StemCell Therapy

Banking Teeth for Stem Cell Therapy

Banking baby teeth or wisdom teetha practice thats been around for about 10 yearsis becoming more widely accepted in developed areas of the world, according to researchers. It involves cryopreserving teethand the dental stem cells they containfor potential stem cell therapy in the future.

Most research surrounding dental stem cells and tooth banking is still in the experimental stage and, at this time, scientists disagree about whether its worthwhileunlike cord blood banking, which has proven benefits for stem cell therapy. Some research suggests preserved dental stem cells could one day be used to regenerate healthy tissue and help fight complex diseases. But many experts remain less convinced of the potential benefits, as so much of the research is preliminary.

So far, the research has centered around dentinthe innermost hard layer of the tooth, below the enameland soft tissue beneath the dentin called pulp. The pulp contains the tooths nerve and blood supplies. In studying how teeth repair themselvesfrom a cavity, for exampleresearchers discovered that teeth contain stem cells. More studies are needed to determine if these dental stem cells can be harvested, preserved, stored, and someday used for stem cell therapy.

Image Credit: iStock

Sourced from: CNN

A new study suggests that cardiovascular decompensationa life-threatening drop in blood pressure caused by serious injuries involving significant blood lossmay be treated temporarily at the scene or during transport to the hospital simply by applying a bag of ice water to the injured persons face. Decompensation, which remains a dangerous complication even after bleeding has stopped, reduces the delivery of oxygen to the brain, heart, and other vital organs.

For the study, ten healthy volunteers were placed in a special chamber that simulates blood circulation after a person has lost one-half to one liter of blood and a tourniquet has been applied to stop the bleeding. Researchers applied bags of ice water or bags of room-temperature water to the study participants faces for 15 minutes while they continuously monitored cardiovascular function. They discovered that participants treated with bags of ice water experienced significant increases in blood pressure, suggesting that applying ice water can improve cardiovascular function after blood loss and prevent a dangerous drop in blood pressure.

Researchers expect to begin clinical trials soon. The hope is that this simple technique can be used by first responders or medics in the field of combat to improve survival rates after injuries involving blood loss by providing extra time for transport to a hospital or other medical facility.

Image Credit: iStock

Sourced from: ScienceDaily

Cooking dinner at homerather than eating outis a good way to eat healthier and save money, according to researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Washington. Historically, people with a higher socioeconomic status are generally healthier than those with lower incomes, but this study suggests otherwiseIF more money means dining out more often and less money means eating at home.

The study involved about 400 adults in the Seattle-area. Study participants were surveyed about their cooking and eating behaviors for one week and provided various socioeconomic information. Their weekly food intake was graded using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)a scale that ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating a healthier diet.

According to researchers, cooking at home three times per week produced an average score of about 67 on the Healthy Eating Index, and cooking at home six times per week resulted in an average score of 74. Results of the study suggest that home-cooked dinners are associated with a diet lower in calories, sugar and fat, overall than dining out regularly.

Image Credit: iStock

Sourced from: Oregon State University

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Banking Teeth for Stem Cell Therapy - HealthCentral.com

COLUMBIA Verna Laboy's paternal grandmother lost both legs to diabetes complications. Very recently, one of her cousins lost a leg also to diabetes. Yet another cousin is on dialysis, a complication of the same disease.

"This is personal for me," she says.

She doesn't pretend to be an expert that's not where the passion comes from. She, herself, was "on the fast track" to diabetes and has found it hard to stick with an exercise or diet.

All of that has made Laboy a passionate force behind Live Well By Faith, a wellness program launched one year ago through the Columbia/Boone County Health and Human Services Department for black churches in Boone County.

Data from a county-wide survey in 2013 showed that of the 9,300 people living with diabetes in Boone County, black people were four times more likely to die from complications related to the disease than their white counterparts. Nationally, black women are just under two times more likely than white women to die from diabetes complications, while black men are about one and a half times more likely than white men to die from diabetes complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Type 2 diabetes the more common form of the chronic disease occurs when the level of blood glucose (sugar) in a person's body is higher than normal because insulin ceases to be produced properly, according to theAmerican Diabetes Association. As a result, the body's cells are starved for energy and the eyes, kidneys, nerves and heart can be effected. Factors associated with diabetes include obesity, a family history of the disease and race and ethnicity.

Verna Laboy saves leftover food April 2 after the Live Well By Faith cooking class. Laboy runs the Live Well By Faith wellness program through St. Luke United Methodist Church in Columbia, which aims to address health disparities in minority communities through church programs.

Laboy, a self-proclaimed "health evangelist" and community activist, has been working with black churchgoers since April 2016 to educate people about the consequences of unhealthy lifestyles, to encourage healthy eating and to provide programsfor long-term success in health management.

"Food is important to this culture, and it's cooked the wrong way. It's a lethal digestion," Laboy said. "It's an addiction that needs to be addressed, a very unhealthy addiction. We need to increase our health literacy."

Laboy uses the word "bulldozer" to describe how she's paving the way towards bringing down the rates of diabetes and heart disease among blacks in Boone County.

"I don't have a health background. I'm not a personal trainer. I'm not a nutritionist," she said.

Her own struggle to change her lifestyle has been a source of insight.

"But I've been on this journey for years, unable to stay consistent," she said.

She and other "health ministers" at the Live Well By Faith-accredited churches are "looking for people that are dealing with the challenges themselves to adopt (healthy) behaviors and see the changes and take people on the journey with them," she said.

Laboy enthusiastically and passionately evangelizes on a healthy lifestyle.

"Verna's not doing the work," she said, slipping into third person, as she often does. "You have to do the work. This is your church. This is your congregation. This is your family. This is your life."

Diabetes can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, amputations and death if not managed well, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Lifestyle factors and genetics are the primary influences of type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in 2012. Type 2 diabetes involves insulin resistance and declining insulin production and components of the disease include physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyle, cigarette smoking and a generous consumption of alcohol.

Maintaining a healthy diet for the prevention or treatment of diabetes combined with physical activity is associated with lowered risks of diabetes, according toa study published by the Journal of Education and Health Promotion. Eating smaller serving sizes and cutting calories improves insulin sensitivity, and regular physical activity helps with weight loss and may also decrease blood pressure.

Increasinghealth literacy entails learning about what types of foods are recommended for healthful living, what types of food to avoid and fitness.Focusing meal planning around nutrient dense foods such as vegetables, beans, whole grains, fruit, non-fat dairy, fish and lean meats is one way to decrease the risk of diabetes, according to theAmerican Diabetes Association.

But the church is an especially important institution for many black Americans.

From left, Frances Logan, Shae Brown and Mary B. Warren wash their hands during the Live Well By Faith cooking class April 2 in Columbia. Each attendee washed their hands for 20 seconds, which was a technique they reviewed at the start of the workshop.

Annabelle Simmons, a health minister at St. Luke United Methodist Church, joined the Live Well By Faith team . After she took a healthy lifestyle class through the program, she said her eyes were opened about health.

But she wasn't sure exactly which of the possible Life Well by Faith courses she would teach.

There it was: "Cooking Matters." She thought to herself, "I know how to cook," but had to become certified to teach it. That entailed learning about how to hold a knife properly, how to slice correctly, among other kitchen skills.

The healthy cooking and eating topics changed her habits: learning how to read food labels, how much food is in a serving, the calorie count, the protein count, etc. "And now, every time I go shopping, I'm looking at the labels, so I know it works," she said.

The class also teaches people how to cook healthy food on a budget, Laboy said: "They can see how cheap they can cook good food, healthy food."

In addition to what she learned in "Cooking Matters," Simmons also learned how to take a blood pressure reading, which she does on Sundays free if church members ask her to do so. The health ministers at St. Luke also signed off on a water policy, requiring that water be offered with every meal offered at a church event.

"People were going, 'But I want punch, I want coffee,'" Simmons said.

A "no fried foods" policy is also in place.

And yet, people still gather around the table.

"We get to fellowship with one another around food, preparing the food together," Simmons said.

Dee Campbell-Carter, a lifestyle coach for the health ministry at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, said the church will start a "Cooking Matters" class later this year. The health ministry at Friendship Baptist offers blood pressure checks every second and fourth Sunday before and after service lets out as well as "SweatSuit Sundays," when the congregation stops in the middle of service to do high- and low-impact exercises to gospel music.

"The thing we're doing is building a faith community that's cross-pollinating," Laboy said. This means that if a class is offered at one church, all the other churches are invited to send participants.

Dee Campbell-Carter, left, and Dorothy Slaughter tend to a garden plot April 17 at Friendship Baptist's community garden. Campbell-Carter is in charge of the garden, which came to fruition in January.

As the sun set last week, Campell-Carter strolled between garden plots behind Friendship Missionary Baptist filled with budding greens, tomatoes and peppers while bees hovered over dandelion-covered grass. Campbell-Carter and community member Dorothy Slaughter tilled the soil, pulling weeds and watering mustard and collard greens and kale.

The garden is called "Friendship Gardens," and the food harvested in the plots will be used in the "Cooking Matters" class when it begins.

Half-built garden beds lay ready for the next stage: being raised on stilts for planting. They will be waist high to accommodate children or those who are wheelchair bound, Cambell-Carter said.

The garden is a placewhere church memberscan grow healthy produce to take home and cook.

Cambell-Carter described Slaughter as the go-to gardener. She taught the community how to dig weeds out from their root with a simple tools like a plastic knife, and that coffee grounds are a good fertilizer and deterrent for some pests.

Calvin Miles, another member of Friendship Baptist Church, is the handy man on site. He put the finishing touches on the community garden sign his son painted that will stand over their "harvest trailer." He also built the raised flats for youth or those with disabilities.

Healthy food fits with his spiritual life, Miles said: "Body, mind and spirit. They all come together."

Calvin Miles paints Friendship Missionary Baptist's Friendship Garden sign on April 17. Miles' son painted the majority of the sign, while Miles added the finishing touches.

"When I see things like (Friendship Gardens) take offit's just everything," Laboy said.

But not every health ministry takes root as easily nor does every program.

Paula Williams chaired the board for the Boone County Minority Health Network until it disbanded last year. The network began in 2005 with the purpose of addressing health disparities. It ultimately died due to lack of funding.

"There was no full-time, dedicated staff to keep up with the grant writing," Williams said.

Live Well By Faith is on a two-year grant from the Boone County Commission, and Laboy is optimistic about getting it renewed. "I'm letting anyone out there that's doing this kind of work know that Verna is available to take this to the next level," she said.

There's one year left on the grant. Then, the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services will re-apply. "We are just getting started," Laboy said.

She recognizes that it takes time to change a culture.

"We have to make different choices," she said. "We're living longer. Do you want to live in a nursing home? Do you want illness to take you out in such a way where someone who doesn't want to take care of you is forced to take care of you? It's a tough conversation to have, but someone has to put it out there."

Churches around Boone County are having that conversation. Laboy hopes "Cooking Matters" will be offered in 15 African-American churches in the upcoming year. Urban Empowerment Ministries has a Weight Watchers program with 22 members representing five different church communities.

Five other churches are interested in the upcoming "Eat Healthy, Be Active" program, Laboy said. She and six trained lifestyle coaches from those health ministries will be meeting to talk about bringing the curriculum to those five churches. The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services has a "Shazzy Fitness" program that brings community members together to work out to gospel music.

"These are small ways we're chipping away at the health literacy and health consciousness of people," Laboy said.

Dorothy Slaughter removes weeds from her garden plot on the evening of April 17. The garden, a part of the Live Well By Faith program at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, is open to community members to grow healthy produce to use in their meals.

"This is the hardest work I've ever done," Laboy said. "And it's taking care of myself. Why is that so hard to do? Because we're going against the grain; it's going against the culture," she said. "Great-grandma made the biscuits this way. Grandma made the greens this way. Mom makes the cobbler this way. So our tastes have adjusted, but it's killing us."

There are healthier ways of doing things, Simmons said. "You start developing a habit of being healthy rather than choosing the cake. It's been a long time since I've had cake, now. I want cake; I love cake! But it's an unhealthy choice."

Laboy shared similar sentiments. "You've got to be able to tell yourself no," she said.

"This is a lifestyle transformation change for me and I have to do it. If no one else does it, Verna has to show up for Verna."

Laboy shares her experiences on the Live Well By Faith Facebook page regularly, reminding those who are on the journey with her that they can succeed even if some days are hard. "Victory I make it to the gym this morning and boy was it a struggle. I wanted to quit!" she shared in a recent post.

"Setbacks are set-ups for a come back!" she wrote in an earlier post.

Campbell-Carter faced a setback as well. "I had to creatively regroup my workout plan when my (Activity and Recreation Center) membership expired last December," she said. Her insurance stopped reimbursing her for the membership, but she said she knew she wanted to stay active.

Campbell-Carter ultimately chose to start budgeting for weekend classes, and during the week she does yoga, gardening or goes on a "PRAYER walk," which is the term used in the Friendship Baptist health ministry to describe a neighborhood walk a group or individual can participate in. "It's great to feel increases in my muscle strength and tone. Also, I sleep so good at night," she said.

Laboy sees the proof at the gym, not just in herself but in others.

"When I'm at the gym working out and I see some of my diabetes self-management folks walking around on the track or working out on the equipment, my heart just smiles," she said.

But there's so much more to do."I can't just plant the seed and leave," Laboy said. "I have to keep coming back and watering it, and when I come, I'm coming with a tank of water and fertilizer."

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Overcoming diabetes through churches in Columbia's African-American community - Columbia Missourian

Smartphones can already control homes and cars, anddiagnosediseases. Chinese and Swiss researchers now show that a smartphone can command engineered cells implanted in diabetic mice to produce insulin.

The researchers demonstrated a clever closed-loop system in which a digital glucometer transmits data on the rodents blood glucose levelsto a smartphone, which processes the data and then signals the implanted cells to deliver insulin.This is a step towards a new era of personalized, digitalized precision medicine, says Haifeng Ye of East China Normal University,who led the work reported in Science.

Cell-based therapies are a radical new medical treatment option being investigated by researchers. The idea is to turn cells into disease-fighting weapons by engineering them to produce therapeutic chemicals and proteins that they would churn out once implanted in the body. Living white blood cells, for instance, have been designed to fight cancer, HIV, and other diseases.Hundreds of cell therapies are undergoing clinical trials. But none can be controlled from outside the body.

Ye and his colleagues have come up with an innovative way to add smarts to cell-based therapy. They chose diabetes as the target disease.

They initially inserted light-sensitive bacterial proteins into mammalian cells. When exposed to far-red light (wavelength of about 730 nanometers), the protein activateda genetic pathway that causedthe cells to produce insulin.

After that success, they team made dime-sizedevices in which circular power-receiving coils surround a hydrogel that is embedded with the engineered cells and far-red LEDs. These devices were implanted under the skin of diabetic mice. When an external transmitting coil wirelessly switches on the LEDs via electromagnetic induction, their light triggers the cells to produce insulin in the animals.

The team made three things to remotely control the engineered cells: a custom-engineered Bluetooth-active glucometer,an Android-based smartphone app,and an intelligent control box that controls the power-transmitting coil.

When the researchers placemice blood samples on the glucometer, it sends measurements to the smartphone via Bluetooth. The phone app compares these levels to a pre-set threshold, then signals the control box to turn on the power-transmitter coil, which switches on the LEDs long enough for the cell implant to deliver the right amount of insulin.

The animals blood glucose typically went down to nondiabetic levels within two hours of irradiation. The system maintained the blood glucose concentration in mice for 15 days without any side effects. After that it could be replaced, Ye says, but a much longer performance or replacement frequency of the implant needs to be further investigated in humans.

One big limitation of the system is that it needs manual blood draws. Another is that the animals need to be close to the transmitting coil and be exposed to EM radiation to switch on the LEDs.

But a bit more engineering could yielda diabetesmonitoring-and-treatment system that isfully automatic and portable. A continuous glucose monitorcould send blood sugar measurements to the users phone. The phone would trigger a battery-powered LED wristband to shine light on the implanted insulin-producing cells.

IEEE Spectrums biomedical engineering blog, featuring the wearable sensors, big data analytics, and implanted devices that enable new ventures in personalized medicine.

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Smartphone-Controlled Cells Keep Diabetes In Check - IEEE ... - IEEE Spectrum

The incidence of cardiovascular diseases in Sweden has decreased sharply since the late 1990s. These are the findings of a study from Sahlgrenska Academy which included almost three million adult Swedes. In relative terms, the biggest winners are persons with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

"This is a huge improvement and a testament to the improvements in diabetes and cardiovascular care throughout Sweden," says Aidin Rawshani, medical doctor and doctoral student in molecular and clinical medicine.

The study, which was published in The New England Journal of Medicine, shows that the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and deaths among individuals with diabetes in Sweden dropped significantly between 1998 and 2014. The population in general exhibited the same trend, albeit to a smaller extent.

Among persons with type 1 diabetes, with an average age of 35 years, the incidence pf cardiovascular disease was reduced by 40 per cent during the period in question. In the control group of persons of similar age but without diabetes, the decrease was 10 per cent.

Among individuals with type 2 diabetes, with an average age of 65 years, the incidence of cardiovascular disease decreased by 50 per cent. Among control persons of similar age without diabetes, the decrease was 30 per cent.

Surprising results

"We were surprised by the results, specially for persons with diabetes. Some smaller studies in the past have indicated that numbers were improving, but nothing of this magnitude," says Aidin Rawshani.

In total, approximately 2.96 million individuals were studied, of which 37,000 had type 1 diabetes and 460,000 had type 2 diabetes. The results of the study are based on linked processing of data from the National Diabetes Register, the Cause of Death Register and the part of the Patient register that concerns inpatient care.

In addition to matching by age and gender, the groups that were compared were also matched geographically using register data from LISA (the longitudinal integration database for health insurance and labour market studies).

The deaths that took place in the groups during the study period were almost exclusively related to cardiovascular disease. Individuals with diabetes have previously shown to suffer a risk of cardiovascular disease and early death that was between two and five times as high as in the general population.

Better risk control

"One of the main findings of the study is that both deaths and the incidence of cardiovascular disease is decreasing in the population, both in matching control groups and among persons with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. One paradoxical finding is that individuals with type 2 diabetes have seen a smaller improvement over time regarding deaths compared to the controls, while persons with type 1 diabetes have made an equal improvement to the controls," notes Aidin Rawshani.

The positive trends that have been observed in the study are most likely due to an increased use of preventative cardiovascular medicines, advances in the revascularisation of atherosclerotic disease and improved use of instruments for continual blood sugar monitoring, and the fact that Swedish diabetes care has generally worked well with good treatment guidelines and quality assurance efforts.

"Out study and analysis does not include explanations of these trends, but we believe that it is a matter of better control of risk factors, better education patients, better integrated treatment systems for individuals with chronic illnesses and individual care for persons with diabetes. There is often an entire team working with a patient, ensuring that their needs are met," says Aidin Rawshani.

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Materials provided by University of Gothenburg. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Decrease in cardiovascular diseases benefits persons with diabetes ... - Science Daily

As the diabetes wars have raged, Eli Lilly's (NYSE:LLY) balanced portfolio has helped insulate it from the share price losses dealt to competitor Novo Nordisk (OTCPK:NONOF). But even Lilly can have an off quarter.

Trulicity's growth was more than offset by below-consensus sales for Basaglar and Jardiance - the underperformance of the last of these was surprising given that it has begun marketing on its cardiovascular benefit. When combined with last week's US rejection of rheumatoid arthritis entry Olumiant, these disappointments forced Lilly executives to reassure investors that the company's medium-term guidance of 5% growth could still be met.

Lilly shares fell 3% today following the release of first-quarter results, removing $2.7bn in market valuation. Since the Olumiant complete response letter was announced, shares have fallen 6% (Olumiant setback opens the door to rivals, April 18, 2017).

Bernstein analyst Tim Anderson chalked up some of the losses to profit-taking - before the Olumiant news, shares were up 16% on the year - but acknowledged the effect of Olumiant and diabetes revenue on investor sentiment.

Topline good

In the long view, the Indiana-based group had a positive quarter, with revenue of $5.2bn and earnings per share of $0.98 in line with investor expectations. However, having just got over the news of Olumiant - rejected because of questions over the most efficacious dose and safety characterization - news that diabetes was not necessarily firing on all cylinders was not taken well.

Expectations for Jardiance remain high since it is the first of the SGLT2 class to be allowed to market on the basis of averting cardiovascular death in diabetics, although it could very well be chased by competitors Invokana, from Johnson & Johnson, and Farxiga, from Astrazeneca (NYSE:AZN) (ACC - Jardiance heart benefit looks like a class effect, March 20, 2017).

Lilly diabetes chief Enrique Conterno characterized the SGLT2 class as having flat growth before the cardiovascular data was included on the Jardiance label, but said that since marketing on that claim has begun new patient starts have risen 70% - the miss on Jardiance sales may simply reflect a mismatch between investor expectations and market realities.

Olumiant's bigger setback has investors questioning the 5% revenue growth forecast given that the drug is one of four new products that will post annual sales growth of $1bn or more to counteract losses due to patent expiries. Finance chief Derica Rice offered some comfort: "We've factored in that we won't have 100% success on every molecule" when preparing that forecast, he said.

Olumiant's failure to add US revenue does, however, increase the pressure on the rest of the portfolio to meet sales expectations. And Lilly's exposure to the volatile diabetes space raises the risk that that will not happen.

Editor's Note: This article discusses one or more securities that do not trade on a major U.S. exchange. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.

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Lilly Assures Market As Diabetes Stumbles - Seeking Alpha

(Sen. Yvanna Cancela speaks with Majority Leader Aaron Ford and diabetes patients.Courtesy Yvanna Cancela) The state of Nevada is taking a new approach to tackling the rising price of prescription drugs with a new bill.

The bill, introduced in March by state Senator Yvanna Cancela, has already faced opposition from lobbyists and nonprofit patient groups that disagree with the bill's approach to reining in prescription drug spending.

Nevada is one of 23 states with proposed legislation to take on the rising cost of prescription drugs. But unlike others that focus on drug prices in a general sense, Cancela's bill focuseson two specificgroups of drugs that are used to treat diabetes: insulin and biguanides.

It's the latest milestone in government actions at the local, state, and national levels that attempt to change the way wespend money on prescription drugs.

Diabetes is a group of conditions in which the body can't properly regulate blood sugar that affects roughly 30 million people in the US. And for many people living with diabetes including the1.25 million people in the US who have Type-1 diabetes injecting insulin is part of the daily routine.

insulin prices humalog novolog V2

(The list price of Humalog and Novolog, two short-acting insulins, over 20 years. The list prices don't factor in any rebates or discounts the drugmaker pays out.Andy Kiersz/Business Insider) Insulin, a hormone thathealthy bodies produce, has been used to treat diabetes for almost a century, though it's gone through some modifications. In the past few years, the list price of insulin has increased routinely.

The list price of the most commonly used insulins have increased roughly 300% over the last decade. Technically, there's no "generic" insulin, though a cheaper version of a long-acting insulin did come on the market in 2016. There are cheaper medications forbiguanides, such as metformin, which are used to treat Type-2 diabetes.

Before becoming a state senator, Cancela workedas a director for the Culinary Workers Union in Las Vegas, which represents about 60,000 workers. The union pays for its members health insurance through a self-funded trust, which Cancela told Business Insider gave the organization a lot of access to details about how its health funds were being spent. One of the drugs she noticed was becoming a problem for members was insulin.

There are roughly 281,000 adultsliving in Nevada, or 12% of the total population, that have one of the two types of diabetes, with another 39% in the prediabetes stage, in which blood glucose levels are elevated but not to the point of type-2 diabetes. Because diabetes is one of the biggest medical problems in Nevada, Cancela said, it made for a perfect starting point to introduce legislation.

The Nevada bill, known as SB265, takes four mainapproaches to confronting the drugmakers that make insulin and biguanides to treat diabetes.

Like most legislation that tries to rein in prescription drug spending, SB265 is facing its fair share of pushback and criticism.

Cancela said there's been around 70 lobbyists who have come in for the session to oppose the bill, which is more than double the number present for Nevada's 2015 session,according to The Nevada Independent. There's also been a number of patient groups that have spoken out as well, including those representing people with lupus and epilepsy.

"Proposed legislation in the Nevada State Senate unfairly targets people with diabetes, would be a major windfall for health insurance companies, and leaves patients wondering whos next," Lupus of Nevada said in a Facebook post. "Were specifically worried that Nevadans with Lupus could be singled out."

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(A Type 1 diabetes patient holds up bottles of insulin.Reuters/Lucy Nicholson) Nine pharmaceutical companies submitted lettersin opposition to the bill, as well as pharma's lobbying group PhRMA and biotech's lobbying group BIO. Many brought up their opposition to disclosingmore information about how they set their prices.

A letter from Novo Nordisk a company that manufactures insulin and other diabetes medications argued that the bill doesn't take into account the rebates drug companies pay out to middlemen. That issue was raised in a number of the letters opposing the bill.

"This proposal would impose significant new, complex and punitive requirements on drug manufacturers when manufacturers already provide competitive discounts to payers and represent only a single component of the enormously complex US drug pricing and distribution system," the company said in the letter. "This complexity, which the proposed legislation fails to address, has resulted in confusion around what patients pay for medicines."

To be sure, there's more to the story than just the list price a manufacturer sets. Along the way, there are as many as five companies that have a stake in the price of a medication. But there's a lack of transparency about the portion each player gets. To counter that, some drug companies have started disclosing their net prices, or the amount it actually receives in return for the drug after factoring in any rebates or discounts paid out to middlemen.

Sanofi noted in its opposition letter that its net price for Lantus, a long-acting form of insulin, fell over five years.

Sanofi said in a statement to Business Insider:

"Sanofi believes this legislation will fail to achieve its intended purpose and may actually restrict patients access to important medications. As a company founded on and committed to science and improving health, we understand that affordability and access to our products is critical for patients and society, and we are committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure patients have affordable access to the treatments they need in a system that is sustainable and continues to promote ongoing investments in science and innovation."

Others, like Ken Thorpe, the chairman of the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (a group that partners witha number of healthcare companies and patient organizations) and a health policy professor at Emory University, criticizedthe idea that the bill is a way to help those living with diabetes. He argued in a piece in the Nevada Appeal that the price capswon't keep people from getting diabetes.

"If they're really trying to get the cost of healthcare to grow at a slower rate, this is not the way," he told the Appeal. Instead, he said, there should be more of a focus on preventing diabetes.

Cancela said that's something she's working on as well, calling SB265 "one piece of the puzzle." She has another piece of legislation that would promote urban agriculture to increase access to healthy foods in low income communities.

The bill is still with the Health and Human Services committee, meaning it needs to clear the Assembly and Senate before it makes its way to the governor.

But of course, drug price bills have failed in the past. In November 2016, Californians voted against a proposition that would've capped prescription drug prices at what the Department ofVeterans Affairs pays for them.

Cancela understands that it's not going to be an easy ride.

"We're trying to do something that's never been done before," Cancela said.

NOW WATCH: Scott Galloway on the biggest thing in tech in 2017: Amazon could eliminate the existence of brands with voice technology

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One in 7 people in Nevada is living with diabetes, and the state is ... - Yahoo Finance

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Forecast in 12 Major Markets 2017-2027" report to their offering.

Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) is a multisystem disease that progressively destroys the pancreas' ability to produce insulin. This leads to a chronic condition of defective metabolism of fat, carbohydrates and proteins due to the lack of insulin. It occurs mainly in childhood and adolescents, however a rising number of latent autoimmune diabetes of adulthood (LADA) cases have been reported mainly due to a better understanding and diagnosis of the disease.

This report provides the current prevalent population for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus across 12 Major Markets (USA, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Brazil, Japan, India, China and Russia) split by gender and 5-year age cohort. Along with the current prevalence, the report also contains a disease overview of the risk factors, disease diagnosis and prognosis along with specific variations by geography and ethnicity.

Providing a value-added level of insight from the analysis team, several of the main symptoms and co-morbidities of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus have been quantified and presented alongside the overall prevalence figures. These sub-populations within the main disease are also included at a country level across the 10-year forecast snapshot.

Reasons to Buy:

- Able to quantify patient populations in global Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus market to target the development of future products, pricing strategies and launch plans.

- Gain further insight into the prevalence of the subdivided types of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and identify patient segments with high potential.

- Delivery of more accurate information for clinical trials in study sizing and realistic patient recruitment for various countries.

- Provide a level of understanding on the impact from specific co-morbid conditions on Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus prevalent population.

- Identify sub-populations within Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus which require treatment.

- Gain an understanding of the specific markets that have the largest number of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus patients.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction

2. Cause of the Disease

3. Risk Factors & Prevention

4. Diagnosis of the Disease

5. Variation by Geography/Ethnicity

6. Disease Prognosis & Clinical Course

7. Key Comorbid Conditions/Features associated with the disease

8. Methodology for quantification of patient numbers

9. Top-line Prevalence for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

10. Features of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

10.1 Comorbidities and Sequelae in T1DM Patients

10.2 T1DM patients with Retinopathy

10.3 Prevalence of T1DM defining antibodies

11. Abbreviations used in the report

12. Patient-Based Offering

13. Online Pricing Data and Platforms

14. References

15. Appendix

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/j3bqpv/type_1_diabetes

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170427005670/en/

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Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus Forecast in 12 Major Markets 2017-2027 ... - Yahoo Finance

Regenerative medicine using human pluripotent stem cells to grow transplantable tissue outside the body carries the promise to treat a range of intractable disorders, such as diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

However, a research team from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), Harvard Medical School (HMS), and the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has found that as stem cell lines grow in a lab dish, they often acquire mutations in the TP53 (p53) gene, an important tumor suppressor responsible for controlling cell growth and division.

Their research suggests that genetic sequencing technologies should be used to screen for mutated cells in stem cell cultures, so that cultures with mutated cells can be excluded from scientific experiments and clinical therapies. If such methods are not employed it could lead to an elevated cancer risk in those receiving transplants.

The paper, published online in the journal Nature on April, 26, comes at just the right time, the researchers said, as experimental treatments using human pluripotent stem cells are ramping up across the country.

"Our results underscore the need for the field of regenerative medicine to proceed with care," said the study's co-corresponding author Kevin Eggan, an HSCI Principal Faculty member and the director of stem cell biology for the Stanley Center. Eggan's lab in Harvard University's Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology uses human stem cells to study the mechanisms of brain disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, intellectual disability, and schizophrenia.

The research, the team said, should not discourage the pursuit of experimental treatments but instead be heeded as a call to screen rigorously all cell lines for mutations at various stages of development as well as immediately before transplantation.

"Our findings indicate that an additional series of quality control checks should be implemented during the production of stem cells and their downstream use in developing therapies," Eggan said. "Fortunately, these genetic checks can be readily performed with precise, sensitive, and increasingly inexpensive sequencing methods."

With human stem cells, researchers can recreate human tissue in the lab. This enables them to study the mechanisms by which certain genes can predispose an individual to a particular disease. Eggan has been working with Steve McCarroll, associate professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and director of genetics at the Stanley Center, to study how genes shape the biology of neurons, which can be derived from these stem cells.

McCarroll's lab recently discovered a common, precancerous condition in which a blood stem cell in the body acquires a pro-growth mutation and then outcompetes a person's normal stem cells, becoming the dominant generator of his or her blood cells. People in whom this condition has appeared are 12 times more likely to develop blood cancer later in life. The study's lead authors, Florian Merkle and Sulagna Ghosh, collaborated with Eggan and McCarroll to test whether laboratory-grown stem cells might be vulnerable to an analogous process.

"Cells in the lab, like cells in the body, acquire mutations all the time," said McCarroll, co-corresponding author. "Mutations in most genes have little impact on the larger tissue or cell line. But cells with a pro-growth mutation can outcompete other cells, become very numerous, and 'take over' a tissue. We found that this process of clonal selection -- the basis of cancer formation in the body -- is also routinely happening in laboratories."

To find acquired mutations, the researchers performed genetic analyses on 140 stem cell lines -- 26 of which were developed for therapeutic purposes using Good Manufacturing Practices, a quality control standard set by regulatory agencies in multiple countries. The remaining 114 were listed on the NIH registry of human pluripotent stem cells.

"While we expected to find some mutations in stem cell lines, we were surprised to find that about five percent of the stem cell lines we analyzed had acquired mutations in a tumor-suppressing gene called p53," said Merkle.

Nicknamed the "guardian of the genome," p53 controls cell growth and cell death. People who inherit p53 mutations develop a rare disorder called Li-Fraumeni Syndrome, which confers a near 100 percent risk of developing cancer in a wide range of tissue types.

The specific mutations that the researchers observed are "dominant negative" mutations, meaning, when present on even one copy of P53, they are able to compromise the function of the normal protein, whose components are made from both gene copies. The exact same dominant-negative mutations are among the most commonly observed mutations in human cancers.

"These precise mutations are very familiar to cancer scientists. They are among the worst P53 mutations to have," said Sulagna Ghosh, a co-lead author of the study.

The researchers performed a sophisticated set of DNA analyses to rule out the possibility that these mutations had been inherited rather than acquired as the cells grew in the lab. In subsequent experiments, the Harvard scientists found that p53 mutant cells outperformed and outcompeted non-mutant cells in the lab dish. In other words, a culture with a million healthy cells and one p53 mutant cell, said Eggan, could quickly become a culture of only mutant cells.

"The spectrum of tissues at risk for transformation when harboring a p53 mutation include many of those that we would like to target for repair with regenerative medicine using human pluripotent stem cells," said Eggan. Those organs include the pancreas, brain, blood, bone, skin, liver and lungs.

However, Eggan and McCarroll emphasized that now that this phenomenon has been found, inexpensive gene-sequencing tests will allow researchers to identify and remove from the production line cell cultures with concerning mutations that might prove dangerous after transplantation.

The researchers point out in their paper that screening approaches to identify these p53 mutations and others that confer cancer risk already exist and are used in cancer diagnostics. In fact, in an ongoing clinical trial that is transplanting cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), gene sequencing is used to ensure the transplanted cell products are free of dangerous mutations.

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Genes need to be screened for stem cell transplants - Science Daily

A new eye test could prevent glaucoma, the biggest cause of irreversible blindness, by spotting symptoms before loss of sight begins.

Researchers at University College London (UCL) have developed an eye exam that could detect individual nerve cell death at the back of the eye a decade before symptoms present themselves.

Glaucoma affects 16 million people worldwide, many of whom have lost a third of their vision before they start treatment. The disease causes changes to the pressure inside the eye which kills the retinas nerve cells.

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Early detection would allow doctors to start treatment before the patient begins to go blind. The new test uses a fluorescent dye that sticks to cells that are about to die. White fluorescent dots on the retina would reveal whether the patient has early-onset glaucoma.

Eye with acute angle-closure glaucoma, a sudden elevation in intra-ocular pressure that occurs when the iris blocks the eye's drainage channel. Jonathan-Trobe-Wikicommons

The test could also diagnose early-onset degenerative neurological conditions, such as Parkinsons, Alzheimers and multiple sclerosis.

The exam is still in its first trial phase and has so far only been tested on 16 people, but the initial results are promising, according to the study published in the medical journal Brain.

For the first time, we have been able to show individual cell death and detect the earliest signs of glaucoma. While we cannot cure the disease, our test means treatment can start before symptoms begin, lead researcher Professor Francesca Cordeiro of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology said in a release published alongside the study.

Bethan Hughes, a spokesperson for the medical charity Wellcome Trust which funded the research, said: This innovation has the potential to transform lives for those who suffer loss of sight through glaucoma, and offers hope of a breakthrough in early diagnosis of other neurodegenerative diseases.

Read more:
New Eye Test Could Spot Glaucoma and Prevent Blindness in Millions - Newsweek

Peek Retina smartphone adapter launches

27 Apr 2017 by John White, Laurence Derbyshire

It has been a long and very challenging road to get to this point. Although there is much to celebrate, this is only the beginning of the journey. So explained Dr Andrew Bastawrous, co-founder and CEO of Peek, at the launch of Peek Retina at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (20 April).

The device is the latest solution created by Peek, a social impact enterprise that works to give healthcare providers the tools and knowledge needed to deliver high quality, sustainable care.

The smartphone camera adapter is used for retinal imaging, which has been designed to help increase access to care by enabling more eye examinations to be carried out.

Described by the company as intuitive and easy to use, the tool enables the examination of the optic nerve and macula.

In a statement, Peek said: In a perfect world, retinal imaging would be standard practice at the point of initial examination, but it is not normal practice because retinal images are hard to capture using traditional equipment. We believe Peek Retina can make a significant impact on avoidable blindness by removing barriers to access and enabling new examinations to be performed, but we are calling on users and supporters to give as much feedback as possible so it can be made even better.

Peek Retina clips over the camera on any smartphone, enabling users to capture an image of the back of the retina and share it easily without the need for a desktop retinal camera.

The eye needs to be dilated to enable examination, with Peek highlighting that different countries have different rules governing the use of dilation drops. Once the eye is dilated, images of the retina can be captured without requiring a high skill level, although specialist skills and knowledge are needed to interpret the images, the company notes.

Other projects from Peek include Peek Acuity, an app that test vision, which has been used in over 100 countries since it was released last year. Non-health experts can use the app, and it can also be used in smaller spaces than traditional alphabet-based eye chart testing, which, Peek explains, means that more people can be reached and tested.

An element within Peek Acuity, PeekSim, has been created to show what a person with a vision problem really sees compared with normal vision just after they have had their vision tested.

By teaming-up with schools and communities in Kenya, Botswana and India, more than 100,000 children have had their eyes tested with Peek using the Peek School Screening programme and followed up for treatment or glasses where needed, and Peek is carrying out research to improve and expand these programmes.

Peek began as a result of Dr Bastawrouss experiences of transporting eye equipment to rural communities in Kenya to gather eye health data for his PhD at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

At the launch event the ophthalmologist and assistant professor in International Eye Health at the London school, Dr Bastawrous, said: We are extremely grateful to everyone who has supported us and helped us take ideas from research to reality and we will continue to learn and develop the tools and knowledge which healthcare providers and systems need to help those with avoidable sight loss.

While large numbers of people remain unable to see or access eye care, our job remains unfinished.

Peek Retina is available via the website and costs 216 (including VAT) plus delivery charge. The Peek Acuity and Peek Acuity Pro apps can be downloaded for free via the Google Play store.

To support Peek, visit the JustGiving pageor contact enquiries@peekvision.org

Read more here:
New tool to combat avoidable blindness - AOP

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., April 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --SSCI, a division of Albany Molecular Research Inc. (AMRI), has been recognized by Global Health & Pharma (GHP) magazine as the winner of the 2017 Biotechnology Award for Best Global Research & Manufacturing Company in the United States.

"I am truly honored to accept this award on behalf of our dedicated team that is deeply committed to the mission of helping our clients achieve their product development goals and generate valuable intellectual property day in and day out," said David A. Engers, Ph.D., general manager at SSCI. "We are grateful to GHP for recognizing our commitment to client service and data integrity in order to provide unmatched value to the industries we have served for more than a quarter century."

GHP magazine recognizes that the biotechnology industry is increasingly viewed as being the frontline of medical science, and as this movement continues to gain momentum the publication is committed to following the most game-changing advances and revolutionary developments that will form the healthcare world for years to come.

Nathan Angell, GHP awards coordinator, expressed pride in every one of the award winners, "This award recognizes the hard work and dedication of the firms, such as SSCI, and the individuals behind them, that are driving innovation in this vital market. It has been my honor to recognize these dedicated professionals and I would like to wish them the very best of fortunes for the future."

About SSCIAMRI SSCI, LLC (SSCI), a division of AMRI, provides industry leading contract solid-state and analytical testing services and exists to help companies in the pharmaceutical, food, agrochemical, and other chemical industries develop better products and get them to market more quickly. SSCI provides comprehensive cGMP research and analytical services in the characterization and chemistry of solid materials, with particular expertise in small and large molecules being investigated for pharmaceutical use.To learn more about SSCI's solid-state and analytical chemistry services and capabilities,please contact 1-800-375-2179 | http://www.ssci-inc.com.

About GHP MagazineGlobal Health and Pharma (GHP) magazine is a global, information-sharing platform and a multi-disciplinary members community. The publication was established to enhance communication networks and collaboration across all themes and disciplines within three main categories; Human, Animal and Environmental Health.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ssci-receives-a-2017-biotechnology-award-for-global-research-and-manufacturing-300445541.html

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SSCI Receives a 2017 Biotechnology Award for Global Research and Manufacturing - Yahoo Finance

No matter how many times I read or write about it, I am still overwhelmed and amazed when I see what 3D printing technology is currently able to do for the medical field, and what it has the potential to do down the line. Today, 3D Systems, a company thats nearly synonymous with precision healthcare capabilities, and biotechnology company United Therapeutics Corporation announced a joint plan to develop solid-organ scaffolds for use in human transplants. The multi-year development and collaboration is a good fit, combining 3D Systemshealthcare and 3D printing expertise with the organ manufacturing and regenerative medicine proficiency of United Therapeutics, which is also a member of the consortium that makes up the Advanced Tissue Biofabrication Manufacturing USA Institute.

Vyomesh Joshi, CEO of 3D Systems, said, As a global leader in healthcare solutions, we are part of many developments and applications for 3D printing coming together including bioprinting.We believe bioprinting is a powerful opportunity and we are uniquely positioned with the broadest portfolio of technologies to partner with companies of the caliber of United Therapeutics to provide healthcare solutions of the future.

In addition to collaborating with United Therapeutics, which is focused on developing and commercializing products that address the medical needs of patients living with chronic and life-threatening conditions, 3D Systems will also work with its organ manufacturing and transplantation-focused subsidiary, Lung Biotechnology PBC, which is the first public benefit corporation subsidiary of a public biotechnology or pharmaceutical company.

Through several technologies that expand the supply or delay the need for transplantable organs, Lung Biotechnology PBC addresses head-on the critical shortage of transplantable lungs, and other organs, in the US. Withthe subsidiary also on board with the 3D Systems collaboration, an additional technology alternative can be added to United Therapeutics pursuit of an unlimited supply of organs for human transplantation.

Dr. Martine Rothblatt, PhD, Chairman and CEO of United Therapeutics, said, Our Lung Biotechnology public benefit corporation is taking personal regenerative medicine to its highest level yet with this practical, economic solution to a major health care problem.Indeed, we expect one personalized organ transplant will avoid years of health care spending on palliative medical therapies.

The focus of the joint bioprinting agreement is to develop 3D printing systems for solid-organ scaffolds, and with Lung Biotechnology PBCs participation, obviously the first thing the companies will tackle is lung scaffolds. Scaffolds are an important part of the bioprinting process, as they give printed cells, and organs, a structure to develop and grow on. So determining the correct way to create a scaffold is incredibly important to the success of these endeavors.

Combiningthe resources of United Therapeutics and 3D Systems transforms our capability to tackle this difficult challenge.This project will be based out of our new bioprinting lab in San Diego, CA, and will rely on expertise across many technical disciplines within 3D Systems as well as the domain knowledge of our technical partners at Lung Biotechnology PBC, said Chuck Hull, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for 3D Systems.

The 3D printing system that 3D Systems and United Therapeutics hope to create will be targeting collagen, along with other building block proteins, as the raw materials for the scaffolds themselves. In turn, Lung Biotechnology PBC will then celluralize the scaffolds using patient-specific biological material, which includes re-differentiated stem cells.

Our partnership with 3D Systems is a major step forward in creating an unlimited supply of tolerable transplanted organs.By cellularizing scaffolds created with 3D Systems printers with a patients own cells, there will no longer be a need for immunosuppression and a vastly greater number of patients can extend their enjoyment of life through organ transplantation, said Dr. Rothblatt.

[Image: OPTN]

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3D Systems and United Therapeutics to Develop 3D Printing Biotechnology for Solid-Organ Scaffolds - 3DPrint.com

250598 Shares in Puma Biotechnology Inc (PBYI) Acquired by Norges Bank The Cerbat Gem Puma Biotechnology logo Norges Bank acquired a new position in Puma Biotechnology Inc (NYSE:PBYI) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 250,598 shares of the biopharmaceutical ... -$2.08 EPS Expected for Puma Biotechnology Inc (PBYI) This QuarterSports Perspectives Analyst Observation On 2 Stocks: Delta Technology (DELT), Puma Biotechnology (PBYI)Post Analyst all 4 news articles »

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250598 Shares in Puma Biotechnology Inc (PBYI) Acquired by Norges Bank - The Cerbat Gem

Around 130 national and international academicians and scientists hailing from seven different countries including Turkey, Tunisia, Sudan, Iran, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan attended a workshop held here to promote the safe use of modern biotechnology to attain the goal of food security and defeating hunger and poverty.

Minister for Food Security and Research Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan inaugurated the 3rd International Conference on Agriculture, Food Security and Biotechnology on Wednesday.

The 2-day event being held at the National Agriculture Research Center, Islamabad, is jointly organised by Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), ISESCO and Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC).

Addressing the audiences, the minister said that it was time that the countries of the region should encourage and support smart agricultural practices.

He said safe use of modern biotechnology was needed to enhance agricultural production and get rid of malnutrition and starvation. The minister pledged full support for agricultural production which was the backbone of economy with sustainable food security.

Dr Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Member Coordination and Monitoring, PARC, Islamabad, noted that advances in science and technology were the need of time for food security and safety. Noting the hunger still prevailing in various parts of the world, he opined that biotechnology was the basis of production of vast variety of transgenic and genetically modified crops which can solve the problem of hunger.

He said that the conference having similar agenda was good for the developing countries as it would open ways for research, collaboration and capacity building.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Kauser Malik, Department of Biological Sciences, FC College Lahore, mentioned that it was our fear of unknown that kept the human beings away from adapting new technologies and advocated the use of genetically modified crops for addressing hunger.

In his message, Dr SM Junaid Zaidi, Executive Director COMSATS, said that despite major developments around the globe, many areas struggle with challenges of starvation and malnutrition. Even the developed countries cannot engage in bigger pursuits without ensuring food security. Mentioning the importance of biotechnology in agriculture, he noted that biotechnological influence on food production and agriculture is undeniable especially for countries like Pakistan with fertile lands and good weather conditions.

The message from Director General ISESCO, HE Dr. Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, noted that there was a dire need to provide an enriching and engaging environment to foster crop science research towards new and improved livelihood opportunities and sustainable food security. He considered collaborations in this regard necessary and appreciated the cooperation between ISESCO and COMSATS.

Shields were given to the esteemed participants who came from different countries for the conference.

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Use of biotechnology must to attain food security: Bosan | Pakistan ... - Pakistan Today

3D Systems has announced a bioprinting agreement with United Therapeutics which will see the two companies develop solid-organ scaffolds for human transplants with 3D printing.

Combining their respective expertise in 3D printing and regenerative medicine and organ manufacturing, the collaboration will remain for a number of years.

The agreement will pit 3D Systems personnel alongside professionals from a United Therapeutics subsidiary, Lung Biotechnology PBC. Since the collaboration will primarily focus on the development of 3D printing systems for solid-organ lung scaffolds, Lung Biotechnology PBC is seen as best placed to work with 3D Systems.

The printing system will target collagen, and other building block proteins, as scaffold raw materials. Lung Biotechnology PBC will cellularize the scaffolds with patient-specific biological material, including re-differentiated stem cells.

Our partnership with 3D Systems is a major step forward in creating an unlimited supply of tolerable transplanted organs, said Martine Rothblatt, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of United Therapeutics. By cellularizing scaffolds created with 3D Systems printers with a patients own cells, there will no longer be a need for immunosuppression and a vastly greater number of patients can extend their enjoyment of life through organ transplantation.

3D Systems is a company with a wealth of experience in the medical sector. Its precision healthcare capabilities include simulation, virtual surgical planning, and the printing of medical and dental devices. Two of 3D Systems leading executives are not only confident in their companys own knowledge of the medical 3D printing sector, but also of United Therapeutics own expertise. Though conceding the challenge is not straight forward, the pair foresee new solutions being born from the partnership.

As a global leader in healthcare solutions, we are part of many developments and applications for 3D printing coming together including bioprinting, said Vyomesh Joshi, Chief Executive Officer, 3D Systems. We believe bioprinting is a powerful opportunity and we are uniquely positioned with the broadest portfolio of technologies to partner with companies of the calibre of United Therapeutics to provide healthcare solutions of the future.

Chuck Hull, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, 3D Systems, added: Combining the resources of United Therapeutics and 3D Systems transforms our capability to tackle this difficult challenge. This project will be based out of our new bioprinting lab in San Diego, CA, and will rely on expertise across many technical disciplines within 3D Systems as well as the domain knowledge of our technical partners at Lung Biotechnology PBC.

Meanwhile, the collaboration and joint development will add another technology alternative to United Therapeutics pursuit of an unlimited supply of organs for human transplantation.

Dr Rothblatt concludes: Our Lung Biotechnology public benefit corporation is taking personal regenerative medicine to its highest level yet with this practical, economic solution to a major health care program. Indeed, we expect one personalised organ transplant will avoid years of health care spending on palliative medical therapies.

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3D Systems and United Therapeutics partner to 3D print organ scaffolds for human transplants - TCT Magazine

More than 200 walkers are expected to lace up their shoes for the Arthritis Foundations Walk to Cure Arthritis, beginning at 8 a.m. May 20 at Woodlawn High School.

Arthritis is the nations leading cause of disability and affects 1.2 million residents of Louisiana, including 6,000 children, a news release said.

Special guests will include youth honoree Charlotte Collins; adult honoree Danielle Thibodaux; corporate chairman Dr. Joseph E. Broyles, of the Bone and Joint Clinic of Baton Rouge; and medical honoree Dr. Stephen Pollet, of The Baton Rouge Clinic.

Walk to Cure Arthritis provides people the opportunity to experience the power of standing together and giving back to the community. Together, Baton Rouge can Walk to Cure Arthritis and help us reach our goal of raising $45,000 to help find a cure for this disease, Broyles said.

Visit walktocurearthritis.org/batonrouge or call Sara Morthland at (337) 540-0615 to register.

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Walk to Cure Arthritis slated for May 20 at Woodlawn High School - The Advocate

GETTY

Uveitis - a condition causing inflammation in the middle layer of the eye - is most common in those aged 20 to 59, and affects two to five people in every 10,000 in the UK each year.

If left untreated, the inflammation can cause blindness, and according to Prevent Blindness its one of the leading causes of loss of sight in the world in those of working age.

Many cases are linked to problems with the immune system, including arthritis.

One type, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), was the subject of a breakthrough study which discovered a new way to prevent children with arthritis and eye disease losing their sight.

GETTY

The results of the trial revealed how the drug could reduce eye inflammation and stop serious complications, including blindness.

The results of the trial - the first of its kind in the world, and funded by Arthritis Research UK and the National Institute for Health Research - revealed how a drug called Adalimumab, in combination with Methotrexate, could reduce eye inflammation and stop serious complications, including blindness.

In fact, the findings, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, were so ground-breaking the trial was stopped early due to convincing evidence.

It has already led to changes in guidelines, and the drug has since been approved by NHS England for use, set to help thousands of people.

Professor Ramanan from University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and University of Bristol said: Uveitis in children is an important cause of loss of vision. This study demonstrates the benefit of Adalimumab in children with uveitis. This is the first randomised trial of its kind worldwide and the results will have a major impact in children with uveitis all around the world."

GETTY

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The study authors found 75 per cent of children with JIA-associated uveitis who were treated with Adalimumab experienced a significant reduction in eye inflammation.

Stephen Simpson, director of research and programmes at Arthritis Research UK said: We are thrilled of the outcome of this trial and the huge promise it heralds for transforming the quality of life for the large numbers of children with JIA-associated uveitis. This trial is an impressive example of how investing in exceptional science can ultimately help change how treatment is delivered with direct and immediate benefit for patients.

In those of any age with arthritis, the condition can affect one or both eyes and may develop suddenly, or gradually over a few days.

According to the NHS, symptoms include eye pain, eye redness, sensitivity to light, blurred or cloudy vision and loss of peripheral vision.

GETTY

Uveitis may not also affect the whole eye - just part.

It can be at the front of the eye, middle of the eye and back of the eye, and the symptoms may vary for each.

Currently the main way to treat uveitis is using steroid medication. Eye drops are used if the front of the eye is affected, while injections, tablets and capsules are used to treat it at the middle and back.

While uveitis can affect anyone, a study this month published in JAMA Ophthalmology found those with psoriasis are at an increased risk of developing it.

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Arthritis news: Condition can cause BLINDNESS in sufferers - Express.co.uk

By Staff

New research out of The Universities of Manchester and East Anglia shows that people living with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) experience significant improvement in their daily lives due to early and more aggressive treatment of the disease.

The Arthritis Research UK study examined 20 years of data between 1990 and 2010. A total of 602 patients participated in the study led by James Gwinnutt, from The University of Manchester and Dr. Suzan Verstappen University of Manchester.

Participants were recruited to the Norfolk Arthritis Register and assessed at regular intervals over the course of 20 years.

They found that patients who were prescribed disease modifying drug therapies such as sulfasalazine, methotrexate and steroids within 6 months of symptom onset experienced significantly better ability to walk, grip and dress themselves over the course of 20 years compared, to patients who were treated later.

This research shows that patients who received treatment early after symptom onset had similar levels of disability over the subsequent 20 years compared to patients who were judged by clinicians not to require treatment, after accounting for the differences in disease severity between the groups, Gwinnutt said.

Though there is a broad range in terms of how people are affected by the disease, the number of patients whose lives have improved has increased thanks in part to early treatment. The good news is that early intervention has become more and more common in the NHS over these past 20 years. In the early 1990s early intervention would happen in about 30% of cases. Nowadays, that figure is probably more like 60-70%. Theres no reason why this improvement could not extend further, he added.

Dr Natalie Carter, head of research liaison and evaluation at Arthritis Research UK, said:

Rheumatoid arthritis is an incredibly painful condition that can be diagnosed at any age and can have an impact on a persons everyday life. This study confirms how important early diagnosis and the commencement of treatment is. It is also encouraging to hear about the progress that has been made over the last 20 years. Now the scientific community must continue to build on this so that together we can continue to harness the power of exceptional science and make everyday life better for all people with arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes joint inflammation and pain.

More:
Study Reveals Important Advance for Newly Diagnosed Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers - National Pain Report

Rheumatoid arthritis: Obesity skews markers of inflammation - Nature Nature.com BMI is positively associated with an elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) level and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ... and more »

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Rheumatoid arthritis: Obesity skews markers of inflammation - Nature - Nature.com

26 April 2017 Early treatment gets better results for rheumatoid arthritis Researchers found that patients who were treated within six months of developing the first signs of rheumatoid arthritis did better in the long run.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune condition distinguished by inflammation of the peripheral joints of the hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees and feet, usually on both sides of the body.

Treating rheumatoid arthritis early may make for better outcomes, a new study suggests.

Early death less likely

Patients who were treated within six months of developing the first signs of the autoimmune disease did better in the long run and were less likely to suffer early death, British researchers found.

The findings stem from an analysis of more than 600 patients who were initially diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) between 1990 and 1994. They were tracked for over 20 years.

Over the study time frame, investigators assessed key symptoms of RA, such as swollen and/or tender joints, and indications of disability. All deaths were also noted.

The research team found that patients who started treatment for RA within the first half-year after the first symptoms surfaced tended to have no greater levels of disability over a 20-year period than patients who required no treatment.

A better future

And while roughly 44% of the patients died during the study period, the team observed that early treatment translated into a notably lower mortality risk.

The findings were published online in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology.

"This research emphasises the importance of early treatment and the long-term benefits of early treatment," study author Dr Suzanne Verstappen, from the University of Manchester, said in a journal news release.

"In the early 1990s," she added, "when this study started, only 30% of patients received early treatment, but this number has increased significantly in the last decade.

"It's expected that in the next 10 years, newly diagnosed patients will have a better future with respect to functional ability, less severe disease activity and improved quality of life," Verstappen said.

Read more:

Risks of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis vs. osteoarthritis

Symptoms of osteoarthritis

Professor Asgar Ali Kalla completed his MBChB (Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) degree in 1975 at the University of Cape Town and his FRCP in 2003 in London. Professor Ali Kalla is the Isaac Albow Chair of Rheumatology at the University of Cape Town and also the Head of Division of Rheumatology at Groote Schuur Hospital. He has participated in a number of clinical trials for rheumatology and is active in community outreach. Prof Ali Kalla is an expert in Arthritis for Health24.

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Early treatment gets better results for rheumatoid arthritis | Health24 - Health24