An Introduction to What Arthritis Is All About
Arthritis is a broad term that covers a group of over 100 diseases. It has everything to do with your joints -- the places where your bones connect -- such as your wrists, knees, hips, or fingers. But some types of arthritis can also affect other connective tissues and organs, including your skin.
About 1 out of 5 adults have some form of the condition. It can happen to anyone, but it becomes more common as you age.
With many forms of arthritis, the cause is unknown. But some things can raise your chances of getting it.
Arthritis mainly causes pain around your joints. You might also have:
The symptoms can be constant, or they may come and go. They can range from mild to severe.
More-severe cases may lead to permanent joint damage.
Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common kinds.
In osteoarthritis,the cushions on the ends of your bones, called cartilage, wear away. That makes the bones rub against each other. You might feel pain in your fingers, knees, or hips.
It usually happens as you age. But if underlying causes are to blame, it can begin much sooner. For example, an athletic injury like a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or a fracture near a joint can lead to arthritis.
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An Introduction to What Arthritis Is All About
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ScM in Genetic Counseling – Degree Programs – Health …
The ScM in Genetic Counseling is designed to prepare graduates to provide genetic counseling with an emphasis on clients psychological and educational needs.
A joint effort of the Department and the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the program provides a solid foundation in conducting social and behavioral research related to genetic counseling, and teaches the skills necessary for graduates to educate health care providers, policymakers and the public about genetics and related health and social issues.
The two-and-a-half-year, full-time program consists of coursework taken at the East Baltimore campus of the Bloomberg School and at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland.
The curriculum consists of didactic coursework in the areas of human genetics, genetic counseling, health education, communication, ethics, public policy and research methodology. Please view the program competencies.
The program also requires a minimum of 400 contact hours of supervised clinical rotations. Students in the program have access to more than twenty-five adult, pediatric, prenatal and specialty genetic clinical training sites in the Baltimore-Washington area in a variety of settings in the Baltimore-Washington area. Students may elect to complete their summer rotations in the Baltimore-Washington area or elsewhere. Many students choose to do a summer rotation outside of the United States. An international summer rotation is an opportunity to see how genetics is practiced in another country and expand the profile of genetic counseling. For some, the summer is an opportunity to rotate at a genetics clinic near their home.
Clinical rotations begin in the second term of the program and are required throughout. These rotations provide a critical opportunity for students to learn directly about genetic conditions and their impact on individuals and families and to receive an introduction to the breadth of services and variety of counselor responsibilities. Students are required to pass a written departmental comprehensive exam and complete a thesis project.
Here is more information about the JHU/NHGRI Genetic Counseling Training Program.
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Dr George Cotsarelis: Hair Follicle Stem Cells & Skin …
Presented at the 8th World Congress for Hair Research (2014) Jeju Island, South Korea.
Understanding molecular mechanisms for regeneration of hair follicles during wound healing provides new opportunities for developing treatments for hair loss and other skin disorders. We show that fibroblast growth factor 9 (fgf9) modulates hair follicle regeneration following wounding of adult mice. Inhibition of fgf9 during wound healing severely impedes this wound-induced hair follicle neogenesis (WIHN). Conversely, overexpression of fgf9 results in a 2-3 fold increase in the number of neogenic hair follicles. Remarkably, gamma-delta T cells in the wound dermis are the initial source of fgf9. Deletion of fgf9 gene in T cells in Lck-Cre;floxed fgf9 results in a marked reduction in WIHN. Similarly, mice lacking gamma-delta T cells demonstrate impaired follicular neogenesis.
We found that fgf9, secreted by gamma-delta T cells, initiates a regenerative response by triggering Wnt expression and subsequent Wnt activation in wound fibroblasts. Employing a unique feedback mechanism, activated fibroblasts then express fgf9, thus amplifying Wnt activity throughout the wound dermis during a critical phase of skin regeneration. Strikingly, humans lack a robust population of resident dermal gamma-delta T cells, potentially explaining their inability to regenerate hair.
These findings which highlight the essential relationship between the immune system and tissue regeneration, establish the importance of fgf9 in hair follicle regeneration and suggests its applicability for therapeutic use in humans.
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Genetics – NHS Choices
Introduction
Genetics is the branch of science that deals with how you inherit physical and behavioural characteristics including medical conditions.
Your genes are a set of instructions for the growth and development of every cell in your body. For example, they determine characteristics such as your blood group and the colour of your eyes and hair.
However, many characteristics aren't due to genes alone environment also plays an important role. For example, children may inherit 'tall genes' from their parents, but if their diet doesn't provide them with the necessary nutrients, they may not grow very tall.
Genes are packaged in bundles called chromosomes. In humans, each cell in the body contains 23 pairs of chromosomes 46 in total.
You inherit one of each pair of chromosomes from your mother and one from your father. This means there are two copies of every gene in each cell, with the exception of the sex chromosomes, X and Y.
The X and Y chromosomes determine the biological sex of a baby. Babies with a Y chromosome (XY) will be male, whereas those without a Y chromosome will be female (XX). This means that males only have one copy of each X chromosome gene, rather than two, and they have a few genes found only on the Y chromosome and play an important role in male development.
Occasionally, individuals inherit more than one sex chromosome. Females with three X chromosomes (XXX) and males with an extra Y (XYY) are normal, and most never know they have an extra chromosome. However, females with one X have a condition known as Turner syndrome, and males with an extra X have Klinefelter syndrome.
The whole set of genes is known as the genome. Humans have about 21,000 genes on their 23 chromosomes, so the human genome contains two copies of those 21,000 (except for those on X and Y in males).
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the long molecule found inside chromosomes that stores genetic information. It is tightly coiled into a double helix shape, which looks like a twisted ladder.
Each 'rung' of the ladder is made up of a combination of four chemicals adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine which are represented as the letters A, T, C and G.
These 'letters' are ordered in particular sequences within your genes and they contain the instructions to make a particular protein, in a particular cell, at a particular time. Proteins are complex chemicals that are the building blocks of the body. For example, keratin is the protein in hair and nails, while haemoglobin is the red protein in blood.
There arearound six billion letters of DNA code within each cell.
As well as determining characteristics such as eye and hair colour, your genes can also directly cause or increase your risk of a wide range of medical conditions.
Although not always the case, many of these conditions occur when a child inherits a specific altered (mutated) version of a particular gene from one or both of their parents.
Examples of conditions directly caused by genetic mutations include:
There are also many conditions that are not directly caused by genetic mutations, but can occur as the result of a combination of an inherited genetic susceptibility and environmental factors, such as a poor diet, smoking and a lack of exercise.
Read more about how genes are inherited.
Genetic testing can be used to find out whether you are carrying a particular genetic mutation that causes a medical condition.
This can be useful for a number of purposes, including diagnosing certain genetic conditions, predicting your likelihood of developing a certain condition and determining if any children you have are at risk of developing an inherited condition.
Testing usually involves taking a blood or tissue sample and analysing the DNA in your cells.
Genetic testing can also be carried to find out if a foetus is likely to be born with a certain genetic condition by extracting and testing a sample of cells from the womb.
Read more about genetic testing and counselling.
The Human Genome Project is an international scientific project that involves thousands of scientists around the world.
The initial project ran from 1990 to 2003. Its objective was to map the immense amount of genetic information found in every human cell.
As well as identifying specific human genes, the Human Genome Project has enabled scientists to gain a better understanding of how certain traits and characteristics are passed on from parents to children.
It has also led to a better understanding of the role of genetics in a number of genetic and inherited conditions.
Page last reviewed: 08/08/2014
Next review due: 08/08/2016
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How to Find a Bioidentical Hormone Doctor
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Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and …
Welcome to the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF, one of the largest and most comprehensive programs of its kind in the United States.
In some 125 labs, scientists are carrying out studies, in cell culture and animals, aimed at understanding and developing treatment strategies for such conditions as heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons disease, Lou Gehrigs disease, spinal cord injury and cancer.
While the scientific foundation for the field is still being laid, UCSF scientists are beginning to move their work toward human clinical trials. A team of pediatric specialists and neurosurgeons is carrying out the second brain stem cell clinical trial ever conducted in the United States, focusing on a rare disease, inherited in boys, known as Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease.
Others are working to develop strategies for treating diabetes, brain tumors, liver disease and epilepsy. The approach for treating epilepsy potentially also could be used to treat Parkinsons disease, as well as the pain and spasticity that follow brain and spinal cord injury.
The center is structured along seven research pipelines aimed at driving discoveries from the lab bench to the patient. Each pipeline focuses on a different organ system, including the blood, pancreas, liver, heart, reproductive organs, nervous system, musculoskeletal tissues and skin. And each of these pipelines is overseen by two leaders of international standing one representing the basic sciences and one representing clinical research. This approach has proven successful in the private sector for driving the development of new therapies.
The center, like all of UCSF, fosters a highly collaborative culture, encouraging a cross-pollination of ideas among scientists of different disciplines and years of experience. Researchers studying pancreatic beta cells damaged in diabetes collaborate with those who study nervous system diseases because stem cells undergo similar molecular signaling on the way to becoming both cell types. The opportunity to work in this culture has drawn some of the countrys premier young scientists to the center.
While the focus of the science is the future, UCSFs history in the field dates back to 1981, when Gail Martin, PhD, co-discovered embryonic stem cells in mice and coined the term embryonic stem cell. Two decades later, UCSFs Roger Pedersen, PhD, developed two of the first human embryonic stem cell lines, following the groundbreaking discovery by University of Wisconsins James Thomson, PhD, of a way to derive the cells.
Today, the Universitys faculty includes Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, of the UCSF-affiliated J. David Gladstone Institutes and Kyoto University. His discovery in 2006 of a way to reprogram ordinary skin cells back to an embryonic-like state has given hope that someday these cells might be used in regenerative medicine.
Yamanakas seminal finding highlights the unexpected and dramatic discoveries that can characterize scientific research. In labs throughout UCSF and beyond, the goal is to move such findings into patients.
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Molecular & Cellular Medicine
Home Molecular & Cellular Medicine Menu
Research in the Molecular and Cellular Medicine department spans a wide range of biological processes, from structure and function of biomolecules to cell physiology. Emphasis is placed on understanding normal and abnormal biological function at the molecular and cellular levels. Using state-of-the-art biophysical technologies, research programs at the molecular level focus on understanding how proteins are synthesized, folded, assembled into functional macromolecules and trafficked throughout the cell. Reverse genetic approaches are used to elucidate the roles of newly discovered proteins and define functional protein domains. Research programs that bridge molecular and cellular levels focus on understanding mechanisms of basic cellular physiology (DNA replication, transcription, translation and protein sorting), molecules that control complex regulatory pathways (signal transduction, gene regulation, epigenetics, development and differentiation) and the molecular basis for cancer. Many faculty members have strong collaborative ties with Texas A&M University research groups in the Chemistry and Biochemistry/Biophysics departments or belong to multi-disciplinary research groups affiliated with Texas A&M University, including programs in Genetics, Neurosciences and Virology.
440 Reynolds Medical Building College Station, TX 77843-1114 Phone: (979) 436-0856 Fax: (979) 847-9481 Toll Free: (800) 298-2260 (U.S. only)
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How are stem cells used in medicine today? – HowStuffWorks
From the United States Senate to houses of worship, and even to the satirical television show "South Park," stem cells have been in the spotlight -- though not always in the kindest light. Since early research has focused on the use of embryonic stem cells (cells less than a week old), the very act of extracting these cells has raised a raft of ethical questions for researchers and the medical community at large, with federal funding often hanging in the balance.
However, the advances in stem cell research and the subsequent applications to modern medicine can't be ignored. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), stem cells are being considered for a wide variety of medical procedures, ranging from cancer treatment to heart disease and cell-based therapies for tissue replacement.
Why? To answer that question, you have to understand what stem cells are. Called "master" cells or "a sort of internal repair system," these remarkable-yet-unspecialized cells are able to divide, seemingly without limits, to help mend or replenish other living cells [sources: Mayo Clinic; NIH]. In short, these cells are the cellular foundation of the entire human body, or literally the body's building blocks.
By studying these cells and how they develop, researchers are closing in on a better understanding of how our bodies grow and mature, and how diseases and other abnormalities take root. The research work that began with mouse embryos in the early 1980s eventually helped scientists devise a way to isolate stem cells from human embryos by the late 1990s.
Embryonic, or pluripotent, stem cells are taken from human embryos that are less than a week old. These cells are wildly versatile, capable of dividing into more stem cells or becoming any type of cell in the human body (roughly 220 types, including muscle, nerve, blood, bone and skin). Researchers have also recently found stem cells in amniotic fluid taken from pregnant women during amniocentesis, a fairly routine procedure used to determine potential complications, such as Down syndrome.
However, recent research has indicated that adult stem cells, once thought to be more limited in their capabilities, are actually much more versatile than originally believed. Though not as "pure" as embryonic stem cells, due to environmental conditions that exist in the real world -- ranging from air pollution to food impurities -- adult stem cells are nonetheless garnering attention, if only because they don't incite the same ethical debate as embryonic stem cells.
So, what are the cutting-edge uses for stem cells?
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Sickle cell anemia Treatments and drugs – Mayo Clinic
Bone marrow transplant offers the only potential cure for sickle cell anemia. But finding a donor is difficult and the procedure has serious risks associated with it, including death.
As a result, treatment for sickle cell anemia is usually aimed at avoiding crises, relieving symptoms and preventing complications. If you have sickle cell anemia, you'll need to make regular visits to your doctor to check your red blood cell count and monitor your health. Treatments may include medications to reduce pain and prevent complications, blood transfusions and supplemental oxygen, as well as a bone marrow transplant.
Medications used to treat sickle cell anemia include:
Hydroxyurea (Droxia, Hydrea). When taken daily, hydroxyurea reduces the frequency of painful crises and may reduce the need for blood transfusions. Hydroxyurea seems to work by stimulating production of fetal hemoglobin a type of hemoglobin found in newborns that helps prevent the formation of sickle cells. Hydroxyurea increases your risk of infections, and there is some concern that long-term use of this drug may cause tumors or leukemia in certain people. However, this hasn't yet been seen in studies of the drug.
Hydroxyurea was initially used just for adults with severe sickle cell anemia. Studies on children have shown that the drug may prevent some of the serious complications associated with sickle cell anemia. But the long-term effects of the drug on children are still unknown. Your doctor can help you determine if this drug may be beneficial for you or your child.
Using a special ultrasound machine (transcranial), doctors can learn which children have a higher risk of stroke. This test can be used on children as young as 2 years, and those who are found to have a high risk of stroke are then treated with regular blood transfusions.
Childhood vaccinations are important for preventing disease in all children. But, these vaccinations are even more important for children with sickle cell anemia, because infections can be severe in children with sickle cell anemia. Your doctor will make sure your child receives all of the recommended childhood vaccinations. Vaccinations, such as the pneumococcal vaccine and the annual flu shot, are also important for adults with sickle cell anemia.
In a red blood cell transfusion, red blood cells are removed from a supply of donated blood. These donated cells are then given intravenously to a person with sickle cell anemia.
Blood transfusions increase the number of normal red blood cells in circulation, helping to relieve anemia. In children with sickle cell anemia at high risk of stroke, regular blood transfusions can decrease their risk of stroke.
Blood transfusions carry some risk. Blood contains iron. Regular blood transfusions cause an excess amount of iron to build up in your body. Because excess iron can damage your heart, liver and other organs, people who undergo regular transfusions may need treatment to reduce iron levels. Deferasirox (Exjade) is an oral medication that can reduce excess iron levels.
Breathing supplemental oxygen through a breathing mask adds oxygen to your blood and helps you breathe easier. It may be helpful if you have acute chest syndrome or a sickle cell crisis.
A stem cell transplant, also called a bone marrow transplant, involves replacing bone marrow affected by sickle cell anemia with healthy bone marrow from a donor. Because of the risks associated with a stem cell transplant, the procedure is recommended only for people who have significant symptoms and problems from sickle cell anemia.
If a donor is found, the diseased bone marrow in the person with sickle cell anemia is first depleted with radiation or chemotherapy. Healthy stem cells from the donor are filtered from the blood. The healthy stem cells are injected intravenously into the bloodstream of the person with sickle cell anemia, where they migrate to the bone marrow cavities and begin generating new blood cells. The procedure requires a lengthy hospital stay. After the transplant, you'll receive drugs to help prevent rejection of the donated stem cells.
A stem cell transplant carries risks. There's a chance that your body may reject the transplant, leading to life-threatening complications. In addition, not everyone is a candidate for transplantation or can find a suitable donor.
Doctors treat most complications of sickle cell anemia as they occur. Treatment may include antibiotics, vitamins, blood transfusions, pain-relieving medicines, other medications and possibly surgery, such as to correct vision problems or to remove a damaged spleen.
Scientists are studying new treatments for sickle cell anemia, including:
.
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Sickle Cell Anemia: MedlinePlus – National Library of Medicine
Sickle cell anemia is a disease in which your body produces abnormally shaped red blood cells. The cells are shaped like a crescent or sickle. They don't last as long as normal, round red blood cells. This leads to anemia. The sickle cells also get stuck in blood vessels, blocking blood flow. This can cause pain and organ damage.
A genetic problem causes sickle cell anemia. People with the disease are born with two sickle cell genes, one from each parent. If you only have one sickle cell gene, it's called sickle cell trait. About 1 in 12 African Americans has sickle cell trait.
The most common symptoms are pain and problems from anemia. Anemia can make you feel tired or weak. In addition, you might have shortness of breath, dizziness, headaches, or coldness in the hands and feet.
A blood test can show if you have the trait or anemia. Most states test newborn babies as part of their newborn screening programs.
Sickle cell anemia has no widely available cure. Treatments can help relieve symptoms and lessen complications. Researchers are investigating new treatments such as blood and marrow stem cell transplants, gene therapy, and new medicines.
NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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Sickle Cell Anemia: MedlinePlus - National Library of Medicine
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Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity An Open Access …
Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity is a unique peer-reviewed, open access journal that publishes original research and review articles dealing with the cellular and molecular mechanisms of oxidative stress in the nervous system and related organ systems in relation to aging, immune function, vascular biology, metabolism, cellular survival and cellular longevity. Oxidative stress impacts almost all acute and chronic progressive disorders and on a cellular basis is intimately linked to aging, cardiovascular disease, cancer, immune function, metabolism and neurodegeneration. The journal fills a significant void in todays scientific literature and serves as an international forum for the scientific community worldwide to translate pioneering bench to bedside research into clinical strategies.
Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity was founded in 2008 by Professor Kenneth Maiese who served as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal between 2008 and 2011.
The most recent Impact Factor for Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity is 3.516 according to 2014 Journal Citation Reports released by Thomson Reuters in 2015.
Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity currently has an acceptance rate of 42%. The average time between submission and final decision is 53 days and the average time between acceptance and publication is 28 days.
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Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity An Open Access ...
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Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology
Message from the Chair
Welcome to the Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology. The goal of the department is to apply our knowledge of molecular and cellular biology to understand and reverse human disease. Regenerative medicine is an emerging field that aims to revolutionize the treatment of disease by providing cures rather than treating symptoms. It relies on multidisciplinary approaches that require expertise in diverse areas. Approaches include the use of stem cells to provide limitless supplies of cells for transplant therapy and disease modeling, bioengineering and tissue engineering to generate replacement tissues and organs, and the production of transgenic animals to study the fundamental molecular basis of organ formation and disease. The department has active research programs in tissue fabrication and bioengineering, developmental biology, cardiovascular and liver disease, cancer biology, cell signaling, and drug development. The Department is also heavily involved in biomedical education through the training of medical and graduate students. Regenerative medicine is at a particularly exciting stage, with investigators being poised to make discipline-changing advances of high impact. The field is on the cusp of revolutionizing biomedical science, and as regenerative medicine researchers we are limited only by our imaginations.
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Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology
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Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine
Adult (Somatic) stem cells are unspecialized cells that are found in different parts of the body and, depending on the source tissue, have different properties. Adult stem cells are capable of self-renewal and give rise to daughter cells that are specialized to form the cell types found in the original body part.
Adult stem cells are multipotent, meaning that they appear to be limited in the cell types that they can produce based on current evidence. However, recent scientific studies suggest that adult stem cells may have more plasticity than originally thought. Stem cell plasticity is the ability of a stem cell from one tissue to generate the specialized cell type(s) of another tissue. For example, bone marrow stromal cells are known to give rise to bone cells, cartilage cells, fat cells and other types of connective tissue (which is expected), but they may also differentiate into cardiac muscle cells and skeletal muscle cells (this was not initially thought possible).
Hematopoietic stem cells that give rise to all blood and immune cells are today the most understood of the adult stem cells. Hematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow have been providing lifesaving cures for leukemia and other blood disorders for over 40 years. Hematopoietic stem cells are primarily found in the bone marrow but have also been found in the peripheral blood in very low numbers. Compared to adult stem cells from other tissues, hematopoietic stem cells are relatively easy to obtain.
Mesenchymal stem cells are also found in the bone marrow. Mesenchymal stem cells are a mixed population of cells that can form fat cells, bone, cartilage and ligaments, muscle cells, skin cells and nerve cells.
Hematopoietic and stromal stem cell differentiation:4
Umbilical cord blood from newborns is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells. Research has found that these stem cells are less mature than other adult stem cells, meaning that they are able to proliferate longer in culture and may contribute to a broader range of tissues. Research is ongoing to determine whether umbilical cord stem cells are pluripotent or multipotent and the extent of their plasticity.
Cord blood, which traditionally has been discarded, has emerged as an alternative source of hematopoietic stem cells for the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma and other lethal blood disorders. It has also been used as a life-saving treatment for children with infantile Krabbes disease, a lysosomal storage disease that produces progressive neurological deterioration and death in early childhood.
Regardless of the adult stem cells' source bone marrow, umbilical cord blood or other tissues these cells are present in minute quantities. This makes identification, isolation and purification challenging. Scientists are currently trying to determine how many kinds of adult stem cells exist and where they are located in the body.
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Personalized RegenerativeMedicine : Dr David Steenblock
Personalized Regenerative Medicine
Making sure the bases are covered. That is how Dr David Steenblock and Personalized Regenerative Medicine delivers on its mission is to provide advanced care for chronic and degenerative disease. Our first step is to do a complete physical evaluation, including all appropriate lab work to help us determine what are the issues that each View Article
When a doctor sees a patient for the first time he will ask for copies of medical records as part of gathering information and data that, in combination with taking a medical history and doing relevant exams and tests, helps him arrive at a diagnosis (or confirm previously made ones) and formulate a medical care View Article
Providing advanced care for chronic and degenerative disease often times requires augmenting natures own repair & restoration mechanism with stem cells. This is one way that Dr David Steenblock and Personalized Regenerative Medicine provide comprehensive care it our patients. When diseasesets in and begins to progress the sufferers bodytries to repair the damage by activating View Article
In his decades of private practice, Dr David Steenblock and Personalized Regenerative Medicine has established himself as a pioneer in many fields of medicine. Dr David Steenblock and Personalized Regenerative Medicines mission is to deliver advanced care for chronic and degenerative diseases such as ALS, Stroke, Cerebral Palsy and Cardiac conditions. From stroke care andacute View Article
Putting it all together. This where Dr David Steenblock and Personalized Regenerative Medicine separate themselves from their peers in delivering advanced care for chronic and degenerative disease. Once a patients diagnosis is confirmed, modified or even overturned and the results of all tests ordered are in, Dr. Steenblock formulates a treatment plan. The therapeutic regimen View Article
Researchers in the USA have offered an explanation for the sparse inflammatory responses seen in some fungal infections.This may help physicians netter understand how to treat certain chronic and degenerative diseases, such as ALS. Stephen Klotz at the University of Arizona and co-workers examined autopsy specimens from 15 patients with histological evidence of aspergillosis, mucormycosis, View Article
Supercharged Chelation therapy is now available. If you already have read about or experienced the benefits of chelation but wondering if there was some way to enhance the therapy Dr Steenblock has come up with a better method for re-vitalization of your arteries and your entire body. The secret is STEM CELLS! The most simple View Article
While the promise of stem cell medicine has never been greater, the question of outcomes has long been an issue. Until now. Dr Steenblock has been focused on two critical issues in his career: identifying the causes of disease and treating patients. Over his many years of practice, Dr Steenblock has treated tens of thousands View Article
Dr Steenblock has long believed that Alzheimers Disease is connected to bacteria that enters the nervous system due to trauma. Recent articles have come to show that his ideas and research are correct. Traces of fungus have been discovered in the brains of Alzheimers sufferers, researchers said Thursday, relaunching the question: might the disease be View Article
Chelation therapy, an alternative technique long dismissed by conventional heart doctors, has taken a giant step toward becoming a first-line mainstream medical treatment, thanks to a boost from the National Institutes of Health. Dr Steenblock has been utilizing this powerful therapeutic approach for many years to treat various conditions. The federal health agencys National Center View Article
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The Power of Stem Cells | California’s Stem Cell Agency
En Espaol
Stem cells have the potential to treat a wide range of diseases. Here, discover why these cells are such a powerful tool for treating diseaseand what hurdles experts face before new therapies reach patients.
How can stem cells treat disease? What diseases could be treated by stem cell research? How can I learn more about CIRM-funded research in a particular disease? What cell therapies are available right now? When will therapies based on embryonic stem cells become available? What about the therapies that are available overseas? Why does it take so long to create new therapies? How do scientists get stem cells to specialize into different cell types? How do scientists test stem cell therapies? Can't stem cell therapies increase the chances of a tumor? Is there a risk of immune rejection with stem cells? How do scientists grow stem cells in the right conditions?
When most people think about about stem cells treating disease they think of a stem cell transplant.
In a stem cell transplant, embryonic stem cells are first specialized into the necessary adult cell type. Then, those mature cells replace tissue that is damaged by disease or injury. This type of treatment could be used to:
But embryonic stem cell-based therapies can do much more.
Any of these would have a significant impact on human health without transplanting a single cell.
In theory, theres no limit to the types of diseases that could be treated with stem cell research. Given that researchers may be able to study all cell types via embryonic stem cells, they have the potential to make breakthroughs in any disease.
CIRM has created disease pages for many of the major diseases being targeted by stem cell scientists. You can find those disease pages here.
You can also sort our complete list of CIRM awards to see what we've funded in different disease areas.
Many clinical trials for embryonic stem cell-based therapies have begun in recent months. Results from those won't be available until the trials reveal that the therapies are safe and effectivewhich could take a few years.
The only stem cell-based therapy currently in use is in bone marrow transplantation. Blood-forming stem cells in the bone marrow were the first stem cells to be identified and were the first to be used in the clinic. This life-saving technique has helped thousands people worldwide who had been suffering from blood cancers, such as leukemia.
In addition to their current use in cancer treatments, research suggests that bone marrow transplants will be useful in treating autoimmune diseases and in helping people tolerate transplanted organs.
Other therapies based on adult stem cells are currently in clinical trials. Until those trials are complete we won't know which type of stem cell is most effective in treating different diseases.
There is no way to predict when the first human embryonic stem cell therapies will become widely available. Several applications with the FDA to begin human trials of embryonic stem cell-based therapies have been approved. In general, the path from the first human trial to widespread use is on the order of a decade. That long time frame is a result of the many steps a therapy must go through in order to show that it is both safe and effective. Only once those steps are complete will the FDA approve the therapy for general use.
If embryonic stem cells follow a normal path it could still be many years before therapies based on embryonic stem cells are widely available. However, if researchers gave up on therapies simply because the path towards FDA approval is long, we would not have any of the lifesaving technologies that are now commonplace: recombinant insulin, bone marrow transplantation or chemotherapy drugs.
Find Out More: Read the top ten things to know about stem cell treatments (from ISSCR) Alan Lewis talks about getting an embryonic stem cell-based therapy to patients (3:46)
Many overseas clinics advertise miraculous stem cell therapies for a wide range of incurable diseases. This phenomenon is called stem cell tourism and is currently a source of concern for reputable stem cell scientists. International (and even domestic) clinics are offering up therapies that have not been tested for safety or even for effectiveness. In the past few years, some patients who visited those clinics have died as a result of receiving unproven, untested stem cells.
Find Out More: Learn more about the issue on our StemCell Tourism page. Jeanne Loring discusses concerns about stem cell tourism (3:38) CIRM/ISSCR panel on stem cell tourism
Embryonic stem cells hold the potential to treat a wide range of diseases. However, the path from the lab to the clinic is a long one. Before testing those cells in a human disease, researchers must grow the right cell type, find a way to test those cells, and make sure the cells are safe in animals before moving to human trials.
Find Out More: Hans Keirstead talks about hurdles in developing a new therapy (5:07)
One of the biggest hurdles in any embryonic stem cell-based therapy is coaxing stem cell to become a single the cell type. The vital process of maturing stem cells from a pluripotent state to an adult tissue type is called differentiation.
Guiding embryonic stem cells to become a particular cell type has been fraught with difficulty. Normally, stem cells growing in a developing embryo receive a carefully choreographed series of signals from the surrounding tissue. In a lab dish, researchers have to mimic those signals. Add the signals in the wrong order or the wrong dose and the developing cells may choose to remain immatureor become the wrong cell type
Many decades of research has uncovered many of the signals needed to properly differentiate cells. Other signals are still unknown. Many CIRM-funded researchers are attempting to differentiate very pure populations of mature cell types that can accelerate therapies.
Find Out More: Mark Mercola talks about differentiating cells into adult tissues (3:37)
Once a researcher has a mature cell type in a lab dish, the next step is to find out whether those cells can function in the body. For example, embryonic stem cells that have matured into insulin-producing cells in the lab are only useful if they continue producing insulin once transplanted inside a body. Likewise, researchers need to know that the cells can integrate into the surrounding tissue.
Scientists test cells by first developing an animal model that mimics the human disease, and then implanting the cells to see if they help treat the disease. These types of experiments can be painstakingbecause even if the cells dont completely cure the disease, they may restore some functions that would still be of enormous benefit to people. Researchers have to examine each of these possible outcomes.
In many cases testing the cells in a single animal model doesnt provide enough information. Most animal models of disease dont perfectly mimic the human disease. For example, a mouse carrying the same mutation that causes cystic fibrosis in humans doesnt show the same signs as a person with the disease. So, a stem cell therapy that treats this mouse model of cystic fibrosis may not work in humans. Thats why researchers often need to test the cells in many different animal models.
The promise of embryonic stem cells is that they can form any type of cell in the body. The trouble is that when implanted into an animal they do just that, in the form of tumors called teratomas. These tumors consist of a mass of many cells types and can include hair cells and many other tissues.
These teratomas are one reason why it is necessary to mature the embryonic stem cells into highly purified adult cell types before implanting into humans. Virtually all evidence has shown that the mature cells are restricted to their one identity and dont appear to revert to a teratoma-forming cell.
Find Out More: UC Davis researcher focuses on stem cell safety (from UC Davis) Paul Knoepfler talks about the tendency of embryonic stem cells to form tumors (4:10)
Transplanted stem cells, like any transplanted organ, can be recognized by the immune system as foreign and then rejected. In organ transplants such as liver, kidney, or heart, people must be on immune suppressive drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent the immune system from recognizing that organ as foreign and destroying it.
The likelihood of the immune system rejecting a transplant of embryonic stem cell-based tissue depends on the origin of that tissue. Stem cells isolated from IVF embryos will have a genetic makeup that will not match that of the person who receives the transplant. That persons immune system will recognize those cells as foreign and reject the tissue unless a person is on powerful immune suppressive drugs.
Stem cells generated through SCNT or iPS cell technology, on the other hand, are a perfect genetic match. The immune system would likely overlook that transplanted cells, seeing it as a normal part of the body. Still, some suggest that even if the cells are perfectly matched, they may not entirely escape the notice of the immune system. Cancer cells, for example, have the same genetic make up as surrounding tissue and yet the immune system will often identify and destroy early tumors. Until more information is available from animal studies it will be hard to know whether transplanted patient-specific cells are likely to call the attention of the immune system.
Find Out More: Jeffrey Bluestone talks about immune rejection of stem cell-based therapies (4:05)
In order to be approved by the FDA for use in human trials, stem cells must be grown in good manufacturing practice (GMP) conditions. Under GMP standards, a cell line has to be manufactured so that each group of cells is grown in an identical, repeatable, sterile environment. This ensures that each batch of cells has the same properties, and each person getting a stem cell therapy gets an equivalent treatment. Although the FDA hasnt yet issued guidelines for how pluripotent stem cells need to meet GMP standards, achieving this level of consistency could mean knowing the exact identity and quantity of every component involved in growing the cells.
Growing stem cells under strictly controlled conditions is still a challenge. Most stem cells are grown on feeder cells, a layer of animal or human cells on the lab dish that provide the nutrients the cells need to grow and divide. Scientists dont currently know what it is exactly that the feeder cells provide, and so the use of those feeder cells probably wont conform to GMP standards. CIRM is funding researchers who are trying to learn how to grow pluripotent stem cell lines in the absence of feeder cells, and to isolate new lines under GMP standards.
Updated 1/15
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The Power of Stem Cells | California's Stem Cell Agency
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Herbal medicine | Cancer Research UK
Herbal medicine uses plants, or mixtures of plant extracts, to treat illness and promote health. It aims to restore your body's ability to protect, regulate and heal itself. It is a whole body approach, so looks at your physical, mental and emotional well being. It is sometimes called phytomedicine, phytotherapy or botanical medicine.
The two most common types of herbal medicine used in the UK are Western herbal medicine and Chinese herbal medicine. Some herbalists practice less common types of herbal medicine such as Tibetan or Ayurvedic medicine (Indian).
Many modern drugs are made from plants. But herbalists dont extract plant substances in the way the drug industry does. Herbalists believe that the remedy works due to the delicate chemical balance of the whole plant, or mixtures of plants, not one particular active ingredient.
Western herbal medicine focuses on the whole person rather than their illness. So the herbalist looks at your personal health history, family history, diet and lifestyle. Herbalists use remedies made from whole plants, or plant parts, to help your body heal itself or reduce the side effects of medical treatments. Western herbal therapies are usually made from herbs that grow in Europe and North America but also use herbs from China and India.
Chinese herbal medicine is part of a whole system of medicine called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) which includes
TCM aims to restore the balance of your Qi (pronounced chee). TCM practitioners believe that Qi is the flow of energy in your body, and is essential for good health. Chinese herbalists use plants according to their taste and how they affect a particular part of the body or an energy channel in the body. They may use a mixture of plants and other substances.
The Chinese remedy reference book used by TCM practitioners contains hundreds of medicinal substances. Most of the substances are plants but there are also some minerals and animal products. Practitioners may use different parts of plants such as the leaves, roots, stems, flowers or seeds. Usually, herbs are combined and you take them as teas, capsules, tinctures, or powders.
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UR Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute (SCRMI)
The University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute was founded in 2008 in recognition of the tremendous promise that the discipline of stem cell biology offers for our understanding of development, disease and discovery of new treatments for a wide range of afflictions. Much as the discoveries of antibiotics and vaccination revolutionized our abilities to treat disease and reduce suffering, the discoveries of stem cell biology are poised to provide similar benefits
The University of Rochester is home to a rich and diverse stem cell faculty, with more than 40 faculty from 15 different departments, and more than 35 research track faculty and senior research fellows. These laboratories are collectively home to over 200 staff, including multiple Ph.D. students, postdoctoral fellows, M.D./Ph.D. students and technical fellows. Currently committed research awards, center grants, training grants and industry sponsored programs generated by this faculty represent over $60 million in direct cost commitments. Several of the programs at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) are among the top programs both nationally and internationally. For example, there is particular strength in the field of neuromedicine, particularly in the context of the stem and progenitor cells giving rise to the glial cells of the central nervous system, with the faculty at URMC including several of the international leaders in such research. The Center for Musculoskeletal Research is rated as the No. 1 orthopaedics group in the United States in NIH funding. In the newly evolving field of cancer stem cell biology, a team of leading individuals also has been assembled, with drugs discovered through this effort already entering clinical trials. This intellectual environment is associated with large numbers of patent applications and with multiple opportunities for translating discoveries into therapies.
The research interests of faculty associated with University of Rochesters Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute range from model organisms to treatment of neurological disease, from investigations on the origins of red blood cells to the developing approaches to the treatment of fractures and osteroporosis, from studies on how to protect the body from the toxic effects of current cancer treatments to the development of new treatments that target cancer cells while sparing the normal cells of the body.
The following are recent news and events from our Institute:
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Penn Medicine News: Genetically Modified “Serial Killer” T …
(PHILADELPHIA) -- In a cancer treatment breakthrough 20 years in the making, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania's Abramson Cancer Center and Perelman School of Medicine have shown sustained remissions of up to a year among a small group of advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients treated with genetically engineered versions of their own T cells. The protocol, which involves removing patients' cells and modifying them in Penn's vaccine production facility, then infusing the new cells back into the patient's body following chemotherapy, provides a tumor-attack roadmap for the treatment of other cancers including those of the lung and ovaries and myeloma and melanoma. The findings, published simultaneously today in the New England Journal of Medicine and Science Translational Medicine, are the first demonstration of the use of gene transfer therapy to create "serial killer" T cells aimed at cancerous tumors.
"Within three weeks, the tumors had been blown away, in a way that was much more violent than we ever expected," said senior author Carl June, MD, director of Translational Research and a professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in the Abramson Cancer Center, who led the work. "It worked much better than we thought it would."
The results of the pilot trial of three patients are a stark contrast to existing therapies for CLL. The patients involved in the new study had few other treatment options. The only potential curative therapy would have involved a bone marrow transplant, a procedure which requires a lengthy hospitalization and carries at least a 20 percent mortality risk -- and even then offers only about a 50 percent chance of a cure, at best.
"Most of what I do is treat patients with no other options, with a very, very risky therapy with the intent to cure them," says co-principal investigator David Porter, MD, professor of Medicine and director of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. "This approach has the potential to do the same thing, but in a safer manner."
Secret Ingredients June thinks there were several "secret ingredients" that made the difference between the lackluster results that have been seen in previous trials with modified T cells and the remarkable responses seen in the current trial. The details of the new cancer immunotherapy are detailed in Science Translational Medicine.
After removing the patients' cells, the team reprogrammed them to attack tumor cells by genetically modifying them using a lentivirus vector. The vector encodes an antibody-like protein, called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), which is expressed on the surface of the T cells and designed to bind to a protein called CD19.
Once the T cells start expressing the CAR, they focus all of their killing activity on cells that express CD19, which includes CLL tumor cells and normal B cells. All of the other cells in the patient that do not express CD19 are ignored by the modified T cells, which limits side effects typically experienced during standard therapies.
The team engineered a signaling molecule into the part of the CAR that resides inside the cell. When it binds to CD19, initiating the cancer-cell death, it also tells the cell to produce cytokines that trigger other T cells to multiply -- building a bigger and bigger army until all the target cells in the tumor are destroyed.
Serial Killers "We saw at least a 1000-fold increase in the number of modified T cells in each of the patients. Drugs don't do that," June says. "In addition to an extensive capacity for self-replication, the infused T cells are serial killers. On average, each infused T cell led to the killing of thousands of tumor cells and overall, destroyed at least two pounds of tumor in each patient."
The importance of the T cell self-replication is illustrated in the New England Journal of Medicine paper, which describes the response of one patient, a 64-year old man. Prior to his T cell treatment, his blood and marrow were replete with tumor cells. For the first two weeks after treatment, nothing seemed to change. Then on day 14, the patient began experiencing chills, nausea, and increasing fever, among other symptoms. Tests during that time showed an enormous increase in the number of T cells in his blood that led to a tumor lysis syndrome, which occurs when a large number of cancer cells die all at once.
By day 28, the patient had recovered from the tumor lysis syndrome and his blood and marrow showed no evidence of leukemia.
"This massive killing of tumor is a direct proof of principle of the concept," Porter says.
The Penn team pioneered the use of the HIV-derived vector in a clinical trial in 2003 in which they treated HIV patients with an antisense version of the virus. That trial demonstrated the safety of the lentiviral vector used in the present work.
The cell culture methods used in this trial reawaken T cells that have been suppressed by the leukemia and stimulate the generation of so-called "memory" T cells, which the team hopes will provide ongoing protection against recurrence. Although long-term viability of the treatment is unknown, the doctors have found evidence that months after infusion, the new cells had multiplied and were capable of continuing their seek-and-destroy mission against cancerous cells throughout the patients bodies.
Moving forward, the team plans to test the same CD19 CAR construct in patients with other types of CD19-positive tumors, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and acute lymphocytic leukemia. They also plan to study the approach in pediatric leukemia patients who have failed standard therapy. Additionally, the team has engineered a CAR vector that binds to mesothelin, a protein expressed on the surface of mesothelioma cancer cells, as well as on ovarian and pancreatic cancer cells.
In addition to June and Porter, co-authors on the NEJM paper include Bruce Levine, Michael Kalos, and Adam Bagg, all from Penn Medicine. Michael Kalos and Bruce Levine are co-first authors on the Science Translational Medicine paper. Other co-authors include June, Porter, Sharyn Katz and Adam Bagg from Penn and Stephan Grupp the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
The work was supported by the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, a foundation started by Penn graduates Barbara and Edward Netter, to promote gene therapy research to treat cancer, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 17 years, according toU.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $392 million awarded in the 2013 fiscal year.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals byU.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; Chester County Hospital; Lancaster General Health; Penn Wissahickon Hospice; and Pennsylvania Hospital -- the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional affiliated inpatient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region include Chestnut Hill Hospital and Good Shepherd Penn Partners, a partnership between Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network and Penn Medicine.
Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2013, Penn Medicine provided$814million to benefit our community.
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Penn Medicine News: Genetically Modified "Serial Killer" T ...
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The Stem Cell Theory of Cancer – Stanford Medicine Center
Research has shown that cancer cells are not all the same. Within a malignant tumor or among the circulating cancerous cells of a leukemia, there can be a variety of types of cells. The stem cell theory of cancer proposes that among all cancerous cells, a few act as stem cells that reproduce themselves and sustain the cancer, much like normal stem cells normally renew and sustain our organs and tissues. In this view, cancer cells that are not stem cells can cause problems, but they cannot sustain an attack on our bodies over the long term.
The idea that cancer is primarily driven by a smaller population of stem cells has important implications. For instance, many new anti-cancer therapies are evaluated based on their ability to shrink tumors, but if the therapies are not killing the cancer stem cells, the tumor will soon grow back (often with a vexing resistance to the previously used therapy). An analogy would be a weeding technique that is evaluated based on how low it can chop the weed stalksbut no matter how low the weeks are cut, if the roots arent taken out, the weeds will just grow back.
Another important implication is that it is the cancer stem cells that give rise to metastases (when cancer travels from one part of the body to another) and can also act as a reservoir of cancer cells that may cause a relapse after surgery, radiation or chemotherapy has eliminated all observable signs of a cancer.
One component of the cancer stem cell theory concerns how cancers arise. In order for a cell to become cancerous, it must undergo a significant number of essential changes in the DNA sequences that regulate the cell. Conventional cancer theory is that any cell in the body can undergo these changes and become a cancerous outlaw. But researchers at the Ludwig Center observe that our normal stem cells are the only cells that reproduce themselves and are therefore around long enough to accumulate all the necessary changes to produce cancer. The theory, therefore, is that cancer stem cells arise out of normal stem cells or the precursor cells that normal stem cells produce.
Thus, another important implication of the cancer stem cell theory is that cancer stem cells are closely related to normal stem cells and will share many of the behaviors and features of those normal stem cells. The other cancer cells produced by cancer stem cells should follow many of the rules observed by daughter cells in normal tissues. Some researchers say that cancerous cells are like a caricature of normal cells: they display many of the same features as normal tissues, but in a distorted way. If this is true, then we can use what we know about normal stem cells to identify and attack cancer stem cells and the malignant cells they produce. One recent success illustrating this approach is research on anti-CD47 therapy.
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Beta cell regeneration – Center for Regenerative Medicine …
Researchers and physicians are studying how to regenerate beta cells in the lab and within the pancreas, which may lead to new treatments for type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Beta cell dysfunction is a characteristic of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, beta cells insulin-producing cells found in the pancreas are destroyed, while in type 2 diabetes, they may not produce enough insulin.
Since it's not possible today to generate new, patient-specific, functional beta cells, people with type 1 diabetes need insulin therapy. People with type 2 diabetes often need medications, with certain cases requiring insulin therapy.
Center for Regenerative Medicine researchers, led by Yasuhiro Ikeda, D.V.M., Ph.D., and Yogish C. Kudva, MBBS, both of Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., are taking two related approaches to beta cell regeneration that may lead to new treatments for diabetes.
In the laboratory. In vitro beta cell regeneration uses induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, a type of bioengineered stem cell that acts like an embryonic stem cell. Using a person's own skin cells or blood cells as a starting point, Mayo researchers have successfully generated patient-specific iPS cells and subsequently converted them into glucose-responsive, insulin-producing cells in the laboratory.
Once fully optimized, such cells may enable a novel cell therapy for beta cell dysfunction in diabetes. And since the transplanted cells are derived from the patient's own cells, there would be no need to give the patient any immunosuppressive drugs, which are necessary for pancreas and islet cell transplants today.
In a patient's own pancreas. Mayo researchers are working to enhance a person's natural ability to regenerate beta cells using gene therapy, which involves delivering to the pancreas cellular factors known to enhance beta cell growth and regeneration.
Investigators have developed pancreatic beta cell- and exocrine tissue-specific gene delivery vectors, and they are now studying the therapeutic effects of pancreatic overexpression of beta cell regenerating factors.
Recent results have shown that pancreatic delivery of a synthesized artificial fusion protein can prevent diabetes development in drug-induced diabetic mice. Several other strategies are also being evaluated.
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Slate — Health And Science
Health and Science Bad Astronomy Oct. 28 2015 11:00 AMA Cosmic Halloween Gallery: Things That Go Boo! in the NightPhil Plait Medical Examiner Oct. 27 2015 4:02 PMHomeopathy Is a Bitter Sugar PillIt wont cure what ails you, but it can get you drunk.Yvette dEntremont Medical Examiner Oct. 27 2015 11:15 AMGun Myths Die HardResearch on gun violence has made progress in the past three years.Paul D. Thacker Bad Astronomy Oct. 27 2015 9:00 AMRocket Booster Will Burn Up Safely in Earths Atmosphere Nov. 13Phil Plait Wild Things Oct. 26 2015 3:11 PMWhy Do Some Howler Monkeys Have Such Humongous Testicles?Jason Bittel Bad Astronomy Oct. 26 2015 12:00 PMThe Three-Headed Guardian of the Underworld Only Has Two HeadsPhil Plait Bad Astronomy Oct. 25 2015 9:00 AMSymphony of Science Celebrates 35 Years of the Planetary SocietyPhil Plait Medical Examiner Oct. 23 2015 11:11 AMDo-It-Yourself Medical TechnologyThese gadgets are more powerful than ever, and they can be wonderful or terrible.Chavi Eve Karkowsky Bad Astronomy Oct. 22 2015 12:30 PMThe Northern Lights, With a Dimmer SettingPhil Plait Bad Astronomy Oct. 22 2015 9:15 AMIf We Name This Planet, Im Gonna Go With AlderaanPhil Plait Bad Astronomy Oct. 21 2015 8:00 AMGreat Scott! Celebrate Back to the Future Day With Some Time Travel Movies.Phil Plait Bad Astronomy Oct. 19 2015 12:00 PMAstronaut Scott Kelly Becomes Least Earthbound AmericanPhil Plait Bad Astronomy Oct. 19 2015 9:30 AMExoplanet Hunter Geoff Marcy Resigns From Berkeley After Sexual Harassment InvestigationPhil Plait Bad Astronomy Oct. 17 2015 9:15 AMPluto Keeps Getting WeirderPhil Plait Bad Astronomy Oct. 28 2015 9:00 AMA Few Questions for Those Who Think Global Warming Isnt RealPhil Plait Bad Astronomy Oct. 27 2015 1:00 PMPeat Fires in Indonesia Are So Huge They Mar Photos of the Earth Taken From SpacePhil Plait Bad Astronomy Oct. 27 2015 11:00 AMClimate ChangeDenying Sen. James Inhofe Wants to Crash the Paris Climate TalksPhil Plait Medical Examiner Oct. 26 2015 4:40 PMDoes Bacon Cause Cancer?You cant always eat what you want.Rachel E. Gross Science Oct. 26 2015 12:28 PMHot Hands in Basketball Are RealExperts have been arguing about these statistics for decades; now we know why.Jordan Ellenberg Bad Astronomy Oct. 26 2015 9:00 AMMore Global Warming Nonsense From CongressPhil Plait Bad Astronomy Oct. 24 2015 9:00 AMSatellite Views of the Most Powerful Northern Pacific Storm on RecordPhil Plait Bad Astronomy Oct. 23 2015 9:15 AMOur Home Galaxy: The Milky WayPhil Plait Science Oct. 22 2015 10:14 AMDo Science and Religion Conflict?Not according to highly religious people.Rachel E. Gross Bad Astronomy Oct. 21 2015 11:52 AMJust Give It a Candy Bar and Itll Be on Its WayPhil Plait Bad Astronomy Oct. 20 2015 12:01 PMWhen Magma Becomes LavaPhil Plait Bad Astronomy Oct. 19 2015 1:39 PMDonald Trump Doesnt Understand the SeasonsPhil Plait Medical Examiner Oct. 19 2015 10:16 AMGwyneth Paltrows Dangerous AdviceIf you have the flu, heres what you should and should not do.Alexandra Sowa Science Oct. 16 2015 1:01 PMYour Vestigial Muscles Try to Pivot Your Ears Like a CatsWe are a glorious mish-mash of evolutionary history.Rachel E. Gross
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Health Science | Majors and Areas of Study | Become a Student …
What is Health Science?
The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Health Science is a dynamic major that is interdisciplinary in nature and provides options that allow students to prepare for various careers in public health education and health promotion in settings such as schools, hospitals, governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and worksite health promotion programs. This degree exposes students to a wide range of health science careers while providing the foundational courses required for professional post-graduate work, such as public health, health education, physical therapy, occupational therapy, environmental health and more!
Professionals in the Health Science create many health education programs. Such programs educate the public on health issues as diverse as:
Bone disease prevention
Community mobilization
Diabetes education
Dental disease education
Drug, alcohol, and tobacco prevention
Emergency medical practices
Environmental health education
Food safety
Heart Disease prevention
HIV/AIDS or STD prevention
Immunization education
Maternal and child health education
Mental/intellectual health
Nutrition education
Personal safety
Physical activity/obesity
Stress management
Health educators apply their knowledge and skill directly with the community. In most cases, they work directly with people. Health programs focus on the health and well-being of people in a community, as opposed to academic institutes concerned with research and theory.
For more information, contact the Department of Kinesiology & Health Science at healthscience@sfasu.edu or 936.468.3503.
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Health Science | Career and Technical Education
Planning, managing, and providing therapeutic services, diagnostic services, health informatics, support services, and biotechnology research and development. Featured
ATC gives high school students a chance to receive credit at participating community colleges across Texas for taking high school technical courses. Approved courses and their college equivalent are listed in the ATC Course Crosswalk. The participating colleges have agreed to offer students credit for these courses, ...
To learn more,Go to atctexas.org
Pharmacology Lessons
The Health Science cluster focuses on careers in planning, managing, and providing health care. The program provides students with opportunities to explore a variety of health careers and make realistic and satisfying career choices. Whether a student is skilled in scientific research, clinical laboratory procedures, written and verbal communication skills, or is skilled in caring for people, career options are available to match these individual interests and abilities. The instructional content for this cluster is organized into five federally-identified career pathways:
It is important that lessons accommodate the needs of every learner. Each of the lessons included in this cluster may be modified to accommodate your students with learning differences by referencing the following files also found on the Special Populations page of this web site. Select the links below for access to these files.
Seventh Grade Career Awareness
Middle School Career Awareness
Access Health SciencePowerPoint Presentations by clicking the following link:
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Y chromosome – Genetics Home Reference
Reviewed January 2010
The Y chromosome is one of the two sex chromosomes in humans (the other is the X chromosome). The sex chromosomes form one of the 23 pairs of human chromosomes in each cell. The Y chromosome spans more than 59 million building blocks of DNA (base pairs) and represents almost 2 percent of the total DNA in cells.
Each person normally has one pair of sex chromosomes in each cell. The Y chromosome is present in males, who have one X and one Y chromosome, while females have two X chromosomes.
Identifying genes on each chromosome is an active area of genetic research. Because researchers use different approaches to predict the number of genes on each chromosome, the estimated number of genes varies. The Y chromosome likely contains 50 to 60 genes that provide instructions for making proteins. Because only males have the Y chromosome, the genes on this chromosome tend to be involved in male sex determination and development. Sex is determined by the SRY gene, which is responsible for the development of a fetus into a male. Other genes on the Y chromosome are important for male fertility.
Many genes are unique to the Y chromosome, but genes in areas known as pseudoautosomal regions are present on both sex chromosomes. As a result, men and women each have two functional copies of these genes. Many genes in the pseudoautosomal regions are essential for normal development.
Genes on the Y chromosome are among the estimated 20,000 to 25,000 total genes in the human genome.
Many genetic conditions are related to changes in particular genes on the Y chromosome. This list of disorders associated with genes on the Y chromosome provides links to additional information.
Changes in the structure or number of copies of a chromosome can also cause problems with health and development. The following chromosomal conditions are associated with such changes in the Y chromosome.
In most individuals with 46,XX testicular disorder of sex development, the condition results from an abnormal exchange of genetic material between chromosomes (translocation). This exchange occurs as a random event during the formation of sperm cells in the affected person's father. The translocation affects the gene responsible for development of a fetus into a male (the SRY gene). The SRY gene, which is normally found on the Y chromosome, is misplaced in this disorder, almost always onto an X chromosome. A fetus with an X chromosome that carries the SRY gene will develop as a male despite not having a Y chromosome.
Males with 47,XYY syndrome have one X chromosome and two Y chromosomes in each cell, for a total of 47 chromosomes. It is unclear why an extra copy of the Y chromosome is associated with tall stature, learning problems, and other features in some boys and men.
Some males with 47,XYY syndrome have an extra Y chromosome in only some of their cells. This phenomenon is called 46,XY/47,XYY mosaicism.
48,XXYY syndrome is caused by the presence of an extra X chromosome and an extra Y chromosome in a male's cells. Extra genetic material from the X chromosome interferes with male sexual development, preventing the testes from functioning normally and reducing the levels of testosterone (a hormone that directs male sexual development) in adolescent and adult males. Extra copies of genes from the pseudoautosomal region of the extra X and Y chromosome contribute to the signs and symptoms of 48,XXYY syndrome; however, the specific genes have not been identified.
Y chromosome infertility is usually caused by deletions of genetic material in regions of the Y chromosome called azoospermia factor (AZF) A, B, or C. Genes in these regions are believed to provide instructions for making proteins involved in sperm cell development, although the specific functions of these proteins are unknown.
Deletions in the AZF regions may affect several genes. The missing genetic material likely prevents production of a number of proteins needed for normal sperm cell development, resulting in an inability to father children.
Chromosomal conditions involving the sex chromosomes often affect sex determination (whether a person has the sexual characteristics of a male or a female), sexual development, and the ability to have children (fertility). The signs and symptoms of these conditions vary widely and range from mild to severe. They can be caused by missing or extra copies of the sex chromosomes or by structural changes in these chromosomes.
Rarely, males may have more than one extra copy of the Y chromosome in every cell (polysomy Y). For example, the presence of two extra Y chromosomes is written as 48,XYYY. The extra genetic material in these cases can lead to skeletal abnormalities, decreased IQ, and delayed development, but the features of these conditions are variable.
Geneticists use diagrams called ideograms as a standard representation for chromosomes. Ideograms show a chromosome's relative size and its banding pattern. A banding pattern is the characteristic pattern of dark and light bands that appears when a chromosome is stained with a chemical solution and then viewed under a microscope. These bands are used to describe the location of genes on each chromosome.
You may find the following resources about the Y chromosome helpful. These materials are written for the general public.
You may also be interested in these resources, which are designed for genetics professionals and researchers.
The Handbook provides basic information about genetics in clear language.
These links provide additional genetics resources that may be useful.
The resources on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Users seeking information about a personal genetic disease, syndrome, or condition should consult with a qualified healthcare professional. See How can I find a genetics professional in my area? in the Handbook.
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Y chromosome - Genetics Home Reference
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