-lift, and no cuts or incisions for the breast augmentation. The two patients were sedated for the operation and are currently well with no pain or excessive swelling.

In the operating room, concluded the statement, Claudio Calabrese, a surgeon of the Breast Unit at the Careggi Hospital in Florence and head of the multi-centre trial (Florence, Madrid, and Glasgow) who has treated at least 70 patients with adult autologous stem cell injections to reconstruct breast tissue after mastectomies, assisted the operation.

“This is an innovative operation,” explained Scalco, “not due to the lifting technique, but rather since it was the first time that adult stem cells from fat tissue were used in the same patient in a facial operation. The results, both for the increase in breast volume and for the face-lift, have proven to be practically permanent, since using the Celution System doubles the amount of stem cells that are normally contained in the fat, which are then reabsorbed.”

This first face-lift with stem cells represents the future of esthetic surgery and opens new and interesting scenarios for the use of new technology with maximum respect for the patient’s body, where cuts and scars will be increasingly less invasive.

“We are entering into a new era of natural plastic surgery and natural esthetic treatments,” he added, pointing out “Italy is at the cutting edge in terms of esthetic surgery. The technology used is extremely promising, its potential is not clear, and there will be many more positive surprises.”

“It is necessary to add,” continued Calabrese, “that in the mastectomies and esthetic procedures performed until now using the old methods, one of the problems was loss of feeling. With the augmentation technique used here using the patient’s fat, which contains a high concentration of stem cells, in over 80% of the cases, a substantial sense of feeling was recovered.”

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The first successful stem cell therapy for traumatic brain injury in the country was conducted by doctors at BGS Global
Hospitals.

Through this therapy, bone marrow was transplanted directly into the brain. N K Venkataramana, chief neurosurgeon of BGS Hospitals, confirmed that this is the first such attempt in India and second in the world. “China made the first attempt.”

The therapy was done on Madhumalika, 27, who was admitted to BGS Global Hospitals following a road accident on December 14 last year. She suffered from `diffuse axonal brain injury’ — a severe form of brain injury where the patient remains unconscious for a variable period. The patient needs to be assisted in his or her daily activities. In her case, she remained in a coma for more than three months.

Her mother had to resign from work and her father opted for the voluntary retirement scheme to look after their only daughter. “We had no hope of getting her back after the fatal injury. Also, we were unsure of the effects of the therapy on her. But we had to take a chance,” her father said.

In the surgery done in March, four million stem cells per body weight, which were prepared at Stempeutics Research Pvt Ltd, were injected directly into her brain.

After a month of the transplant, she showed considerable improvement. She became conscious, started talking and could move her limbs. She was also able to recognize family members and friends. But the prolonged stay in bed resulted in stiffness of the joints, for which she is undergoing physiotherapy.

Venkataramana said the belief that brain injuries aren’t curable has been proved wrong. “The need to help accident victims led us to work on stem cell therapy,” he added.

“Since 2004, there has been a pressing need to help the rising number of people who were disabled following road accidents. Stem cell therapy was one of the means to face the situation,” he explained.

“We’re planning to carry out a pilot study in treating head injuries with stem cells.”

from The Times of India

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A woman from New York has written an open letter to Obama saying that stem cell research using Adult Stem Cells has helped her daughter’s autism. Judy DiCorcia is reporting that her daughter, Lauren, a 10 year old girl with autism has improved significantly after the stem cell treatment and therapy in Germany in January 2009.

Process of Stem Cell Research and Therapy for Autism

1. Bone Marrow Extracted From Patient
2. Using a centrifuge, stem cells are separated from the bone marrow
3. Implanted into spinal canal via lumbar puncture- a simple procedure

As easy as 1,2, 3!

Improvements in Lauren After Stem Cell Treatment

• Can sleep through the night for the first time
• Less Frustrated
• Better focused, more compliant
• Moms says a “40% general improvement which is huge for an autistic child”

From the stem cell article:

Now, more than five months since her treatment, Mrs. DiCorcia reports that her daughter is still doing well, “Lauren is doing well. I would have to say that she ‘plateaued’ at about the 12-week mark. Her situation is stable and fortunately all positive effects have persisted. I wish the doctor could fly to the US and perform the therapy here!”

I wish they could perform the procedure here too Mrs. DiCorcia.   Again, nobody is saying the stem cell therapy has cured Lauren.  But the improvement in the quality of life is what is most important.  And Lauren’s mom says the improvement was 40%- in a simple procedure.

Now, Lauren had nothing to lose, the research has been done-  the procedure used her own Adult Stem Cells so was perfectly safe.   And it paid off for the family.

Here is the full letter from Lauren’s mother addressed to Obama-

Dear President Obama,

I am the mother of a 10-year-old autistic daughter. In January, we took Lauren to Cologne, Germany for Adult Stem Cell therapy. The center used her own stem cells drawn from her hip bone marrow, centrifuged the next day, and then reinserted via lumbar puncture the following day (2.95 million cells). Both procedures were quick and not invasive at all. In the past 6 weeks we have seen significant improvements in our daughter’s behaviors, focus, hyperactivity, and insomnia. I would rate a general improvement of about 40% – this is HUGE for a family living with autism. Our daughter started sleeping through the night for the first time (yes, she is 10 and got up every night) since stem cells. Lauren is happier just in her own skin – so much less frustrated and just generally happier. She is getting through her one-on-one therapy more quickly, better focused, and more compliant. Of course, it amazes me that this simple, non-controversial therapy cannot be done here in the United States.

Sincerely,
Judy DiCorcia

It amazes me too Judy.  You should send your letter to the FDA as well.

We have previously reported  on autism with Matthew Faiella who has also improved due to stem cell research after adult stem cell treatment in Costa Rica.  Here is more on Matthew and how stem cells have helped his autism

original post by Don Margolis

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An extremely valuable source of eggs has been discovered in female mice. The discovery was described as a potentially infinite source of female fertility, or germline stem cells, which can continue producing new egg cells in adults, which could be a cure for sterility and menopause.
The discovery was made by Ji Wu of the University of Shanghai Jiao Tong and contradicts previous research on the female reproductive system, possibly paving the way for new prospects to treat sterility and revolutionize female reproduction, which after menopause could make use of germline stem cells that were previously isolated and frozen to result in future pregnancies.

According to reports in Nature Cell Biology Magazine, stem cells isolated from the ovaries of adult mice were implanted into the ovaries of mice that were previously sterile, which later became pregnant and gave birth to healthy offspring.

According to what scientists have learned, a woman’s reproductive potential is decided and limited at birth with the formation of a fixed number of eggs, which activate during puberty and result in menopause when consumed. While in males, it was discovered that the testicles have a double line of male germ cells that constantly produce new sperm. However, no observation of this type has ever been made in females.

Chinese researchers now say that they have isolated female germline stem cells in the ovaries of mice just after birth (5 days) and in adult mice.

When their ovaries are injected with thousands of these stem cells, the mice stopped being fertile and naturally gave birth to healthy offspring. The female germline stem cells were first frozen, and then were thawed and implanted into the ovaries of sterile mice, a procedure adopted in order to simulate a therapy that could be performed to combat female sterility in the future.

Hypothetically, if similar germline stem cells were also found in women, they could be removed, frozen and used when needed. Each woman could store her own germline cells in special banks. This could eventually help women who have undergone chemotherapy making them sterile, and restore their fertility. The same procedure could be adopted for women who want to have more children after menopause.

Obviously this is only a future possibility. First, it will be necessary to demonstrate that female germline cells are present in humans and can be isolated from human ovaries. Then tests will have to be done to show that these cells are able to produce more eggs that can be fertilized to produce healthy offspring. This discovery could lead to new and exciting scenarios for female reproduction.

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Patients before and after Regenexx stem cell procedure educational video showing how it is done and patient’s results for knees and hips…

Local News does story on stem cell patient who received the regenexx procedure…

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For some the stress of every day life can prove to be too much actually causing their hair to fall out. But now there’s an experimental treatment in the Bay area that may help your hair grow back regardless of why it fell out.

Russell Gibson is hoping it will work for him. Under the hot Florida sun each day he wears a black knit stocking cap pulled down low over his ears and his eyebrows. He spends hours working outside because he owns “Momma Gibbs Top Notch Boat Detail.” Seeing see him dressed in a t-shirt and shorts with a cap on his head makes most people look twice.

He says when customers or friends ask him why he’s wearing it he tries to quickly change the subject. In nearly three years hardly anyone has seen Gibson without a cap. “Nobody really knows that I have this problem except for two or three people I’ve actually told.”

In his garage in private when his roommate is gone and no one else is home is the only time he will remove it. He shaves away the short black clumps of hair so you won’t notice the circular areas of hair that have fallen out.

Gibson has alopecia areata which is an auto-immune disease where white blood cells attack the hair follicle which stops hair growth on the scalp and on the body. Gibson’s eyebrows and lashes have fallen out. There is no cure.

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