This new technique, using cord blood stem cells, is being performed in Colombia as part of reconstructive surgery when the child is a few months old. It’s already showing good results in growing new bone, potentially avoiding the need for later bone graft surgery.

A case report, written by  Dr Alejandro Garcia Botero, MD, of Hospital De San José, Bogota, Colombia outlined how cord blood stem cells were used as part of reconstructive surgery for an infant born with a cleft lip and palate.

A ultrasound before her birth showed she had alveolar cleft, involving an area of bone where teeth are located.

Right after her delivery, her cord blood stem cells were collected and stored for her future use. Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of various types of stem cells, which have the potential to develop into many different types of specialized cells, including bone and cartilage.

For the first few months, the infant underwent a nonsurgical “nasoalveolar shaping” procedure to align the soft tissues of the upper jaw.  Then at 5 months old, her cord blood stem cells were used in the “boneless bone grafting” surgery (gingivoperiostioplasty).

They were placed in a pocket of soft tissue bridging the gap in the upper jaw. A small piece of absorbable biomaterial was used a scaffold to guide growth of new bone across the cleft palate. This procedure was performed at the same time as surgery to correct the cleft lip (cheiloplasty).

Dr Botero reports that ongoing follow-up of the patient confirmed that new bone has been formed to close the cleft palate, providing good position and support for normal eruption of the teeth. Imaging scans taken when the little girl was five years old showed good thickness of the upper jaw bone in the area where the cleft had been.

The study is the first to use stem cells as part of primary surgery to repair cleft palate in an infant. Dr. Botero and colleagues note that their patient will need further monitoring to ensure adequate bone thickness in the upper jaw. The researchers emphasize the need for further studies evaluating their stem cell technique in a large number of patients – including steps to confirm that bone formation results from the stem cells, and not from the initial “boneless bone graft” surgery.

But a major potential advantage of the stem cell procedure is that it would avoid the  need for later bone grafting surgery – currently the standard technique for closing the cleft. This procedure uses bone taken from elsewhere in the child’s body, typically the hip. Bone grafting has potential complications and subjects the child to one or more additional surgeries.

Stem cell medicine will transform and save lives – said the Aussie Minister of Health – announcing a $150 million infusion into the sector last month.

That’s according to Australian Federal Minister of Health, Greg Hunt who recently announced a government infusion of $150 million into the sector.

Hunt believes stem cells medicine will  transform and save the lives of people with incurable diseases and reduce the burden of disease on patients and carers.

The money will be used to establish the Australian Stem Cell Therapies Mission – a first step in a coordinated effort to stimulate regenerative medicine research and industry in Australia.

“They will enhance equity in healthcare by addressing unmet clinical needs.’

The Australian Stem Cell Therapies Mission will be co-chaired by Stem Cells Australia program leader, Professor Melissa Little, and inventor of the Nanopatch, Professor Mark Kendall.

Professor Little told the Herald Sun there is a ‘real chance’ of developing new treatments for chronic disease within a few years.

As a toddler, Samantha was found face-down in a swimming pool, and she nearly died. Carrie and her husband, Steven, knew Samantha had brain damage, and that meant a lifetime of limitations. Now she’s 5 and is taking part in a study that could change her future. 

To find out more, watch the video: Cord blood transfusion at Duke could help girl after near-drowning

Everyone expects sleepless nights with the arrival of a new baby. Now new research says parental yawns might go on for 6 years.

Researchers tracking the sleep of thousands of men and women as their family size increased have found that shuteye hits a low about three months after birth – with the effect strongest in women.

However, while parents gradually saw an improvement in their sleep as their firstborn grew, it seems their night-time rest was never quite the same again.

“We didn’t expect to find that, but we believe that there are certainly many changes in the responsibilities you have,” said Dr Sakari Lemola, co-author of the research from the University of Warwick. He added that while children may stop crying during the night as they age, they may wake up, be sick or have nightmares, while the stress and worries that go with parenthood can also affect parents’ sleep.

Published in the journal Sleep, the study looked at data collected from adults in Germany who were surveyed in face-to-face interviews carried out once a year between 2008-15. Participants were asked to rate their sleep quality on a scale from 0 to 10, and were quizzed on how many hours of sleep they got on a normal weekday and on a normal weekend day.

The researchers focused on responses from more than 2,500 women and almost 2,200 men who reported the birth of their first, second or third child during the study, with participants followed for up to six years.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the team found women reported a decline in sleep satisfaction in the first year after the birth of a child, dropping 1.7 points on the scale on average for the first child, and just over one point for both the second and third child compared with before their first pregnancy.

The mothers also lost about 40 minutes of sleep a night in the year after a baby arrived compared with pre-pregnancy levels regardless of whether it was their first or a subsequent child.

Deeper analysis of data showed the first three months after the birth of a first child were particularly gruelling: women lost just over an hour of sleep compared with before they became pregnant.

While similar trends were seen for fathers, the effects were less pronounced. Even at three months after their first child’s birth, fathers only lost 13 minutes of sleep.

Strikingly, the team found the impact of the first child lingered for both parents. Even once the impact of subsequent children was taken into account, women were still relatively sleep deprived, both in terms of quality and quantity, four to six years after their first child’s birth. Overall sleep satisfaction was rated just over one point lower on average, while sleep duration was about 25 minutes less.

By contrast, after the birth of a second child mothers’ sleep recovered to levels of before that pregnancy, and almost bounced back for the third child – findings Lemola put down to sleep duration and quality being worse to start with due to the impact of the first child. “Your baseline is lower,” he said.

The study has some limitations – not least that it was based on data collected once per year, involved self-reporting and some participants had dropped out.

Cathy Finlay, an antenatal teacher with the National Childbirth Trust, said there were ways for parents to mitigate the impact of disturbed sleep.

“Sleep deprivation can be physically and emotionally draining. Try not to worry about non-essential jobs around the house and accept help from family and friends when it’s offered,” she said, adding that coordinating your own naps with those of the children could help, as could one parent doing evening caring while the other rested ahead of the “night shift”.

But, she added, parents should take heart. “The sleep disruption can be difficult and exhausting, but bear in mind it won’t last for ever.”

A study by a local husband and wife team is showing promising results for the use of umbilical cord blood to treat children with hearing loss.

In their clinical trial, Linda Baumgartner, a listening and spoken language specialist at Clarke School for Hearing and Speech, and her husband, Dr. James Baumgartner, surgical director of Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at Florida Hospital for Children, showed that the use of umbilical cord blood is safe and feasible in children who have sensorineural hearing loss.

Sensorineural hearing loss is caused when hair cells in the inner ear or the nerve from the inner ear to the brain are damaged.

This type of hearing loss affects 2 in 1,000 newborns, 5 in 1,000 children between ages 3 and 17, and more than one-third of adults between 65 and 74 years old, according to the study authors.

Why the study matters

Existing treatments for hearing loss include hearing aids and cochlear implants. Although the devices improve the symptoms of hearing loss, they don’t repair sensory hair cells in the inner ear, which is the underlying cause of hearing loss.

“Cochlear implants and hearing aids are augmenting the function of cochlea or bypassing it, but this is the natural repair,” said Linda Baumgartner.

Hair cells are necessary for hearing by transforming sound waves into electrical impulses that reach the brain. When they’re lost or damaged, auditory input to the brain is reduced.

Local researchers believe their research could open new doors to finding a pathway to repair the damaged hair cells. Their study was published in the Journal of Audiology & Otology.

Umbilical cord blood

Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of stem cells. Unlike embryonic and fetal stem cells, which are surrounded by ethical and scientific issues, umbilical cord blood is readily available and is a cheap source of stem cells that can form many other cell types. (Here’s a good explainer).

Researchers believe the cord blood cells regenerated cochlear hair cells through several pathways.

Several animal studies have suggested that umbilical cord blood transplantation helped repair the structures within the inner ear.

“It’s an area of active research because it’s a big problem,” said Dr. James Baumgartner. “People have tried to engineer viruses to deliver gene therapy or they’ve tried to engineer hair cells. We’re the only ones doing it so simply.”

Methodology

The Baumgartners and their team conducted a phase 1 study, to find out whether human umbilical cord blood is a safe treatment for moderate to severe hearing loss in children.

In phase 1 human clinical trials, researchers have to show that a treatment is safe before they can start looking into its effectiveness.

The local team sent emails to families who had children with hearing loss and had banked their children’s umbilical cord blood with Cord Blood Registry at birth.

They enrolled in the study 11 children — seven girls and four boys — between 6 months to 6 years old with moderate to severe hearing loss.

Enrollment began in November 2013 and follow-up evaluations were completed in February 2017.

The cord blood was injected into patients’ arms under the supervision of a hematologist experienced in bone marrow transplantation.

Children had follow-ups at one, six and 12 months after the injection. They had physical and neurological exams and had their hearing and speech-language capabilities tested.

Audiologic data was reviewed by a senior audiologist. And a speech pathologist tested the kids’ language skills.

Results

Researchers recorded no adverse events from the cord blood injection.

They also learned that about half of the patients showed improvements in their auditory brainstem response as early as the one-month follow-up testing, researchers reported. One child had a worsening of language score.

“Also, kids who got higher amounts of cord blood did better than those who got lower amounts, so there’s a suggestion of correlation with dose,” said James Baumgartner. “We think that for treatment to take effect, you have to have enough cord blood for the body to react.”

Researchers said it is possible that some of the cord blood cells may have actually reached to the cochlea and induced repair. It’s also possible that the repair was induced through another pathway involving the immune system.

“We think by altering the immune system, there’s an ability that allows cochlea to repair itself. It’s possible,” said James Baumgartner.

Researchers measured hearing, language abilities and performed MRI before and after the treatment.

They said the preliminary data, although from a small study, warrants the implementation of larger controlled phase 2 and 3 trials of children with sensorineural hearing loss.

“We’re the first people to try this,” said Linda Baumgartner. “But there’s a lot of work yet to be done.”

The study was supported by a grant from Cord Blood Registry and support from Wayne Densch Charities. Authors reported no financial conflicts of interest.

Being a modern dad isn’t easy, as it turns out the job requires a wide array of different skills, according to a new survey.

The research, commissioned by Braun ahead of Father’s Day, found that modern dads must know a multitude of information and topics – including how to navigate social media and the lyrics of hit songs.

But having an Instagram is far from the only knowledge required of a modern dad.

According to the researchers, dads should also be adept at “traditional” dad talents such as fixing bikes and updating computers.

Additionally, “must-have” skills include taking turns on the “night feed” with the baby, doing the school run, and knowing how to braid hair.

Also featured high on the list of dad-skills to know? Being able to cook dinner, knowing how to build flatpack furniture, and providing a platform for a good education.

The importance of knowing how to successfully navigate “the chat” is also a crucial trait for a dad to master – as is the ability to set up a new game console.

Zbyszek Kalenik of Braun said of the results: “Fatherhood today demands that dads get to grips with all manner of tasks and challenges, including those that were once the preserve of mum.”

And a quarter of dads agree that the requirements of fathers today are much tougher than they were in the past.

Of the 1,200 fathers that participated in the study, eight in 10 agreed that “modern dads” have to know significantly more skills compared to their own dads, with technological-based knowledge accounting for a large portion.

For two-thirds of dads, it was the cost of living, toys, and hobbies that added pressure – while more than half believed society’s demands on fathers to be present and actively involved in their children’s upbringing has increased.

But the new pressures have proven to be beneficial – 57 per cent agreed that they spend more time with their children compared to their own fathers.

However, only one-fifth of dads believed themselves to be in the “cool” dad category.

Clinical and laboratory results document psoriatic arthritis in a 56-year old patient. The symptoms did not resolve with standard treatments (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids and methotrexate). TNF-alpha inhibitors (certolizumab pegol and adalimumab) were added to the treatment regime, with some adverse effects. A trial of human umbilical cord stem cell therapy was then initiated. The stem cells were enriched and concentrated from whole cord blood, by removal of erythrocytes and centrifugation.

The patient received several infusions of cord blood stem cells, through intravenous and intra-articular injections. These stem cell treatments correlated with remission of symptoms (joint pain and psoriatic plaques) and normalized serologic results for the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate.

These improvements were noted within the first thirty days post-treatment, and were sustained for more than one year.

The results of this trial suggest that cord blood stem cells may have important therapeutic value for patients with psoriatic arthritis, particularly for those who cannot tolerate standard treatments.

The original article can be viewed here.

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells which have the ability to self-renew and differentiate into mature cells. They are highly proliferative, implying that an unlimited number of mature cells can be generated from a given stem cell source.

On this basis, stem cell replacement therapy has been evaluated in recent years as an alternative for various pathologies. Degenerative retinal diseases cause progressive visual decline which originates from continuing loss of photoreceptor cells and outer nuclear layers. Theoretically, this therapy will enable the generation of new retinal cells from stem cells to replace the damaged cells in the diseased retina. In addition, stem cells are able to perform multiple functions, such as immunoregulation, anti-apoptosis of neurons, and neurotrophin secretion.

With recent progress in experimental stem cell applications, phase I/II clinical trials have been approved. These latest stem cell transplantation studies showed that this therapy is a promising approach to restore visual function in eyes with degenerative retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardts’ macular dystrophy, and age-related macular degeneration. This review focuses on new developments in stem cell therapy for degenerative retinal diseases.

Read the original article here.

To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (UCMSC) transplantation for treating multiple sclerosis (MS), the patients with MS were recruited and treated with UCMSC.

The procedure of preparing UCMSC was in accordance with the standards formulated by the International Society for Cell Biology. Cell surface markers, multiple differentiation potential and safety of UCMSC for transplantation were detected.

The number of cells in each infusion was 1 to 2×10⁶ cells/kg. Patients were recruited in accordance with the standards of the International Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transplantation Study Group. After treatment, the clinical therapeutic effects including symptoms, vital signs, clinical attacks, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), neurological function scores and adverse reactions such as fever, dizziness, and vascular irritation were monitored and evaluated. In addition, the regulatory effects of UCMSC on immune system of patients were also assessed.

The results showed that the patients’ symptoms were improved after UCMSC transplantation. No clinical attacks occurred during transplantation. MRI revealed a reduced number of foci and Expanded Disability Status Scale scores were decreased. Some of patients had adverse reactions after transplantation. These adverse effects were not serious and lasted short duration, thus no intervention was conducted and let it be eliminated by itself. The mRNA expression of CD86, IL-2, CTLA-4, and HLADRB1 in peripheral blood was significantly decreased after UCMSC transplantation (P < 0.05).

Based on our present studies, UCMSCs would be considered as a safe and alternative option for treatment of MS.

Continue reading the original article here.