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Stem Cell Strategy to Spinal Cord Injuries: The brand new Frontier

Knee Stem Cell Treatment - Spinal cord injuries are injuries that eventually any level of the spinal cord. Although the hard bones with the spinal column protect the soft tissues with the spinal cord, vertebrae can nevertheless be broken or dislocated in a variety of ways and cause traumatic injury to the spinal cord. Vertebrae injuries vary within their severity, but almost inevitably lead to various forms of compromised functionality since the spinal cord is in effect the primary pathway for information to travel around the human body. Precisely what body functions are impaired by the injury will depend on the region of the spine that's been damaged and the extent that the spine has been affected. Although serious impacts such as falls and car accidents account for many spinal-cord injuries, tumors growing near to the column can also damage sensitive nerve tissue and also have the same effects.

Knee Stem Cell Injections - For many years scientists have been trying to try and find a way to remedy the various ailments that vertebrae injuries can bring, however with limited success. However, in recent years a pioneering new technologies have emerged that is helping thousands of people around the world regain part, it not exclusively, of their previously lost mobility. That treatment methods are the use of stem cells.

Exactly what are Stem Cells and Stem Cell Treatments?

Knee Stem Cell Injections - Stem cells are located in all multi cellular organisms and so are characterized by their ability to tell apart into a diverse range of specialized cells when they divide and renew themselves. They're remarkable for their capacity to regenerate themselves into just about any human cell. Their use within the treatment of various diseases and conditions, from Leukemia to Multiple Sclerosis, is now becoming more common. Based on the condition, stem cells could be transplanted into the patient to aid renew and regenerate previously damaged cells, giving patients renewed hope when, before, no reliable treatment existed.

This principle is now being applied to treating spinal cord injuries using stem cells, and in instances where the patient has not yet experienced a complete spinal-cord injury, i.e. an entire severing of the spinal cord leading to a loss of function underneath the 'neurological' level. There has been great success in helping patients recover greater sensory and physiological ability.

Vertebrae Injury: How Stem Cell Treatment Works

If you have trauma to the spinal cord, myelopathy (damage to the fibres that carry messages to and from the brain) has occurred. These 'myelinated fibre tracts' are the focus of stem cell treatment, and so are the nerve cells that the treatment helps to regenerate. The process usually follows three phases in most cases requires no longer than the usual period of around five weeks in medical care for monitoring:

Phase one necessitates the harvesting of stem cells. Cellular structure are extracted from a fetus's umbilical cord. They are then put through a process whereby they are isolated and purified before they are finally cultured to be suitable for clinical use.

Phase two will be the transplantation of the stem cells. This is done in one of 3 ways:

1) Lumbar puncture - a process used where stem cells may be injected directly into the spine.

2) Intravenous injection- stem cells are injected into the patient's vein.

3) Tissue injection - direct injection into target tissues.

Phase three necessitates the monitoring of the patient to make certain there are no adverse negative effects. The only side effects reported thus far were caused by the lumbar puncture, rather than the stem cell treatment itself, just 15% of patients reporting mild headaches. During the time under medical supervision, patients undergo various physiotherapy activities and other treatments as necessary.

Stem Cell Research and Treatment in China

China is fast becoming a world leader in stem cell research, and it is now a major centre for your stem cell management of many diseases and conditions. The Chinese government has poured many millions of dollars into research on regenerative medicine, which investment has really borne fruit within the last few years. As a result of this expanded investment, Chinese contributions to scientific journals on regenerative medicine topics leapt from 37 in year 2000 to 1,116 in 2008, exceeded only through the contributions of experts in america, Germany, Japan and the UK.

The government has additionally aggressively recruited high-caliber scientists trained abroad looking for its ambition to become world leader in the field. Indeed, the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health commented that, "the government's policy of attracting highly educated Chinese nationals back to China has contributed significantly towards the country's success within the field." The authors were "amazed that most the top Chinese researchers in the regenerative medicine field ended up educated in the US as well as the UK and gained extensive experiences there in cutting edge research."

Although before treatment in China might have been considered risky because of lax health and safety laws, the past few years have seen an increase in legislation protecting the individual, and improving the functionality of clinics. Since 2009, evidence of safety and efficacy through many studies is required by China's Ministry of Health for all stem cell and gene therapies, making sure Chinese clinics meet international standards inside their qualifications and methodology. As of January 2010, about 1,500 patients had received laser hair removal for spinal cord injury at one Beijing clinic alone, including roughly 1,000 foreigners.

Furthermore, China has long held a place at the forefront of stem cell research to take care of all manner of conditions. Some of China's notable contributions to stem cell research are:

By transferring the nucleus of your human skin cell in to the immature ovum cell of your rabbit, researchers from a Shanghai hospital successfully produced embryonic human cells.
China to date has created at least 25 human embryonic stem cell lines (some estimate over 70 stem cell lines), four which are of a specialized type that at that time only two other groups worldwide had managed to create.
Harboured several human tissue types, created artificially, including blood vessel, tendon, bone, cartilage, skin, cornea and muscle fibre.
Furthermore, Chinese researchers are involved with a myriad of projects to help aid patients through regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy. Here are several projects underway within Chinese institutions:

ChinaSCINet, a consortium of 27 medical facilities, are starting phase 2 clinical trials to test the efficacy and safety of using cord blood stem cells and oral lithium to take care of about 40 patients with spinal cord injuries.
Clinical trials are underway on the use of stem cell therapies to treat patients of heart attacks, artery obstruction, and liver and neural diseases.
Studies are underway on the potential usage of stem cells to take care of heart, liver and blood diseases, eye cataracts, also to combat aging.
Success Stories from the Treatment of Vertebrae Injuries in China

Many individuals of all ages and with varying levels of injury have received stem cell treatment in China during the last few years. It is important to understand that not every patient will react and more, and that the age of the patient and the severity of the damage greatly affect the odds of recovery. However, there have been many success stories from both Chinese citizens and foreigners.

Before her treatment began in January 2006, Ms. Pai, 38, from Shenyang couldn't move her body underneath the injury site, and it was unable to control her going number 2. Within 8 months with the treatment she regained movement in both her legs, could bend her knees (although the toes of one foot were still paralyzed) and was even able to walk with crutches.

Razvan Iordache, a Romanian citizen aged 30, travelled to China for many bouts of stem cell treatment following any sort of accident while diving into a river that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Following his treatments, Razan reported in 2008 that does not only could he moved to his arms almost normally, and may feel pain in a number of of his fingers, he could "even feel warm and cold" sensations. He went on to add the following: "Now I will control my urine for Ten minutes and the sensation both for urine and stool is more preferable. Generally, my system is more powerful than ever before."

Donald Maricelli, a 54 yr old US citizen, suffered a spinal cord injury using a fall in 2002. He underwent an operation to correct his not enough sensation in his lower body, however there were complications and Donald was left in a worse state than before. Before arriving for treatment in China, he was still being unable to walk unaided. Following the treatment, which commenced in November 2007, Donald has made significant improvements. He regained sensation throughout nearly all of his abdomen, and the sensation in his legs also improved. Particularly important, the sensation on the bottom of his feet returned, helping him to walk without tripping. Most critical to Donald was which he regained control and strength in the left leg, allowing him to walk significant distances and are a symbol of prolonged periods of time.

There are numerous more success stories from patients who've received this pioneering treatment to help correct varying levels of spinal cord injury. However, it will always be important to remember that not all patients recover exactly the same functions in the same period of time. A lot of hard work goes into the post treatment rehabilitation, and it takes great drive, determination and ambition make it possible for the body to get back to more regular functionality. However, the job being done by scientists and clinics in China has shown time and again that stem cells hold a critical key to the future of helping people who have spinal cord injuries recover their lost functions. Each month, more and more people are travelling to various cities across the country that offer different packages of treatment based on precisely what injury has been inflicted. The level of service has improved greatly recently, and continues to improve every month, meaning that those unfortunate enough to get suffered spinal cord injuries need will no longer feel theirs is really a lost cause. There is a very real chance the standard of living of any patient can be improved with little pain, little hospital time, plus a little motivation. The existing evidence shows that stem cell therapy for spinal-cord injuries is the way forward.