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NMI Table of Contents Page – Nanomedicine

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

Robert A. Freitas Jr., Nanomedicine, Volume I: Basic Capabilities, Landes Bioscience, Georgetown, TX, 1999; http://www.nanomedicine.com/NMI.htm

Nanomedicine, Vol. I: Basic Capabilities (Landes Bioscience, 1999). The first volume of the Nanomedicine book series describes the set of basic capabilities of molecular machine systems that may be required by many, if not most, medical nanorobotic devices, including the physical, chemical, thermodynamic, mechanical, and biological limits of such devices. Specific topics include the abilities to recognize, sort and transport important molecules; sense the environment; alter shape or surface texture; generate onboard energy to power effective robotic functions; communicate with doctors, patients, and other nanorobots; navigate throughout the human body; manipulate microscopic objects and move about inside a human body; and timekeep, perform computations, disable living cells and viruses, and operate at various pressures and temperatures.

Japanese language version of Nanomedicine, Vol. I, published in 2007 by Yakuji Nippo, Ltd:

1999 Robert A. Freitas Jr. All Rights Reserved.

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NMI Table of Contents Page - Nanomedicine

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New York College of Health Professions

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

New York College of Health Professions has been a pioneer in Holistic Health and Wellness for 30 years. It is the only private non-profit institutionally accredited college of its kind in the New York metropolitan area. The College mission is to provide education and community service in these areas.

The campus is conveniently located in Syosset, Long Island, with 3 additional locations in New York City in Manhattan on the upper west side at the world famous Riverside Church (120th Street near Columbia University and Barnard College), downtown on Houston Street in the University Settlement in the Soho/Chinatown neighborhood and in a new midtown site at the NY Open Center on East 30th Street. New York College also owns a facility in China where students and friends can visit.

The College has one of the finest and largest Holistic Health Clinics which provides affordable treatments to the public in Massage Therapy, Acupuncture, Reflexology and Herbal Medicine.

New York College is the only private non-profit institutionally accredited college of its kind in the tri-state area. It has institutional accreditation by the New York State Board of Regents and the Commissioner of Education*, a nationally recognized accrediting agency, and accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine** (ACAOM) for its Masters programs. *located at 89 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY 12234 (518) 474-3852. **ACAOM: 14502 Greenview Dr., ste 300B, Laurel, MD 20708 (301) 313-0855

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Lasik eye surgery – Centre For Sight

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

LASIK is a surgical procedure for correcting near sightedness(myopia), far sightedness(hyperopia) and cylindrical(astigmatic) refractive errors. LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis.

Have you been thinking of laser vision correction? Shed your doubts, concerns, specs and contact lenses, because blade free LASIK has arrived. With this technology, laser vision correction procedure has become 100 percent blade-free and completely safe.

In any LASIK procedure the first step is to create a corneal flap. In standard LASIK the surgeon uses a hand-held oscillating blade called microkeratome to cut the corneal flap. The flap is then folded and the Excimer laser treats the cornea to correct the refractive error.

In blade free LASIK, femtosecond laser has replaced the steel blade for creation of the corneal flap which improves visual outcome and post-operative comfort for the patient.

When you opt for advanced blade free LASIK procedure you get a completely integrated, personalized vision correction procedure based on cutting edge technology at every step. NASA recommends blade free LASIK to aspiring astronauts to get rid of their specs, as it can withstand high gravitational forces and has been found to be stable and secure even in extreme environmental conditions.

Advantages

For people with nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) or astigmatism, LASIK surgery could be the key to a life free of bulky spectacles or contact lenses. But not everybody is a suitable candidate for this type of laser eye surgery. Here are the few main questions a LASIK surgeon is likely to ask you during a consultation.

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Current overview on dental stem cells applications in …

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2015 Jan-Jun; 6(1): 2934.

Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Institute of Dental Sciences, Sehora, Jammu and Kashmir, India

1Department of Physiology, Government Medical College, Patiala, Punjab, India

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Teeth are the most natural, noninvasive source of stem cells. Dental stem cells, which are easy, convenient, and affordable to collect, hold promise for a range of very potential therapeutic applications. We have reviewed the ever-growing literature on dental stem cells archived in Medline using the following key words: Regenerative dentistry, dental stem cells, dental stem cells banking, and stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth. Relevant articles covering topics related to dental stem cells were shortlisted and the facts are compiled. The objective of this review article is to discuss the history of stem cells, different stem cells relevant for dentistry, their isolation approaches, collection, and preservation of dental stem cells along with the current status of dental and medical applications.

Keywords: Cell culture techniques, stem cells, stem cell research, tissue banks, tissue engineering

Regenerative capacity of the dental pulp is well-known and has been recently attributed to function of dental stem cells. Dental stem cells offer a very promising therapeutic approach to restore structural defects and this concept is extensively explored by several researchers, which is evident by the rapidly growing literature in this field. For this review article a literature research covering topics related to dental stem cells was made and the facts are compiled.

A web-based research on Medline (www.pubmed.gov) was done. To limit our research to relevant articles, the search was filtered using terms review, published in the last 10 years and dental journals. Various keywords used for research were regenerative dentistry (128 articles found), dental stem cells (111 articles found), dental stem cells banking (2 articles found), stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) (11 articles found). For each heading in the review, relevant articles were chosen and arranged in chronological order of publication date so as to follow the development of the research topic. This review screened about 250 articles to get the required knowledge update. Relevant data were then compiled with aim of providing basic information as well as latest updates on dental stem cells.

Stem cells also known as progenitor or precursor cells are defined as clonogenic cells capable of both self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation.[1] In 1868, the term stem cell for the first time appeared in the works of German biologist Haeckel.[2] Wilson coined the term stem cell.[3] In 1908, Russian histologist, Alexander Maksimov, postulated existence of hematopoietic stem cells at congress of hematologic society in Berlin.[4] There term stem cell was proposed for scientific use.

Stem cells have manifold applications and have contributed to the establishment of regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine is the process of replacing or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs for therapeutic applications.[5] The concept of regeneration in the medical field although not new has significantly advanced post the discovery of stem cells and in recent times have found its application in dentistry following identification of dental stem cells. Although, the concept of tooth regeneration was initially not accepted the ground-breaking work by stomatologist G. L. Feldman (1932) showed evidence of regeneration of dental pulp under certain optimal biological conditions. This work introduced the biological-aseptic principle of tooth therapy to achieve pulp regeneration using dentine fillings as building material for stimulating pulp regeneration.[6] Nevertheless subsequent researchers further improved this work.[6] Major breakthrough in dental history was achieved in year 2000 when Gronthos et al. identified and isolated odontogenic progenitor population in adult dental pulp.[7] These cells were referred to as dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). Since this discovery several researchers have reported varieties of dental stem cells, which are described below:

Human dental stem cells that have been isolated and characterized are:

Stem cells from various sources and their features studied by various researchers are presented in .[7,8,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18]

Stem cells and their features studied by various researchers (at full page width)

DPSCs are mesenchymal type of stem cells inside dental pulp.[19] DPSCs have osteogenic and chondrogenic potential in vitro and can differentiate into dentin, in vivo and also differentiate into dentin-pulp-like complex.[7] Recently, immature dental pulp stem cells[20] were identified which are a pluripotent sub-population of DPSC generated using dental pulp organ culture.

DPSCs are putative candidate for dental tissue engineering due to:[21]

Easy surgical access to the collection site and very low morbidity after extraction of the dental pulp.

DPSCs can generate much more typical dentin tissues within a short period than nondental stem cells.

Can be safely cryopreserved and recombined with many scaffolds.

Possess immuno-privilege and anti-inflammatory abilities favorable for the allotransplantation experiments.

Four commonly used stem cell identification techniques[22] are:

Fluorescent antibody cell sorting: Stem cells can be identified and isolated from mixed cell populations by staining the cells with specific antibody markers and using a flow cytometer.

Immunomagnetic bead selection.

Immunohistochemical staining.

Physiological and histological criteria, including phenotype, proliferation, chemotaxis, mineralizing activity and differentiation.

Various conventional methods to isolate stem cells from dental pulp are listed below:

Enzymatic digestion of whole dental pulp tissue in solution of 3% collagenase Type I for 1 h at 37C is done. Through process of filtering and seeding, cells with diameter between 3 and 20 m are obtained for further culture and amplification. Based on this approach, small-sized cell populations containing a high percent of stem cells can be isolated.

Enzymatic digestion of the dental pulp tissue is done to prepare single cell suspension cells of which are used for colony formation containing 50 or more cells that is further amplified for experiments.

Is an immune-magnetic method used for separation of stem cell populations based on their surface antigens (CD271, STRO-1, CD34, CD45, and c-Kit). MACS is technically simple, inexpensive and capable of handling large numbers of cells but the degree of stem cell purity is low.

Is convenient and efficient method that can effectively isolate stem cells from cell suspension based on cell size and fluorescence. Demerits of this technique are a requirement of expensive equipment, highly-skilled personnel, decreased viability of FACS-sorted cells and this method is not appropriate for processing bulk quantities of cells.

Dr. Songtao Shi discovered SHED in 2003. Miura et al.[8] confirmed that SHED were able to differentiate into a variety of cell types to a greater extent than DPSCs, including osteoblast-like, odontoblast-like cells, adipocytes, and neural cells. Abbas et al.[23] investigated the possible neural crest origin of SHED. The main task of these cells seems to be the formation of mineralized tissue, which can be used to enhance orofacial bone regeneration.

Types of stem cells present in human exfoliated deciduous teeth are

Advantages of banking SHED cells[25] include: It's a simple painless technique to isolate them and being an autologous transplant they dont possess any risk of immune reaction or tissue rejection and hence immunosuppressive therapy is not required. SHED may also be useful for close relatives of the donor such as grandparents, parents and siblings. Apart from these, SHED banking is more economical when compared to cord blood and may be complementary to cord cell banking. The most important of all these cells are not subjected to same ethical concerns as embryonic stem cells.

Step 1: Tooth collection

Freshly-extracted tooth is transferred into vial containing hypotonic phosphate buffered saline solution (up to four teeth in one vial). Vial is then carefully sealed and placed into thermette, after which the carrier is placed into an insulated metal transport vessel. Thermette along with insulated transport vessel maintains the sample in a hypothermic state during transportation. This procedure is described as sustentation. The time from harvesting to arrival at processing storage facility should not exceed 40 h.

Step 2: Stem cell isolation

Tooth surface is cleaned by washing three times with Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline without Ca2+ and Mg2+. Disinfection is done and again washed with PBSA. Pulp tissue is isolated from the pulp chamber and is placed in a sterile petri dish, washed at least three times with PBSA. The tissue digestion is done with collagenase Type I and dispase for 1 h at 37C. Isolated cells are passed through a 70 um filter to obtain single cell suspensions. Then the cells are cultured in a MSC medium. Usually isolated colonies are visible after 24 h.

Step 3: Stem cell storage.

The approaches used for stem cell storage are: (a) Cryopreservation (b) magnetic freezing.

It is the process of preserving cells or whole tissues by cooling them to sub-zero temperatures. Cells harvested near end of log phase growth (approximately. 8090% confluent) are best for cryopreservation. Liquid nitrogen vapour is used to preserve cells at a temperature of <150C. In a vial 1.5 ml of freezing medium is optimum for 12 106 cells.

This technology is referred to as cells alive system (CAS), which works on principle of applying a weak magnetic field to water or cell tissue which will lower the freezing point of that body by up to 67C. Using CAS, Hiroshima University (first proposed this technology) claims that it can increase the cell survival rate in teeth to 83%. CAS system is a lot cheaper than cryogenics and more reliable.

Primary incisors and canines with no pathology and at least one third of root left can be used for SHED banking. Primary molar roots are not recommended for sampling as they take longer time to resorb, which may result in an obliterated pulp chamber that contains no pulp, and thus, no stem cells.[26] However in some cases where deciduous molars are removed early for orthodontic reasons, it may present an opportunity to use these teeth for stem cell banking.

MSCs residing in the apical papilla of permanent teeth with immature roots are known as SCAP. These were discovered by Sonoyama et al.[9] SCAP are capable of forming odontoblast-like cells, producing dentin in vivo, and are likely cell source of primary odontoblasts for the formation of root dentin. SCAP supports apexogenesis, which can occur in infected immature permanent teeth with periradicular periodontitis or abscess. SCAP residing in the apical papilla survive such pulp necrosis because of their proximity to the periapical tissue vasculature. Hence even after endodontic disinfection, SCAP can generate primary odontoblasts, which complete root formation under the influence of the surviving epithelial root sheath of Hertwig.[9]

Seo et al.[11] described the presence of multipotent postnatal stem cells in the human periodontal ligament (PDLSCs). When transplanted into rodents, PDLSCs had the capacity to generate a cementum/periodontal ligament-like structure and contributed to periodontal tissue repair. These cells can also be isolated from cryopreserved periodontal ligaments while retaining their stem cell characteristics, including single-colony strain generation, cementum/periodontal-ligament-like tissue regeneration, expression of MSC surface markers, multipotential differentiation and hence providing a ready source of MSCs.[27]

Using a mini pig model, autologous SCAP and PDLSCs were loaded onto hydroxyapatite/tricalcium phosphate and gelfoam scaffolds, and implanted into sockets in the lower jaw, where they formed a bioroot encircled with the periodontal ligament tissue and in a natural relationship with the surrounding bone.[28] Trubiani et al.[29] suggested that PDLSCs had regenerative potential when seeded onto three dimensional biocompatible scaffold, thus encouraging their use in graft biomaterials for bone tissue engineering in regenerative dentistry, whereas Li et al.[30] have reported cementum and periodontal ligament-like tissue formation when PDLSCs are seeded on bioengineered dentin.

Although tooth banking is currently not very popular the trend is gaining acceptance mainly in the developed countries. BioEden (Austin, Texas, USA), has international laboratories in UK (serving Europe) and Thailand (serving South East Asia) with global expansion plans. Stem cell banking companies like Store A- Tooth (Provia Laboratories, Littleton, Massachusetts, USA) and StemSave (Stemsave Inc, New York, USA) are also expanding their horizon internationally. In Japan, the first tooth bank was established in Hiroshima University and the company was named as Three Brackets (Suri Buraketto) in 2005. Nagoya University (Kyodo, Japan) also came up with a tooth bank in 2007. Taipei Medical University in collaboration with Hiroshima University opened the nation's first tooth bank in September, 2008. The Norwegian Tooth Bank (a collaborative project between the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the University of Bergen) set up in 2008 is collecting exfoliated primary teeth from 1,00,000 children in Norway. Not last but the least, Stemade introduced the concept of dental stem cells banking in India recently by launching its operations in Mumbai and Delhi.

Most research is directed toward regeneration of damaged dentin, pulp, resorbed root, periodontal regeneration and repair perforations. Whole tooth regeneration to replace the traditional dental implants is also in pipeline. Tissue-engineering applications using dental stem cells that may promote more rapid healing of oral wounds and ulcers as well as the use of gene-transfer methods to manipulate salivary proteins and oral microbial colonization patterns are promising and possible.[31]

Adult MSCs recently identified in the gingival connective tissues (gingival mesenchymal stem cells [GMSCs]) have osteogenic potential and are capable of bone regeneration in mandibular defects. GMSCs also suppress the inflammatory response by inhibiting lymphocyte proliferation and inflammatory cytokines and by promoting the recruitment of regulatory T-cells and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Thus, GMSCs potentially promote the right environment for osseous regeneration and is currently being therapeutically explored.[32]

Researchers of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, reported a possible method for growing teeth from stem cells obtained in urine.[33] In this study, pluripotent stem cells derived from human urine were induced to generate tooth-like structures in a group of mice with a success rates of up to 30%. The generated teeth had physical properties similar to that of normal human teeth except hardness (about one-third less in hardness of human teeth). The reported advantages to such an approach were being noninvasive technique, low cost, and use of somatic cells (instead of embryonic) that are wasted anyways. Interestingly urine-derived stem cells do not form tumors when transplanted in the body unlike other stem cells; more over autologous sourcing of these cells reduces the likelihood of rejection.

Dental stem cells have the potential to be utilized for medical applications like heart therapies,[34] regenerating brain tissue,[35] for muscular dystrophy therapies[36] and for bone regeneration.[37,38] SHED can be used to generate cartilage[39] as well as adipose tissue.[40] In 2008 first advanced animal study for bone grafting was announced resulting in reconstruction of large size cranial bone defects in rats with human DPSCs.[41]

Researchers have observed promising results in several preclinical animal studies and numerous clinical trials are now on-going globally to further validate these findings. The Obama administration has made stem cell research one of the pillars of his health program. The U.S. Army is investing over $250 million in stem cell research to treat injured soldiers in a project called Armed Forces Institute for Regenerative Medicine. It is likely that the next stem cell advance is the availability of regenerative dental kits, which will enable the dentists the ability to deliver stem cell therapies locally as part of routine dental practice. An innovative method that holds promising future is to generate induced stem cells from harvested human dental stem cells. This approach reprograms dental stem cells into an embryonic state, thus expanding their potential to differentiate into a much wider range of tissue types. Researchers have so far succeeded in making specific dental tissues or tooth like structures although in animal studies but future advances in dental stem cell research will be the regeneration of functional tooth in humans.

As human stem cell research is a relatively new area, companies developing cell therapies face several types of risks as well, and some are not able to manage them thus pushing this venture into a highly speculative enterprise. Present clinical trials are being performed on recombinant human fibroblast growth factor-2, human platelet-derived growth factor, and tricalcium phosphate (GEM-21). Looking at the ongoing clinical trials, it is too early to speculate whether all therapies based on stem cells will prove to be clinically effective.[42]

Stem cells of dental origin have multiple applications nevertheless there are certain limitations as well. The oncogenic potential of these cells is still to be determined in long-term clinical studies. Moreover, the research is mainly confined to animal models and their extensive clinical application is yet to be tested. Other major limitations are the difficulty to identify, isolate, purify and grow these cells consistently in labs. Immune rejection is also one of the issues, which require a thorough consideration; nevertheless use of autologous cells can overcome this. Lastly, stem/progenitor cells are comparatively less potent than embryonic stem cells. Teeth-like structures cannot replace actual teeth, thus a considerable research research and development efforts is required to advance the dental regenerative therapeutics. Researchers still need to grow blood and nerve supply of teeth to make them fully functional. Although not currently available, these approaches may one day be used as biological alternatives to the synthetic materials currently used. Like other powerful technologies, dental stem cell research poses challenges as well as risks. If we are to realize the benefits, meet the challenges, and avoid the risks, stem cell research must be conducted under effective, accountable systems of social-responsible oversight and control, at both the national and international levels.[43]

Source of Support: Nil.

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

3. Wilson EB. 1st ed. New York: Macmillan Company; 1996. The Cell in Development and Inheritance.

4. Maximow A. The lymphocyte as a stem cell, common to different blood elements in embryonic development and during the post-fetal life of mammals. Folia Haematol. 1909;8:12334.

6. Polezhaev LV. 1st ed. Jerusalem: Keterpress; 1972. Restoration of lost regenerative capacity of dental tissues. In: Loss and Restoration of Regenerative Capacity in Tissues and Organs of Animals; pp. 14152.

23. Abbas, Diakonov I, Sharpe P. Neural crest origin of dental stem cells. Pan European Federation of the International Association for Dental Research (PEF IADR) Seq #96-Oral. Stem Cells. 2008 Abs, 0917.

26. Reznick JB. Continuing education: Stem cells: Emerging medical and dental therapies for the dental professional. Dentaltown Mag. 2008;Oct:4253.

31. Jain A, Bansal R. Regenerative medicine: Biological solutions to biological problems. Indian J Med Spec. 2013;4:416.

Articles from Journal of Natural Science, Biology, and Medicine are provided here courtesy of Medknow Publications

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Histogen – About Histogen – Latest news, upcoming events …

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

Multipotent Cell-Secreted Extracellular Matrix Supports Cartilage Formation Histogen to present at International Cartilage Repair Society 2015

CHICAGO, May 8, 2015 - Histogen, Inc., a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based on the products of cells grown under simulated embryonic conditions, will present new research on its human extracellular matrix (hECM) material in the promotion of cartilage regeneration during the International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) 2015 Meeting, taking place May 8-11, 2015 in Chicago, IL. The orthobiologic applications of all of Histogen's products are being developed by its worldwide joint venture, PUR Biologics LLC.

Histogen has previously shown that hypoxia-induced multipotent cells produce soluble and insoluble materials that contain components associated with stem cell niches in the body and with scarless healing. These proteins include a variety of laminins, osteonectin, decorin, hyaluronic acid, collagen type IV, SPARC, CXCL12, NID1, NID2, NOTCH2, tenascin, thrombospondin, fibronectin, versican, and fibrillin-2. In vitro studies further demonstrated that the CCM and ECM promote the adhesion, proliferation and migration of bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

In this latest research, in vivo studies with the hECM were undertaken to determine their potential as orthobiologics. Rabbit studies demonstrated the potential of the hECM to promote regeneration and repair of full-thickness articular cartilage defects. Eight weeks following hECM treatment of femoral osteochondral defects, mature bone and hyaline cartilage formation was seen, exemplified by the presence of a tide mark and integration into the adjacent cartilage. This work is currently being repeated in a goat cartilage defect model, with similar results to date.

"The efficacy we have seen with the multipotent cell-secreted ECM in bone and cartilage regeneration is unprecedented," said Ryan Fernan, CEO of PUR Biologics. "The preclinical work overwhelmingly supports use of the material as an orthobiologic to reduce inflammation and promote cartilage regeneration in the articulating joint and intervertebral spinal disc. We look forward to entering human trials for these indications, as well as to continuing our research on utilizing the product for soft tissue repair in a variety of sports injuries."

Histogen's cell conditioned media (CCM) and hECM were also evaluated in an ex vivo rabbit intervertebral spinal disc model to study the effects of these materials in an environment where an extensive inflammatory response was induced by thrombin injection. Compared to untreated controls, both the CCM and ECM treatment significantly down regulated the expression of the inflammatory cytokine genes IL-1, IL-6, TNF-alpha, as well as the genes encoding the extracellular matrix degrading enzymes MMP3, and ADAMTS4, while upregulating aggrecan expression in the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus tissue.

Dr. Gail Naughton, CEO of Histogen, will present "Human Cell Conditioned Media and Extracellular Matrix Reduce Inflammation and Support Hyaline Cartilage Formation" at the ICRS 2015 meeting in Chicago on May 9, 2015. Following the event, the presentation will be available upon request.

About PUR Biologics PUR Biologics is dedicated to providing regenerative biologic solutions to address musculoskeletal surgical needs, including spine, dental, ligament and medical device coating applications. In addition to distribution of approved allograft and biologic products, PUR is focused on development of next-generation orthopedic products based upon human protein and growth factor materials for bone and tissue regeneration. For more information visit http://www.purbiologics.com.

About Histogen Histogen is a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based upon the products of cells grown under proprietary conditions that mimic the embryonic environment, including low oxygen and suspension. Through this unique technology process, newborn cells are encouraged to naturally produce the vital proteins and growth factors from which the Company has developed its rich product portfolio. Histogen's technology focuses on stimulating a patient's own stem cells by delivering a proprietary complex of multipotent human proteins that have been shown to support stem cell growth and differentiation. For more information, please visit http://www.histogen.com.

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Novel Immunomodulatory Treatment Induces Apoptosis in Melanoma Histogen to present data at 2015 Society of Investigative Dermatology Annual Meeting

ATLANTA, May 6, 2015 - Histogen, Inc., a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based on the products of cells grown under simulated embryonic conditions, will present new research on its 105F immunomodulatory treatment candidate for melanoma during the 2015 Society of Investigative Dermatology (SID) Annual Meeting, taking place May 6-9, 2015 in Atlanta, GA.

Histogen has previously shown that hypoxia-induced multipotent cells produce a soluble material with anti-oncologic properties, with potential benefit in the treatment of a wide range of cancers. Studies to characterize the active components of the material have identified a low molecular weight fraction (105F) which directly induces apoptosis, or controlled cell death, in 21 human cancer cell lines. In its latest research, Histogen sought to further examine the mechanism of action of 105F in melanoma through in vitro and in vivo studies.

After treatment with 105F, melanoma cells were shown to release Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and TNF a, pro-inflammatory cytokines acting as signals to the immune system. This induction of an immune "flare" in combination with tumor cell apoptosis could be critically important in recruiting immune cells to the tumor for cytotoxic attack.

"We were excited to see the dual activity of 105F, both directly inducing cancer cell death and activating an anti-tumorigenic immune response to reduce metastatic disease," said Dr. Gail Naughton, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Histogen. "These results represent a potential treatment for melanoma and other solid tumors that works through multiple channels to eliminate cancer cells, but is not toxic to the body's healthy cells."

An in vivo model of lung metastasis in C57Bl/6 mice further showed the efficacy of 105F in the treatment of melanoma. Daily intravenous injections of 105F over 14 days resulted in a significant (p=0.0049) reduction in lesions and marked immune cell infiltration as compared to controls.

Dr. Naughton will present "105F is a novel immunoadaptive treatment candidate for melanoma that induces apoptosis and the secretion of pro-inflammatory IL-6" at the 2015 SID Annual Meeting in Atlanta beginning May 6, 2015. Following the event, the presentation will be available upon request.

About Histogen Histogen is a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based upon the products of cells grown under proprietary conditions that mimic the embryonic environment, including low oxygen and suspension. Through this unique technology process, newborn cells are encouraged to naturally produce the vital proteins and growth factors from which the Company has developed its rich product portfolio. Histogen's technology focuses on stimulating a patient's own stem cells by delivering a proprietary complex of multipotent human proteins that have been shown to support stem cell growth and differentiation. For more information, please visit http://www.histogen.com.

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Histogen's Composition for Oncology Treatments Receives US Patent

SAN DIEGO, October 8, 2014 - Histogen Oncology, a company developing innovative cancer therapies based on Histogen's regenerative medicine technology, today announced that the United States Patent & Trademark Office has issued patent 12/363,479 entitled "Extracellular matrix compositions for the treatment of cancer" to Histogen.

The patent, which is the fifth U.S. patent issued to Histogen, covers the soluble and insoluble compositions of proteins and cofactors that are secreted by multipotent stem cells through Histogen's technology process for use in the treatment of cancer. The patent claims support of the use of the compositions alone or as a delivery system for traditional chemotherapeutic agents.

Through the recent formation and funding of the Histogen Oncology joint venture, research and development of the unique, naturally secreted compositions is progressing toward a Phase I clinical trial for end stage pancreatic cancer.

"We are pleased about the timely issuance of our U.S. patent for the treatment of cancer," said Dr. Gail K. Naughton, Histogen CEO and Chairman of the Board. "Our collaborations with top institutions continue to produce mounting evidence supporting the unique mechanism of action of our secreted material in preventing metastasis and reducing tumor load while having no toxic affect on normal cells."

Histogen's composition has shown effectiveness in inhibiting over 21 human cancer cell lines both in vitro as well as in animal models. The mechanism of action of the secreted material is through the induction of apoptosis (controlled cell death) primarily in malignant cells, so there is little to no toxicity to normal cells. Histogen Oncology is studying the efficacy of a small molecular weight fraction of the cell secreted composition as a stand alone treatment as well as in combination therapy to evaluate whether effectiveness can be demonstrated with less toxic drug doses.

About Histogen Histogen is a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based upon the products of cells grown under proprietary conditions that mimic the embryonic environment, including low oxygen and suspension. Through this unique technology process, newborn cells are encouraged to naturally produce the vital proteins and growth factors from which the Company has developed its rich product portfolio. Histogen's technology focuses on stimulating a patient's own stem cells by delivering a proprietary complex of multipotent human proteins that have been shown to support stem cell growth and differentiation. For more information, please visit http://www.histogen.com.

Contacts Eileen Brandt, (858) 200-9520 ebrandt@histogeninc.com

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Histogen Oncology Created to Develop Novel Biologic Cancer Treatments Histogen, Inc. and Wylde, LLC Form Joint Venture

SAN DIEGO, July 8, 2014 - Histogen Inc., a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based on the products of cells grown under simulated embryonic conditions, has partnered with Southern California medical device group Wylde, LLC to create Histogen Oncology. This joint venture will focus on the development of unique cell-derived materials for cancer applications.

Under this joint venture, Histogen Oncology has acquired exclusive rights to Histogen's human multipotent cell conditioned media (CCM) and extracellular matrix (ECM) materials, as well as their derivatives, for oncology applications throughout North America. Histogen Oncology's initial clinical focus is pancreatic cancer, a highly treatment-resistant cancer in which a sub-fraction of the CCM has shown substantial preclinical promise.

"We have been very impressed with the results of Histogen's preliminary oncology work, not only because of the significant survival benefit but also because it is a naturally-derived material that is showing no toxicity," said Christopher Wiggins of Wylde, LLC. "There are so many patients out there who are not candidates for existing therapies due to the toxic nature of available drugs. This is particularly true in pancreatic cancer, where 80% of people diagnosed already have stage four disease."

In post-resection nude mouse models, intravenous treatment with the CCM sub-fraction resulted in prolonged survival by more than three fold in a majority of treated animals. In non-resection models, more than 50% of treated mice lived twice as long as the control. These results point to a potentially significant outcome for pancreatic cancer patients, and Histogen Oncology intends to progress the material toward a Phase I clinical trial for no-option pancreatic cancer patients in the coming 18 months.

Research on the mechanism responsible for cancer cell inhibition by the CCM shows the upregulation of Caspase 9 and cleaved Caspase 3, which causes cancer cells to enter apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

"The activity of the CCM sub-fraction is unique in a number of ways. Whereas most cancer therapies target rapidly dividing cells but not cancer stem cells, the inhibitory effect of this material is seen in malignant cells and circulating tumor cells as well," said Dr. Gail Naughton, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Histogen, Inc. "In addition, the activity is selective for malignant cells, supporting the proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts, embryonic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells, while inhibiting tumor growth."

Histogen Oncology will be supported by Histogen's research group and funded by Wylde, LLC., made up of experts from the surgery and medical device industries. The creation of this joint venture allows for dedicated development of the CCM sub-fraction as a cancer treatment, as Histogen continues to allocate resources to the Company's revenue-generating aesthetic and promising therapeutic programs.

"We are extremely excited to fuel and push the next stage of development for this innovative and potentially life-saving therapy," said Wiggins. "The next generation of cancer treatment will have cell-signaling at its core, be beneficial in combination with existing therapies as well as stand alone, and provide an option to patients who currently have none. We believe Histogen's material has all of those characteristics and more."

About Histogen Aesthetics Histogen is a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based upon the products of cells grown under proprietary conditions that mimic the embryonic environment, including low oxygen and suspension. Through this unique technology process, newborn cells are encouraged to naturally produce the vital proteins and growth factors from which the Company has developed its rich product portfolio. Histogen's technology focuses on stimulating a patient's own stem cells by delivering a proprietary complex of multipotent human proteins that have been shown to support stem cell growth and differentiation. For more information, please visit http://www.histogen.com.

Contacts Eileen Brandt, (858) 200-9520 ebrandt@histogeninc.com

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Histogen Aesthetics Acquires CellCeuticals Biomedical Skin Treatments

SAN DIEGO, March 10, 2014 - Histogen Aesthetics, a subsidiary of regenerative medicine company Histogen, Inc. focused on skin care and cosmeceuticals, announced today that the Company has acquired the CellCeuticals Biomedical Skin Treatments line of skincare products.

Histogen Aesthetics will continue sales of the eleven existing CellCeuticals Biomedical Skin Treatments skincare products, while bringing new innovation to the line through the addition of a unique regenerative medicine technology, working to improve skin aging at a cellular level.

"We have long admired the science, clinical data and elegant formulas behind the CellCeuticals line, and see it as an ideal fit for our recently revitalized aesthetics subsidiary," said Dr. Gail K. Naughton, CEO and Chairman of Histogen, Inc. "We are very excited to begin infusing unique cell-signaling factors into the CellCeuticals regimen, to truly transform skin one cell at a time."

Dr. Naughton has spent more than 30 years in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, and holds over 100 patents in the field. She founded Histogen in 2007, focused on developing therapies that work to stimulate the stem cells in the body to regenerate tissues and organs. Through this work, she has also seen how different compositions of human proteins can have cosmetic benefits, particularly in anti-aging and rejuvenation.

"I am pleased that the CellCeuticals Biomedical Skin Treatments will evolve, and see Histogen Aesthetics as an excellent home for this innovative product line," said Paul Scott Premo, co-founder of CellCeuticals Skin Care, Inc. "I believe the addition of this regenerative medicine technology will be the opportunity to introduce a new generation of products that are the vanguard of regenerative skin care."

The CellCeuticals system is made up of eleven distinctive products including the Extremely Gentle Skin Cleanser, CellGenesis Regenerative Skin Treatment, and PhotoDefense Color Radiance SPF55+ with proprietary and patented PhotoPlex technology. The line is currently available at retailers including QVC.com, Dermstore.com, and Nordstrom.com, as well as http://www.cellceuticalskincare.com.

About Histogen Aesthetics Histogen Aesthetics LLC, formed in 2008 as a subsidiary of Histogen, Inc., focuses on the development of innovative skin care products utilizing regenerative medicine technology. Histogen Aesthetics' technology is based on the expertise of founder Dr. Gail K. Naughton, in which fibroblasts are grown under unique conditions, producing a complex of naturally-secreted proteins and synergistic bio-products known to stimulate skin cells to regenerate and rejuvenate tissues. In 2014, Histogen Aesthetics acquired CellCeuticals Biomedical Skin Treatments, a line of scientifically-proven products that reactivate cells to help aging skin perform and look healthier and younger. For more information, visit http://www.cellceuticalskincare.com.

About Suneva Medical, Inc. Histogen is a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based upon the products of cells grown under proprietary conditions that mimic the embryonic environment, including low oxygen and suspension. Through this unique technology process, newborn cells are encouraged to naturally produce the vital proteins and growth factors from which the Company has developed its rich product portfolio. Histogen's lead product, Hair Stimulating Complex (HSC) has shown success in two Company-sponsored clinical trials as an injectable treatment for alopecia. In addition, the human multipotent cell conditioned media produced through Histogen's process is also being researched for oncology applications, and in orthopedics through joint venture PUR Biologics, LLC. For more information, please visit http://www.histogen.com.

Contacts Eileen Brandt, (858) 200-9520 ebrandt@histogeninc.com

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Histogen and Suneva Medical Expand License for Cell Conditioned Media-based Aesthetic Products Internationally

SAN DIEGO, CA, January 14, 2014 - Histogen, Inc., a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based on the products of cells grown under simulated embryonic conditions, today announced that they have entered into an international license agreement with Suneva Medical, Inc. for physician-dispensed aesthetic products containing Histogen's proprietary multipotent cell conditioned media (CCM).

This agreement is an amendment to the existing license between Histogen and Suneva Medical, through which Suneva has exclusively licensed the Regenica skincare line within the United States since February 2012. Under the terms of the international agreement, Suneva Medical is now the exclusive licensee for the distribution of Regenica through the physician-dispensed channel in Europe, most of Asia, South America, Canada, Australia, and the Middle East.

"Not only has Suneva had sales success, but they have generated enthusiasm around the Regenica product line and our technology here in the US," said Gail K. Naughton, Ph.D., CEO and Chairman of the Board of Histogen. "We are excited about expanding our skincare partnership internationally, and look forward to an exciting year for Regenica."

Regenica contains Histogen's proprietary Multipotent Cell Conditioned Media, made up of soluble cell-signaing proteins and growth factors which support the body's epidermal stem cells and renew skin throughout life. Through Histogen's technology process, which mimics the embryonic environment including conditions of low oxygen and suspension, cells are triggered to become multipotent, and naturally produce these proteins associated with skin renewal and scarless healing.

"We believe that Regenica truly is the next generation in growth factor technology, and we are extremely pleased that the products will now have a presence around the world," said Nicholas L. Teti, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Suneva Medical. "Our relationship with Histogen in the US physician market has been a valuable asset to Suneva, and has laid the groundwork for international success."

About Histogen Histogen is a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based upon the products of cells grown under proprietary conditions that mimic the embryonic environment, including low oxygen and suspension. Through this unique technology process, newborn cells are encouraged to naturally produce the vital proteins and growth factors from which the Company has developed its rich product portfolio. Histogen's lead product, Hair Stimulating Complex (HSC) has shown success in two Company-sponsored clinical trials as an injectable treatment for alopecia. In addition, the human multipotent cell conditioned media produced through Histogen's process can be found in skincare products including ReGenica, which is distributed by Suneva Medical in partnership with Obagi Medical Products. For more information, please visit http://www.histogen.com.

About Suneva Medical, Inc. Suneva Medical, Inc. is a privately-held aesthetics company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing novel, differentiated products for the general dermatology and aesthetic markets. The company currently markets Artefill in the US, Korea, Singapore and Vietnam; Refissa and Regenica Skincare in the U.S.; and Bellafill in Canada. For more information, visit http://www.sunevamedical.com.

Regenica is a trademark of Suneva Medical, Inc. The Multipotent Cell Conditioned Media Complex is covered by U.S. patents #8,257,947 and #8,524,494.

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Multipotent Stem Cell Proteins Support Soft Tissue Regeneration Histogen to present data at TERMIS AM Annual Conference in Atlanta

ATLANTA, November 13, 2013 - Histogen, Inc., a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based on the products of cells grown under simulated embryonic conditions, announced that Dr. Michael Zimber will give a podium presentation entitled "Human Multipotent Stem Cell Proteins Support Soft Tissue Regeneration" today at the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) Americas Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA.

Through its proprietary technology process that simulates the conditions of the embryonic environment, Histogen has developed a human extracellular matrix (hECM) material composed of stem cell-associated proteins including SPARC, decorin, collagens I,III,IV, V, fibronectin, fibrillin, laminins, and hyaluronic acid. The hECM's distinctive composition of growth factors and other proteins are known to stimulate stem cells in the body, regenerate tissues, and promote scarless healing.

Histogen sought to examine whether the hECM may promote scarless healing in full thickness wounds, similar to that seen in fetal healing, using a variety of forms of the material, including hollow spheres to maximize void fill volume. In preclinical studies, all hECM-treated wounds healed rapidly with minimum contractions, and the hECM microspheres had a statistically significant improvement in healing as compared to the controls (p<0.05) and produced a 25% thicker dermis. In addition, hECM applied topically after microneedling resulted in up to a 3X dermal thickening.

"We are very pleased that our propriety materials produced by hypoxia-induced human multipotent stem cells have shown significant healing results in both soft and hard tissues," said Dr. Gail Naughton, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Histogen. "These results open new therapeutic markets, show tremendous potential for our material in cutaneous wound care and orthopedics, as well as support the expansion of our aesthetic pipeline to include soft tissue fillers."

In addition to "Human Multipotent Stem Cell Proteins Support Soft Tissue Regeneration", Dr. Zimber will also be presenting "Human Multipotent Stem Cell Proteins Support Osteogenesis In Vitro" during the TERMIS AM Annual Meeting taking place November 10-13, 2013 in Atlanta. Following the event, these presentations will be available upon request.

About Histogen Histogen is a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based upon the products of cells grown under proprietary conditions that mimic the embryonic environment, including low oxygen and suspension. Through this unique technology process, newborn cells are encouraged to naturally produce the vital proteins and growth factors from which the Company has developed its rich product portfolio. Histogen's lead product, Hair Stimulating Complex (HSC) has shown success in two Company-sponsored clinical trials as an injectable treatment for alopecia. In addition, the human multipotent cell conditioned media produced through Histogen's process can be found in skincare products including ReGenica, which is distributed by Suneva Medical in partnership with Obagi Medical Products. For more information, please visit http://www.histogen.com.

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Multipotent Stem Cell Proteins Support Rejuvenation while Inhibiting Skin Cancer Histogen to present data at TERMIS AP Annual Conference in Shanghai

San Diego, October 24, 2013 - Histogen, Inc., a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based on the products of cells grown under simulated embryonic conditions, announced that the Company's Chairman and CEO, Dr. Gail Naughton, will present today at the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) Asia Pacific Annual Meeting in Shanghai, China.

Through its proprietary technology process that simulates the conditions of the embryonic environment, Histogen is uniquely able to trigger the de-differentiation of skin cells into multipotent stem cells without genetic manipulation. The cells express key stem cell markers including Oct4, Sox2 and Nanog, and secrete a distinctive composition of growth factors and other proteins known to stimulate stem cells in the body, regenerate tissues, and promote scarless healing.

It is the soluble and insoluble compositions of multipotent proteins and growth factors resulting from this process that have been shown to both promote skin regeneration and induce controlled cell death in multiple skin cancers.

"The anti-aging and rejuvenation benefits of human multipotent stem cell proteins have been shown in several clinical studies, and have resulted in the material's use as a thriving next-generation ingredient for skin care," said Dr. Naughton. "In parallel, we have also been studying the anti-cancer activity of these proteins, and have shown that, just as in the embryonic environment, they support normal tissue growth while resulting in the controlled death of cancer cells".

In vitro studies performed with Histogen's material have shown reduction in Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC), Basal Cell Carcinoma, and Melanoma cell number through the mechanism of apoptosis, or controlled cell death, induced by the upregulation of Caspase in these cancer cells. In one in vivo model, melanoma load was reduced by up to 80% versus the control (p<0.05) by the addition of the insoluble multipotent stem cell proteins, and a dose response curve was seen. Similar inhibition was seen with SCC. In subcutaneous mouse experiments, tumor growth was inhibited by 70-90%.

"Human Multipotent Stem Cell Proteins Stimulate Skin Regeneration While Inducing Skin Cancer Cell Apotosis" will be presented by Dr. Naughton during the TERMIS AP Annual Meeting taking place October 23-26, 2013 in Shanghai. Further information and data on the ability of multipotent stem cell proteins to induce apoptosis in skin cancers can be found in the publication Journal of Cancer Therapy at file.scirp.org/Html/1-8901700_33923.htm.

About Histogen Histogen is a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based upon the products of cells grown under proprietary conditions that mimic the embryonic environment, including low oxygen and suspension. Through this unique technology process, newborn cells are encouraged to naturally produce the vital proteins and growth factors from which the Company has developed its rich product portfolio. Histogen's lead product, Hair Stimulating Complex (HSC) has shown success in two Company-sponsored clinical trials as an injectable treatment for alopecia. In addition, the human multipotent cell conditioned media produced through Histogen's process can be found in skincare products including ReGenica, which is distributed by Suneva Medical in partnership with Obagi Medical Products. For more information, please visit http://www.histogen.com.

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Histogen to present at 2013 STEM CELL MEETING ON THE MESA

San Diego, October 11, 2013 - Histogen, Inc., a regenerative medicine company developing therapies for conditions including hair loss and cancer, announced today that Histogen CEO Gail K. Naughton, Ph.D. will give a company presentation at the 3rd Annual Regen Med Partnering Forum, part of the Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa to be held October 14-16 in La Jolla, CA.

Histogen's solutions are based upon the products of cells grown under proprietary conditions that mimic the embryonic environment, including low oxygen and suspension. The technology focuses on stimulating a patient's own stem cells by delivering a proprietary complex of proteins that have been shown to support stem cell growth and differentiation.

"It is an exciting time for Histogen, as we continue to move the technology forward with expanded partnerships in skincare, compelling clinical data in both male and female hair loss, and early but exciting results in orthopedics," said Dr. Naughton. "We look forward to sharing our story during the Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa, and to progressing our products even further through growing relationships with industry leaders and through our potential merger with Stratus Media to form publicly-traded Restorgenex."

Organized by the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, the 2013 Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa is a three-day conference aimed at bringing together senior members of the regenerative medicine industry with the scientific research community to advance stem cell science into cures. The Regen Med Partnering Forum, held October 14 &15 at the Estancia La Jolla Hotel, is the only partnering meeting organized specifically for the regenerative medicine and advanced therapies industry.

The following are specific details regarding Histogen's presentation at the conference:

Event: Regen Med Partnering Forum - 2013 Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa Date: October 14, 2013 Time: 3:15pm Location: Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, 9700 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla

A live video webcast of all company presentations will be available at: stemcellmeetingonthemesa.com/webcast and will also be published on ARM's website shortly after the event. Histogen will also make a copy of Dr. Naughton's presentation available at http://www.histogen.com.

About Histogen Histogen is a regenerative medicine company developing solutions based upon the products of cells grown under proprietary conditions that mimic the embryonic environment, including low oxygen and suspension. Through this unique technology process, newborn cells are encouraged to naturally produce the vital proteins and growth factors from which the Company has developed its rich product portfolio. Histogen's lead product, Hair Stimulating Complex (HSC) has shown success in two Company-sponsored clinical trials as an injectable treatment for alopecia. In addition, the human multipotent cell conditioned media produced through Histogen's process can be found in skincare products including ReGenica, which is distributed by Suneva Medical in partnership with Obagi Medical Products. For more information, please visit http://www.histogen.com.

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Stratus Media Group and Histogen Execute Letter of Intent for Biotechnology Merger

LOS ANGELES, October 07, 2013 - Stratus Media Group, Inc. (OTCQB:SMDI) announced today that it was planning to expand its entrance into the biotechnology industry with the execution of a letter of intent between the Company and Histogen, Inc., a regenerative medicine company developing innovative therapies for conditions including hair loss and cancer.

The non-binding letter of intent outlines the primary terms of a merger of San Diego-based Histogen into Stratus, to be renamed Restorgenex Corporation. The letter of intent has been approved by the board of directors of both companies, and the parties are engaged in completing a formal merger agreement.

Histogen's solutions are based upon the products of cells grown under proprietary conditions that mimic the embryonic environment, including low oxygen and suspension. The technology focuses on stimulating a patient's own stem cells by delivering a proprietary complex of proteins that have been shown to support stem cell growth and differentiation. Histogen's lead product, Hair Stimulating Complex (HSC) has shown success in two Company-sponsored clinical trials as an injectable treatment for alopecia. In addition, the human multipotent cell conditioned media produced through Histogen's process can be found in skincare products including ReGenica, which is distributed by Suneva Medical in partnership with Obagi Medical Products.

"Histogen's technology platform opens a spectrum of potential product opportunities in both aesthetics and therapeutics, an ideal fit with our vision for Restorgenex," said Sol J. Barer, Ph.D., who will assume the position of Chairman of the Board of Restorgenex effective November 1, 2013. "The expertise of the Histogen team in developing regenerative products from concept to market, along with the success Histogen has already found in skincare partnering, will add significant value to our Company."

Following successful completion of this proposed merger, the company's goal is to build Restorgenex into a world-class cosmeceutical and pharmaceutical company in the large and expanding fields of dermatology and hair restoration. The parties intend to move toward a formal merger agreement in which Histogen would become a wholly-owned subsidiary, Histogen founder Gail K. Naughton, Ph.D. would assume the position of Chief Executive Officer of Restorgenex, and the corporate headquarters of Restorgenex would be located in San Diego. The merger will require, among other things, the satisfaction of customary closing conditions including the approval of Histogen's shareholders.

"I am very excited about the potential of a merger between Histogen and Restorgenex, and look forward to moving into the next stage," said Dr. Naughton. "It is an honor to be working with biotechnology visionaries Dr. Sol Barer and Isaac Blech, and to have them recognize the promise of Histogen's products is a true testament to the unique and exciting nature of our technology."

Dr. Naughton has spent more than 25 years extensively researching the tissue engineering process, holds more than 95 U.S. and foreign patents, and has been honored for her pioneering work in the field by prestigious organizations including receiving the Intellectual Property Owners Association Inventor of the Year Award.

Prior to founding Histogen in 2007, Dr. Naughton oversaw the design and development of the world's first up-scaled manufacturing facility for tissue engineered products, was pivotal in raising over $350M from the public market and corporate partnerships, and brought four human cell-based products from concept through FDA approval and market launch as President of Advanced Tissue Sciences.

"I believe the potential acquisition of Histogen, and the expertise and vision Dr. Naughton will bring as Chief Executive Officer will be a tremendous asset in ushering the Company into the biotechnology industry," said Jerold Rubinstein, current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Stratus.

http://www.histogen.com http://www.stratusmediagroup.com

Forward-Looking Statements Statements in this press release relating to plans, strategies, projections of results, and other statements that are not descriptions of historical facts may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Securities Acts of 1933 and 1934. Forward-looking information is inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors. Although the company's management believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. The company has no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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Stem Cell Therapy dangers and risks the wrong stem cells

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

I received a disturbing call from a woman in Texas recently. She was having some complications from the stem cell treatment that she received in her hometown.

In what is becoming a more common email or call from people not our patients, she revealed that she believed that her doctor was inexperienced in the Stem Cell procedure and did not know how to address her complications.

Even though I did not have the luxury of examining her, I tried to ask some questions to help her with her situation.

It seems, that she had received placental cells.They were injected into her knee and it caused a severe inflammatory response that left her with a great deal of pain. I did wish her the best and try to offer some advice, but also let her know that it is not legal nor recommended to inject placental cells into a patient.

While we have found the use of stem cells for the symptomatic treatment of arthritis and pain to be very helpful in our practice, one must be very cautious as to know what they are receiving.

As I mentioned, placental cells are not only illegal, but are immature cells that can have mutagenic properties. That is, they have the ability to turn into cancer cells and furthermore it is uncertain if the body can reject them since they are not harvested from the person who is receiving the treatment. These cells, also differentiate to form both blood cells and tissue cells so there is a great deal of insufficiency if you are looking to heal damaged tissue.

Bone marrow derived stem cells also have this same property of containing cell lines that turn into blood cells. There are certain areas, like the tibia, where the bone marrow contains many more blood cells then areas such as the hip, which contain more mesenchymal cells. Certain doctors have recommended tibial bone marrow draws for the use of bone marrow prolotherapy from the tibia, but this has very little scientific backing to be included as a stem cell source. There is also no research whatsoever showing its efficacy.

Many other doctors use bone marrow from the hip in their stem cell procedure. While this is a richer source of mesenchymal cells when compared to the tibia it is still a very poor source of stem cells.

Results from stem cell procedures not only depend on the cell type and where they are injected, but also the diagnostic skill and approach of the physician. While stem cells may have amazing properties, they are not so magical where we can just inject stem cells into a joint and hope for good results. As a physician, it is our job to evaluate and treat any problem surrounding, above and below the joint using a very careful physical examination. A comprehensive approach, not a single sided approach, will yield the best results for the patient.

Growth hormone has also been touted by one physician as useful in a stem cell mixture. That physician is conducting a study on this, but it still remains unproven. We had used this in power injection solution well over 10 years ago and stopped because it did not produce any significant clinical benefit. Furthermore, stem cells do need to be combined with a variety of growth factors in order to further their differentiation into new tissue. This can be achieved by using specialized forms of PRP along with the stem cell mixture. Both ourselves with our partners at Kensey and Dr. Centeno from Regenexx has done laboratory tests to look at the importance of this. There is a large variation in how stem cells perform based upon the environment that they are given with the PRP.

In summary, while these procedures have tremendous potential, we need to follow in the best of our knowledge base and follow our outcomes. Eventually, our technology will expand, and in the future we will have the capability to harvest stem cells in less than a half hour But this will take several years of development.

Scott Greenberg MD

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Stem Cell Therapy dangers and risks the wrong stem cells

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Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai – New York City …

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

Select Ambulatory Programs Anatomy and Functional Morphology Anesthesiology Anesthesiology, Cardiothoracic Anesthesia Anesthesiology, Pain Management Anesthesiology, Pediatric Anesthesia Biomathematical Sciences Cardiothoracic Surgery Cardiovascular Surgery Center for Comparative Medicine and Surgery Dentistry Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Dermatology Developmental and Regenerative Biology Emergency Medicine Experimental Therapeutics Institute Family Medicine & Community Health Genetics and Genomic Sciences Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Experimental Diabetes and Aging Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Inpatient Adult Psychiatry Medical Education Medicine Medicine, Cardiology Medicine, Clinical Geriatrics Medicine, Clinical Immunology Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease Medicine, Gastroenterology Medicine, General Internal Medicine Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology Medicine, Hospital Medicine Medicine, Infectious Diseases Medicine, Liver Diseases Medicine, Nephrology Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Medicine, Rheumatology Metabolic, Endocrine and Minimally Invasive Surgery Microbiology Mount Sinai Beth Israel Mount Sinai Health System Mount Sinai Roosevelt Mount Sinai St. Luke's Neurology Neurology, Headache Neurology, Movement Disorders Neurology, Neuromuscular Diseases Neurology, Vestibular/Ocular Neuroscience Neurosurgery Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science Oncological Sciences Ophthalmology Orthopaedics Orthopaedics, Foot and Ankle Service Orthopaedics, Spine Division Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine Service Otolaryngology Outpatient Adult Psychiatry Pathology Pathology, Dermatopathology Pediatrics Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology Pediatrics, Ambulatory Care Pediatrics, Behavioral Pediatrics Pediatrics, Cardiology Pediatrics, Child Life Pediatrics, Endocrinology - Adrenal Steroid Disorders Pediatrics, Endocrinology and Diabetes Pediatrics, Gastroenterology Pediatrics, General Pediatrics Pediatrics, Hematology/Oncology Pediatrics, Hepatology Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases Pediatrics, Mount Sinai Pediatrics Pediatrics, Nephrology Pediatrics, Neurology Pediatrics, Newborn Medicine Pediatrics, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Pediatrics, Pediatrics Associates Pediatrics, Pulmonary and Critical Care Pediatrics, Rheumatology Pharmacological Sciences Population Health Science and Policy Preventive Medicine Preventive Medicine, Preventive Medicine Preventive Medicine, Social Work and Behavioral Science Psychiatry Psychiatry, Alcohol and Substance Abuse Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Psychiatry, Health Services Research Psychiatry, Imaging Psychiatry, Mood and Personality Disorders Psychiatry, Neuropsychology Psychiatry, Schizophrenia Radiation Oncology Radiology Radiology, Oncology Rehabilitation Medicine Surgery Surgery, Colo-Rectal Surgery Surgery, Pediatric Surgery Surgery, Plastic Surgery Surgery, Surgical Oncology Surgery, Vascular Surgery Surgical Intensive Care Unit Thoracic Surgery Urology

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Embryonic stem cell research: an ethical dilemma | Europe …

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

A human embryo can split into twins or triplets until about 14 days after fertilization

Egg and sperm: some people believe an embryo must be fully protected from conception onwards (Wellcome Images/Spike Walker)

Human blastocyst on the tip of a pin: embryonic stem cells can be grown from cells found in the blastocyst (Wellcome Images/Yorgos Nikas)

Some people think an embryo deserves special protection from about 14 days after fertilization

Many patients could one day benefit from embryonic stem cell research

The rules controlling embryonic stem cell research vary around the world and have been the topic of much discussion

Embryonic stem cell research poses a moral dilemma. It forces us to choose between two moral principles:

In the case of embryonic stem cell research, it is impossible to respect both moral principles.To obtain embryonic stem cells, the early embryo has to be destroyed. This means destroying a potential human life. But embryonic stem cell research could lead to the discovery of new medical treatments that would alleviate the suffering of many people. So which moral principle should have the upper hand in this situation? The answer hinges on how we view the embryo. Does it have the status of a person?

Chapter 1 of this film introduces some of the key ethical arguments. Watch this film and others on our films page.

The moral status of the embryo is a controversial and complex issue. The main viewpoints are outlined below.

1. The embryo has full moral status from fertilization onwards Either the embryo is viewed as a person whilst it is still an embryo, or it is seen as a potential person. The criteria for personhood are notoriously unclear; different people define what makes a person in different ways.

Development from a fertilized egg into to baby is a continuous process and any attempt to pinpoint when personhood begins is arbitrary. A human embryo is a human being in the embryonic stage, just as an infant is a human being in the infant stage. Although an embryo does not currently have the characteristics of a person, it will become a person and should be given the respect and dignity of a person.

An early embryo that has not yet implanted into the uterus does not have the psychological, emotional or physical properties that we associate with being a person. It therefore does not have any interests to be protected and we can use it for the benefit of patients (who ARE persons).

The embryo cannot develop into a child without being transferred to a womans uterus. It needs external help to develop. Even then, the probability that embryos used for in vitro fertilization will develop into full-term successful births is low. Something that could potentially become a person should not be treated as if it actually were a person

2. There is a cut-off point at 14 days after fertilization Some people argue that a human embryo deserves special protection from around day 14 after fertilization because:

3. The embryo has increasing status as it develops An embryo deserves some protection from the moment the sperm fertilizes the egg, and its moral status increases as it becomes more human-like.

There are several stages of development that could be given increasing moral status:

1. Implantation of the embryo into the uterus wall around six days after fertilization. 2. Appearance of the primitive streak the beginnings of the nervous system at around 14 days. 3. The phase when the baby could survive if born prematurely. 4. Birth.

If a life is lost, we tend to feel differently about it depending on the stage of the lost life. A fertilized egg before implantation in the uterus could be granted a lesser degree of respect than a human fetus or a born baby.

More than half of all fertilized eggs are lost due to natural causes. If the natural process involves such loss, then using some embryos in stem cell research should not worry us either.

We protect a persons life and interests not because they are valuable from the point of view of the universe, but because they are important to the person concerned. Whatever moral status the human embryo has for us, the life that it lives has a value to the embryo itself.

If we judge the moral status of the embryo from its age, then we are making arbitrary decisions about who is human. For example, even if we say formation of the nervous system marks the start of personhood, we still would not say a patient who has lost nerve cells in a stroke has become less human.

If we are not sure whether a fertilized egg should be considered a human being, then we should not destroy it. A hunter does not shoot if he is not sure whether his target is a deer or a man.

4. The embryo has no moral status at all An embryo is organic material with a status no different from other body parts.

Fertilized human eggs are just parts of other peoples bodies until they have developed enough to survive independently. The only respect due to blastocysts is the respect that should be shown to other peoples property. If we destroy a blastocyst before implantation into the uterus we do not harm it because it has no beliefs, desires, expectations, aims or purposes to be harmed.

By taking embryonic stem cells out of an early embryo, we prevent the embryo from developing in its normal way. This means it is prevented from becoming what it was programmed to become a human being.

Different religions view the status of the early human embryo in different ways. For example, the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and conservative Protestant Churches believe the embryo has the status of a human from conception and no embryo research should be permitted. Judaism and Islam emphasize the importance of helping others and argue that the embryo does not have full human status before 40 days, so both these religions permit some research on embryos. Other religions take other positions. You can read more about this by downloading the extended version of this factsheet below.

Extended factsheet with a fuller discussion of the issues by Kristina Hug (pdf) EuroStemCell film "Conversations: ethics, science, stem cells" EuroStemCell factsheet on ethical issues relating to the sources of embyronic stem cells EuroStemCell factsheet on the science of embryonic stem cells EuroStemCell FAQ on human embryonic stem cells and their use in research EuroStemCell summaries of regulations on stem cell research in Europe Booklet for 16+ year olds about stem cells and ethics from the BBSRC Research paper on the ethics of embryonic stem cell research by Kristina Hug

This factsheet was created by Kristina Hug and reviewed by Gran Hermern.

Images courtesy of Wellcome Images: Egg and sperm by Spike Walker; Blastocyst on pin by Yorgos Nikas; Diabetes patient injecting insulin by the Wellcome library, London.

Other images from "Conversations : ethics, science, stem cells", a film by EuroStemCell.

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Sports Medicine Program – Rush University Medical Center

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

Sports and exercise are great ways to stay healthy, challenge yourself and have fun. So when an injury sidelines you, you want doctors with the expertise to get you back in the game as quickly as possible.

Youll find that expertise at Rush, home to the team physicians for the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls, DePaul University Blue Demons, U.S. soccer and rugby, Hubbard Street Dance Company, and many other teams, schools and organizations.

Sports medicine physicians at Rush diagnose and treat athletes of all ages from weekend warriors to pro athletes and have the know-how to treat even the most complex injuries. They strive to relieve your pain and restore function, whether you're suffering from a throwing injury, "jumper's knee," a stress fracture, a muscle strain or tear, or another problem.

These highly-skilled specialists have pioneered numerous treatments for sports injuries, including cartilage transplants and arthroscopic surgical approaches for ACL and rotator cuff repair. They also have extensive experience evaluating and treating failed knee and shoulder surgeries, and performing shoulder replacement.

Sports injuries can happen any time of day. And when it comes to orthopedic injuries, you don't want to spend hours sitting in the ER. Now, you can get prompt medical care for your injury at the Sports Injury Immediate Care Clinic at Rush, with two convenient locations: downtown and in Westchester.

Staffed by board certified sports medicine doctors, the clinics are open until 7 p.m. on weeknights and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays for immediate treatment including X-rays, bracing and casting or consultation.

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Sports Medicine Program - Rush University Medical Center

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Michigan: American Diabetes Association

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

Are applicants for a driver's license asked questions about diabetes?

The driver's license application (first-time and renewal) asks an applicant whether he or she has, within the past six months, had a physical or mental condition that affected his or her ability to drive and if, within the past six months, he or she has had a fainting spell, blackout, seizure, or episode of loss of consciousness. If an applicant answers yes to either of these questions, he or she is required to have a physician complete an examination and submit a medical evaluation form before he or she may be licensed. See generally Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.853(1), (3) (2013) (requiring statement of physical history before licensing if reason to believe physical disability affects safe driving).

What other ways does the state have to find out about people who may not be able to drive safely because of a medical condition?

The state accepts reports of potentially unsafe drivers from police officers, the courts, physicians, family members, friends, other citizens, and hospitals. The licensing agency does not accept anonymous reports and investigates the source of a report if the source's relationship to the driver is not clear. See Mich. Comp. Laws 257.309(1) (2013) (licensing agency may refuse to grant a license without an examination based on information of physical condition received from any source). A concerned third party may make a report by submitting a Request for Driver Evaluation (OC-88) form. This report must contain identifying information about the driver, as well as specific information to justify the reevaluation of his or her driving ability. See Mich. Dept. of State, "Request for Driver Evaluation," Form OC-88 (Rev. 09/11). Drivers also may be required to have medical evaluations if they have impairments which are observed by licensing agency personnel during the licensing process, Mich. Comp. Laws 257.309(1) (2013), if they have been involved in at-fault crashes involving a fatality, have accumulated significant numbers of accidents or points during a two-year period, or when driving privileges are to be restored following a revocation or suspension. See Mich. Comp. Laws 257.320(1)(a)-(e) (2013).

What is the process for medical evaluations of drivers?

When the licensing agency has reason to believe that a driver may be medically unqualified to operate a motor vehicle, either because the driver gave positive answers to medical questions on the license application or because of a report from one of the other sources listed above, it will require the driver to submit to a medical evaluation. Mich. Comp. Laws 257.320(1)(a) (2013); Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.853(1) (2013). When this happens, a medical evaluation form is sent to the individual, which must be completed, in part, by his or her physician. See Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.853(6)-(9) (2013) (setting forth standards for physician's statement). The Physician's Statement of Examination must be returned to the licensing agency, where it is evaluated and a licensing decision is made. See Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.853(1), (3) (2013).

The Physician's Statement of Examination (DI4P) asks the driver to indicate whether he or she has diabetes. See Mich. Dept. of State, "Physician's Statement of Examination," Form DI-4P (03/05/2013). It also asks about seizures, blackouts, or fainting. Id. The driver must explain any of the conditions listed. Further questions relate to the number of accidents or incidents of lost consciousness within the last five years, and current medications being taken. Id. The physician must indicate if they have concerns about the driver's ability to operate vehicle, and why. Id. A full section asks detailed questions about medical conditions, prescribed medicine, control of condition, and episodes of lost consciousness. Id. Finally, the physician must indicate whether restrictions or further evaluations should be conducted. Id.

The licensing agency may request additional medical information from the physician or order further tests before making a decision. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.853(9) (2013). Periodic follow-up medical evaluations may be required. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.853(10) (2013).

Are physicians required by law to report drivers who have medical conditions that could affect their ability to drive safely?

There is no statutory authority requiring physicians to report drivers with medical conditions that could affect their ability to drive safely to a central state agency. Physicians and optometrists may voluntarily report a patient's physical qualifications to safely operate a vehicle. Mich. Comp. Laws 333.5139(1) (2013).

Are physicians who report drivers with medical conditions immune from legal action by the patient?

Yes. Physicians and optometrists are immune from civil and criminal liability for making a report, so long as they are acting in good faith and exercising due care. Mich. Comp. Laws 333.5139(3) (2013). Conversely, a physician who voluntarily chooses not to make a report is also immune from any liability for any subsequent injuries caused by the unsafe driver. Mich. Comp. Laws 333.5139(1) (2013).

Who makes decisions about whether drivers are medically qualified?

Licensing decisions are made by staff in the licensing agency's medical unit after reviewing an individual's medical information and giving strong consideration to the opinion of his or her physician. Mich. Comp. Laws 257.320(2) (2013) (licensing agency has authority to restrict, suspend, or revoke license). The licensing agency may appoint health consultations, Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.852 (2013), and has created a Medical Advisory Board. An expert in endocrinology may be a health consultant. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.852(2)(n) (2013). The health consultants may advise the department concerning physical and mental standards for motor vehicle licensing. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.852(3) (2013). Upon request, the consultants may advise the department concerning an applicant's or licensee's physical or mental ability to drive motor vehicle. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.852(4) (2013). Nevertheless, the opinions of health consultants are advisory and the licensing agency retains ultimate authority over licensing decisions. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.852(5) (2013). For more information, see Michigan Secretary of State, "(Terri Lynn) Land Creates Medical Advisory Board." (describing creation of Medical Advisory Board).

What are the circumstances under which a driver may be required to undergo a medical evaluation?

A driver may be required to undergo a medical evaluation if the licensing agency has reason to believe that he or she has a physical or mental disability that affects his or her ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. Mich. Comp. Laws 257.320(1)(a) (2013); Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.853(3) (2013). These reasons may include observation by licensing agency staff. Mich. Comp. Laws 257.320(1) (2013). The licensing agency may also consider information from a Request for Driver Evaluation (OC-88) submitted by a physician or optometrist or any other concerned third party. Mich. Comp. Laws 257.320(3) (2013) (physician or optometrist report should be considered for examination). A driver may also be required to undergo a medical evaluation for driving violations: 1) if he or she has in one or more instances been involved in an accident resulting in the death of a person; 2) he or she, within a 24-month period, has been involved in three accidents resulting in personal injury or damage to the property of a person for moving violations; 3) he or she has charged against him or her a total of 12 or more points within a period of two years; or 4) he or she has been convicted of violating restrictions, terms, or conditions of his or her license. Mich. Comp. Laws 257.320(1)(b)-(e) (2013); see also Mich. Comp. Laws 257.320a (2013) (providing for point system for various driving violations).

Has the state adopted specific policies about whether people with diabetes are allowed to drive?

No. Michigan has adopted no specific medical guidelines related to diabetes, except for its guidelines related to episodes of loss of consciousness. However, the Physician Examination form specifically asks the driver whether he or she has diabetes. Mich. Dept. of State, "Physician's Statement of Examination," Form DI-4P (03/05/2013).

What is the state's policy about episodes of altered consciousness or loss of consciousness that may be due to diabetes?

If an applicant or a licensee experiences an "episode," his or her license will be denied or indefinitely suspended after reexamination. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.854(1) (2013). An episode is defined as any "condition which causes or contributes" to lapse of consciousness, blackout, seizure, fainting spells, syncope, or other impairments of the level of consciousness. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.851(1)(e)(i)-(ii) (2013). It also includes any condition which causes or contributes to "violent or aggressive action" related to driving a motor vehicle. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.851(1)(e)(iii) (2013). In order to regain his or her license, the driver must submit a Physician's Statement of Examination (DI-4P). Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.854(1) (2013). The physician must certify that the driver's condition is under control by medical or other treatment. All symptoms or conditions which would affect safe driving must have been controlled for at least 6 months. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.854(2)(a) (2013). The physician must certify that the individual has not experienced an episode of loss of consciousness within the previous 6 months. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.854(2)(b) (2013); see also Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.853(4)-(8) (2013) (specifying what information the Physician's Statement of Examination must contain). For chauffeurs and persons endorsed to operate trucks or buses, the requirements of the Physician's Statement of Examination are identical with the exception that the relevant episode-free period is 12 months. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.854(3)(a)-(b) (2013). The licensing agency may require that an individual submit periodic follow-up medical evaluations as a condition of licensure. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.853(10) (2013).

Does the state allow for waivers of this policy, e.g., a waiver for a one-time episode of severe hypoglycemia that has mitigating factors (e.g., recent change in medication, illness, etc.) or that has been addressed with a physician?

Yes. The 6-month or 12-month period may be reduced or eliminated based upon a departmental review of the specific recommendation of a qualified physician or any other information that may come to the licensing agency, including evidence that the episode of loss of consciousness resulted from medical intervention or medically supervised experimentation with prescribed medication, as well as the evaluation of other evidence. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.854(4) (2013). Additionally, the licensing agency maintains that any action taken on the basis of a physical or mental condition or disability will be reassessed upon receipt of new medical evidence and documentation that the condition or disability has changed or abated or no longer exists. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.853(11) (2013). All medical information submitted is reviewed by licensing agency personnel and at times in consultation with the Medical Advisory Board.

What is the process for appealing a decision of the state regarding a driver's license?

A driver may seek appeal to the licensing agency's administrative hearing officer or the circuit court. See Mich. Comp. Laws 257.322-.323 (2013); see also Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.856 (2013) (providing the right to appeal final decisions of the licensing agency). A request for an administrative hearing must be made in writing within 14 days of the denial or suspension of the license. Mich. Comp. Laws 257.322(2) (2013). To request a hearing, an individual may submit a Driver's License Appeals Hearing Request. At the hearing, an individual may present evidence and testimony, and before its commencement, the hearing officer may compel production of documents and transcripts of testimony. Mich. Comp. Laws 257.322(2)-(3) (2013). Following the hearing, the hearing officer may affirm, modify, or set aside the final determination of the licensing agency. Mich. Comp. Laws 257.322(5) (2013).

Alternately, an individual may request review of the licensing agency's decision in the circuit court of the county where the suspension or revocation was imposed or that of his or her residence by filing a petition within 63 daysor within 182 days with a showing of good cause. Mich. Comp. Laws 257.323(1) (2013). The court will set a date for a cause for hearing not more than 63 days after receipt of the petition for review. Mich. Comp. Laws 257.323(2) (2013). After presentation of evidence and testimony, the court will affirm, modify, or set aside the final determination of the licensing agency. Mich. Comp. Laws 257.323(3) (2013). The circuit court will not grant an individual restricted driving privileges, and it will set aside the licensing agency's final determination only if the petitioner's substantial rights have been prejudiced. Mich. Comp. Laws 257.323(4) (2013).

May an individual whose license is suspended or denied because of diabetes receive a probationary or restricted license?

Yes. The licensing agency may issue limited or restricted licenses or endorsements to individuals that have experienced episodes of loss of consciousness on a case-by-case basis. Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.854(4) (2013); see also Mich. Comp. Laws 257.312 (2013) (providing for restricted operator's and chauffeur's licenses); Mich. Admin. Code r. 257.3 (2013) (describing specific license restrictions).

Is an identification card available for non-drivers?

Yes, with proper identification and payment of a fee. Identification cards are issued at no charge to persons age 65 and over and to individuals whose licenses have been suspended due to medical reasons. See Mich. Dept. of State, "Driver's License or ID Requirements," Form SOS-428, (04/13). For more information, see Michigan Secretar of State, "Driver's License and State ID."

Resources

Driver licensing in Michigan is administered by the Department of State.

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Michigan: American Diabetes Association

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Diabetes – MidMichigan Health

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

Living with Diabetes

The Diabetes programs within MidMichigan Health help people with diabetes take control of their illness so they can live full and active lives here in the middle of Michigan.

Diabetes is a disease that prevents the body from correctly utilizing glucose the fuel that is made from the carbohydrates we eat. There are several types of diabetes:

Learn more about risk factors, symptoms and free screenings throughout the middle of Michigan

If you have diabetes, working with a team, including your physician, a diabetes nurse and a diabetes dietitian, will help you establish a plan for treatment.Learn more about the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes.

Diabetes is a risk factor for many other conditions and complications, including heart disease, eye problems, kidney disease, foot problems and depression. But there are many things you can do to manage your disease and prevent complications:

MidMichigan is committed to providing self-management tools to help you stay in control of your diabetes, including:

You may want to check with your insurance plan to see which programs and services are covered.

The diabetes education programs at MidMichigan Medical Centersin Clare,Gladwin, Midland, and MidMichigan Health ParkMt. Pleasant havebeenrecognized by the American Association of Diabetes Educatorsfor meeting national quality standards.These programs have also earned state certification by theMichigan Department of Community Health.

The diabetes instructors at the Diabetes Center of MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland arecertified diabetes educators (CDEs), which assures that they have met specific requirements of the National Certification Board of Diabetes Educators.

Diabetes services and programs are available in severallocations in central Michigan:

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Diabetes - MidMichigan Health

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Journal of Advanced Sciences Applied Engineering

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

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Journal of Advanced Sciences Applied Engineering

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Semi-solid state fermentation of bagasse for hydrogen …

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

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Semi-solid state fermentation of bagasse for hydrogen ...

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IMS ALGERIE | Industrie Mdical Service

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

- Industry Medical Service, is a company with capital of 20,000,000.00 DA, dedicated to the customer, as engineering teams, commercial, administrative and put at your service: competence, dynamism and creativity, Industrial Medical Service make of this development and deploys a technical and commercial potential to meet market needs in laboratory equipment and specific applications in the field of biology, basic research in molecular chemistry, immunology and biotechnology.

- Through its innovation and expertise, IMS, is positioned as an essential partner in the laboratory, close and listening to its customers IMS,aims for to promote harmonious development of material science and medicine in Algeria; in commercializing reliable equipment and maintaining controls, monitoring the after sales services to maintain a quality of service reputation.

- The technical equipment of IMS, with its ability to meet user needs in: research, development, installation, technical support, training, customer service, maintenance and spare part supply, allow taking into account the needs the most diverse and more specific in order to fully meet expectation while maintaining quality services.

- With this experience IMShas increased its contacts to optimize all uses in the fields of laboratory, biology, hospitals, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, petrochemicals, food processing, industry, bio henology and research. IMShas major operations as a partnership stake in cooperation with domestic and foreign firms.

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IMS ALGERIE | Industrie Mdical Service

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Ontario Veterinary College | University of Guelph

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

The donation from the Angel Gabriel Foundation will go to support OVC Pet Trusts Friends Together for Longer fundraising campaign, which launched late last year. Specifically, it will help create a sophisticated anesthesia and pain management unit within OVCs Health Sciences Centre......

Dr. Brian Derbyshire, University of Guelph professor Emeritus passed away Friday July 16 th in hospice in Burlington, with Ishbel by his side.Dr. Derbyshire was a long standing and cherished member of the OVC community. Born in Manchester, England, Brian received his MRCVS from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, BSC and PhD from the University of London. He joined the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph in 1971......

Going to the vet is often a stressful experience for pets and their owners, but there are techniques vets can use to help calm nervous animals, says Prof. Lee Niel, Col. K.L. Campbell Chair in Companion Animal Welfare in the Department of Population Medicine at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC). Niels research studies the efficacy of these techniques. Im really interested in pain and distress in animals, so this is a perfect fit in terms of understanding at the veterinary clinic level how what we do with the animals influences their welfare.....

Cancer treatment in people could be transformed thanks to a study on treating cancer in animals led by researchers from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) at the University of Guelph.

Their findings, in mice and companion animals such as cats, published in theJournal of Immunology, are already leading to clinical trials to treat people with various forms of cancer.....

Jul 21Pets, Owners to Benefit from $1.5-Million Gift for OVC Companion Animal Care

Jul 20OVC Professor Emeritus, Dr. Brian Derbyshire dies

Jul 18OVC Researchers investigate how 'Vets Can Help Pets Stress Less'

Jul 14OVC Cancer Breakthrough Leads to Human Clinical Trials

Jul 13Professional development opportunity enhances interpersonal skills

Jul 12Thinkathon Targets Future of Animal Health Care

Jul 11Cats may soon benefit from New Undergraduate Research at OVC

Jul 8Thinkathon Targets Future of Animal Health Care

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Ontario Veterinary College | University of Guelph

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Biology News Net – Latest Biology Articles, News & Current …

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

This is an illustration of SRM peaks and a human face. Reporting in the journal Cell, Senior Research Scientist Dr. Ulrike Kusebauch, of Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), describes the results of a collaboration between scientists at ISB, ETH Zurich and a number of other contributing institutes to develop the Human SRMAtlas, a compendium of proteomic assays for any human protein. The Human SRMAtlas is a compendium of highly specific mass spectrometry assays for the targeted identification and reproducible quantification of any protein in the predicted human proteome, including assays for many spliced variants, non-synonymous mutations and post-translational modifications. Using the technique called selected reaction monitoring, assays were developed with the use of 166,174 well-characterized, chemically synthesized proteotypic peptides. The SRMAtlas resource is freely publicly available at http://www.srmatlas.org and will equally benefit focused, hypothesis-driven and large proteome-scale studies. We expect this resource will significantly advance protein-based experimental biology to understand disease transitions and wellness trajectories because any human protein can now, in principle, be identified and quantified in any sample.

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Biology News Net - Latest Biology Articles, News & Current ...

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Whats the harm? Stem cell tourism edition Science-Based …

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

Posted by David Gorski on June 27, 2016

Whats the harm? Stroke victim Jim Gass went from requiring a cane and leg brace to walk to being confined to a wheelchair, thanks to dubious stem cell treatments. Theres the harm.

Its been over two weeks now since hockey legend Gordie Howe died at the age of 88. Detroit, as Ive pointed out elsewhere, is a serious hockey town, as hockey-crazy as any town in Canada (just look at the fancy new hockey arena named after crappy pizza being built downtown only a mile from where I work), and it worshiped Gordie Howe for as long as I can remember growing up here.

The reason I mentioned this is because in late 2014, Howe suffered a series of debilitating strokes that brought him close to death. He survived, but with major neurologic deficits. As a result of Gordie Howes fame, representatives of a company known as Stemedica who were also fans of Gordie Howe and whose company is developing stem cell treatments for a variety of illnesses, approached the family and persuaded them to take Gordie Howe to the Novastem Clinic in Tijuana, a clinic that to me appeared to exist mainly as a means for patients not eligible for Stemedicas clinical trials in the US to receive Stemedicas stem cells outside of a clinical trial, cash on the barrelhead, no questions asked. In a rather ethically dubious move that could only be viewed as paying for publicity (which it got in abundance), Stemedica administered its stem cells to Gordie Howe for free. If youre not Gordie Howe, however, itll cost you about $32,000.

As is the case for most anecdotes like this, Gordie Howe did improve. That is not surprising, because, as Steve Novella, who is a neurologist and thus takes care of stroke patients as part of his practice, told me at the time, the natural history of stroke is neurologic recovery that eventually plateaus several months after the stroke. This occurs as the inflammation from the initial stroke abates and as much regeneration as the body can muster occurs. Also, as I noted before, Howe had a hemorrhagic stroke, which is more dangerous and likely to kill early but, if the victim survives, he is more likely to experience better functional recovery than in the case of the much more common ischemic stroke, in which a blood clot clogs a blood vessel, resulting in the death of brain tissue supplied by that vessel. In any case, as I described in a three part series of posts (part one, part two, part three), its impossible to know whether the stem cell infusion that Howe underwent had anything whatsoever with his partial recovery that allowed him to make a few public appearances in 2015 and 2016.

Unfortunately, the offer by Dr. Maynard Howe (CEO) and Dave McGuigan (VP) of Stemedica Cell Technologies to treat Gordie Howe at Novastem worked brilliantly. Gordie Howe quickly became the poster child for dubious stem cell therapies. Local and national news aired credulous, feel-good human interest stories about his seemingly miraculous recovery, while Keith Olbermann practically served as a pitch man for Stemedica and didnt take kindly at all to any criticism of hisshall we say?enthusiastic coverage. The predominant angle taken in stories about Gordie Howe was he had undergone Stemedicas stem cell therapy and, as result, enjoyed a miraculous recovery from his stroke. The vast majority of news coverage also tended to present the magic of stem cell therapies credulously, as all benefit and no risk, as a qualitative analysis published last year clearly showed, finding that the efficacy of stem cell treatments is often assumed in news coverage and readers comments and that media coverage that presents uncritical perspectives on unproven stem cell therapies may create patient expectations, may have an affect [sic] on policy discussions, and help to feed the marketing of unproven therapies.

No kidding.

Why, you might ask, am I reminding you of Gordie Howes use of stem cells to treat his strokes? Simple, it became part of a marketing blitz, credulously swallowed whole by Keith Olbermann and many reporters, for unproven stem cell therapies, which have been portrayed as very promising (which is likely true, although that promise hasnt yet been proven or realized) and harmless, which is definitely not true, as evidenced by the story of Jim Gass, as published last week in The New England Journal of Medicine, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and a variety of other media. Before I discuss Mr. Gass in more detail, however, lets recap a bit about stem cells.

Stem cells are, as I have discussed before, moving from cutting edge science to applied science. The problem, of course, is that with few exceptions they have not yet been translated into safe and effective treatments. Enter the quacks, who make magical claims for stem cells every bit as implausible as any claim made for reiki or homeopathy.

There are two types of stem cells, embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. The first (and potentially most useful for the widest variety of conditions) are pluripotent, which means that, given the right signals, they are able to differentiate into all derivatives of the three primary germ layers in the embryo: ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm. In other words, they are able to become virtually any kind of cell. You can easily see why embryonic stem cells are attractive as a treatment: In theory, they could be used to replace or repair any organ or tissue, if only they can be targeted to where they are needed and the correct signals are deduced to induce them to differentiate into the needed cell type(s). Unfortunately, these are enormous challenges. Thats even ignoring the religious objections to the use of these cells, whose isolation requires the destruction of embryos.

The second kind of stem cell is known as adult stem cells. Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells that remain in children and adults and can proliferate to replenish dying cells and regenerate damaged tissues. They are also known as somatic stem cells. Their defining properties include, as for embryonic stem cells, self-renewal (the ability to divide indefinitely while remaining undifferentiated) and multipotency, the ability to differentiate into several, but not all, cell types. In contrast to embryonic stem cells, though, adult stem cells are limited in the types of cells into which they can regenerate. For example, there are hematopoietic stem cells, which can give rise to all the types of blood cells: red blood cells, B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, natural killer cells, neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils, monocytes, and macrophages; mesenchymal stem cells, which can give rise to a variety of cell types: bone cells (osteoblasts and osteocytes), cartilage cells (chondrocytes), fat cells (adipocytes), and stromal cells that support blood formation; and neural stem cells, which are found in the brain and can produce the brains three major cell types: nerve cells (neurons) and two categories of non-neuronal cellsastrocytes and oligodendrocytes.

Finally, there is a cell type known as an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC), which are adult stem cells that have been genetically manipulated to express genes and factors important for maintaining the defining properties of embryonic stem cells, but it is not yet known whether these cells can be used as embryonic stem cells and their uses now, for the most part, consist of in vitro studies and show potential usefulness in transplantation medicine. One problem with iPSCs is that viral vectors are needed to introduce the genes that dedifferentiate the adult stem cells, making their use in humans as yet problematic.

When it comes to translating what we know thus far about the basic science of stem cells, here remain many problems to be overcome, such as how to target the cells, how to induce them to differentiate properly, and how to prevent them from becoming cancers, this last problem being the crux of the story of Jim Gass. Thus far, in general, most attempted clinical uses of stem cells involve the isolation of these cells from either the bone marrow or blood (or sometimes from adipose tissue). My basic opinion is that, outside of hematopoietic malignancies, for which bone marrow ablation and stem cell transplantation have been a standard of care for many years, most adult stem cell applications are not ready for prime time yet and should not be administered outside of the context of an IRB-approved clinical trial (not dubious clinical trials in Mexico, where, as I discussed in the context of the story of Gordie Howe, the standards are so lax).

The NYT story about Jim Gass is entitled A Cautionary Tale of Stem Cell Tourism, and you can see why from the very first passage:

The surgeon gasped when he opened up his patient and saw what was in his spine. It was a huge mass, filling the entire part of the mans lower spinal column.

The entire thing was filled with bloody tissue, and as I started to take pieces, it started to bleed, said Dr. John Chi, the director of Neurosurgical Spine Cancer at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston. It was stuck to everything around it.

He added, I had never seen anything like it.

Tests showed that the mass was made up of abnormal, primitive cells and that it was growing very aggressively. Then came the real shocker: The cells did not come from Jim Gass. They were someone elses cells.

Mr. Gass, it turned out, had had stem cell therapy at clinics in Mexico, China and Argentina, paying tens of thousands of dollars each time for injections in a desperate attempt to recover from a stroke he had in 2009. The total cost with travel was close to $300,000.

Like Gordie Howe, Mr. Gass, a former chief legal counsel for Sylvania who lives in San Diego, was a stroke victim. As described in the article, Gass problems began on May 10, 2009, when he woke with a terrible headache. He fell to the floor, unable to move. Two years after his stroke, he was able to walk with a leg brace and a cane, as his left arm was useless, and his left leg was weak. He was also a perfect mark for the stem cell clinics: Desperate enough to try almost anything and wealthy enough to be able to afford to spend $300,000 over several years chasing a cure. And where did he turn first?

Uh-oh:

I began doing research on the internet, Mr. Gass said. He was particularly struck by the tale of the former football star and professional golfer John Brodie who had a stroke, received stem cell therapy in Russia and returned to playing golf again.

So Mr. Gass contacted a company, Stemedica, that had been involved with the clinic, and learned about a program in Kazakhstan. When Mr. Gass balked at going there, the Russian clinic referred him to a clinic in Mexico. That was the start of his odyssey.

The program in Kazakhstan to which Mr. Gass was referred by Stemedica appears to have been Altaco XXI, which is the distributor for Stemedica products there. Now, you might be suspicious of a stem cell therapy that is administered in Kazakhstan, and you would have reason to be. On its website, Stemedica includes a slide show about Kazakhstan that presents it as very modern, particularly Astana, where one finds the National Research Medical Center (NRMC), which Stemedica advertises on its YouTube channel with a promotional video:

Of course, I dont know for sure that Mr. Gass was referred to the National Research Medical Center in Astana. Oddly enough, none of the stories about him that I read specifically name any of the clinics where he was referred or treated, other than to state that they were in Kazakhstan, Mexico, China, and Argentina, something I find very frustrating, as I wanted to check out their websites and see what sorts of claims they were making. In fact, in a local story revisiting Gordie Howes case in light of Mr. Gass complication, its explicitly noted that the story has been updated to remove a reference to where Jim Gass was treated. Very odd indeed. One wonders if there were legal threats. I only inferred that it was likely that Stemedica referred Gass to the NRMC in Astana based on its relationship and its featuring an NRMC video on its YouTube page. Its quite possible, albeit from what I can tell unlikely, that it was somewhere else.

Wherever Mr. Gass was referred first, wherever he ended up being treated, this all sounds very familiar, as its similar to what Stemedica did with Gordie Howe: If the patients not eligible for one of its US clinical trials, refer the patient to an international location to receive its product. In Howes case, it was to Clinica Santa Clarita, a Tijuana clinic that uses Stemedica products through a Mexican company called Novastem. In Mr. Gass case, it was (very likely) the National Research Medical Center in Kazakhstan. Mr. Gass didnt want to go to Kazakhstan, however; so the NRMC referred him to a clinic in Mexico, and Mr. Gasss odyssey began, ultimately encompassing three different countries. I dont know whether or not it was Clinica Santa Clarita, the same clinic that treated Gordie Howe, where Gass was treated. I perused a bunch of news stories about him and couldnt find the name of any of the actual clinics where Mr. Gass was treated listed anywhere (which, again, I found very odd). In a way, I suppose it doesnt matter, although, given my blogging about Gordie Howe, I couldnt help but note the Stemedica connection to Mr. Gass story.

What is, unfortunately, not surprising is that Mr. Gass was snared the same way so many patients are snared, as the NYT described. Also, he didnt listen to his doctors or his sister-in-law:

Mr. Gasss doctors and his sister-in-law, Ruth Gass, tried to dissuade him. Ms. Gass called the clinics and demanded evidence that their treatments worked.

Some of the clinics hung up, saying they would not talk to a terrified relative, she said. Websites often had data but it did not hold up to basic analysis, Ms. Gass said, and when the data was published, it appeared in vanity journals. Other clinics simply told her, People get dramatically better.

She raged against the clinics, telling them: You ought to be ashamed for charging $40,000 a shot. You prey on people like my brother-in-law who is desperate for help.

Then came her kicker: I said, If what you are saying is true, you should get the Nobel Prize. If not, you ought to go to hell. Shame on you.

But Mr. Gass was undeterred. He was willing to spend his money and go anywhere. What did he have to lose? The worst that could happen, he thought, is that he would have no improvement.

Unfortunately, Mr. Gass was very much mistaken, even though the efforts of his sister-in-law went much further than the efforts of most concerned relatives go to find out the truth and dissuade their loved one from an unwise course of action came to naught.

So what happened? Lets take a look at the NEJM letter.

The news coverage Mr. Gass received was important because it revealed that he was the patient described in a letter to the NEJM. The authors, Dr. Aaron Berkowitz et al from Brigham and Womens Hospital, note that the patient was not taking any immunosuppressive drugs, an important point because it means that there was no reason to suspect that he was immunosuppressed and therefore more susceptible to tumor formation. They also note that the clinics described what they injected as a combination of mesenchymal, embryonic, and fetal neural stem cells. The timing isnt well described in the letter, but I found out from other sources that after his last injection in Mexico in September 2014, Mr. Gass developed progressive lower back pain, paraplegia, and urinary incontinence, which lead to an MRI that showed a lesion of the thoracic spinal cord and thecal sac. Berkowitz et al described the lesion thusly:

Neuropathological analysis revealed a densely cellular, highly proliferative, primitive neoplasm with glial differentiation. Short tandem repeat DNA fingerprinting analysis indicated that the mass was predominantly composed of nonhost cells (see the Supplementary Appendix, available with the full text of this letter at NEJM.org). On the basis of histopathological and molecular studies, this glioproliferative lesion appeared to have originated from the intrathecally introduced exogenous stem cells. The lesion had some features that overlapped with malignant gliomas (nuclear atypia, a high proliferation index, glial differentiation, and vascular proliferation) but did not show other features typical of cancer (no cancer-associated genetic aberrations were detected on next-generation sequencing of 309 cancer-associated genes [see the Supplementary Appendix]). Thus, although the lesion may be a considered a neoplasm (i.e., a new growth), it could not be assigned to any category of previously described human neoplasm on the basis of the data we gathered.

So this mass consisted of non-host cells (i.e., not Mr. Gass cells) and was unlike any category of human neoplasm ever described. Given that this tumor, whatever it was, grew very close to where the stem cells (or whatever the various clinics injected) had been injected into the spinal canal, and was largely made up of non-host cells, its hard not to come to any other conclusion other than that this tumor was a result of the stem cell injections. Its not the first case described either. As Berkowitz et al note, there have been reports of proliferative tumors as a result of stem cell therapy published in the literature before, one a brain tumor.

That tumor formation can be a complication of stem cell therapies should not be in the least bit surprising. The cells are at the very least, multipotent, and, if embryonic, pluripotent. As such, they share many characteristics with tumor cells, not the least of which is being immortal (capable of dividing indefinitely) and being able to invade normal tissue. Indeed, this is the very complication that legitimate stem cell researchers do what they can to prevent, and the authors of the NEJM letter note that legitimate stem cell researchers have attempted to reduce the risk of stem-cellrelated tumors in clinical trials by means of the measured administration of pluripotent stem cells or by differentiating stem cells in vitro into postmitotic phenotypes before administration, something that these stem cell tourism clinics are not exactly what Id call vigilant about doing.

There are few areas of biomedical research that have been the subject of such intense press coverage and hype as stem cell therapies. Its not hard to see why stem cells have so captured the imagination of people all over the developed world. In theory, stem cells show extraordinary promise, with the potential to produce game-changing treatments for a wide array of injuries and ailments through their ability, if we can just find out how to activate it, to repair and replace damaged and malfunctioning tissues and organs. Theyre also controversial, especially embryonic stem cells, which run afoul of religious beliefs to the point where conducting such research in the US is difficult. Indeed, Tim Caulfield and Amy McGuire have referred to stem cells as nothing short of a pop culture phenomenon, promoted in particular by the examples of famous athletes using stem cell therapies for a variety of ailments:

Over the past few years, a new dimension of science hype has emerged: the well-publicized use of stem cell therapies by high-profile athletes. Starting with the 2011 story of New York Yankee pitcher Bartolo Colon receiving cell therapy for a chronic shoulder injury and gaining momentum with the announcement of Peyton Mannings neck treatment in Germany, stories of athletes using stem cell treatments as a recovery aid have become common.

Gordie Howe was another example, although he didnt seek out stem cell treatments for a sports-related injury but rather for a far more serious condition. He was aided and abetted by executives at Stemedica, who, through their admiration for Gordie Howe and very likely a keen eye for ways to garner publicity, invited Howes family to receive their stem cell treatment free of charge. While one cant blame a patient with a serious, currently untreatable condition like a stroke, such as Gordie Howe or Jim Gass, for being desperate enough to try anything, one can blame the companies that make claims not backed by science.

Caulfield and McGuire go on to say:

As noted by numerous scholars, only a few stem cell therapies are currently supported by good scientific data. However, despite this clinical reality, unproven stem cell therapies are being marketed to patients throughout the world. The clinics that offer these services often operate outside of ethical or regulatory oversight and exploit individuals at their most vulnerable by offering unproven treatments for incurable and debilitating diseases.

Ask yourself this: Why are so many of these clinics located in countries like Kazakhstan, China, Mexico, and Argentina? Its not because the scientific facilities are so much more advanced there. Its because regulatory oversight protecting patients is lax to nonexistent. For instance, as I discussed in the context of Gordie Howes case, in Mexico Novastem and its Clinica Santa Clarita, which is where stem cells are administered, are federally licensed to use stem cells as the doctor sees fit. Thus, any clinic that is federally licensed can administer stem cells however its doctors wish, regardless of whether they are qualified to administer such treatments or not. As I said at the time, learning this actually opened my eyes greatly as to how a weak regulatory environment in Mexico allows all sorts of dubious stem cell clinics to thrive there. No doubt the same is true in Kazakhstan and other countries with clinics favored by stem cell tourists. Thats not to say that there arent for-profit stem cell clinics in the US. There are, thanks to some loopholes in FDA regulations.

You might wonder how athletes are similar to more desperate patients like Jim Gass. Caulfield and McGuire note:

It is well known that professional athletes will do almost anything to keep a competitive edge or speed recovery from an injury. These characteristics make them an ideal market (and, one could argue, a vulnerable market) for unproven treatments such as those promoted by stem cell clinics throughout the world.

Just as professional athletes will do almost anything to maintain a competitive edge or to recover from injury faster, patients with serious medical conditions for which conventional medicine offers little, such as chronic neurologic deficits secondary to stroke or injury (patients with spinal cord injuries are common recipients of dubious stem cell therapies), feel an even more intense form of the same desperation. The difference is that professional athletes are celebrities, and their testimonials have the power to influence such desperate patients to try unproven stem cell therapies. Indeed, it was the story of pro quarterback John Brodies recovery from stroke that most influenced Mr. Gass to contact Stemedica, whose cells had been used to treat Brodie. The press, particularly the sports press (as exemplified by Keith Olbermanns credulity about Gordie Howes story), love human interest stories of people surmounting all odds to triumph. With few exceptions, they tend not to look too skeptically at the claims being made for stem cell therapies because that would harsh the buzz of a great human interest story. Indeed, I caught a fair amount of flak for just that when I wrote about Gordie Howe.

Advocates of such therapies often ask, Whats the harm? After all, Mr. Gass had a useless arm, a weak leg, and was willing to try anything. Well, hows he doing now? Hes paralyzed from the neck down, except for his right arm, incontinent, and experiencing severe back pain. Worse, as the NYT story notes, his doctors do not know how to stop his tumor from growing:

But now that the doctors knew what the mass was, they were left with another problem: How could they stop it from growing? If it had been an infection, they could have used antibiotics. If it had been cancer, they could have used drugs to target it. This mass, though, was unique.

They decided to try radiation. It seemed to slow the masss growth a bit, maybe even shrink it. But recently, Mr. Gass has had another scan in San Diego, and doctors told him that the mass was growing again.

Asked what he would like others to learn from his experience, Mr. Gass said, Dont trust anecdotes.

His sister-in-law had a different reply: If something sounds too good to be true, it is.

Indeed. Unfortunately, descriptions of stem cells that are too good to be true are the primary means by which dubious stem cell clinics advertise their treatmentsthat, and testimonials from famous athletes like Gordie Howe and John Brodie. The harm consists of patients paying tensor even hundredsof thousands of dollars for unproven treatments unlikely to benefit them, patients like Mr. Gass, and interference with legitimate scientific research and clinical trials to determine if stem cell therapies can work and what theyre useful for.

Unfortunately, when it comes to stem cell clinics and the companies that supply them, all too often its money first, science later if at all.

Tags: Astana, Clnica Santa Clarita, Dave McGuigan, Gordie Howe, Jim Gass, Kazakhstan, Keith Olbermann, Maynard Howe, National Research Medical Center, Novastem, stem cells, Stemedica Cell Technologies

Posted in: Clinical Trials, Ethics, Health Fraud, Science and the Media

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Sports Medicine – University of Rochester Medical Center

Thursday, August 4th, 2016

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