StemCell Therapy

Jordans Jack Friedges is putting one foot in front of the other to help find a cure for arthritis.

Friedges will be participating in the annual Walk to Cure Juvenile Arthritis event at the Mall of America on Saturday, March 4 at 9 a.m. The event features a three-mile and one-mile course.

Friedges has also been named the Young Adult Honoree for this years event.

The cause is personal for Friedges, who was diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in 2014. Friedges was able to keep his arthritis under control with the help of medication, and he continues to be a three-sport athlete at Jordan High School in football, basketball and baseball.

I joined the Arthritis Foundations Walk to Cure Arthritis to help the more than 50 million Americans and 300,000 children with arthritis live better today and to keep the Arthritis Foundations promise of finding a cure for tomorrow, Friedges wrote on his donation page.

Your support provides people with arthritis life-changing resources and information to manage their disease and improves access to the critical medications they need to live full, healthy lives. The impact of your donation doesnt stop today, it also helps fund cutting-edge research to identify better treatments and a cure, Friedges added.

Friedges has set a goal of raising $5,000 for the event. As of Monday, he had raised $1,515 through his fundraising site, which can be found at http://bit.ly/2lIhosf

The Jordan Basketball Association will be hosting a fundraiser to support Friedges during the Hubmen and Jaguars basketball games on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

The girls game against Waseca will start at 6 p.m., and the boys will play Holy Family at 7:45 p.m.

Find a Cure for Juvenile Arthritis Jacks Journey bracelets will be on sale for $2, and all proceeds from the half court toss at both games will benefit the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation on Friedges behalf.

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Jordan youth walks to cure juvenile arthritis - SW News Media

Takeda and TiGenix have presented 52-week data on their allogeneic expanded adipose-derived stem cells in Crohns disease patients with treatment-refractory complex perianal fistulas. The data show the Cx601 stem cells continue to outperform placebo one year after administration.

TiGenix presented the 24-week data from the successful phase 3 trial back in 2015, sparking a surge in its stock price and setting it up to land a deal with Takeda. Last year it followed up with the release of a first look at 52-week results confirming the efficacy outcomes seen in the earlier data drop.

Takeda and TiGenix have now shared another overview of the 52-week data at the 12th Congress of the European Crohns and Colitis Organisation (ECCO). The abstract includes treatment-related adverse event data that were absent from TiGenixs original release, but included in subsequent presentations.

Those 52-week data confirm the positive safety profile seen in the 24-week results. The rate of treatment-emergent adverse events was lower in the Cx601 cohort than the placebo plus standard of care arm at both time points. The same is true when only serious adverse events are analyzed.

The safety results complement the previously-released efficacy data. Among the 62% of patients who completed the 52-week follow-up, the results were comparable to those generated after 24 weeks. In the Cx601 arm, 56.3% of the modified intention-to-treat (mITT) population achieved combined remission after 52 weeks, compared to 51.5% after 24 weeks. The respective figures for the placebo cohort are 38.6% and 35.6%. The mITT population included all patients to undergo at least one post-baseline efficacy evaluation.

These data highlight that the efficacy and safety of a single administration of Cx601 were maintained during one year of follow up, TiGenix CMO. Marie Paule Richard said in a statement. It is important to also note that the definition of combined remission used in the ADMIRE-CD study, which includes both clinical and radiological assessment by MRI, is more stringent than the criteria commonly used in previous large scale, randomized clinical trials evaluating perianal fistulas in Crohns disease, based only on clinical assessment.

Relapse rates in the Cx601 group were rarer, too. Three-quarters of participants who responded to Cx601 after 24 weeks made it to 52 weeks without relapsing. The number falls to 55.9% among the placebo cohort.

TiGenix is hoping the data will prove compelling enough to secure a regulatory approval in Europe later this year. In parallel, TiGenix is setting up another phase 3 trial designed to deliver data to support approval in the U.S.. TiGenix expects the trial to start later this year.

Shares in TiGenix traded up 4% shortly after the stock exchange in Brussels opened for the day.

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Takeda, TiGenix stem cell therapy shows sustained effect - FierceBiotech

Stem cell therapy treatment gives new lease of life to 5-year-old Jamshedpur February 17, 2017 , by Desk 60

Ranchi : Till very recently, it was believed that brain damage is irreversible. However, now with emerging research; we understand that it is possible to repair the damaged brain tissue using cell therapy.

Again, today there are still many people in India who have not preserved their stem cells through cord blood banks. For all those patients, who have lost their hopes in finding a new treatment for neurological related disorders, adult stem cell therapy offers a new hope for such kind of patients.

Dr Alok Sharma, Director, NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute, Professor and Head of Neurosurgery, LTMG Hospital & LTM Medical College, Sion said Stem cell therapy is emerging as one of the newer treatment options for conditions like Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental retardation, Muscular Dytrophy, Spinal Cord Injury, Paralysis, Brain Stroke, Cerebellar Ataxia and Other Neurological Disorders. This treatment has the potential to repair the damaged neural tissue at molecular, structural and functional level.

Dr. NandiniGokulchandran, Deputy Director, Neurogen Brain and Spine Institute saidStem Cell Therapy (SCT) done at NeuroGen Brain and Spine Institute is a very simple and safe procedure. Stem Cells are taken from patients own bone marrow with the help of one needle and are injected back in their Spinal Fluid after processing.

Since they are taken from the patients own body there is no rejection, no side effects, hence making SCT a completely safe procedure.

Today, we are presenting a case study of Ranchi based 5 yrs old Master Dhairya Singh. He is a known case of brain damage due to lack of oxygen but not during birth. Dhairya was born in a normal manner, cried immediately after birth also his birth weight was appropriate.

There were no immediate post-natal complications reported. Dhariya was a normal child till the age of one and half years old. Then one day he suffered from an episode of pneumonia for which he was hospitalized for 6 days.

Last updated:Friday, February 17, 2017

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Stem cell therapy treatment gives new lease of life to 5-year-old - Avenue Mail

Spotting the illness that can cause sudden blindness - BBC News BBC News Every year in the UK, 3000 people's sight is damaged by a condition called giant cell arteritis. Dr Saleyah Ahsan explains what to look out for. and more »

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Spotting the illness that can cause sudden blindness - BBC News - BBC News

It was such a privilege to be part of the 2012 Paralympics and to witness what felt like a breakthrough at that time. Disability was no longer swept aside in subdued tones but talked about openly. Even celebrated! It was amazing to see the pride everyone had in the athletes and their incredible achievements.

Now, more than four years later, another amazing Paralympics has passed and both events have left a much improved legacy. But sadly, there remains an awkwardness surrounding disability. Especially, from my perspective, of visual impairment. I hope it's true that more people have now been encouraged to approach the person in a wheelchair. But my personal experience tells me that there is still a vast lack of understanding when it comes to blindness.

I have always been a passionate advocate of open discussion and the promotion of visual impairment awareness and this is clearly what John Hull has done with his remarkable film. I've seen and read much that tried to make visual impairment understood by the sighted world, but I have never found any to be as effective in humanising visual impairment as the BBC's Notes on Blindness.

The onset of my gradual sight loss began when I was five, bringing with it a huge range of emotions to deal with - along with people's reactions. I had to come to terms with my sight loss as I entered my teenage years. I do not appear visually impaired, and at times I have been treated as an imbecile, or a fraud.

So hearing John Hull explain, in his own words, the sensation of going blind and the internal battles that come with it was incredibly moving for me. As John lost his sight, so many of his stories and moments resonated deeply. I understood when he said "Every time I wake up, I lose my sight", describing how he had more sight in his dreams. I often find I wake feeling sure that in my dream I was fully sighted, like when I was a child. I was so pleased to hear it so eloquently described by John.

When John describes a strange incidence of meeting a faith healer, who told him that his sight was 'dependent on his will', this felt familiar too. It is one of the more extreme reactions to finding out someone is visually impaired, but actually far more common than you think. I myself have been 'healed' three times!

But this and more common suggestions like "Can't you just wear glasses?" remind me how important it is to keep pushing to create an awareness of visual impairment.

I was thrilled to see this insightful programme and feel the BBC have managed to create something that makes visual impairment relatable. I wish that, rather than making uninformed comments people would feel free to actually ask about the extent and nature of my condition and John Hull has helped to open that door.

It showed the daily practical battles we fight - which for John, was being unable to access books and data in an accessible format, and for me include being unable to drive to fetch a pint of milk, or the fact that reading takes me four times as long as my fully sighted counterparts. And it evocatively highlights how people of all ages can struggle with accepting their visual impairments.

Over a third of older people living with sight loss suffer with depression, which is an issue not often discussed or considered. And more than two million people in the UK live with sight loss. That's 1 in 30, and the figure is rising.

But I was pleased that the film also showed really positive things that many with disabilities will understand - like their relationships with family and friends. When an able-bodied person is married to a disabled person, it doesn't mean that they take the roles of 'carer' and 'patient'. It was incredibly refreshing to see the marriage between John and Marilyn as a partnership - often how it is in real life.

John completed his film with a simple quote, which I'd like to share to complete this blog "To gain our full humanity blind people and sighted people need each other."

*** Notes on Blindness will be on BBC Four, Thursday 16th February, 9pm. Notes on Blindness will be shown with a choice of viewing experiences for the visually impaired audience, available for the first time across BBC Four, Red Button and BBC iPlayer.

A version with enhanced sound will be available from 9pm tomorrow. Find out more about the versions here.

Excerpt from:
My Notes On Notes On Blindness - Huffington Post UK

Blogs | Feb. 15, 2017

Arizona Woman's Blindness Miraculously Cured Through St. Charbel

Within 48 hours after visiting the relics of St. Charbel, her eyesight was completely restored to 20/20 vision. The remarkable and sudden healing was confirmed later by several physicians.

The joy of a Phoenix parish is spreading along with thenews of 30-year-old parishioner Dafne's Gutierrez'scomplete cure of blindness.

The reported miracle of the wife and mother of three is bringing people from around the country to visit St. Joseph Maronite Catholic church in Phoenix, Arizona.

When she was just 13 years old in 1999, Dafne was officially diagnosed withthe medical condition, idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). One effectof thiscondition can be anothercondition called papilledema, where the pressure in the brain is greatly increased. This pressure affectsthe optic nerves, which in some cases such as Dafne's eventuallyresults in complete blindness.

The various medications and treatments which were tried for Dafneall failed. In 2014 theeyesight in her left eye deteriorated dramatically. Her physicians tried two separate surgeries, installing different types of shunts in an attempt to drain and reduce the pressure in her brain, butthese too failed, leading to complete blindness in her left eye. Meanwhile the sight in her right eye was also deteriorating, and she was declared legally blind. She was soon in total darkness, saying in 2015 that she could look directly at the sun and not see any light whatsoever. She also experienced "vise-like" headaches, seizures, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), vomiting, and dizziness. Her doctors declared her blindness to be "permanent and medically irreversible."

Dafne's blindness left her unable to care for her three young children, which completely broke the young mothers heart. On January 7, 2016, "so as to not be an additional burden on her family", she was approved for admittance to a nursing home, because "she could not take care of herself or her children, due to her blindness and seizures", and was scheduled o be admitted soon. "What hurt me the most was not being able to see my children again," she said.

Around the sametime last January 2016, Dafne heard a Spanish radio news report that the first class relics of St. Charbel (or Sharbel) Makhlouf were on a pilgrimage honoring the Lebanese saint's 50th beatification anniversary, and were going to be coming to a nearby church St Joseph Maronite Catholic Church in Phoenix for the weekend of Jan. 16-17.

Neither Dafne or her family had ever heard of this saint. Yet interestingly, later that same day Dafne's sister-in-law called and told her she'd seen an announcement about the visit of the relics, and suggested Dafne and her husband go with her. So theblind mother of three was taken to visit the bone relics of miracle worker St. Charbel during a special veneration and healing service at St. Joseph Church.

Dafne prayed on the way to the church."Please God heal me if not for me, then do it for my kids!I'm tiredI'm tired of going to You praying and asking You to heal me...I am giving in. If You don't want to do it for me, then do it for my kids. That is the way I went in [to the Church] I'm giving in to You. Do it for my kids"

Once at the Church she prayed to God, and then to St. Charbel: "I don't know who you are, but please help me."

After Mass celebrated by parish priest Fr. Wissam Akiki, and the veneration of St. Charbel's relics, her sister-in-law helped her to the confessional. Fr. Akiki was told about her blindnessand blessed her with holy oil touched to the first-class relic of St. Charbel, praying specifically for her to be cured. "I put my hand on her head, then on both eyes, and I asked God to heal her through the intercession of St. Charbel. Fr. Wissam told her that he would be praying for her and that he believed her vision would be restored. Dafne said she "felt very strongly that someone was standing next to me on my right side." Afterwards the priestsaid to Dafne's daughter: "Don't worry, your mom will see again."

After the prayers and blessing with the relic, Dafne asked her sister-in-law, "Who was that standing next to me, on my right side?"Her sister-in-law said,"There was no one standing next to you other than Fr. Akiki." To this day, Dafne is not sure who was standing next to her at that moment, but is sure"someone" was there.

"From that moment" Dafne's stated "I started to feel different. I can't explain it but my body felt different". The next day, Sunday January 17th, 2016, she again went to St. Joseph Church for the 3:00 p.m.Mass and to once again venerate the relic of St. Charbel.

That same Sunday evening at 4:00 a.m. she suddenly awoke with her eyes burning. "They were like burning really burning," and her head hurt "like after an operation." She woke her husband upexclaiming that her eyeswere burning. He asked how that was possible since she had no sensation in her eyes. He then put his hands on her eyes and noticed they felt hot and he said, "They are vibrating and moving" and he also noticed a strong smell like "burning meat". Dafne then realized that she could actually see her husband very vaguely like a shadow. She shouted, "I can see you! I can see you with both of my eyes! I started crying... I wiped my eyes and then opened them again to see if I really could see, and I could."

"I could not believe it. I did not want to close my eyes, she stated afterwards in an interview. My children were shouting: Mom can see! God healed mom!

Within 48 hours (precisely three days after her weekend visit to venerate the relics) her sight was completely restored to 20/20 vision. The remarkable and sudden healing was confirmed that day by an ophthalmologist, and later by several other physicians.

In a statement, Doctor Anne Borik, D.O. stated:

Medically speaking, what is interesting and what captured my interest in this [case] is that you don't see resolution of vision in 48 hours from a long standing optic nerve problem such as Dafne had. My job as a medical physician is to try to find out how this happened medically. We discussed this case with a neuro-ophthalmologist, and also an outside consultant reviewed the entire case, and basically there is no [medical] explanation how Dafne Gutierrez's vision was one day completely blind, and then 48 hours later was restored to normal ...And so based on this information, we as a medical community in reviewing this case cannot explain this medically.

At the very least, the physicians felt that even if she had regained some of her eyesight, there should have been some permanent damage and vision loss in at least her left eye, for that eye had been affected for twoyears. It is expected that there should be at least some optic nerve damage, and that there is simply no medical explanation for a complete restoration of 20/20 vision in both eyes.

"Faith and confession" is what Dafne Gutierrez continues to repeat time and time again when asked about her healing. "I was desperate when I walked into St. Joseph Maronite Catholic Church. Ifelt like God never heard me before, but this time was different, just different. For me to be able to see and read the papers [medical reports] that say that I would never be able to see again...It is such a blessing!"

Exactly one monthafter Dafne's sight was restored,a special Mass of thanksgiving and blessing with the holy oil of St. Charbel took place at St. Joseph Church on February 18, 2016, and was presided by Bishop Abdallah EliasZaidan, Maronite Catholic bishop of Los Angeles, California.

Daffne spoke tothe crowd who had gathered to give thanks to God for her healing through the intercession of St. Charbel: "All the doctors have said: 'There is no explanation'.....God healed me."

In an interview on YouTube, she encouraged everyone: "I just want to keep on telling everybody; Don't lose faith. God does exist. Just have faith ... [go to] confession. Don't lose hope."

Sr Charbel Makhlouf (1828-1898) was a Maronite Catholic monk from Lebanon who died on Christmas Eve at age 73. He spent the last 23 years of his life in a rugged cabin in complete solitude, with poor heat and the bare necessities of life, and was known for his practice of penance and mortifications, eating very little and sleeping on the ground.

Three days after his death he was buried in the monastery cemetery, and for the next 45 nights his tomb was surrounded by a dazzlingly bright light. As the days passed this phenomenon was witnessed by an increasingly large number of local villagers who informed the religious Maronite monastery, none of whom could provide an explanation. Permission was sought from the ecclesiastical authorities for the monks body to be exhumed. Four months after his death permission was obtained, and upon the exhumation his body was found to be completely incorrupt, even thoughhe had been buried in the ground without a casket.Charbel was given fresh clothing before being placed in a wooden coffin in a corner of the monasterys private chapel.

Soon a strange liquid was found exuding continually from the casket, coming from the pores of his body. Described as a mixture of fluid and blood, it continually flowed from his remains day and night. Soon, a local custom began where pieces of cloth soaked in this fluid were soon being distributed as relics, and were being credited with effecting cures. To this day this custom of "holy oil" touched to the relics of St. Charbel used as a blessing is still a very common practice of the faithful, as was used in Dafne's healing.

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Arizona Woman's Blindness Miraculously Cured Through St. Charbel - National Catholic Register (blog)

A child with nodding syndrome waits for treatment at an outreach site in Uganda's Pader district. Matthew Kielty for NPR hide caption

A child with nodding syndrome waits for treatment at an outreach site in Uganda's Pader district.

Scientists may have solved the mystery of nodding syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy that has disabled thousands of children in East Africa.

The syndrome seems to be caused by the immune system's response to a parasitic worm, an international team reports in the journal Science Translational Medicine. And they think it's the same worm responsible for river blindness, an eye infection that's also found in East Africa.

The finding means that current efforts to eliminate river blindness should also reduce nodding syndrome, says Avi Nath, an author of the study and chief of the section of infections of the nervous system at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

The adult form of the O. volvulus worm, which causes river blindness and may also be responsible for nodding syndrome. Courtesy of Dr. Thomas B. Nutman/NIAID/NIH hide caption

The adult form of the O. volvulus worm, which causes river blindness and may also be responsible for nodding syndrome.

"We can prevent new infections even if we can't treat the ones who already have nodding syndrome," Nath says. Drugs can kill the parasite in its early stages.

Nodding syndrome usually strikes children between 5 and 16 who live in rural areas of northern Uganda and South Sudan. Their bodies and brains stop growing. And they experience frequent seizures.

"These are kids, young kids, you would expect that they should be running around playing," says Nath, who visited Uganda several years ago. "Instead, if you go to these villages they are just sitting there in groups," so villagers can keep an eye on them.

The epileptic seizures weaken muscles in the head and neck. "So their heads tend to fall forward," Nath says. "And because that happens repeatedly as part of the seizure, it is termed nodding syndrome."

Researchers have struggled to find a cause for the syndrome since it was first documented in Tanzania in the 1960s. "We thought it might have to do with toxins, chemicals in the environment or nutritional deficiency," Nath says.

But the only clue that seemed to hold up was that affected children lived in areas where river blindness was common. This clue was puzzling, though, because even though nodding syndrome is a brain disease, the parasite that causes river blindness doesn't seem to infect the brain.

After returning from Uganda, Nath decided to search for an explanation.

"He pulled all of the lab together as a team and asked us to each investigate different components" of the syndrome, says Tory Johnson, an assistant professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins who was working for Nath at the time. She is also an author of the new study.

Johnson's assignment was to see whether the body's own immune system might play a role. So she began screening blood samples from people with nodding syndrome.

Other scientists had also looked for an immune response. But Johnson's search was much more extensive. "We looked at everything that was available," she says.

And eventually, she found something.

Nath remembers being in a meeting one day when Johnson appeared suddenly. "I saw her waving at me and I'm like, 'Okay, what happened?'" he says.

Johnson had discovered that in people with nodding syndrome, the immune system was targeting a protein found in certain muscle cells. It looked as if the body was attacking itself.

The question was whether the immune system's attack also included the brain. So Johnson started looking to see whether the targeted protein was in brain cells.

"And lo and behold she found that yes, it was not only present in the brain, there were actually large amounts of it present in neurons," Nath says. "So the story really came together very nicely."

The full story, the team's hypothesis, goes like this:

When a person is infected with the river blindness parasite, the immune system begins sending antibodies to attack the invader. These antibodies identify their enemy by looking for a specific protein in the parasite's cells.

Unfortunately, the target protein in the parasite looks a lot like a protein found in certain brain cells. So these brain cells become unintended casualties of the body's efforts to protect itself.

The discovery shows why it's important to treat children soon after they are infected with the parasite, Nath says. That might prevent an immune response that attacks the brain. And it would mean that the parasite can't be spread from person to person by black flies.

Because nodding syndrome appears to be the result of an immune response, Nath says, it may be possible to limit brain damage in some children by using drugs that tone down the immune system response.

The finding also raises the possibility that parasites, or other infections, are causing epilepsy in the U.S. and other countries, Nath says.

"We know there are a large number of immune-mediated epilepsies," Nath says. "But the underlying cause is not clear."

And there are plenty of parasitic infections in the U.S. Pinworms, for example, infect millions of children each year.

It's possible that some of these infections are leading to epilepsy, Johnson says. "We don't know because we haven't looked yet."

Read the rest here:
Scientists May Have Solved The Mystery Of Nodding Syndrome - NPR

CRISPR is a life-changing genetic modification technology that could potentially cure cancer and eradicate genetic conditions before a child is born. But there is a dark side to the potential of this technology.

The patent dispute over CRISPR technology has been settled.

AN INFLUENTIAL US science advisory committee this week said genetic modification of human embryos should be allowed in the future to eliminate diseases, sparking new debate on a controversial topic.

The report by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) caused concern among some researchers who fear that genetic tools could be used to boost certain peoples intelligence or create people with particular physical traits.

Clinical trials for genome editing of the human germ line adding, removing or replacing DNA base pairs in gametes or early embryos could be permitted in the future, said the report, released Wednesday (AEST).

But only, it added, for serious conditions under stringent oversight.

The emergence of inexpensive and accurate gene-editing technology, known as CRISPR/Cas9, has fuelled an explosion of new research opportunities and potential clinical applications, both heritable and non-heritable, to address a wide range of human health issues, the report said.

The committee of international experts was convened to examine scientific, ethical and governance issues surrounding human genome editing.

The experts noted that clinical trials on gene editing for certain non-hereditary traits are already under way.

These therapies affect only the patient, not any offspring, and should continue for treatment and prevention of disease and disability, using the existing ethical norms and regulatory framework for development of gene therapy, it said.

There is plenty of concern about the designer human floodgates opening.Source:YouTube

The warning come as a major patent battle over the technology was settled in the US in recent days.

What many described as the biotechnology trial of the century, the Broad Institute won the patent to the popular gene-editing process known as CRISPR/Cas-9.

The legal battle over who really invented the technology pitted Feng Zhang of the Broad Institute a research facility affiliated with Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology against French microbiologist Emmanuelle Charpentier of the Max Planck Institute in Berlin and biochemist Jennifer Doudna of the University of California, Berkeley.

Both sides claimed to have developed CRISPR-Cas9, which allows scientists to edit stretches of the genome by removing, adding or changing pieces of the DNA sequence.

Jennifer Doudna of UC Berkeley ultimately lost out in the dispute.Source:Getty Images

Scientists say the technology has the potential to cure diseases but also raises ethical questions, particularly when it comes to the prospect of forever altering the human race.

Charpentier and Doudna have won multiple prizes in the past four years and were widely considered to have discovered this gene-editing technique. Their work was first published in the journal Science in June 2012.

This important decision affirms the inventiveness of the Broads work in translating the biology of the natural world into fundamental building blocks to create unprecedented medicines, said a statement by Katrine Bosley, president and chief executive officer of Editas Medicine, which has an exclusive licence on the Broad Institutes patent for human-therapy applications.

The Atlantic magazine described Editas Medicine as the biggest winner.

Assuming the patent decision does not change, Editas will be the major player in human CRISPR therapies in the foreseeable future, it said.

Excerpt from:
The biotechnology trial of the century over CRISPR patent settled in US court - NEWS.com.au

Cavitation Technologies, Inc. (CTi) (OTCQB: CVAT) (Berlin: WTC) and CBDual Biotechnology Corp announced today that the two companies have reached a comprehensive cross-licensing agreement. This agreement covers intellectual property involving application of technology and process patents to produce high quality pharmaceutical grade cannabis materials. The patented technology facilitates the production of cannabinoid formulations that may include Cannabidiol (CBD) and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) that can be easily mixed into fluids or medications providing increased stability of products and a much quicker enhanced absorption rate of medications.

Dr. Greg Rubin, CEO of CBDual Biotechnology Corp. commented, "The cannabis derived products market is growing rapidly in North America. Market Research Future reports indicate that U.S., Canada, and Mexico are dominant markets for cannabis products and these markets are expected to grow at 33% per annum from 2016 to 2021. Growing awareness about cannabis medicinal properties is also reflected in growing demand for new CBD based products. The development of consumer and medical products require the development of the best quality and utilization of the most innovative technologies in order to achieve ultimate results. This is only possible if we use the most advanced technological processes and our agreement with CTi enables us to manufacture the best quality CBD based oral care products by utilizing their advanced patented technology."

Global Technology Manager of CTi, Roman Gordon, stated that, "Intellectual property covered by this agreement between our companies enhances the development of cannabis based products and helps us expand into new consumer and medical markets. Cannabis based medicine is now emerging and being revisited as a potential source of treatments for conditions not addressed properly by synthetic substances," concluded Mr. Gordon

CTi's cross-licensing arrangement with CBDual Biotechnology Corp will oversee the infusion of cannabinoids in CBD based oral healthcare product line that includes mouthwash, toothpaste with cannabidiol and other unique formulations. Management also sees the potential to attract a number of potential licensees and distributors across multiple markets, including the therapeutic foods, CBD water, dietary supplements and pharmaceutical industries.

About CTi

Founded in 2007, the company designs and manufactures state-of-the-art, flow-through, devices and systems as well as develops processing technologies for use in edible oil refining, renewable fuel production, expeditious petroleum upgrading, algae oil extraction, alcoholic beverage enhancement and water treatment. As an add-on to its existing neutralization systems, the company's patented Nano Reactor allows refiners to significantly reduce both processing costs and environmental impact, while also increasing yield.

http://www.ctinanotech.com/

About CBDual Biotechnology Corp.

CBDual Biotechnology is a privately held, US based Biotechnology company with a proprietary technology for enhanced oral delivery of bioactive cannabinoids. This technology promotes good gums health and overall dental health due to higher effectiveness of the delivery methodology. Company was founded in 2016 and is headquarted in California with its R&D capability in Israel and Ukraine.

CBDual Biotechnology is a pharmaceutical research and development company, focused on the commercialization of cannabinoids (CBD) based oral hygiene products and for the treatment of gum disease, bad breath, pain and other disorders associated with oral health, including CBD mouthwash, CBD toothpaste and other unique pharmaceutical products. Company conducts medical research and clinical trials in their new clinical research center in California. Company's Medical Advisory Board has experienced, Board certified doctors and specialists that oversee and design clinical research and develop new products.

Welcome to CBDual

Forward Looking Statement

This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "should," "potential," "continue," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and similar expressions, and include statements regarding the anticipated installation and the timing of the installation, our intent to continue to focus on research and development, marketing and sales of our unique technology, our belief that our company is positioned for accelerated growth and the expected efforts to be made to enhance our shareholder's value. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the Company's expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. Actual results could differ materially from these forward looking statements as a result of a variety of factors including, among others, the state of the economy, the competitive environment and our ability to perform the installation as anticipated and other factors described in our most recent Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC, including subsequent periodic reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. In light of these risks and uncertainties there can be no assurances that the forward looking statements contained in this press release will in fact transpire or prove to be accurate. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release on account of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

Cavitation Technologies, Inc.

Contact:

Investor Relations Jessica Steidinger Jessica@ctinanotech.com Phone (818) 718-0905

DISCLOSURE: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors, and do not represent the views of equities.com. Readers should not consider statements made by the author as formal recommendations and should consult their financial advisor before making any investment decisions. To read our full disclosure, please go to: http://www.equities.com/disclaimer

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Cavitation Technologies, Inc. (CVAT) Announces Cross Licensing ... - Equities.com

Potential therapies for chikungunya arthritis Nature.com Targeting T cells is emerging as a promising strategy for the treatment of chikungunya arthritis. Two independent studies published in Science Translational Medicine demonstrated amelioration of disease when targeting pathogenic CD4+ T cells in mice ...

The rest is here:
Potential therapies for chikungunya arthritis - Nature.com

Nature.com

New player in RA pathogenesis brought to light Nature.com A novel subset of T cells is responsible for driving autoantibody production by B cells in the synovium of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to new research published in Nature. These cells, dubbed T 'peripheral helper' cells, are ...

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New player in RA pathogenesis brought to light - Nature.com

The horses of the apocalypse have been galloping in for some time now, and far be it from us to claim that a singer-songwriter from Edmonton has any chance of keeping them at bay. But to listen to Calvin Loves new single Warm Blindness & A Cool Breeze is to accept that maybe everything isnt totally fucked after all. Love has made a name for himself with a series of lush, buoyant pop compositions that temper their sweetness with a bit of bite, and his latest is no different. It does happen to come at a time when we need it most, though, hitting us with a hopeful swell of guitars and a bass line that makes our booties shake for thank god some reason other than fear.

Warm Blindness & A Cool Breeze was written by accident and impulse, the songwriter tells Consequence of Sound. [Its] a metaphor for being lost in a cognitive dissonance while under the pressure of societies imminent apocalypse. Thats not a difficult sentiment to relate to these days, but Love maintains a positive perspective until the bitter end. Just as long as youre here with me/ Everything will be alright, he sings in the coda, and theres nothing really bitter about that at all, is there?

Warm Blindess & A Cool Breeze is off Loves upcomingEcdysis EP, due out April 7th via Modern Sky. Find the info below.

Ecdysis EP Artwork:

Ecdysis EP Tracklist: 01. Warm Blindness & A Cool Breeze 02. When Your Not Looking 03. Sugar Hives 04. Grey Eyes 05. Goodbye Morning

You can catch Love on tour at the following dates:

Calvin Love 2017 Tour Dates: 02/25 Toronto, ON@ Baby G 03/02 Hamilton, ON @ Biltmore House 03/08 Columbus, OH @Space Bar 03/13 Memphis, TN @ The High Tone 03/14 Dallas, TX @ The Crown & Harp 03/15 Austin, TX @ Barracuda 03/19 Austin, TX @ Beerland Panache Hangover Fest 03/23 Chattanooga, TN @ The Open Chord 03/27 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas 03/28 Baltimore, MD @ The Metro Gallery 03/30 New York, NY @ Berlin 03/31 New York, NY @ Berlin 04/01 New York, NY @ Berlin 04/03 Montreal, QC @ TBA 04/28 Beijing, CN @ Sound of The City Festival 05/04 Shanghai, CN @ Strawberry Music Festival

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Calvin Love staves off society's imminent collapse with Warm Blindness & A Cool Breeze listen - Consequence of Sound (blog)

The first Central Superior Services (CSS) examination under revised syllabus was conducted earlier this year. Only 202 out of 9643 candidates qualified the written examination. These successful few will now undergo medical and psychological tests which are likely to cause further screening. In terms of percentage, the success rate in written examination shows a depressing 2.09. While the result puts the countrys education system in poor light, the purpose of this discourse is the want of a crucial yet missing aspect in revised curriculum of the CSS examination which is the National Maritime Sector.

For instance, the national maritime sector encompassing both, economic and military dimension and developments in the Asia-Pacific region are little known subjects across Pakistan. Had it not been for CPEC, the name Gawadar may not have found even a mention in the mainstream political discourse much less in electronic media. The country still does not have a maritime vision while the subject is all together missing from the manifestos of every major political party. Terms like CPEC, Gawadar, Arabian Sea, maritime security etc have frequently appeared in the print media over the past one year or so. Even then, a great percentage of public office holders would surely be found less than familiar with what sea or maritime commerce means for Pakistan.

Despite being a current issue of discussion in most world capitals, the geopolitical trends in the Asia-Pacific find only a fleeting reference in the syllabus of CSS (IR contemporary issues). There is no gainsaying that the region of Asia-Pacific has, and continues to fuel economic growth in larger Asia. It has precipitated a shift in the global economic centre of gravity from Atlantic to this region. The critical need to protect sea lines of communication and scamper to grab sea based resources through claims and counter claims over wider sea expanse has concurrently given rise to friction. It has drawn in more naval and maritime forces than at any other time in contemporary history. The US, China, India, Australia and Pakistan are all understandably concentrating their naval power and focusing strategies in the region.

A new era of geo-politics, cooperation and contest is underway in the region. This is manifest in flexing of naval muscle, expanding alliances and establishing a toehold in the Indian Ocean Islands in furtherance of strategic maritime interests. An ever expanding network of joint USN-IN operations in Indo-Pacific, operational integration of Arihant, Indias first nuclear submarine with Indian navy, establishment of first overseas military base by India in the Island of Seychelles, a New Delhis first tri-services command in Andaman-Nicobar Island are only some of the striking developments. These will have a definitive and cumulative impact in shaping the regions maritime security environment and larger world in future.

On November 14, the first Chinese cargo ship docked at Gawadar. A day earlier, the prime minister, accompanied by chief of the army staff and chief of the naval staff inaugurated the port of Gawadar. The inauguration marked the operationalisation and opening of commercial activities at the port. As CPEC matures, the national maritime security will increasingly define the economic fate of Pakistan. The success of CPEC will hinge on a fully functional port of Gawadar, the hub of all commercial activity. It will as much depend on safety and security provided to the maritime commerce of China, Pakistan and other countries travelling through sea lines of the Indian Ocean. Needless to mention, CPEC will add up to the predominant part of Pakistans trade already shipped through the sea.

The unraveling geo-politics and maritime security, the impact of maritime sector on Pakistans national economy as well as significance of Gawadar-CPEC are all too important issues to be ignored in any major prospective national decision making process. Yet like several other countries, Pakistan remains mired in what is termed as, sea blindness- also maritime blindness. It refers to a state where large segments of population are ignorant or unmindful of oceans and attendant matters. For reasons some of which are cited here, most of Asia is turning towards sea.

Both India and United States view CPEC as inimical to their strategic interests in the region. Wary of Chinas presence in the Indian Ocean, the US and India have already reached a momentous accord, the Logistic Sharing Agreement (LSA) which virtually amounts to war pact. The agreement will provide ease of operations and improve sustainability of the US navy. With CPEC advancing, China is also tipped to become a two ocean navy. It has already set a foothold in the Arabian Sea.

Adding to such developments is the change of guard in Washington. The newly elected US President Trump has already declared that Hindus and India will be Americas best friends. Just what the duo of two extreme right wing leaders in Trump-Modi could do to undermine Pakistans interests and security cannot be over-emphasised. Indias far-right ultra-nationalist Hindu Sena outfit is jubilant over the success of Mr. Trump. An emboldened government in New Delhi is meanwhile aggressively shifting to war mode with Pakistan.

Over the past two decades and as part of its corporate responsibility, Pakistan Navy has made concerted efforts to expand its national outreach. This has included consequential initiatives like moving Pakistan Navy War College from Karachi to Lahore, holding large-scale multinational naval exercises, increased interaction with academia, especially in Punjab, instituting joint seminars in collaboration with public sector universities etc. A revised National Maritime Policy and Strategy is understood to have been finalized by the Naval Headquarters/Ministry of Defence. The first Maritime Doctrine of Pakistan is also anticipated to be published in due course. The doctrine will provide an overarching view of Pakistans maritime sector, maritime security and peace/war time roles expected of Pakistan Navy.

Given the progressing developments and its importance for Pakistan, the present and future public office bearers owe a responsibility to the nation. They must ensure that maritime domain does not escape their attention. Its inclusion in the CSS examination syllabus and institution of appropriate module in the training at the civil services academy is an indispensable and urgent national need. It is time to adopt novel approach and inject new thinking in our national psyche that has for long remained land centric. It can gain considerable momentum if juvenile brains are prepared in time for what is going to be the real battle ground in twenty first century-the Indo-Pacific region. The verse of national poet Iqbal resonates fittingly:

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The CSS and Sea Blindness - Pakistan Today

After opening the Dublin Film Festival, director Aisling Walsh hopes to bring her story of an artist battling arthritis to the world, writes Esther McCarthy.

Ethan Hawke and Sally Hawkins in Maudie, the true story of artist Maud Lewis, directed by Irish filmmaker Aisling Walsh, left.

She was the low-key, quirky artist whose paintings, sublime in their simplicity, made her beloved in her native Canada.

Now an Irish filmmaker is hopeful that she can help make the work of Maud Lewis celebrated throughout the world.

Lewis, who sold painted cards out of her remote home in Nova Scotia, defied crippling rheumatoid arthritis, which she developed in childhood and suffered from throughout her life, to become one of Canadas most loved folk artists.

Irish director Aisling Walsh is bringing Lewiss story to the big screen in an intimate drama, Maudie, starring Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke, that will open this years Audi Dublin International Film Festival. The film also focuses on Mauds difficult marriage to her husband, Everett.

ADIFF, which will feature scores of anticipated Irish and international features and shorts, and Walsh, for one, is looking forward to bringing her film home for the opening night.

Its a couple of years since I screened a film in Ireland, so its rather special for me. Im looking forward to it very much, said the London-based filmmaker, whose credits include acclaimed Irish film Song For a Raggy Boy and the award-winning TV series Fingersmith and Room at the Top.

Its interesting, you spend so long making a film, a long time putting it together in the cutting room and trying to get it up to its flying best as I call it, then you try to bring it out into the world.

The response has been kind of universal. Its amazing how people respond to it. They laugh, they cry, they go on that journey. Thats really satisfying.

Walsh hopes that the film will help bring Mauds story and work to a wider audience.

Shes well known in Nova Scotia where shes from, in Toronto, Vancouver and in America as well because people travelled and holidayed quite a lot in that part of the world, would have stopped outside the house and bought her work.

But otherwise, like a lot of women artists she isnt terribly recognised. Its amazing that shes not. Its nice that this will hopefully make her a little more well known in the world.

Walsh, whod trained as a painter before forging a career in film, had been interested in making a film about an artist for almost a decade and was watching out for the right project.

When Sherry Whites script landed on her desk, she was hooked. Id looked at making a film about a painter, there were one or two stories I was interested in. I did know her work, Id seen these pictures.

Then I thought of Sally and thought it could be a really good opportunity for us to work together again, wed been trying to find something to do together (since collaborating on the mini-series Fingersmith).

This just seemed to be right. And that story I was just fascinated by the portrait of that marriage, that love story. I thought that I could bring something to it, that if youre lucky could be kind of magical.

As well as her art, the film focuses on Mauds complicated marriage to Everett Lewis, a temperamental man with whom she had a loving but often-fraught relationship.

There are dark details within their union, and in the wrong hands this tale of an imperfect romance could have rung less true. A lot of it is two people in a room, in a landscape together. Would I have done it ten years ago? No, Id probably have run for the hills. That (the relationship) is quite complex in its own way because youve got nowhere to hide. It just really spoke to me, so much that I thought I really want to make this film.

Maud had severe arthritis that impacted greatly on her movement, but Walsh and Hawkins never characterise this in a way that feels mawkish or manipulative.

People who have disabilities have disabilities, says Walsh. They live with them. They dont think of them as disabilities. Thats what youve got in life and you get on with it. Apart from the pain she had, which apparently got quite bad in later life, that was how she was and who she was.

Its really important that you dont think about it, but that its there, thats who Maud is. Shes lived with it all her life. I thought that was an interesting way to play it, and Sally really wanted to do that too.

Though Walsh has lived in London since moving to the city to study three decades ago, she still considers Dublin to be home and spent almost six months here last year, largely working on post-production on the film.

I came here originally for three years as a student and never thought Id be here this long. I always consider Dublin home, she observes.

If youve lived in London like I have for thirty years, you get used to that scale and size and there are a lot of things there that I love.

Though she considers the recent Brexit vote a shame she doesnt see herself leaving London permanently. Theres a point where you realise that its going to happen. Its interesting, I know people who voted to come out and people who desperately wanted to stay.

"Maybe they have to be out for a while to remember why it would have been good to stay. I think its a shame because theyre a very strong voice in Europe.

The cast is almost entirely made up of actors with intellectual disabilities.

Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved

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Putting Maud and arthritis into the frame | Irish Examiner - Irish Examiner

A service helping patients with arthritis and joint pain looks set to be axed from Walsall Manor Hospital because it is unsustainable, according to a report.

The boroughs Rheumatology service, which is run by Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, may close due to its size with plans being drawn up to have a service covering the whole of the Black Country.

Health bosses behind the Black Countrys Strategic Transformation Plan (STP), have said it is difficult to recruit and keep consultant rheumatologists for the service.

It is currently made up of two consultants and clinical nurse specialists. Arthritis and back pain are among the conditions treated.

The STP states: We already have well advanced discussions regarding the Rheumatology service, which is unsustainable in Walsall due to the small size of the service making recruitment and retention of consultant rheumatologists really difficult.

As a result of our network approach, we have collectively made available short-term resources to sustain the service, and have been successful in recruiting three consultants who will join later this year.

This will lead to a reduction in locum spend in the second half of the year.

Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust already provides rheumatology services for a large part of Staffordshire as well as Wolverhampton.

Councillor Ian Robertson, Walsall Councils health boss, said he thought the change to a Black Country-led service makes sense.

He added: I think when you have a specialist service it is easier to recruit if you can tell them you will be looking after a series of hospitals rather than just one.

"It makes sense to have a large group sharing some specialist services to save money.

The service in Walsall is offered Monday to Friday at the Manor and the Outpatient and Day Case Centre.

It offers specialist clinics, including early arthritis, and a range of treatments, including infusions and injections.

The rheumatology team has strong links with primary care providers and services such as the falls prevention programme based at Dartmouth House in the town.

The team also provides an expert patient programme, which can be accessed by people with long-term conditions, and works alongside voluntary services.

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Walsall Manor Hospital-based arthritis unit set for the axe - expressandstar.com

Endocrinology Advisor

How Does Psoriatic Arthritis Affect Diabetes Risk? Endocrinology Advisor The prevalence of diabetes is higher in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), with greater PsA activity correlating with a higher risk of developing the disease, according to recent research published in The Journal of Rheumatology. Psoriatic ...

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How Does Psoriatic Arthritis Affect Diabetes Risk? - Endocrinology Advisor

Marion Morrissey from Co Limerick was diagnosed with psoriasis at 15.

Living with a chronic skin condition can be very difficult as although it may not be life threatening, treatment can be all-consuming and the anxiety caused by such a visible disorder can take its toll.

Up to 140,000 people in Ireland suffer from psoriasis, an auto-immune disorder which causes the skin to reproduce at a rapid pace resulting in itchy, painful scales all over the body, including the scalp and nails.

And if this discomfort wasnt enough, 40,000 will go on to develop psoriatic arthritis which affects the back and joints causing severe pain and immobility.

This month, Arthritis Ireland has launched a campaign entitled More than Skin Deep, which provides expert information on the condition and advice for sufferers.

There is a lot of research going on in Ireland into psoriatic arthritis and its causes, says consultant rheumatologist Prof David Kane.

These are mainly looking at the genes that cause the condition in families and using ultrasound imaging and synovial tissue biopsy of the joints to study patients who have the disease in order to find new targets for treatments.

For immediate pain relief there are a range of painkillers but these do not deal with the underlying inflammation which will ultimately lead to permanent joint damage.

But fortunately there are now a lot of specific treatment options for psoriatic arthritis that will reverse the joint inflammation, reduce pain and prevent joint damage.

Marion Morrissey from Co Limerick knows only too well what it is like to have the condition as she has suffered with it since she was a teenager.

I was diagnosed with psoriasis at 15 so have lived with the condition for more years than I have lived without it and it has affected absolutely everything in my life, says the 39 year old.

My initial diagnosis was of a very dry flaky scalp at the hairdressers. I then went to my GP who diagnosed psoriasis. But that GP (and many others since), didnt have much time or empathy as psoriasis wasnt perceived to be serious as its not usually life threatening.

But my condition got progressively worse until I had almost 75 per cent body coverage. Then when I was 24 I got nail psoriasis which looks like a fungal infection there was no treatment for this but luckily, being female, I could paint my nails. Over the years I have tried every treatment available from conventional to alternative creams, lotions, ointments, sprays, moisturisers, shampoos and PUVA light treatment anything that offered even a glimmer of hope, but none really worked.

Morrissey, who is married with three children and runs her own healthcare training company, http://www.safeaid.ie, was dealt a further blow when the skin condition transferred to her joints.

I developed psoriatic arthritis aged 32 and became really worried about my quality of life, she admits. The pain and stiffness started in my fingers and toes it was really severe especially in the mornings, really affecting my ability to carry out normal daily activities.

My fingers and toes would be hot and throbbing and had a sausage-like appearance so this along with the stiffness and pain made many tasks difficult. Driving was affected as getting a grasp on the steering wheel and pressing on the pedals was hard due to the pain in my toes. Even brushing my daughters hair was a problem as I couldnt hold the brush and this really took its toll emotionally.

The pain and stiffness spread to her knees, ankles, elbows and neck until eventually Morrissey sought help. She was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and put on medication and while it took several different drugs to discover which would work best for her condition, her current medication is keeping the pain under control and for the first time in years, she is living life to the full.

I got my official diagnosis from a rheumatologist who gave me steroid injections in my fingers and toes, says Morrissey. But this only worked for a month or so before the symptoms came back. Then I was put on many different types of anti-inflammatory drugs which also just kept things at bay for a while before I got significantly worse.

The pain was so bad at one point that I had to set my alarm for 4am in order to take a cocktail of medication so I could function and get downstairs by 7am. With a new baby and two older children, this was incredibly difficult, particularly as I was also trying to keep my business going.

But 4 years ago I was started on a different drug and I havent looked back since. I have been given my life back and cannot even begin to compare it now to what it was before.

I am totally symptom-free and to date, havent experienced any side effects. I live a very full and busy life both at home and in work and I am very thankful.

My advice for anyone who has just been diagnosed with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis is to be assertive and keep going until you find the right treatment as the results can be life changing.

Kane says lifestyle changes can also help ease the often crippling symptoms of this condition.

Medication is the cornerstone of treatment for psoriatic arthritis, he says. But patients can also help manage their condition by having a healthy diet, managing their weight to reduce the strain on their lower limb joints, exercising to keep joints and muscles healthy, managing stress levels and seeking help for anxiety and depression.

Anyone who is concerned they may have the condition should raise this with their GP or dermatologist both should be able to spot early signs of psoriatic arthritis.

For more information visit http://www.arthritisireland.ie

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Psoriasis has affected absolutely everything in my life - Irish Times

USA TODAY

A.J. Foyt planning to undergo stem cell therapy | USA TODAY Sports USA TODAY Auto racing legend A.J. Foyt is hoping to find the fountain of youth for a body that has taken quite a beating over the years. And like a handful of athletes before ... and more »

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A.J. Foyt planning to undergo stem cell therapy | USA TODAY Sports - USA TODAY

From left are Dr. Oz, researcher Sally Temple, patient Patricia Holman, television personality Montel Williams and Dr. Elisabeth Leamy. (Courtesy Sony Pictures Television)

From left are Dr. Oz, researcher Sally Temple, patient Patricia Holman, television personality Montel Williams and Dr. Elisabeth Leamy. (Courtesy Sony Pictures Television)

From left are Dr. Oz, researchers Sally Temple, patient Patricia Holman, Dr. Elisabeth Leamy and television personality Montel Williams. (Courtesy Sony Pictures Television)

From left are Dr. Oz, researchers Sally Temple, patient Patricia Holman, Dr. Elisabeth Leamy and television personality Montel Williams. (Courtesy Sony Pictures Television)

Dr. Oz with Sally Temple, scientific director and co-founder of the Neural Stem Cell Institute. (Courtesy Sony Pictures Television)

Dr. Oz with Sally Temple, scientific director and co-founder of the Neural Stem Cell Institute. (Courtesy Sony Pictures Television)

Local stem cell researcher to appear on Dr. Oz today

Sally Temple has a plea for people considering stem cell therapy to cope with a chronic illness or life-threatening disease: Don't. Not yet.

Temple, co-founder of the Neural Stem Cell Institute in Rensselaer and president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, has spent her career studying stem cells. Her pre-taped appearance on "The Dr. Oz Show" airs Tuesday, Feb. 14, where she talks about the difference between stem cell research and what she calls the "snake oil" promises of clinics that haven't been approved by the FDA but promise miracle cures for scourges like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Stem cells hold promise for treatment because they are the foundation from which all parts of the human body grow.

There are more than 500 clinics in the country offering unproven therapies, including some in New York state and a lot in Florida. "We know it's going on all around the world," Temple said.

Patients lured by false promises spend a lot of money. Temple said people have taken out second mortgages to cover the costs. But they are also at medical risk, Temple said, because injecting stem cells even the patient's own cells can have unpredictable results.

On TV

The Dr. Oz Show airs at 2 p.m. weekdays on NewsChannel 13 WNYT. Learn more about stem cell research at http://neuralsci.org.

"We're now hearing of people getting dreadful outcomes, tumors and blindness," she said.

It's because, without FDA approval and the long process of testing a new drug, there's no way to know for sure what's in the syringe, Temple said. "It may sound good to take stem cells from your own fat and inject them into your eye, but injecting stem cells that were good at making fat into another part of the body where they were never supposed to be can be disastrous."

Dr. Mehmet Oz said he chose this subject because there are stem cell clinics using the potential of legitimate research to take advantage of patients desperate for help.

"These physicians are violating not only the trust of their patients but also the law and hopefully our show will push the FDA to use its authority to shut them down," Oz said.

Temple said she was impressed by how informed Oz was during the taping for the show in New York City last month, and said it was clear the researchers and producers on the show had done their homework. Montel Williams, a former show host himself, also appeared on the segment. Williams suffers from multiple sclerosis and said he's been approached by clinics who want his celebrity endorsement.

"He was fully aware of lack of research and knew that when you dig for scientific rationale, it's not there," Temple said. "True stem cell therapy is coming, but we have to go through the proper channels and know it's safe."

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Local stem cell researcher to appear on Dr. Oz today - Albany Times Union

EASTON, Conn. --Hope is a big word in the Standen household in Easton these days.

Through a procedure at the Cell Medicine Institute in Panama, there is a 60 percent to 70 percent chance that Zach Standen a 17-year-old who became paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident last summer may regain some feeling and movement in his legs.

In the procedure, The stem cells are taken from your own bone marrow and human umbilical cords and are re-injected into your body," Zachs mother, Christine Standen, said in a phone interview.

The ultimate goal is for the stem cells from Zach's body to regenerate the nerves and neural connections for him to regain some feeling and function in his legs.

It's extremely important that Zach gets the treatment as soon as possible, his mother said. "He should get the stem cell therapy within a year of the accident since this is when the most healing occurs and before scar tissue is laid down," Christine Standen said. Once this happens, she said, muscle mass is lost and muscles begin to atrophy.

Related story: Easton teen is left paralyzed after car crash.

Zach's family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise the nearly $40,000 needed to pay for the treatment. So far, the page has been shared 687 times. With 313 donations, it has raised $18,194 out of a $100,000 goal.

The family is hoping to raise enough money to get Zach two stem cell treatments, which would greatly increase his chances for recovery.

In addition, a fundraiser has been established to benefit the cause for Zach. Through Feb. 28, a total of 15 percent of the cost of the Arbonne products from this page will be donated to Zach Standens Stem Cell Therapy Fund.

Zach and his mother, as well as Zachs girlfriend, Constance Rude, plan on taking the month-long trip to Panama.

We are hoping that Zach [who attends Joel Barlow High School in Redding] will get his homework assignments ahead of time," she said, adding that he will most likely have to take summer classes or make up some timein the fall.

In a post on Zachs GoFundMe Page, his mother wrote, As of right now, there has been very little progress physically and I can't see him being like this for the rest of his life. No walking, no bowel or bladder control, no sexual function, no feeling. This is no way to live if we can help it, especially for a 17 year old."

She said Zach's spirits are waning. "He is finding it difficult to study and is trying to maintain hope."

Aside from his medical issues, Zach has the life of a typical teenager he goes to school and hangs out with his friends.

Related story: A family seeks support for treatment for paralyzed son.

Zach goes twice a week to physical therapy at Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford. "He is working really hard, every day," said his mother.

Another fundraiser for Zachwill be a concert by the Grayson Hugh & The Moon Hawks & The Bobby Paltauf Band on March 11 at 7 p.m. at the Fairfield Theatre Company. A total of 25 percent of ticket sales will go toward Zach's Stem Cell Therapy Fund.

Christine Standen said she feels extreme gratitude toward for the support the family has received through this tough time. "We are so grateful to the entire community," she said.

For previous Daily Voice articles on Zach Standen, click here and here .

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Paralyzed Easton Teen Seeking Stem Cell Treatment In Bid To ... - Wilton Daily Voice