21 November 2008

Stem Cell Research

I was looking on YouTube and saw quite a few videos about Michael J. Fox. One of them was an ad he had about his support for stem cell research and Parkinson's. So I looked up any studies with the use of stem cells and came across xcell-center.com. They specialize in regenerative medicine.

There was a specific stem cell study which involved collecting stem cells from a patient's bone marrow, specifically the iliac crest, then re-implanting the cells in the body days later. Stem cells are used as a type of self-healing for they have the potential to change into many different types of cells and regenerate damaged tissue.

Results:
  • Two out of 11 patients reported an overall improvement, with improved mobility (legs, arms) and/or improved strength. Some patients reported a regaining of muscle strength and/or an improvement of balance. There was some improvement of speech and/or a reduction of pain and spasms.
  • Eight out of 11 patients reported a strong improvement, with a marked improvement of mobility, speech and significantly reduced pain and spasms.

**Stem cell treatment studies were also used for Alzheimer's, Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Osteoarthritis, and Stroke patients.

1 comment:

DanielleM495 said...

I have seen a lot of "cord blood" commercials lately and personally think that it is a great to allow parents to look into it. I stumbled across an article about delaying cutting the umbillical cord after birth. I've read that this can increase blood volume, produce a higher hematocrit, higher blood pressure and cause vasodilation in baby. Most of these factors will increase tissue perfusion. I was wandering if this could also be beneficial due to the stem cells in the blood. Would this protect baby in the future from cancers and other diseases?

http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyandhealth/story.html?id=f4f5c135-7896-4e85-b9de-8ee5471be5b2&k=17171