TheWellnessLiving Health Tips

Celgene Cellular Therapeutics (CCT), a branch of Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG), announced recently the development of a clinical application of stem cells derived from human placenta (HPDSCs) for use in hematopoietic reconstitution therapies. This important hallmark in the road to achieve therapeutic use of human plancenta stem cells occurred at the LSU Health Sciences Center Children’s Hospital (LSU) on March 28, 2008. The transplant was scheduled to treat a pediatric patient with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). This is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood.  When the patient’s sibling was born in December 2007, human placental stem cells, along with cord blood, were collected and cryo-preserved and both products were used in the transplant.

CCT employs proprietary technologies for collecting, processing, and storing human plancenta-derived stem cells. This versatile kind of stem cells have a strong potential for developing therapeutic applications in, for example, leukemia and other hematological malignancies, solid tumor cancers, and autoimmune diseases.  The company is also conducting research on other types of stem cells derived from the placenta that are obtained via additional proprietary methodologies. 

The transplant, which is part of a multicenter clinical trial being conducted at LSU, together with other institutions, is using stem cells from placenta for patients with certain disorders including cancers and non-malignancies.  The primary goal of theis study is to assess the safety of transplantation of umbilical cord blood boosted with placental stem cells from the same donor, There is also a secondary objective, which is assessing potential restoration of normal hematopoiesis and immune function with this combination of cells.  The plan of the trial includes careful monitoring post-transplant for up to 24 months to monitor safety outcomes, engraftment, and survival.

“The patient is doing extremely well and, in fact, was discharged from the hospital one-to-two weeks earlier compared to traditional cord blood transplants,” said Lolie C. Yu, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Division Chief of the Pediatric Heme-Onc Program, Director of the BMT Program at LSUHSC/Children’s Hospital. “Neutrophil engraftment occurred earlier than anticipated in this proof-of-principle study further raising our hopes regarding the benefits of this treatment.”

Numerous professionals agree that there is considerable anticipation around the potential of placental stem cells. Another study by researchers from UCLA published earlier this year declared that blood-forming stem cells originate in the placenta in laboratory animals.  

“We are excited to advance our study of the placenta as a source of stem cells that have the ability to effectively treat patients worldwide,” said Robert Hariri, M.D., Ph.D., CEO of Celgene Cellular Therapeutics. “We are pleased with this first positive step in our effort to bring this cutting-edge therapy to the clinic to treat sufferers with a variety of devastating diseases.”

“For the first time, we are transplanting human placenta-derived stem cells to treat patients with a variety of cancers and non-malignant diseases,” said Mitchell Cairo, M.D., who leads the clinical trial at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center, and is Chief of the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation Division at Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine and Pathology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.  “Our hope is that HPDSCs, in conjunction with cord blood stem cells, will expedite engraftment and improve treatment for patients.”

Expectant parents can now cryo-preserve HPDSCs for future use through Celgene’s cord blood bank, LifebankUSA. For more information, vivsit: LifebankUSA Placental and Cord Blood Banking

Share This

Regular exercise and consumption of caffeine protect the body from the destructive effects of ultraviolet (UVA) and therefore may be associated with the prevention of skin cancer, according to a new study by Rutgers  University (New Jersey), whose results are published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.”

According to this research, caffeine and exercise collaborate in the destruction of precancerous cells whose DNA has been damaged by UVA, causing self-destruction. “If apoptosis takes place in cells damaged by the sun, it will slow down the progression of cancer through them,” explained one of the authors of the study, Dr. Allan Conney.

The investigation was conducted with hairless mice that were exposed to ultraviolet radiation lamps that generated that damage DNA from the cells of their skin. In turn, four groups were established, one that drank water caffeine, another who exercised running on a wheel, a third group did both, while a fourth and final group did not carry out any of these behaviors. Rodents caffeine drinkers showed about a 95% increase in apoptosis induced by UVA, which exercised showed an increase of 120%, while those who made both approached an increase of 400%.

Share This

Besides computers of impressive power and small but cool electronic gadgets, technology has provided us with great tools to improve our quality of life and enhance our chances for a longer and better life. Once restricted to hospitals and other care centres because of their complexity and elevated cost, electronic devices for monitoring and diagnosing various medical parameters are now available in small, portable and affordable home versions.

The benefits of having our own monitoring devices such as blood pressure monitors or ECG machines at home are obvious for those suffering from high blood pressure or heart problems: one can easily monitor and keep detailed records at different moments of the day, including just before bed! How often would one do it otherwise?

Healthscape is an all-in-one solution to acquire our own, top quality personal medical equipment including devices like body fat monitors, ECG machines, blood pressure monitors, stethoscopes, digital thermometers, nebulisers and many more. In addition to quality and excellent prices,  Healthscape offers a great variety of free information and health resources making it a good resource to put in our browser’s bookmarks bar.

Share This

Gout, or crystal induced synovitis is a condition that results from deposition of urate crystals especially in the surface of some joints. The body responds by sending neutrophils (a kind of white blood cell) to get rid of the crystals by phagocytizing them, but this also results in a severe inflammation. This condition is usualy painful, and pain is caused by the inflammation and the crystal deposition itself, as the urate crystals are very sharp and rigid.

The big toe is commonly affected in gout and the problem begins when there is a sustained excess of uric acid in blood. If untreated, this hyperuricemia progresses into acute arthritis that ultimately becomes chronic arthritis. Gout is more prevalent among the obese people, and is also associated to a high protein diet and excessive fat and alcohol consumption.

Painful attacks of gout are treated in firstplace by trying to reduce the pain. Indomethacin, NSAIDS, oral glucocorticoids, are usually indicated, and in some cases glucocorticoids are administered by an injection in the joint. Ibuprofen is also used, and preferred over aspirin as this can worsen the problem. Cryotherapy is another safe option, by applying ice over the affected region for 20 to 30 minutes daily, This is effective and has no side effects. A useful option for the short term is a diuretic (specifically acetazolamide).

Share This

Humans love the taste of sugar so much that the word “sweet” refers not only to this basic taste quality but also something that is highly desirable or pleasurable. This attraction goes so far that sugar (and sugar-rich foods) overconsumption is probably the main factor driving the current obesity epidemic.

But why are we so fond of sugar, when other animals appear to be so ’self-restrained’ when it comes to diet and nutrition? The answer seems to lie on our evolutionary history. Refined sugars (e.g., sucrose, fructose) were absent in the diet of most people until very recently in human history. Biologists speculate that the human attraction for intense sweetness results from an inborn hypersensitivity to sweet tastants (molecules that taste sweet). In most mammals, including rats and humans, sweet receptors evolved in ancestral environments poor in sugars. Being able to detect carbohydrate-rich nutrients constituted an advantage that was selected favourably as it allowed to choose foods more effective in providing energy. However, natural foods are usually sugar-poor, so our ancestors were not not adapted to the high concentrations of sweet tastants present in our present-day products that contain refined sugar or corn syrup.

Overconsumption of sugar-dense foods or beverages is initially motivated by the pleasure of sweet taste and is often compared to drug addiction. French investigators attempted to explore this relationship by using rats that were offered either sweetened water or highly addictive doses of cocaine. The results were stunning: the vast majority of the rats (94%) preferred the sweet treat over the drug, demonstrating that intense sweetness can surpass cocaine reward, even in drug-sensitized and -addicted individuals.

A plausible explanation for the addictive power of sugar is that the supranormal stimulation of the sweet receptors by sugar-rich diets, such as those now widely available in modern societies, would generate a supranormal reward signal in the brain, with the potential to override self-control mechanisms and thus to lead to addiction.

Share This

The goal of a behavioral management of obesity is to train an individual with the skills that will allow him/her to promote a healthy weight level. The concept involves a number of strategies which are conducted in a way to help obese patients in making gradual but steady changes that can be incorporated into their everyday habits in a realistic way.

The effectivity of behavioral programs in curing obesity is promising. Results from several studies demonstrate an 8% to 10% reduction in initial weight during the first 6 months to 1 year of treatment. The long-term effectivity of these treatments are more difficult to assess and still remains unclear. It appears that many individuals tend to regain weight lost over time but the causes are still obscure and it is unknown whether they are related to the method.

In spite of the uncertainty, an effective behavioral approach will constitute a very god option as it lacks many of the drawbacks from other weightloss methods. Efforts such as the Diabetes Prevention Program and the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) trials are starting to provide strong data on the long-term results of intensive behavioral management interventions.

Share This

Smoking is the most importan cause of preventable death in the developed world. In spite of this, tocacco dependence is still viewed by many just as a bad habit. Because of the strong bonds created by the dependence, most smokers wanting to quit find it difficult and many fail if not following a strict treatment.

In a recent article in the specialized journal “Annals of Internal Medicine”, Dr Steinberg and collaborators from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey discussed the importance of regarding tobacco dependence as a medical condition that requires a specific medical treatment, rather than a bad habit or a lifestyle choice. They compare smoking to diabetes. Diabetes, they say, is similar to tobacco dependence in “their potential to exacerbate other diseases, their behavioral components of treatment, and their effectiveness of medications”. In spite of this, treatments for diabetes are amply covered by health insurance plans, whereas coverage for tobacco cessation products and treatments are usually very limited.

In the article, the authors review some of the available treatments that usually have satisfactory results. Among the safest options is behavioral counseling, but there are also pharmacotherapies that are safe and effective. “Nicotine replacement therapy effectively delivers nicotine in safer doses without exposure to the toxins and chemicals in cigarette smoke”. As everybody is different, optimal duration of tobacco dependence treatment cannot be established, and some smokers may require more extended courses or treatment than others.

They conclude that limited coverage constitutes a severe downside for this important problem. For those smokers for whom normal methods don’t work, health care providers should encourage using long-term cessation treatments and insurance carriers should cover them. To achieve this, “tobacco dependence should share the status of other chronic illnesses, with effective treatments given as long as is necessary to achieve successful clinical outcomes”.

Share This

UK’s NHS Information Centre for health and social care informed that prescribed anti obesity drugs reached more than a million a year. This represents an annual cost of £47.5 million. Officials said that the number of prescriptions surpassed for more than eight times the level nine years ago. Most prescriptions are written for two drugs, orlistat (Xenical) and sibutramine (Reductil).

The two drugs work very differently. Sibutramine functions by altering chemical messages that control feelings such as hunger or desire to eat, whereas orlistat reduces absorption of ingested fat.

The NHS also informed that about one fifth of men and nearly one in four women are now at very high risk of developing health problems caused or stimulated by overweight.

Exercise and healthy diet

One of the problems is that many people recur to taking a pill to solve their weight problems instead of focusing on earlier stages of the process. Anti-obesity drugs can help manage weight problems but it is best if they are left as the last resort. Doctors recommend a healthy diet and regular physical activity to manage weight. This way it is possible to reduce serious conditions linked to obesity such as diabetes and heart disease in a more efficient way.

Share This

Tired moms-to-be that drink coffee to help coping with their  busy schedules should get advice about coffee consumption since a new study suggesting that drinking coffee increases the chance of miscarriage has been published.

The idea that caffeine consumption is linked to higher rates of miscarriage is not new, but critics said the observations could be biased because some pregnant women reduce their caffeine intake because of morning sickness.

1063 women early in their pregnancies were interviewed about their caffeine consumption recording those who changed their drinking patterns and those who didn’t. All participant women were followed to 20 weeks of pregnancy or until miscarriage.

Increased risk of miscarriage was associated to consumption of 200 milligrams or more of caffeine per day (just over one cup of coffee).  The effect was the same with plain coffee or other caffeine-containing beverages such as fizzy drinks, tea and hot chocolate. The research team, who published thair work in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2007.10.803), said that caffeine constricts blood vessels, and this effect may be restricting blood flow to the placenta.

They say it is also possible that caffeine may have a toxic effect on the fetus. Although the conclusion is not firm, they suggest pregnant women to avoid caffeine during pregnancy. “It’s not a big sacrifice”, after all.

Adapted from newscientist.com

Share This

Arsenic is a toxic element that is present in many water streams that supply human populations with drinking water. In some places the amount of arsenic in the water is very high and causes severe toxicologic problems. This is especially problematic in regions of Bangladesh and India, where contaminated water sources affect millions.

A recent study carried out in the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology in Kolkata by Keya Chaudhuri and colleagues used rats to test the effect of garlic on arsenic poisoning. The rats were given daily doses of arsenic in their water, in quantities similar to those occurring in groundwater in Bangladesh and West Bengal. The groups of rats that were also fed garlic extracts had 40 per cent less arsenic in their blood and liver. They were also fount to excrete 45 per cent more arsenic in their urine. The work was published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology (DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2007.09.108).

About the mechanism by which garlic may be helping, Dr Chaudhuri says that certain compounds that contain sulphur present in garlic could be “scavenging” arsenic from tissues and blood. Based on her findings, she thinks having one to three garlic cloves a day may help people living in risk areas to prevent or reduce the toxic effects of arsenic.

Share This