#asksabrinafaith | Why I Started YT, Fav. YTers, spinal cord injury + MORE!
Hey guys- so today I #39;m doing a q+a! I got a lot of good questions from you guys and wanted to answer as many as I could. If you have something that isn #39;t ans...

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#asksabrinafaith | Why I Started YT, Fav. YTers, spinal cord injury + MORE! - Video

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Nutech Mediworld - Pioneering human embryonic stem cell therapy
An audio visual that features patients suffering from conditions considered incurable or terminal. And how they experienced significant improvement with human embryonic stem cell therapy at...

By: Resonance Consulting

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Nutech Mediworld - Pioneering human embryonic stem cell therapy - Video

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An Airdrie man feels he has been duped out of thousands of dollars after receiving treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS).

Lee Chuckry, who has been dealing with MS for almost 20 years, says his symptoms have worsened since he received experimental, stem-cell therapy in India in 2013 from Regenetek Research INC, a Winnipeg-based company led by CEO Doug Broeska.

Its gotten much worse, said Chuckry of his condition, an autoimmune disorder that damages the insulating covers of nerve cells, leading to a wide range of symptoms and permanent neurological damage.

Chuckry explained he was diagnosed with MS about 20 years ago and is now dependant on a motorized scooter to get around.

The 47-year-old Airdrie man originally found Broeskas study online.

I was hoping for something that would put the breaks on the disease, said Chuckry.

Now, Chuckry is questioning Broeskas credentials as a medical researcher.

I did do my due diligence before going to India, and I thought everything was on the up and up, said Chuckry.

Chuckry explained since returning from India, where he spent $34,000 to receive the therapy, which consisted of widening the veins in his neck and injecting stem cells, he has experienced three MS attacks.

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Airdrian says costly treatment a scam

Recommendation and review posted by simmons

The face of health care keeps on getting a makeover with each passing day, the result being the availability of newer solutions to the problems that have nagged mankind for centuries. Stem cell research as regards the condition of pregnancy in women has yielded some special results in the recent past. Stem cells have been pretty aptly named, as these are the holding blocks of human life. These cells build the human body and play an important role in the treatment of ravaging diseases like childhood leukemia and some cancer conditions. Apart from this, stem cells have been the center of attraction as far as contemporary pregnancy related medical research is concerned, with conclusive evidence for scientists to believe that stem cells can also be employed in successfully tackling several diseases in the distant future of a human life.

The relation between stem cells and pregnancy is pretty evident from the fact that in just a matter of nine months, stem cells let the embryo progress into a grown baby! These stem cells are mostly found in appreciable counts in the blood flowing through the umbilical cord. The contribution to disease treatment results from the practice of harvesting stem cells at the time of the birth of the baby, separating them from the blood samples, deep storing them for periods as long as two decades and then using these stored stem cells as and when the concerned person falls prey to a disease through the course of his/her lifetime.

During the pregnancy when a woman is 10 weeks pregnant and especially in the last stages of pregnancy, they have some blood tests conducted on them so that the medical experts can determine whether the babys stem cells would be healthy enough to be stored. Also, the medical examiners and analysts have to determine whether there would be chances of cross contamination of blood samples and decide thereafter. Generally, these tests are conducted around a month before the expected delivery date of the child. If the doctors opine that storage of the stem cells of the baby would be fine, then the stem cell storage company you pick sends in a sterile collection kit. Your midwife uses this kit to collect blood from the umbilical cord. This sample is sent over to the laboratory where the stem cells are separated from the blood, frozen and stored as per the established guidelines.

Pregnant ladies find a lot of comfort in the thought that a little consideration at the time of pregnancy could help them guard their babies against the possibilities of being afflicted by serious diseases in the future. Naturally, stem cell storage banks are required to store the babys stem cells for such a long period. The fact that the few cells taken from the babys cord blood can possibly save the life of the baby, a sibling and even the parents at some point in time in the future means that stem cell banks are flourishing. Among the diseases that stored stem cells can work against are acute leukemias, autoimmune diseases, chronic leukemias, congenital immune system disorders and histiocrytic disorders.

Stem cells hold much promise in bringing about medical breakthroughs in form of treatment for previously incurable diseases and conditions like cancer, Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease or paralysis. These blank cells are capable of self-rejuvenation and also transforming into a functional cell; it is these attributes of a stem cell that make them invaluable to scientists. However, to experiment on the stem cells, they must at first be obtained and the mode of collection is where the controversy originates. There are two main types of stem cells, embryonic and adult stem cells. In order to collect the pluripotent embryonic stem cells, the human embryo must be killed as it can only be extracted from the innermost cellular layers of the blastocyst after just four days of fertilization. It is therefore not hard to understand as why killing a human embryo, which could have otherwise been borne as a human baby, is considered equivalent to murder by a lot of people. Even people who would not go as far as calling it murder, usually admit to the procedure being disturbing in terms of ethics at least.

Adult stem cells come from various sources and contrary to what the name may suggest, it does not only come from fully grown human beings. It is just that they are comparatively grown and different than the embryonic stem cells. The placenta and the umbilical cord blood are both rich sources of adult stem cells, the former being even richer than the latter. Our bone marrow contains multipotent stem cells and it is possible to extract these cells clinically, but the procedure is immensely painful for the donor and may even be considered risky. Unlike the extraction of the embryonic stem cells, extracting adult stem cells is not controversial. Ethicists do not support the killing of an embryo for the sake of medical progress, however bright the future may seem, but bio ethicists do understand the importance of stem cell experimentation and thus do not consider extraction of adult stem cells from various sources to be unethical as long as it is agreed upon voluntarily by the donor or the guardian of the concerned source.

If the question is read as an inquiry to the origin and the natural location of stem cells, then the answer would be that it comes from various tissues of the human body. Stem cells in an adult human being are found in the heart, blood, bone marrow, skeletal muscles, skin and fat as well. After a baby is born, the placenta and the umbilical cord are also found to be rich in stem cells. The placenta however, is much richer in stem cell count than the umbilical cord blood. Embryonic stem cells are among the first cells to develop because it is these that construct all the other tissues and thus the organs, bones, nerves and everything else in our body eventually, by converting into specifically functional cells.

The key factor about stem cells is that they are capable of constant rejuvenation through mitotic cell division and since they are not functional cells, they can transform into any specific type of functional cell, depending on the requirement of the body. Studies related to the possible uses of stem cells in various medical procedures is achieving greater importance with every passing year as scientists keep publishing journals on how the progress is going to improve treatment facilities dramatically. From the ability to repair almost any damaged organ to eliminating previously incurable diseases like cancer or Parkinsons disease, it all seems to be in our reach in the near future. In order for the experiments to be successful, scientists must collect necessary amounts of stem cells from various sources. Embryonic stem cells are collected directly from the inside of the blastocyst, roughly a week or so after the egg cell is fertilized, and it is for that reason it is called unethical and have given rise to controversies regarding the extraction of embryonic stem cells. The germline tissues of the abandoned fetus are also a source of stem cell collection. Umbilical cord blood and placenta are the two other sources for collecting adult stem cells. Although not as pluripotent as the stem cells inside an embryo, the adult stem cells are also extracted by scientists from tissues and bone marrow of individuals for different purposes.

Magnetic stem cells are one of the latest breakthroughs in the field of medical science as they are believed to hold the potential for next generation cell-level treatment procedures. Stem cells would soon be injected into the patients blood stream to treat and cure heart diseases and vascular problems and the theory is to deliver the special stem cells to the area of the injury or disease by guiding them from outside. The magnetism of the cells is what will allow the experts to control the movement of the reparative cells with the help of magnets, once they are injected into the patients body. Scientists have already been successful at directing the magnetized stem cells to the exact area of damage in animals, but the technology is yet to be tried on human beings.

The first part of the procedure involves applying sufficient magnetic nanoparticles on the stem cells to magnetize them, and thus make them controllable. Secondly, these special stem cells are now inserted into the blood stream of the subject with the help of an injection. The final and the most important part of the medical procedure begins next as experts now try to control the direction of the injected magnetic stem cells with the help of a magnet in order to lead them towards the accurate area of the heart damage or anywhere else inside the vascular system for recovery. MRI scans in the USA make use of the same nanomagnets to attain better results already. It is to be noted that the use of magnetic stem cells has a very broad spectrum as far as medical prowess is concerned. From cell therapy to targeting cancerous growths, the scope of using the nanomagnets on stem cells is plenty for repairing the diseased and the injured tissues from inside the body.

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Stem cells, bone marrow: News and research | Chxa.com

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Multiple myeloma is a malignant disease characterised by proliferation of clonal plasma cells in the bone marrow and typically accompanied by the secretion of monoclonal immunoglobulins that are detectable in the serum or urine. Increased understanding of the microenvironmental interactions between malignant plasma cells and the bone marrow niche, and their role in disease progression and acquisition of therapy resistance, has helped the development of novel therapeutic drugs for use in combination with cytostatic therapy.

Together with autologous stem cell transplantation and advances in supportive care, the use of novel drugs such as proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs has increased response rates and survival substantially in the past several years. Present clinical research focuses on the balance between treatment efficacy and quality of life, the optimum sequencing of treatment options, the question of long-term remission and potential cure by multimodal treatment, the pre-emptive treatment of high-risk smouldering myeloma, and the role of maintenance. Upcoming results of ongoing clinical trials, together with a pipeline of promising new treatments, raise the hope for continuous improvements in the prognosis of patients with myeloma in the future.

Professor Martin Bornhuser and Doctor Christoph Rllig, both experts in the field of blood cancer at the Carl Gustav Carus Medical Faculty of the TU Dresden, have now turned their long-term clinical and research experience in treatment of multiple myeloma into an instructive review for other physicians. The review has just been electronically published ahead of print in the medical journal The Lancet. After a short introduction into the current understanding of myeloma disease biology, the authors then describe the standard diagnostic work-up and provide a clear overview on the best available treatment options. These include established drugs such as melphalan or steroids, novel substances such as bortezomib and lenalidomide and also therapies using stem cell transplantation.

Multiple Myeloma is one of the most common blood cancers, mainly diagnosed in elderly patients. As life expectancy increases, the frequency of the disease has therefore increased during the last decades. Both deeper insights into disease biology including interactions between malignant plasma cells and their bone marrow environment, and the design and clinical testing of new drugs have led to a considerable improvement in the prognosis of this mostly incurable disease during the last years. The right timing and the choice of the best treatment match for the particular myeloma stage and the needs of the individual patient are essential for optimal disease control.

Bornhuser and Rllig present a structured guidance when and how which treatment should be used and introduce new ways to paralyze the cell cycle of cancer cells or to attack malignant cells by transfusing specific immune bodies. These new therapy approaches will help to further increase the prognosis of myeloma patients in the near future.

Myeloma patients can get individual treatment advice and information on participation in clinical trials in the myeloma outpatient clinic at the Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I of the university hospital Dresden.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Technische Universitaet Dresden. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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How to attack and paralyze myeloma cells: Comprehensive review on multiple myeloma

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

14 hours ago

Transcription factor Twist1 is involved in many processes where cells change shape or function. Thereby, Twist1 is crucial for embryonic development, but has also been implicated in cancer progression. However, the precise contribution of Twist1 to these processes is under much debate. Scientists from the Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen describe a new mode of action: a short-term, transient activation of Twist1 primes cells for stem cell-like properties. By contrast, prolonged, chronic Twist1 activity suppresses stem cell-like traits. These results, published in the journal Cell Reports, help to unravel seemingly contradictory observations and illuminate the complexities of transcription factor action in regeneration and tumor progression.

Team leader Christina Scheel summarizes the results: "Twist1 is a developmental master regulator that has also been implicated in cancer progression. We show that transient Twist1 activation primes certain cells for stem-cell-like properties and cellular plasticity. Said differently, induction of these traits depends on Twist1, but they are only displayed by the cells after Twist1 deactivation. By contrast, chronic Twist1 activity suppresses stem-cell-like properties and promotes a phenotype that is characterized by extreme changes in cell shape and function, effectively locking the cells into an invasive, non-proliferative phenotype. Thereby, our results provide an integrative view of seemingly contradictory results concerning the effects of Twist1 in physiological and pathological processes."

Duration of Twist1 activity decisive

Scientists from the Institute of Stem Cell Research and the Institute of Experimental Genetics at the Helmholtz Zentrum Mnchen (HMGU) examined the effects of Twist1 activation on breast epithelial cells, paying particular attention to the duration of the Twist1-signal. To their surprise, cells were permanently altered after a short dose of Twist1-activation: they proliferated under very stringent conditions usually permissive only for stem cells and were able to generate complex multicellular structures, suggesting a gain of cellular plasticity.

Twist1 may fuel regeneration

A high level of plasticity implies regenerative potential. However, when activated during tumor development, Twist1 promotes aggressive behaviour in tumor cells. With their investigations, the team was able to reveal a new aspect of how Twist1 regulates cell shape and function and, thereby, impacts regeneration, but also tumor progression.

"Our results offer important insights for further mechanistic studies of regeneration in healthy and tumour cells", explains first author Johanna Schmidt. "The precise delineation of the different modes of action by Twist1 provide the basis for future studies aiming to manipulate its activity either to promote regeneration or target advanced tumors ," adds co-author Elena Panzilius.

Explore further: New mechanism involved in skin cancer initiation, growth and progression

More information: Schmidt, J. et al. (2015), Stem-Cell-like Properties and Epithelial Plasticity Arise as Stable Traits after Transient Twist1 Activation, Cell Reports, DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.12.032

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Twist1: Complex regulator of cell shape and function

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Stem cell therapy may have helped patients with a form of multiple sclerosis, according to a preliminary study.

Patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis showed signs of improvement after being treated with their own, or autologous "nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem cells," a class of blood-forming stem cells, the study found. It was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Half, or 41 patients, tested two years after treatment experienced significant improvement on the Expanded Disability Status Scale, a measure of disability. And of patients tested at 4 years, 23, or 64 percent, showed significant improvement. Four-year relapse-free survival was 80 percent and progression-free survival was 87 percent.

"To our knowledge, this is the first report of significant and sustained improvement in the EDSS score following any treatment for MS," stated the study. It was led by Dr. Richard K. Burt of Northwestern University in Chicago.

However, only limited conclusions can be drawn from the uncontrolled study, according to scientists who examined the results. While the therapy was associated with improvement, the stem cell transplant may not have been key. A conditioning regimen that partially depleted the stem cells before transplantation may have been responsible, said Dr. Stephen L. Hauser in a JAMA article accompanying the study.

"According to Carl Sagan, 'extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,' a standard that is not always met in this report, and not claimed by the authors. Even though the authors appropriately acknowledge many of the limitations associated with their case series, their statement that 'to our knowledge, this is the first report of significant and sustained improvement in the EDSS score following any treatment for MS' could be challenged," Hauser wrote.

Jeanne Loring, a stem cell researcher who studies multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases, agreed that the results are far from conclusive.

"Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the patients' own immune cells attack their own nervous systems," Loring said by email after examining the study. "The authors of the JAMA article treated MS patients with their own blood stem cells in the hope that these cells would replace some of the self-destructive immune cells."

However, the uneven course of MS makes it hard to draw conclusions, wrote Loring, who heads the Center for Regenerative Medicine at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla.

"Most patients with MS have attacks, followed by recovery, followed by another attack. In a few of these patients, the blood stem cell treatment seemed to extend their time between attacks. It's important to understand that other treatments, including drugs, have shown similar modest improvements, so it's too soon to celebrate a stem cell therapy."

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MS patients given stem cells improve

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Years of diabetes research carried out on mice whose DNA had been altered with a human growth hormone gene is now ripe for reinterpretation after a new study by researchers at KU Leuven confirms that the gene had an unintended effect on the mice's insulin production, a key variable in diabetes research.

Genetically modified mice have been used in medical research for over thirty years. To expedite the cutting-and-pasting of fragments of DNA, the pioneers of the method inserted a human growth hormone gene alongside other modified DNA. Researchers assumed that the DNA of the human growth hormone would remain tightly encapsulated in the modified DNA of the mouse.

They did not expect the mice to begin producing their own human growth hormone -- but that appears to be exactly what happened.

KU Leuven professors Frans Schuit and John Creemers used the genetically modified mice regularly in their lab. To their surprise, they observed that the mice showed pregnancy-like symptoms despite not being pregnant at all.

Digging deeper, the researchers discovered that this pregnancy-like state was being caused by the human growth hormone, explains Professor Schuit: "In mice, the human growth hormone has the same effect as hormones that are produced by the placenta in pregnant mice. Just as in pregnancy, the cells in the pancreas that are responsible for the production of insulin change. They increase in number and begin to produce more insulin. And that happens to be exactly what we study in diabetes research."

Roughly 250 published studies about diabetes were conducted using these tainted mice, continues Professor Creemers: "In many of them, researchers were looking to see if a given gene played a role in insulin production. The genetically modified mice distort the results because of the human growth hormone, so in many cases the effect of that gene was either overvalued or undervalued. Those results now need to be reinterpreted."

"Meanwhile, there are genetically modified mice available today that do not include human growth hormone. These mice can be used to reinterpret previous results," adds Professor Creemers.

Stepping back and correcting false assumptions is part and parcel of the scientific method, concludes Professor Schuit: "We have to continue verifying our methods with a critical eye, even if it means that research advances at a slower pace. For diabetes research, this unexpected turn is an important step forward. Now that the haze around the artificial growth hormone has been cleared, scientists can plan future research with a clear vision."

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by KU Leuven. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Unexpected turn in diabetes research suggests reinterpretation of years of research

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Years of diabetes research carried out on mice whose DNA had been altered with a human growth hormone gene is now ripe for reinterpretation after a new study by researchers at KU Leuven confirms that the gene had an unintended effect on the mice's insulin production, a key variable in diabetes research.

Genetically modified mice have been used in medical research for over thirty years. To expedite the cutting-and-pasting of fragments of DNA, the pioneers of the method inserted a human growth hormone gene alongside other modified DNA. Researchers assumed that the DNA of the human growth hormone would remain tightly encapsulated in the modified DNA of the mouse.

They did not expect the mice to begin producing their own human growth hormone - but that appears to be exactly what happened.

KU Leuven professors Frans Schuit and John Creemers used the genetically modified mice regularly in their lab. To their surprise, they observed that the mice showed pregnancy-like symptoms despite not being pregnant at all.

Digging deeper, the researchers discovered that this pregnancy-like state was being caused by the human growth hormone, explains Professor Schuit: "In mice, the human growth hormone has the same effect as hormones that are produced by the placenta in pregnant mice. Just as in pregnancy, the cells in the pancreas that are responsible for the production of insulin change. They increase in number and begin to produce more insulin. And that happens to be exactly what we study in diabetes research."

Roughly 250 published studies about diabetes were conducted using these tainted mice, continues Professor Creemers: "In many of them, researchers were looking to see if a given gene played a role in insulin production. The genetically modified mice distort the results because of the human growth hormone, so in many cases the effect of that gene was either overvalued or undervalued. Those results now need to be reinterpreted."

"Meanwhile, there are genetically modified mice available today that do not include human growth hormone. These mice can be used to reinterpret previous results," adds Professor Creemers.

Stepping back and correcting false assumptions is part and parcel of the scientific method, concludes Professor Schuit: "We have to continue verifying our methods with a critical eye, even if it means that research advances at a slower pace. For diabetes research, this unexpected turn is an important step forward. Now that the haze around the artificial growth hormone has been cleared, scientists can plan future research with a clear vision."

###

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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Unexpected turn in diabetes research

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

IMAGE:The Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research (JICR), led by Co-Editors-in-Chief Ganes C. Sen, PhD, Chairman, Department of Molecular Genetics, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and Thomas A. Hamilton, PhD, Chairman, Department... view more

Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

New Rochelle, NY, January 19, 2014--Inflammation and immune system activation are complex processes controlled by elaborate signaling pathways and hundreds of genes that are turned on and off in response to external stimuli such as bacteria or viruses. A class of molecules called long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are now emerging as important regulators of inflammatory gene expression and potential targets for novel anti-inflammatory therapeutics, as described in a Review article in Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research (JICR) from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the JICR website until February 19, 2015.

In "Transcription of Inflammatory Genes: Long Noncoding RNA and Beyond" , Susan Carpenter and Katherine Fitzgerald, University of Massachusetts Medical School (Worcester) and University of California, San Francisco, note that scientists are just beginning to understand the role of lncRNAs in regulating the innate immune system and controlling inflammatory processes, and their potential to be dysregulated in disease. The authors provide an overview of current research on lncRNAs and inflammation and propose future research goals.

"Long non-coding RNAs are emerging to be major regulators of many cellular processes; the authors of this article have pioneered investigations of how these RNAs affect immune responses" says Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research Co-Editor-in-Chief Ganes C. Sen, PhD, Chairman, Department of Molecular Genetics, Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

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About the Journal

Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research (JICR), led by Co-Editors-in-Chief Ganes C. Sen, PhD, Chairman, Department of Molecular Genetics, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and Thomas A. Hamilton, PhD, Chairman, Department of Immunology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with Open Access options and in print that covers all aspects of interferons and cytokines from basic science to clinical applications. Journal of Interferon & Cytokine Research is an official journal of the International Cytokine & Interferon Society. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the JICR website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Viral Immunology, AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, and DNA and Cell Biology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.

Excerpt from:
New research defines role of long noncoding RNAs in inflammation

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Future of Food - film animation
Film documentary produced by Lily Films. I conferred with experts while helping design depictions of the stages of genetic engineering process. Integrated a wide variety of source materials...

By: Kyle Kosup

More here:
Future of Food - film animation - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Jamie Metzl: The US-China Rivalry at the Genetic Frontier (11/12/2014)
Jamie Metzl, Novelist; Former U.S. Security Official Bruce Pickering, Ph.D., Executive Director, The Asia Society of Northern California Moderator Novelist...

By: Commonwealth Club

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Jamie Metzl: The US-China Rivalry at the Genetic Frontier (11/12/2014) - Video

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

IMAGE:Stem Cells and Development is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 24 times per year in print and online. The journal is dedicated to communication and objective analysis of developments in... view more

Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

New Rochelle, NY, January 20, 2015-- Multipotent cells isolated from the human umbilical cord, called mesenchymal stromal cells (hUC-MSCs) have shown promise for use in cell therapy to treat a variety of human diseases. However, intriguing new evidence shows that hUC-MSCs isolated from women with gestational diabetes demonstrate premature aging, poorer cell growth, and altered metabolic function, as reported in an article in Stem Cells and Development, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Stem Cells and Development website until February 17th, 2015.

Jooyeon Kim and coauthors from University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul, Korea, compared the growth and viability characteristics of hUC-MSCs from the umbilical cords of pregnant women with and without gestational diabetes. They evaluated cell growth, cellular senescence, mitochondrial function-related gene expression as a measure of metabolic activity, and the stem cells' ability to differentiate into various cell types such as bone and fat cells. They report their findings in the article "Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Affected by Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Display Premature Aging and Mitochondrial Dysfunction."

"We are only just beginning to scratch the surface of understanding how environmental and gestational stressors of all kinds affect stem cell populations," says Editor-in-Chief Graham C. Parker, PhD, The Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI. "The work described offers a non-invasive assay to help determine risk of developmental clinical vulnerability."

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About the Journal

Stem Cells and Development is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 24 times per year in print and online. The Journal is dedicated to communication and objective analysis of developments in the biology, characteristics, and therapeutic utility of stem cells, especially those of the hematopoietic system. A complete table of contents and free sample issue may be viewed on the Stem Cells and Development website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Cellular Reprogramming, Tissue Engineering, and Human Gene Therapy. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.

Read more:
Does gestational diabetes affect the therapeutic potential of umbilical cord-derived stem cells?

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

IMAGE:Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with Open Access options and in print that explores the psychological and social issues surrounding the Internet... view more

Credit: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers

New Rochelle, NY, January 20, 2015--When Facebook users share information on important life events, do they prefer to do so directly (detailed status updated or wall posts) or indirectly (photos, change of job title)? How a person chooses to share such news depends on whether the event is positive or negative, according to a new study published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website until February 20, 2015.

In the article "How Are Important Life Events Disclosed on Facebook? Relationships with Likelihood of Sharing and Privacy," Jennifer Bevan and coauthors, Chapman University, Orange, CA, focus on significant life events related to romantic relationships, health, work, and school. They report that the specific event itself did not determine how an individual would share the news on Facebook, rather whether it was positive or negative. Users tended to share positive life events indirectly and negative life events directly.

"As social networking sites become more a part of our daily lives, understanding of the delicate dance between negotiating disclosure while maintaining some level of privacy is vital," says Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium.

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About the Journal

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with Open Access options and in print that explores the psychological and social issues surrounding the Internet and interactive technologies, plus cybertherapy and rehabilitation. Complete tables of contents and a sample issue may be viewed on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Games for Health Journal, Telemedicine and e-Health, and Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.

See more here:
How do people post important life events on Facebook?

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Heres the headline:

80% Of Americans Support Mandatory Labels On Foods Containing DNA. DNA!

Hahaha! Americans are so dumb etc etc. As Robbie Gonzalez writes, Not GMOs. DNA, the genetic material contained in every living thing known to science and practically every food . . . The results smack of satire, but theyre real. . . . The results indicate that most Americans do not understand the difference between DNA and a genetically modified food. . . . The survey results are also symptomatic of chemophobia, an irrational fear of chemicals . . .

I dont buy it. I agree with Thomas Lumley, who writes:

Theres no way this is a sensible question about government policies: it isnt a reasonable policy or one that has been under public debate. Most foods will contain DNA, the exceptions being distilled spirits, some candy, and (if you dont measure too carefully) white rice and white flour. Nevertheless, 80% of people were in favour.

There was also a question Do you support mandatory labeling for foods produced with genetic engineering. This got 82% support.

It seems most likely that many respondents interpreted these questions as basically the same: they wanted labelling for food containing DNA that was added or modified by genetic engineering.

As Lumley puts it:

If you ask a question that is nuts when interpreted precisely, but is basically similar to a sensible question, people are going to answer the question they think you meant to ask. People are helpful that way, even when it isnt helpful.

As the philosopher H. P. Grice noted many years ago, people try to give informative answers. And this leads to problems when you try to directly interpret the responses to trick survey questions. The psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer has made related points in the context of tricky psychology experiments that make people look really foolish. Sometimes a respondent will look foolish in the context of trying to solve an artificial problem. Or, as Lumley writes, Ask a silly question, get a silly answer.

Read this article:
Monkey Cage: Why you can ignore that survey showing Americans want to label food containing DNA

Recommendation and review posted by Bethany Smith

Everybody loves Florida orange juice. Since its emergence in the late 1940s, the sunny beverage has survived hurricanes and anti-sugar diet crazes to become as common on American breakfast tables as scrambled eggs.

But Floridas citrus industry is facing a new existential threat: Citrus greening, a bacterial disease spread by an insect called the Asian citrus psyllid, is killing Floridas citrus trees. The disease emerged in 2005 and since then citrus production has slowed. Last year Florida produced only 104.4 million boxes of orangesits lowest in about 30 years.

Researchers and industry experts say they have a potential solution: genetic engineering. Texas A&M University and University of Florida researchers are separately testing GMO citrus. Erik Mirkov, a plant pathologist at Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center who has been working on solutions to citrus greening for nine years, has developed an approach that uses spinach defensins to strengthen oranges resistance to greening.

Mirkov says if Americans want to keep orange juice on their tables, genetic engineering is the best option. "Greening is in Florida and Brazil, so the two biggest producers of oranges in the world could potentially not be able to grow them anymore," Mirkov says. "In a case like this, its not a nice-to-have, its a must-have."

But will Americans want their OJ with a side of spinach? Thats still up for debate, especially as questions about the safety of GMO foods continue. Opponents say those who want to save the citrus industry need to look elsewhere and explore non-GMO optionssuch as organic growing and using parasites to the kill the citrus psyllidwhich promote sustainable control of the disease. Genetic engineering could be a game-changer for the citrus industry, but it also could be an uphill battle to get GMO oranges from research labs to supermarket shelves to kitchen tables.

Citrus greening is a blow to an already-ailing industry. Orange juice consumption hit an 18-year low this year, and consumers increasingly have more exotic fruit juice options such as acai berry, but lower production also has affected sales.

Citrus greening is undoubtedly part of the problem. Most of the worlds citrus-producing regions, including several Asian countries, Brazil, Florida, Texas and California, have experienced greening. The disease begins in a citrus trees roots, infecting a tree before a grower can do anything to stop it, making an otherwise healthy fruit resemble a weird hybrid of a lime and orange.

"Greening disease has been in the world for a long time. Its been around for as long as it has and we havent found a non-GE cure to date," says Rick Kress, president of Southern Gardens Citrus, the worlds largest supplier of pure Florida orange juice. "Every researcher that is aware of this disease has said the ultimate solution is going to be genetic engineering."

Mirkov and Jude Grosser, a researcher at the University of Florida, agree. Mirkov is working closely with Southern Gardens Citrus, and his approach has been used on the most commonly grown oranges, grapefruits and popular lemon varieties in Texas and Florida. So far, spinach defensins have made many trees resistant to greening and others more tolerant to it, meaning they have the bacteria at lower levels than a conventional citrus tree and can still bear fruit.

Grossers research explores both GMO and conventional breeding approaches. On the GMO side, Grossers team has scoured the plant kingdom to find genes that can be introduced to citrus trees to improve their resistance. Though researchers will need to go through a thorough regulatory process to ensure GMO citrus meets the same standard as the normal fruits, Grosser says only one foreign gene is being added to the plant, so there shouldnt be a significant difference between the two. Whether consumers agree is another issue.

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Award honors fundamental research that is expected to be of considerable significance for medicine

IMAGE:This is professor Emmanuelle Charpentier, recipient of the Louis-Jeantet-Prize for Medicine 2015. view more

Credit: Helmholtz / Hallbauer&Fioretti

Prof Emmanuelle Charpentier from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig is one of the two recipients of the 2015 Louis-Jeantet-Prize for Medicine. The prize money of 700,000 Swiss francs is mostly attributed for the continuation of the awardees work. Charpentier receives the prize for harnessing an ancient immune defense system in bacteria - CRISPR-Cas9 - into a genome editing tool largely exploited by biologists and promising for curing human diseases.

Bacterial pathogens also possess an immune system that defends them against predators, and particularly viruses. When studying this system, Charpentier while she was a group leader at the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS) at Ume University and her team unravelled a unique mechanism - CRISPR-Cas9 - a pair of molecular scissors composed of a duplex of two RNAs linked to a protein. In collaboration with the team of her colleague Prof Jennifer Doudna, University of California, Berkeley, it was demonstrated that the mechanism could be harnessed into a powerful tool for genome engineering. The system is celebrated as a revolution for biology, and used by laboratories all over the world for different purposes.

"The CRISPR-Cas9 system has already breached boundaries and made genetic engineering much more versatile, efficient and easy", says Charpentier, who is the head of the department "Regulation in Infection Biology" at the HZI, Alexander von Humboldt Professor affiliated at the Hannover Medical School and a guest Professor at the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine, Ume University, Sweden. The system can be used in various areas of biology and medicine and curing genetic disorders is only one possible application. The system also shows promises in areas like agriculture and the development of therapeutics for the or when it comes to developing treatment of chronical diseases such as HIV or cancer.

Established in 1986, the Louis-Jeantet-Prize for medicine has already been awarded to 82 researchers. Ten of the awardees subsequently won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, or the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. As one of the best-endowed awards in Europe, the Louis-Jeantet Prize for Medicine fosters scientific excellence. It finances the continuation of innovative research projects of more or less immediate practical significance for the treatment of diseases rather than honouring completed work.

"I feel extremely honoured receiving this prestigious award", says Charpentier. "I see it as a motivation for my team to continue our work and will use the prize money to conduct further research on the mechanisms governing the pathogenicity of Streptococcus pyogenes".

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The Sims 3: Perfect Genetics - Part 4 - [Brandon, Brendon, Branden]
READ ME** In this part: The breakup and the Br(a)(e)nd(o)(e)ns. 😮 Social Media: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MsGryphi Twitter: http://www.twitter.com...

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BIGFOOT GENETICS
MAKES A DIFFERENCE.

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Best Bodybuilding Motivation 2015 - Genetics
Song : Nightcall - Hymn (Original) For the footage I #39;ve used, check out: Rich Piana ( YT channel ) CT Fletcher (YT channel ) Mike Rashid (YT channel ) Genera...

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The Sims 3: Perfect Genetics - Part 7 - [Imperfect Essence]
READ ME** In this part: Babies! Social Media: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/MsGryphi Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/MsGryphi Tumblr: http://www.MsGryp...

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5.1 Mendel and Mendelian Genetics
5.1.

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Foundation Prizewinner Dr. Ripke Presents on Pinpointing the Genetics of Schizophrenia

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Gene therapy is a promising strategy to correct hereditary disorders. The approach takes advantage of viral vectors to deliver a corrected version of the mutated gene. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) has many features that make it a favorable vector for gene therapy. In animal models, AAV-mediated gene delivery is generally regarded as safe and has demonstrated efficacy for some genetic diseases. However, a recent study reported an increase in liver cancer in mice after AAV gene therapy. A new publication in the Journal of Clinical Investigation reveals that AAV vector design influences the likelihood of developing cancer in the liver. Charles Venditti and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health looked for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a large number of mice that had received AAV gene therapy. HCC was associated with the AAV vector integrating within a specific site in the genome and inducing expression of microRNAs and a retrotranposon. Moreover, AAV dose, the choice of enhancer/promoter, and timing of delivery all influenced the HCC incidence. The results of this study provide insight into features that should be considered when designing AAV vectors for gene therapy.

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TITLE:

Vector design influences hepatic genotoxicity after adeno-associated virus gene therapy

AUTHOR CONTACT:

Charles Venditti National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA Phone: 301-496-6213; Fax: 301-451-3853; E-mail: venditti@mail.nih.gov

View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/79213?key=0ff2890aa2b1c1b59bca

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Gene therapy-associated cancer incidence depends on vector design

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Pre-clinical studies in mice reveal ways to reduce cancer risk with modified treatment

National Institutes of Health researchers have uncovered a key factor in understanding the elevated cancer risk associated with gene therapy. They conducted research on mice with a rare disease similar to one in humans, hoping their findings may eventually help improve gene therapy for humans. Researchers at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of NIH, published their research in the Jan. 20, 2015, online issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

"Effective and safe gene therapies have the potential to dramatically reverse diseases that are life-threatening for affected children," said NHGRI Scientific Director Dan Kastner, M.D., Ph.D. "This study is an important step in developing gene therapies that can be safely used to benefit patients."

Toxic side effects actually are rarely observed by researchers who have designed gene therapies using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) as a vector to deliver the corrected gene to a specific point in the cell's DNA. AAVs are small viruses that infect humans but do not cause disease. A vector is a DNA molecule of AAV used as a vehicle to carry corrected genetic material into a cell. AAV viruses are uniquely suited for gene therapy applications.

But one prior study did find an association between AAV and the occurrence of liver cancer. The present research addresses this problem in gene therapy for an inherited disease in children called methylmalonic acidemia, or MMA.

For 10 years, NHGRI researchers have worked toward a gene therapy to treat MMA. The condition affects as many as 1 in 67,000 children born in the United States. Affected children are unable to properly metabolize certain amino acids consumed in their diet, which can damage a number of organs and lead to kidney failure. MMA patients also suffer from severe metabolic instability, failure to thrive, intellectual and physical disabilities, pancreatitis, anemia, seizures, vision loss and strokes. The most common therapy is a restrictive diet, but doctors must resort to dialysis or kidney or liver transplants when the disease progresses.

In prior MMA gene therapy studies, researchers showed that mice bred to develop the condition could be restored to health by AAV gene therapy injection shortly after birth. The mice in the study survived into adulthood and were free from the effects of MMA.

"The corrected gene delivered by AAV is the most effective therapy we have developed so far to treat MMA," said Charles Venditti, M.D., Ph.D., senior author and investigator in NHGRI's Genetic and Molecular Biology Branch. "However, we have identified an important safety parameter related to the AAV gene therapy in our mouse models that is critical to understand before we move to human patient trials."

Now, in a long-term follow-up of the treated mice -- after mice reached about two years of age -- the researchers documented a 50-70 percent higher occurrence of liver cancer in AAV-treated mice compared with a 10 percent liver cancer rate in untreated mice. Dr. Venditti's team determined that the AAV vector triggered the cancer.

The research team performed additional experiments to detect where in the mouse genome the AAV vector delivered the corrected gene and how that related to any cancer development. In many mice that developed liver cancer, the AAV vector targeted a region of the mouse genome called Rian, near a gene called Mir341 that codes for a microRNA molecule. MicroRNAs are small, non-coding RNA molecules involved in the regulation of gene expression. When the AAV was inserted near Mir341, the vector caused elevated expression of the gene, which the researchers believe contributed to the occurrence of liver cancer in the mice. The authors note that Mir341 is found in the mouse genome, however, it is not present in humans.

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