tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62108952008-07-20T15:12:22.408-04:00Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comBlogger232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-56158168449258553472008-07-20T15:05:00.004-04:002008-07-20T15:12:22.471-04:00

A researcher at MIT?s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory has pinpointed stem cells within the spinal cord that, if persuaded to differentiate into more healing cells and fewer scarring cells following an injury, may lead to a new, non-surgical treatment for debilitating spinal-cord injuries. The work, reported in the July issue of the journal PLoS (Public Library of Science) Biology, is

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-89037462631308434712008-07-17T17:42:00.001-04:002008-07-17T17:46:28.827-04:00

Spinal cord injuries have long baffled doctors. Now the Allen Institute for Brain Science is doing for spinal research what they did for brain science - providing the first comprehensive road map of a mouse's spine. "It's a groundbreaking project that tells us where each gene in the genome is turned on in cells in the spinal cord," Dr. Allan Jones, Allen Institute's Chief Scientific Officer,

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-34204096272185471182008-05-05T19:04:00.003-04:002008-05-05T19:13:31.336-04:00

Cell transplantation, physical therapy show promise in restoring functionThere is no cure for a spinal cord injury, but much headway has been made in clinical research that could lead to one. Other therapies have helped to restore some function in spinal cord injured patients. A look at some efforts? The latest in cell transplantationCell-based therapies hold the potential for replacing cells and

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-55194965161108430492008-04-30T12:24:00.005-04:002008-04-30T12:30:52.459-04:00

Done within 24 hours, the procedure improved neurological outcomes a year later Surgical decompression of the spinal cord involves the removal of various tissue or bone fragments that are being squeezed and comprising the spinal cord. While commonly done after an injury occurs, the timing of the procedure varies widely. The study looked at 170 patients with cervical spinal cord injuries, graded

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-74953605736472547482008-04-18T10:50:00.002-04:002008-04-18T10:53:51.548-04:00

A discovery by researchers at University of Minnesota may provide new insights into how the spinal cord controls walking, and this may pave the way for developing treatments for diseases of the central nervous like Parkinson?s disease and spinal cord injuries. Led by Joshua Puhl, Ph.D., and Karen Mesce, Ph.D., in the Departments of Entomology and Neuroscience, the study has found a possibility

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-53293322691457432032008-04-08T20:48:00.002-04:002008-04-08T20:57:13.338-04:00

U.S. researchers say they have created a nano-engineered gel that can enable severed spinal cord fibers to regenerate and grow. Mice paralysed by spinal injuries have been able to walk again thanks to a treatment developed by scientists in the US. The therapy uses proteins that self-assemble into nano-fibers at the site of the injury, encouraging nerves to regrow. Spinal cord injuries often

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-38382795636876501502008-04-07T20:03:00.005-04:002008-04-18T10:57:34.107-04:00

Experimental Russian stem cell treatments for spinal injury credited for woman's progress Notice: The following excerpts are taken from the Grand Rapids Press. A link the the entire article is listed below, and is well worth the time to read. When Kadi DeHaan took her first steps in December, two years after a car accident forced her into a wheelchair, she did it in typical Kadi style: low-key,

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-15350134309811711162008-02-17T09:39:00.001-05:002008-02-17T09:46:08.512-05:00

Scientists believe they are close to a significant breakthrough in the treatment of spinal injuries.The University of Cambridge team is developing a treatment which could potentially allow damaged nerve fibers to regenerate within the spinal cord. It may also encourage the remaining undamaged nerve fibers to work more effectively. Spinal injuries are difficult to treat because the body cannot

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-20872250788814281092008-02-07T18:07:00.000-05:002008-02-07T18:12:40.608-05:00

A breakthrough in spinal surgery yesterday offered hope to victims of paralysis.The technique, which has been tested on rats, involves bypassing damaged tissue in the spine. This allows signals to travel across injured areas, New Scientist reports. Dr John Martin and his colleagues at Columbia University in New York have so far tested the procedure only on rodents. They selected a motor nerve

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-55790048882898020112008-02-01T08:35:00.000-05:002008-02-01T08:35:08.347-05:00

A Monash University PhD student has developed a new technique that could revolutionize stem cell treatment for Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury. David Nisbet from Monash University's Department of Materials Engineering has used existing polymer-based biodegradable fibres, 100 times smaller than a human hair, and re-engineered them to create a unique 3-D scaffold that could potentially

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-87916797420734945872008-01-30T09:20:00.000-05:002008-01-30T09:20:29.005-05:00

Researchers are looking for the next big thing in medicine, and they're getting close. One group hopes to drastically change the outcome for people with spinal cord injuries. Another?s discovery will heal wounds better and faster. Cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins have been studied to help everything from multiple sclerosis to Alzheimer's. And soon, they could help people with

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-44913577904815762832008-01-10T12:09:00.000-05:002008-01-10T12:09:47.866-05:00

They're paralyzed from diving accidents and car crashes, disabled by Parkinson's, or blind. With few options available at home in America, they search the Internet for experimental treatments ? and often land on Web sites promoting stem cell treatments in China. They mortgage their houses and their hometowns hold fundraisers as they scrape together the tens of thousands of dollars needed for

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-77453144730652358582008-01-10T11:47:00.000-05:002008-01-10T11:47:47.860-05:00

The human central nervous system can reorganize itself and follow new pathways to restore cellular communication after spinal cord damage, a U.S. study found. Lead author Dr. Michael Sofroniew of the David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, said that until now, doctors believed the only way for injured patients to walk again was to regrow the long nerve highways

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-41515653083056761002008-01-08T22:33:00.001-05:002008-01-08T22:37:31.474-05:00

Scientists conducting research have been able to gain fresh insights into how partial mobility is possible despite spinal injuries. The research, conducted on mice with spinal injuries could provide a totally different approach to restoring mobility, even if it is partial, in patients who have suffered similar injuries. Scientists conducting research have been able to gain fresh insights into

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-39090845733310677732008-01-05T11:54:00.000-05:002008-01-05T14:11:58.562-05:00

Medtronic, a leader in medical technology, has offered to donate $5 for every person who signs up as a member of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) before January 15th! Best of all, individual membership in the NSCIA is FREE! The NSCIA has helped to improve the quality of life for people with spinal cord injuries and diseases since 1948. NSCIA advocates for best practices and

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-55513623457652325572007-11-28T21:48:00.000-05:002007-11-28T21:53:21.339-05:00

University of Montreal researchers have identified a gene that allows limb regeneration in the axolotl, a salamander that lives in Mexican lakes. The gene, called TGF-beta 1, controls the generation and movement of new cells, and allows the axolotl to regrow complex structures like limbs, tail, jaw, spinal cord and even parts of its brain. Humans also have this gene. The difference is that in

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-2145726369634553532007-11-16T10:33:00.000-05:002007-11-16T10:33:37.877-05:00

Researchers at Montreal Neurological Institute say they have identified a protein that could be manipulated to make spinal cord injuries repair themselves. Montreal researchers have identified what may be a pivotal first step toward regenerating injured spinal cords using the body's own stem cells. The repair mechanism that works well in a developing or embryonic nervous system seems to work in

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-13038017254484166952007-11-07T13:54:00.000-05:002007-11-16T10:39:11.460-05:00

New experimental therapies are being -- or soon may be -- tested in clinical trials that could open the doors to a "golden era" for research to improve the treatments of people with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, stroke, and other severe movement disorders, scientists say. "The studies highlighted here reflect decades of basic science research that have led to some measure of

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-82431707741479838232007-10-04T09:44:00.000-04:002007-10-04T09:44:12.184-04:00

The radio program and webcast, "Patient Power with Andrew Schorr" will feature two medical experts in the field of spinal rehabilitation, and will discuss "Advances in the Treatment of Spinal Injuries". It will air live on Sunday, October 7th at 10 a.m. Central time at www.kvi.com and on Seattle radio KVI AM 570. Listeners may e-mail questions ahead of time or call in to the live show. Replays

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-26900717964633724772007-09-21T11:59:00.000-04:002007-09-21T12:02:10.783-04:00

According to the Spinal Cord Injury Information Network, there are about 11,000 new spinal cord injuries each year. Car accidents have been responsible for nearly 50 percent of spinal cord injuries since 2000, and falls have been the second most common cause of spinal cord injuries. Currently, about 253,000 Americans are living with a spinal cord injury. Dr. Michael Fehlings from Toronto Western

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-62017852041921152092007-09-09T21:09:00.000-04:002007-09-09T21:09:02.286-04:00

About 300,000 Americans are in wheelchairs due to spinal cord injuries. Many patients will recover at least some function in their fingers, toes, hands and limbs after injury, but new research shows there may be a way for them to recover even more. Michael Fehlings, M.D., Ph.D., neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital in Canada, says the initial impact doesn?t cause all the damage in spinal

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-16754815836500077232007-09-07T13:44:00.000-04:002007-09-21T12:04:11.246-04:00

Toronto research shows injured subjects walking better after injectionsA Toronto-led team of researchers has found a way to use stem cells derived from skin to treat spinal cord injuries in rats.The finding lends promise to the idea that stem cells could one day be used to heal spinal cord injuries in humans, helping thousands to walk again.Injured rats injected with skin-derived stem cells

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-16402130073147376612007-09-06T12:13:00.000-04:002007-09-06T12:17:30.476-04:00

A 6-year-old Palestinian girl may be about to experience at first hand the gulf between care of spinal injuries in the rich world and developing countries. An Israeli missile strike on a militant leader in the Gaza Strip in May last year killed most of Maria Amin's family and wrecked her spinal cord so high up that she lost not only the use of all limbs, but also the ability to breathe for

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-42992385958766171922007-09-06T12:04:00.000-04:002007-09-06T12:11:47.072-04:00

A team at University College London (UCL) is developing a spinal canal implant that could improve the quality of life and life expectancy for people with serious spinal cord injury. Previous research has restored function to this patient group by stimulating muscles through the skin using surface electrodes or implanting electrodes in the muscles or between the spinal cord and the muscles. UCL

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6210895.post-5867076916702677152007-08-24T14:45:00.000-04:002007-08-24T14:51:17.942-04:00

'Some get miracles'; others are skeptical The website for Beike Biotechnology bursts with stories that can only be categorized as medical miracles: a paraplegic can move his legs again; a man with muscular dystrophy can carry a cup of water, a stroke victim can speak. These tales of ailments treated come from all over the world - England, Hungary, Russia, Canada - and back the healing claims of

Matthewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10957286013854476531noreply@blogger.com