The nonprofit group Nightlight Christian Adoptions contends that the government’s new guidelines will decrease the number of human embryos available for adoption. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth ruled that the plaintiffs are entitled to bring their lawsuit in the courts.

This news comes right on the heels of recent breakthroughs concerning studies that are using stem cells to reverse spinal cord damage and paralysis in mice. Research that could one day help cure paralysis and nerve damage.

The team had said that they because were unable to find a perfect bone marrow match for Shannon, an umbilical cord blood transplant would be used. Umbilical cord blood from an anonymous donor will be used; it’s an alternative to bone marrow for treating leukemia.

Dr. Joel Brochstein said in a statement Wednesday that there were no complications during the operation and Shannon was in good health.

Usually cord blood from public banks is used on children suffering from leukemia, and research until this recent study have shown conflicting results in adults. These findings support the use of cord-blood transplants for adults when a donor match cannot be found and when a transplant is needed urgently, the report said.

“Clinicians should not waste time if it is thought that a patient is in imminent danger of progression and should move toward cord-blood transplantation,” said Paul Szabolcs, a professor of pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center, in comment accompanying the research. This report “should bolster efforts to increase the inventory of public cord-blood banks,” he added.

This new recommendation published in the most recent Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine notes that delaying clamping the umbilical cord allows more umbilical cord blood and crucial stem cells to transfer from the mother to the baby.

With this transfer of blood University of South Florida notes that babies gain many benefits. Benefits include:Babies receive beneficial stem cells have many therapeutic properties vs. when you clamp the cord and shut off that flow of stem cells. Researchers note that “In pre-term infants, delaying clamping the cord for at least 30 seconds reduced incidences of intraventricular hemorrhage, late on-set sepsis, anemia, and decreased the need for blood transfusions.“ Receiving cord blood may also reduce a baby’s risk of other illnesses, including respiratory distress, chronic lung disease and eye disease. Delayed cord clamping also ensures that a baby receives important clotting factors.

Most advocates of waiting to clamp the cord suggest waiting for more than a minute, or until the cord completely stops pulsating to cut the cord thus allowing your baby the full benefits of umbilical blood.

Now scientists are hoping to discover a number of different applications for these new pig stem cells and the pigs they can produce. They are already working with scientists at Emory University to develop insulin-producing pancreatic islet cells, which might be transplanted into people with diabetes.

The Robertson Foundation grant was recently revealed in a press release and announcement by Duke University. The announcement stated that the money will help the research being conducted Dr. Joanna Kurtzberg.

The new Translational Cell Therapy Center at Duke University will be launched wit the assistance of this sizable donation. It will go towards the finding of, and the subsequent treatiment cancer and genetic disorders by umbilical cord cells.

However, it is often forgotten that a significant portion of these cosmetic surgeries are for reconstructive purposes; to improve the functionality of physical abnormalities and help restore them to a more normal appearance. Despite modern medicine, most of these reconstructive procedures are still rather primitive in nature. They still require invasive cutting and lengthy recoveries. For a one year old infant undergoing cleft chin plastic surgery, this can be especially detrimental. Fortunately, stem cell technology may some day revolutionize procedures such as these.

What are stem cells?
As you probably already know, stem cells are a type of cell which has the unique ability to develop into various types of tissue – muscle, skin, nerve, brain, etc. In other words, their cell type has not been pre-determined (as is the case with the other cells in your body). While it’s true there is ethical and moral controversy surrounding human embryonic stem cells, fortunately scientists have discovered other sources for obtaining them. For example, umbilical cord blood is extremely rich in stem cells; this can be harvested during birth without affecting the baby. There are also a variety of other stem cell sources which do not involve the use of human embryos.

How will stem cells be used in plastic surgery?
The possibilities are endless, but let’s take a look at a few of the ways researchers believe they will someday be incorporated in both cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery:

Reconstructive

Scar Revision Surgery: This procedure has remained largely unchanged over the past several decades. Basically, it involves a plastic surgeon cutting out scar tissue and suturing the skin back together, in hopes that it will be more aesthetically pleasing after healing. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of scar revision is extremely limited. By using stem cells, doctors may be able to actually re-grow skin which has been damaged. This will be especially helpful for burn victims.

Cleft Palate Surgery: A cleft palate is a congenital abnormality where the two plates that form the roof of the mouth are not fused together. This results in an open gap between the nasopharynx and the nose. In order to correct this abnormality, plastic surgeons must remove tissue from one or both sides of the mouth in order to rebuild the palate. Sometimes multiple surgeries are required. Scientists believe stem cells may offer an alternative; they will be used to grow the appropriate tissue to fill in the gap.

Cosmetic

Breast Implants: Instead of using plastic bags filled with saline or silicone, eventually it might be possible to actually grow new breast tissue through the use of stem cells. Breast augmentation is typically considered a cosmetic procedure, but that’s not always the case. We receive a high percentage of posters on our breast implant forum whom are inquiring about reconstructing their breasts following a mastectomy.

Jaw, Chin, and Cheek Implants: Today’s facial implants consist of hard silicone which is shaped to fit over the bone’s natural contours. Being that these implants are made out of a foreign substance, it’s not uncommon for the body to reject them. The other drawback is that jaw and cheek implants rarely look natural. In the future, cheek implants may be replaced with natural cheek augmentation using stem cells instead.

Rhinoplasty: This is largely considered to be the most complicated facial plastic surgery procedure. The internal structure of the nose consists of a wide array of parts, as well as different types of tissue. When a nasal valve is collapsed due to weak or damaged cartilage, currently the only option a plastic surgeon has is to use cartilage from elsewhere on the body. Unfortunately, nasal cartilage is very unique and vastly different than that which is found in the ears and ribs. In fact, it has a tendency to warp deform, sometimes years after it has been placed in the nose. However stem cells may make it possible for doctors to generate cartilage which is virtually identical to that which is found in the nose.

Author: Michael is a forum administrator at PlasticSurgerySpot.com; a consumer resource consisting of plastic surgery message boards, research articles, and physician interviews. In this article, he will discuss the future role of stem cells in plastic surgery.

“There’s nothing bigger than life – not when someone you love is fighting to live,” O’Neal said. “That’s why I’m letting people know they have the power to save a life by joining the Be The Match Registry.”

For thousands of people battling leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases, a bone marrow transplant offers their best hope for a cure. 70% of these patients don’t have a matching donor in their families, so they depend on the Be The Match Registry, the world’s largest and most diverse listing of potential marrow donors, to find that life-saving match.

“Shaq is an American icon who’s respected for his talents, on and off the court,” said Jeffrey W. Chell, M.D., chief executive officer of the National Marrow Donor Program, which operates the Be The Match Registry. “We’re honored that he is championing our mission and advocating for patients who are searching for a marrow match.”

In a murine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell line, D1, the mRNA expressions of core binding factors a1 osterix, osteocalcin, ALP increased after treatment. These results demonstrated that long-term treatment of EGCG increases the expressions of osteogenic genes, elevates ALP activity and eventually stimulates mineralization, in spite of its inhibitory effect on proliferation. This finding suggests that the stimulatory effects of EGCG on osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells may be one of the mechanisms that allow tea drinkers to possess higher BMD.

Implementing green tea into a diet can improve one’s health on a cellular level.

Animal studies indicate that infused stem cells help injured brain cells recover and replace brain cells that have died. While no controlled clinical trials have been conducted to date, previous studies have shown marked improvement in children with cerebral palsy about three months after an initial infusion of cord blood.

“Evidence up to this point has been purely anecdotal,” said Dr. James Carroll, a professor at the college’s school of medicine. “While a variety of cord blood stem cell therapies have been used successfully for more than 20 years, this study is breaking new ground in advancing therapies for brain injury, a condition for which there is currently no cure.”