Brain Research:Can stem cell technology be harnessed to generate biological pacemakers? ♦ How does our brain form creative and original ideas?

Improving fitness may counteract brain atrophy in older adults Older adults that improved their fitness through a moderate intensity exercise program increased the thickness of their brain's cortex, the outer layer of the brain that typically atrophies with Alzheimer's disease. These effects were found in both healthy older adults and those diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, an early stage of Alzheimer's disease.

Can stem cell technology be harnessed to generate biological pacemakers? Although today's pacemakers are lifesaving electronic devices, they are limited by their artificial nature. For example, the devices require regular maintenance, must be replaced periodically, and can only approximate the natural regulation of a heartbeat. A new article highlights the promise and limitations of new methods based on stem cell and reprogramming technologies to generate biological pacemakers that might one day replace electronic pacemakers.

How does our brain form creative and original ideas? A new study attempted to crack the connection between brain activity and creativity. The results shed a new, perhaps unexpected light, on our ability to think outside the box

Newly discovered signaling molecule helps neurons find their way in developing brain In the developing nervous system, some neurons must extend their branches to connect one half of the brain with the other. A new study sheds light on the molecular mechanisms that guide the winding paths of their axons

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Health News: North Wales food places with Zero hygiene ratings ♦ Stem cell researchers poke around for blood genes ♦ Older athletes able to return to sport after rotator cuff repair

North Wales food places with Zero hygiene ratings The issue of food hygiene has once again reared its head after the Daily Post published pictures showing the disgusting state of a Porthmadog restaurant which was fined £5,000 by hygiene inspectors. David Alexander Paton pleaded guilty to seven food hygiene offences at Caernarfon magistrates court after fish and chicken months past their expiry dates were found among

Older athletes able to return to sport after rotator cuff repair  Outcomes following the arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears in older athletes appears to be successful a majority of the time, according to new research.

Surgery a better treatment option for some hamstring injuries Patients treated surgically for a hamstring rupture demonstrated better results than those treated only with therapy.

Stem cell researchers poke around for blood genes Even though the transplantation of blood stem cells, also known as bone marrow, has saved many lives over many decades, the genes that control the number or function of blood stem cells are not fully understood. In a new study, researchers have uncovered new genes that affect blood stem cell development and maintenance.

Fishing for new ways to stop Parkinson's, a researcher makes big catches in the gene pool A geneticist is exploring the protective power of coffee, nicotine and NSAIDs -- and the damage    

Health Research: Why crystals could be the shape of future pharmaceuticals ♦ Stem cell discovery paves way for targeted treatment for osteoarthritis ♦ Insomnia leads to decreased empathy

Recovery of sensory function by stem cell transplants New research shows promising progress in the use of stem cells for treatment of spinal cord injury. The results show that human stem cells that are transplanted to the injured spinal cord contribute to restoration of some sensory functions.

Why crystals could be the shape of future pharmaceuticals Scientists are building a better understanding of the chemical processes behind the creation of crystals with the aim of developing new ways to produce pharmaceuticals.

As death rates drop, nonfatal diseases and injuries take a bigger toll on health globally People across the world are living longer but spending more time in ill health as rates of nonfatal diseases and injuries decline more slowly than death rates, according to a new analysis of 301 diseases and injuries in 188 countries

Stem cell discovery paves way for targeted treatment for osteoarthritis Scientists have made a significant advance that could make cell-based treatments for arthritis less of a lottery. Researchers have identified individual stem cells that can regenerate tissue, cartilage and bone.

Insomnia leads to decreased empathy in health care workers Insomnia decreases empathy in health care workers and may lead to adverse clinical outcomes and medical errors, a new study suggests. Results show that subjects with an Insomnia Severity Index ISI of greater than 8, scored significantly higher across all four subscales of empathy.

Health Research: Altering genes with the aid of light ♦ More sex doesn't lead to increased happiness ♦ Full body scanner helps diagnose skin conditions

Researchers sound out scaffolds for eardrum replacement Tiny, complex scaffolds that mimic the intricate network of collagen fibers that form the human eardrum have been created by an international team of researchers. It is hoped the scaffolds can be used to replace eardrums when they become severely damaged, reducing the need for patients to have their own tissue used in reconstruction surgery.

Detecting skin cancer quickly: Full body scanner helps diagnose skin conditions Melanoma is aggressive and life-threatening. If it is not detected early, the prospects of recovery drop. Screening is complicated, though. Together with several project partners, researchers have developed an assistance system that helps dermatologists with diagnosis.

Altering genes with the aid of light Scientists have been manipulating genes for a while. Now researchers have found a way to control the process with higher precision, by using light.

Master orchestrator of the genome is discovered, stem cell scientists report  New research shows how a single growth factor receptor protein programs the entire genome. The study provides evidence that it all begins with a single "master" growth factor receptor that regulates the entire genome.

More sex doesn't lead to increased happiness Countless research and self-help books claim that having more sex will lead to increased happiness, based on the common finding that those having more sex are also happier. Scientists now report that simply having more sex did not make couples happier, in part because the increased frequency led to a decline in wanting for and enjoyment of sex.

Health news: 38 Salmonella cases linked to Arizona Winery ♦ Are additives in our food safe ♦ Stem cell injection may soon reverse macular degeneration

38 Salmonella cases linked to catered events at Arizona Winery Catered events on March 18 and 19 at the Windmill Winery in Florence, AZ, have now been linked to 38 suspected Salmonella cases, according to the Pinal County Public Health Services District. The first report of illness related to a March 19 wedding was called in April 1 by the bride’s mother. Four wedding participants were reportedly

Health-reform savings in the United States In the first year of Medicare's Pioneer Accountable Care Organization program, the 32 participating provider organizations achieved a 1.2 percent savings while maintaining or improving performance on measures of quality of care. Researchers examined how savings differed by potentially policy-relevant characteristics of the participating accountable care organizations.

Everything wrong with ‘ generally recognized as safe’ food additives in one smart traffic analogy There’s growing concern in the U.S. about the weird and unpronounceable additives that can be found in all kinds of food items, from cereal and bread to yogurt and salad dressing. This isn’t just an irrational fear of chemicals, it has real concerns for people with health issues like allergies or digestive problems. This great video from The Center for Public Integrity spells it

Stem cell injection may soon reverse vision loss caused by age-related macular degeneration

An injection of stem cells into the eye may soon slow or reverse the effects of early-stage age-related macular degeneration, according to new research. Currently, there is no treatment that slows the progression of the disease, which is the leading cause of vision loss in people over 65.

E-cigarette use is not risk-free E-cigarettes are not without health risks for people who vape or for bystanders, researchers report. The report has only considered e-cigarettes with nicotine since there has been very little research about e-cigarettes without nicotine, they note.

Cancer Research:Stem cell disease model clarifies bone cancer trigger ♦ Enzalutamide:major benefit for over 75-year-olds ♦ Genetic history increases knowledge of cancer risk

Enzalutamide: Indication of major benefit for over 75-year-olds

The new drug Enzalutamide can prolong survival in certain patients with prostate cancer and delay the occurrence of disease complications, a new study concludes.

Using genetic history to increase knowledge of cancer risk

A mother who has tested positive for the BRCA2 cancer gene is one of 12 people in her family over three generations linked to the gene or diagnosed with cancer. Now she is using her family’s genetic history to contribute to cancer research, prevention and treatment – with the aim of improving the quality of life for those facing hereditary risk

New approach to treat drug breast cancer

Resistance to therapy is a major problem in the cancer field. Using human cell lines of the HER2-positive breast cancer subtype, researchers detailed the surprising ways in which resistance to the drug lapatinib manifests and how to defeat resistance before it happens

Stem cell disease model clarifies bone cancer trigger

Using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a team of researchers has gained new insight into genetic changes that may turn a well known anti-cancer signaling gene into a driver of risk for bone cancers. The findings revolve around iPSCs, which since their 2006 discovery have enabled researchers to coax mature (fully differentiated) bodily cells (e.g. skin cells) to become like embryonic stem cells. Such cells are pluripotent, able to become many cell types as they multiply and differentiate to form tissues. The iPSCs can then be converted again as needed into differentiated cells such as heart muscle, nerve cells, bone, etc.

Health Research: New class of insecticides offers safer ♦ Ebola virus diagnostic tool developed ♦ Possible progress against Parkinson's

New class of insecticides offers safer, more targeted mosquito control

A new class of chemical insecticides has been identified that could provide a safer, more selective means of controlling mosquitoes that transmit key infectious diseases such as dengue, yellow fever and elephantiasis

Ebola virus diagnostic tool developed by physician who worked in Liberia

An emergency medicine physician who treated Ebola-infected patients in Liberia last year used his field experience to create a tool to determine the likelihood that patients presenting with Ebola symptoms will actually carry the virus. Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has affected 24,000 persons during the current epidemic, which is the largest recorded outbreak of EVD in history.

Possible progress against Parkinson's and good news for stem cell therapies

Researchers have taken an important step toward using the implantation of stem cell-generated neurons as a treatment for Parkinson's disease. Using an FDA approved substance for treating cancer, they were able to grow dopamine-producing neurons derived from embryonic stem cells that remained healthy and functional for as long as 15 months after implantation into mice, restoring motor function without forming tumors

Antibacterial enzymes to combat drug-resistant bacterial pathogens developed

By engineering antibacterial enzymes, investigators are using novel strategies to target the prevalent drug-resistant bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. "Antibacterial enzymes, which kill via catalytic mechanisms, represent promising candidates in the fight against drug-resistant microbes," explained the lead researcher. "Staph infections in hospital settings are a serious problem that has gained widespread public attention, and there's an urgent need to address the threat of antibiotic resistance. Using molecular engineering, we are expanding the pool of antibacterial drug candidates and improving their performance."

Health Research:Rise in adults living with cystic fibrosis ♦ Melatonin can help you get a good night's sleep ♦ green tea could help improve MRIs + more

Dramatic rise expected in adults living with cystic fibrosis  The number of people living with cystic fibrosis into adulthood is expected to increase dramatically by 2025, prompting calls for the development of adult cystic fibrosis services to meet the demand.Continue Reading

Melatonin can help you get a good night's sleep in a noisy environment  Using melatonin could provide more and better quality sleep compared to using an eye mask and earplugs in a simulated noisy and illuminated environment. This study was carried out on healthy subjects but could have future implications for intensive care unit patients.Continue Reading

How green tea could help improve MRIs  Green tea could have a new role -- to improve the image quality of MRIs. Scientists report that they successfully used compounds from green tea to help image cancer tumors in mice Continue Reading

Bacterial conversation counteracts antibiotic damage   Scientists have shown that bacteria living in the intestine both 'talk' and 'listen' to each other. Using small molecules in place of words, these microbial conversations changed the numbers of certain species of bacteria in the gut and started to restore the huge damage caused by antibiotic treatment.Continue reading

First stem cell-based approach to treat type 2 diabetes   A combination of human stem cell transplantation and antidiabetic drugs proved to be highly effective at improving body weight and glucose metabolism in a mouse model of type 2 diabetes. The findings could set the stage for clinical trials to test the first stem cell-based approach for insulin replacement in patients with type 2 diabetes.Continue Reading

Stem Cell Transplants May Halt Progression of Multiple Sclerosis

Three-year outcomes from an ongoing clinical trial suggest that high-dose immunosuppressive therapy followed by transplantation of a person's own blood-forming stem cells may induce sustained remission in some people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). RRMS is the most common form of MS, a progressive autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord. T

Three years after the treatment, called high-dose immunosuppressive therapy and autologous hematopoietic cell transplant or HDIT/HCT, nearly 80 percent of trial participants had survived without experiencing an increase in disability, a relapse of MS symptoms or new brain lesions. Investigators observed few serious early complications or unexpected side effects, although many participants experienced expected side effects of high-dose immunosuppression, including infections and gastrointestinal problems. The three-year findings are published in the Dec. 29, 2014, online issue of JAMA Neurology.

“These promising results support the need for future studies to further evaluate the benefits and risks of HDIT/HCT and directly compare this treatment strategy to current MS therapies,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “If the findings from this study are confirmed, HDIT/HCT may become a potential therapeutic option for people with this often-debilitating disease, particularly those who have not been helped by standard treatments.”

Scientists estimate that MS affects more than 2.3 million people worldwide. Symptoms can vary widely and may include disturbances in speech, vision and movement. Most people with MS are diagnosed with RRMS, which is characterized by periods of relapse or flare up of symptoms followed by periods of recovery or remission. Over years, the disease can worsen and shift to a more progressive form.

In the study, researchers tested the effectiveness of HDIT/HCT in 25 volunteers with RRMS who had relapsed and experienced worsened neurological disability while taking standard medications. Doctors collected blood-forming stem cells from participants and then gave them high-dose chemotherapy to destroy their immune systems. The doctors returned the stem cells to the participants to rebuild and reset their immune systems.

“Notably, participants did not receive any MS drugs after transplant, yet most remained in remission after three years,” said Daniel Rotrosen, M.D., director of NIAID’s Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation. “In contrast, other studies have shown that the best alternative MS treatments induce much shorter remissions and require long-term use of immunosuppressive drugs that can cause serious side effects.”

The study researchers plan to follow participants for a total of five years, recording all side effects associated with the treatment. Final results from this and similar studies promise to help inform the design of larger trials to further evaluate HDIT/HCT in people with MS.

Early Treatment Benefits Infants with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency

Early transplantation of blood-forming stem cells is a highly effective treatment for infants with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), a group of rare, life-threatening inherited immune system disorders, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health suggests.

Approximately three-quarters of SCID infants who received transplants survived for at least five years. Infants who received transplants within the first 3.5 months of life had the best outcomes. Researchers from the Primary Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium (PIDTC), funded by NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), report their findings in the July 31 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

SCID is caused by defects in genes involved in the development and function of infection-fighting T and B cells. Infants with SCID appear healthy at birth but are highly susceptible to infections. If untreated, SCID is fatal, usually within the first year of life. Development of a newborn screening test has made it possible to detect SCID before symptoms appear. The test was added to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Recommended Uniform Screening Panel  for newborns in 2010, but to date, only 21 states have implemented newborn screening for SCID.

“The findings from this study highlight the positive impact of treating SCID early in life,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “They also suggest that widespread use of newborn screening tests for SCID is warranted to ensure that infants with this rare syndrome receive life-saving transplants.”

Stem cell transplantation can fully correct the T-cell and, less consistently, the B-cell deficiencies of SCID infants. To identify factors that contribute to successful transplant outcomes, PIDTC investigators analyzed data from 240 SCID infants who received transplants at 25 clinical centers across the United States and Canada between 2000 and 2009.

The researchers found that younger infants and those without infections had excellent survival rates. Almost all 68 babies transplanted within the first 3.5 months of life survived, with 64 still alive five years after transplant. Many of these babies had a family history of SCID and were diagnosed before the onset of infections. Survival rates for older infants who never had infection or whose infections cleared before transplant also were high — 90 percent and 82 percent, respectively. Only 50 percent of babies who had infections at the time of transplant survived for five years.

“These findings indicate that early transplantation and absence of infection are critical to achieving the best transplant outcomes for infants with this serious disorder,” said Daniel Rotrosen, M.D., director of NIAID’s Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation. “The results of this study pave the way for further work to identify optimal stem cell transplant procedures for infants with SCID.”

Donor type also affected transplant success, with the best outcomes resulting from sibling donors whose human leukocyte antigens (HLA) — proteins that help regulate immune responses — matched those of the recipient. HLA matching reduces the risk of graft-versus-host disease, in which transplanted cells attack the recipient’s cells. Because HLA markers are inherited from both parents, siblings have a one-in-four chance of being a perfect match.  In the PIDTC study, 97 percent of infants who received transplants from HLA-matched siblings survived at least five years.

Regardless of donor type, survival rates were high for infants transplanted within the first 3.5 months of life and those of any age without infection at time of transplant. SCID infants with active infection and lacking a matched sibling donor did not fare as well. These infants were most likely to survive if they received specially treated bone marrow from a parent, but did not receive any pre-transplant chemotherapy, which often is administered to help the transplanted cells survive. This finding indicates that treatment and prevention of infection and avoidance of chemotherapy if an infection cannot be cleared are important considerations before transplantation.

Transplants from matched siblings led to the best restoration of immune function. Among survivors of transplants from non-sibling donors, use of certain pre-transplant chemotherapy regimens was associated with higher T-cell numbers and more consistent B-cell function. However, chemotherapy carries the risk of severe early side effects, which can reduce chances of survival. Survivors may experience long-term chemotherapy side effects, such as poor growth. Future research will focus on developing transplant procedures that improve survival and immune recovery while avoiding harmful side effects.

Adult Stem Cell Research Shows Promise

Scientists sporting white coats and safety gloves are working in a bright Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lab on an incredible project.

They are part of FDA’s MSC Consortium, a large team of FDA scientists studying adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)—cells that could eventually be used to repair, replace, restore or regenerate cells in the body, including those needed for heart and bone repair.

The scientists’ investigational work is unprecedented: Seven labs at FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research formed the consortium to fill in gaps in knowledge about how stem cells function.

“This research aims to facilitate development of this important class of innovative medical products,” explains Carolyn A. Wilson, Ph.D., associate director for research at the center. “It’s the first time we’ve done anything like this, and it’s proven to be a very useful approach. It’s worked so well because this is a huge, complicated project that requires expertise in many different technologies and methods.”

The research could ultimately be key to the advancement of personalized medicine, the practice in which medical treatment is tailored to the needs of an individual patient. “It’s not science fiction,” says Steven R. Bauer, Ph.D., chief of the Cellular and Tissue Therapy Branch in FDA’s Office of Cellular Tissue and Gene Therapies. “For me, regenerative medicine is the most exciting part of what we regulate in our office.”

So What Are Stem Cells?

There are two basic kinds of stem cells that are currently useful in the field of regenerative medicine: multipotent and pluripotent stem cells. Multipotent stem cells are generally taken from adults and can divide and develop into many different cell types. Pluripotent stem cells can develop into any type of cell in the body. Both types could divide to replenish cells damaged by injury, illness or normal wear. When stem cells divide, the new cells can either remain stem cells or develop into a new type of cell with a more specific function.

Two types of pluripotent stem cells exist: human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, which are created by reprogramming adult cells that had already changed into a mature type of cell.

FDA’s MSC Consortium is not studying stem cells taken from embryos. “We’re looking at a particular kind of multipotent adult stem cell—the MSC—which is being used in a lot of regenerative medicine clinical trials,” adds Bauer.

The group is currently studying eight unique cell lines, each acquired from commercial sources and sourced to one of eight distinct, adult donors. (Males and females age 22 to 47 donated stem cells from bone marrow.)

The cells under study are multipotent: “They can differentiate (mature into) at least three cell types: bone, fat and cartilage, primarily,” Bauer explains. “They can also differentiate into nerve cells, liver cells and a kind of cell called ‘stroma’ that is in the bone marrow and supports blood forming cells. Then, for investigational clinical uses, they’ve been used for repairing hearts, repairing bone and repairing cartilage.”

Why Is FDA Studying These Cells?

In addition to differentiating into a variety of replacement cell types, MSCs can limit a patient’s immune response. So they can potentially be taken from one human donor and placed into a different recipient with less possibility of rejection.

But growing stem cells and making sure they are safe and effective is challenging, which is one reason why stem-cell based clinical trials have not yet resulted in a marketed product.

“The major challenge is that cells are much more complex than traditional products that FDA regulates. And they have the ability to respond to their environment,” Bauer explains. “Taking them out of the body and manufacturing them—that is, growing large numbers of them—or isolating them can change their biology. And it can change the way they behave if they are put back into the patient.”

For instance, if cells are manufactured in large quantities outside their natural environment, they may become ineffective or develop harmful characteristics. For example, they can produce tumors, severe immune reactions or growth of unwanted tissue. So FDA is trying to develop methods that would predict with more certainty how manufactured or isolated adult stem cells will behave in patients.

What's Being Done?

In the labs, cells are suspended in a nutrient liquid solution and grown in sterile containers called tissue culture flasks. Cells then multiply and go through three, five or seven generations of growth.

FDA scientists are using a variety of cutting-edge methods to characterize cells and then determine if any of these characteristics can predict the behavior of the cells in biological assays or in animal models. The next step will be to determine if any characteristics they measure will predict the safety or effectiveness of stem-cell based products in patients.

Specifically, scientists will continue studying whether factors such as different methods of growing the cells, donor age or gender affects the cells’ quality and performance. This research will ultimately provide new tools to the community of academic and private industry scientists who are interested in evaluating and developing stem cells into new clinical treatments.

“The consortium has shown that widely accepted ways to identify and characterize MSCs do not reveal some important biological differences between batches of these cells,” Bauer says. So the consortium seeks to demonstrate ways to better characterize MSCs that will be used in clinical trials. That’s important because, if investigators can improve the tools used to characterize MSCs used for clinical trials, the data generated from their studies could also improve because their MSC products will be more predictable, he adds.

And the improved predictability of their products will, in turn, allow FDA scientists to more easily evaluate the safety and effectiveness of new stem cell technologies—a key part of the regulatory science that is the foundation of FDA decisions.

Stem cells, like other medical products intended to treat, cure or prevent disease, require FDA approval before they can be marketed. “It is important for FDA to maintain a sound regulatory science research program to promote the development of safe and effective products in emerging areas that hold great promise,” Bauer says.

“My colleagues and I hope our scientific findings will be helpful in the field of regenerative medicine, including the ability to repair or even replace organs and tissues more safely and effectively than traditional means,” he adds. “Although there are many scientific hurdles to overcome before the use of stem cells reaches its full potential, I think this medicine will eventually have the capacity to do that.”

Miniature 'Human Brain' Grown in Lab

Miniature "human brains" have been grown in a lab in a feat scientists hope will transform the understanding of neurological disorders. The pea-sized structures reached the same level of development as in a nine-week-old foetus, but are incapable of thought. The study, published in the journal Nature, has already been used to gain insight into rare diseases. Neuroscientists have described the findings as astounding and fascinating.

The human brain is one of the most complicated structures in the universe. Scientists at Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences have now reproduced some of the earliest stages of the organ's development in the laboratory.

They used either embryonic stem cells or adult skin cells to produce the part of an embryo that develops into the brain and spinal cord.

The researchers are confident that this closely, but far from perfectly, matches brain development in a foetus until the nine week stage.

The tissues reached their maximum size, about 4 mm (0.1in), after two months.

The "mini-brains" have survived for nearly a year, but did not grow any larger. There is no blood supply, just brain tissue, so nutrients and oxygen cannot penetrate into the middle of the brain-like structure.

One of the researchers, Dr Juergen Knoblich, said: "What our organoids are good for is to model development of the brain and to study anything that causes a defect in development.

"Ultimately we would like to move towards more common disorders like schizophrenia or autism. They typically manifest themselves only in adults, but it has been shown that the underlying defects occur during the development of the brain."

The technique could also be used to replace mice and rats in drug research as new treatments could be tested on actual brain tissue.

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