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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 vertebrae. Although the hard bones of the spinal column protect the soft tissues from the spinal cord, vertebrae can nevertheless be broken or dislocated in a number of ways and cause traumatic trouble for the spinal cord. Spinal cord injuries vary within their severity, but almost inevitably lead to various forms of compromised functionality because the spinal cord is in effect the main pathway for information traveling around the human body. Precisely what body functions are impaired from the injury will depend on the location of the spine that's been damaged and the extent that the spine may be affected. Although serious impacts for example falls and motor vehicle accidents account for many spinal-cord injuries, tumors growing near the column can also damage sensitive nerve tissue and also have the same effects.

Knee Stem Cell Treatment - For years scientists have been working to try and find a way to remedy the different ailments that spinal cord injuries can bring, but 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 is the use of stem cells.

What exactly are Stem Cells and Stem Cell Treatments?

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

This principle is currently being applied to the management of spinal cord injuries using stem cells, plus instances where the patient hasn't experienced a complete spinal-cord injury, i.e. a complete severing of the spinal-cord leading to a loss of function beneath the 'neurological' level. There has been great success in helping patients recover greater sensory and physiological ability.

Spinal Cord Injury: How Stem Cell Treatment Works

When there is trauma to the spinal cord, myelopathy (damage to the fibres that carry messages back and forth from the brain) has occurred. These 'myelinated fibre tracts' will be the focus of stem cell treatment, and so are the nerve cells how the treatment helps to regenerate. The task usually follows three phases and usually requires no longer than a period of around five weeks in medical treatment for monitoring:

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

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

1) Lumbar puncture - an operation used where stem cells can be injected directly into the spine.

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

3) Tissue injection - direct injection into target tissues.

Phase three requires the monitoring of the patient to make sure there are no adverse unwanted effects. The only side effects reported to date were caused by the lumbar puncture, and not the stem cell treatment itself, with simply 15% of patients reporting mild headaches. In the period under medical supervision, patients undergo various physiotherapy activities along with other treatments as necessary.

Stem Cell Research and Treatment in China

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

The government has additionally aggressively recruited high-caliber scientists trained abroad in pursuit of its ambition to become a world leader inside the field. Indeed, the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health commented that, "the government's policy of attracting highly educated Chinese nationals returning to China has contributed significantly towards the country's success in the field." The authors were "amazed that the majority the top Chinese researchers within the regenerative medicine field have been educated in the US and the UK and gained extensive working experience there in innovative research."

Although in the past treatment in China could have been considered risky as a result of lax health and safety laws, recent times have seen an increase in legislation protecting the sufferer, and improving the functionality of clinics. Since 2009, evidence of safety and efficacy through numerous studies is required by China's Secretary of state for Health for all stem cell and gene therapies, ensuring that Chinese clinics meet international standards inside their qualifications and methodology. As of January 2010, about 1,500 patients had received this treatment for spinal cord injury at one Beijing clinic alone, including roughly 1,000 foreigners.

In addition to this, China has long held a place at the forefront of stem cell research to treat all manner of conditions. A few of China's notable contributions to stem cell research are:

By transferring the nucleus of the human skin cell in to the immature ovum cell of a rabbit, researchers from a Shanghai hospital successfully produced embryonic human cells.
China up to now has created at least 25 human embryonic stem cell lines (some estimate over 70 stem cell lines), four of 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 presently involved with a myriad of projects to aid aid patients through regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy. Here are several projects underway within Chinese institutions:

ChinaSCINet, a consortium of 27 medical facilities, start phase 2 clinical trials to test the efficacy and safety of employing cord blood stem cells and oral lithium to treat about 40 patients with spinal-cord injuries.
Clinical trials are underway on the use of stem cell therapies to take care of patients of heart attacks, artery obstruction, and liver and neural diseases.
Research is underway on the potential usage of stem cells to take care of heart, liver and blood diseases, eye cataracts, and to combat aging.
Successes from the Treatment of Spinal Cord Injuries in China

Lots of people of all ages and with varying examples of injury have received stem cell treatment in China throughout the last few years. It is important to keep in mind that not every patient will react and more, and that the age of the individual and the severity of the injury greatly affect the likelihood of recovery. However, there were 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 beneath the injury site, and was unable to control her bowel movements. Within 8 months from the treatment she regained movement in the her legs, could bend her knees (even though toes of one foot remained as paralyzed) and was even in a position to walk with crutches.

Razvan Iordache, a Romanian citizen aged 30, travelled to China for several bouts of stem cell treatment following a major accident while diving into a river that left him paralyzed from your neck down. Following his treatments, Razan reported in 2008 that doesn't only could he moved to his arms almost normally, and might feel pain in a number of of his fingers, he could "even feel warm and cold" sensations. He proceeded to add the following: "Now I can control my urine for 10 minutes and the sensation for both urine and stool is way better. Generally, my physique is more powerful than ever before."

Donald Maricelli, a 54 years old US citizen, suffered a spinal cord injury using a fall in 2002. He underwent a surgical procedure to correct his insufficient sensation in his lower body, however there have been complications and Donald stayed in a worse state than before. Before arriving for treatment in China, he was still unable to walk unaided. Following a treatment, which commenced in November 2007, Donald makes significant improvements. He regained sensation throughout most of his abdomen, and the sensation in his legs also improved. Particularly significant, the sensation on the bottom of his feet went back, helping him simply to walk without tripping. Most important to Donald was that he regained control and strength in his left leg, allowing him just to walk significant distances and stand for prolonged periods of time.

There are lots of more success stories from patients who have received this pioneering treatment to assist correct varying levels of spinal cord injury. However, it will always be important to remember that not all patients recover the identical functions in the same time period. A lot of hard work goes into the post treatment rehabilitation, and it takes great drive, determination and ambition to allow the body to get back to more regular functionality. However, the work being done by scientists and clinics in China has shown time and again that stem cells hold an essential key to the future of helping individuals with spinal cord injuries recover their lost functions. On a monthly basis, more and more people are travelling to various cities around the country that offer different packages of treatment depending on precisely what injury has been inflicted. The level of service has improved greatly recently, and continues to improve monthly, meaning that those unfortunate enough to get suffered spinal cord injuries need no more feel theirs is really a lost cause. There exists a very real chance how the standard of living of any patient can be improved with little pain, little hospital time, and a little motivation. The present evidence shows that stem cell therapy for vertebrae injuries is the solution.