2011年1月6日 星期四
研究：修復幹細胞可治脫髮
美國最新研究發現，幹細胞缺陷可能是導致脫髮的一個主要原因。
因此修復幹細胞能促使頭髮生長。
 |
| credit by rofi @ flickr |
研究人員分析了54名40歲至65歲男子的頭髮和頭皮組織，結果發現，無論是脫髮還是沒有脫髮的頭皮組織中，毛囊幹細胞的數量都是相同的，所不同的是，脫髮頭皮組織中的毛囊幹細胞沒有產生讓頭髮生長的源細胞，這表明毛囊幹細胞產生了缺陷，使頭皮無法長出頭髮。
領導這一研究的科斯薩利斯說，此前研究以為導致脫髮的原因是毛囊幹細胞已經不存在了，但最新的研究發現，毛囊幹細胞還在，只是出現了缺陷。這為治療脫髮提供了新思路，比如醫生可以通過修復幹細胞讓其產生源細胞，促使頭髮生長。
（新華社）
資料來源: 明報即時新聞網 (2011年1月5日)
2011年1月5日 星期三
Stem cell transplant saves man's life
By: Rochelle Ritchie
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. - It's music that may never have been heard again. And fingers that may never have played again.
But Florida Atlantic University Professor Joe Scott is back playing a piano and doing what he loves. "It was just the most incredible thing."
For two years Scott has been cancer free. All thanks to a donor thousands of miles away.
"She might as well have pulled me out of a river. I was drowning and she literally saved me life, " says Scott.
She, is 50-year-old Jo Pillon, a Canadian who donated stem cells 10 years ago.
"It's hard to put into words how it makes you feel when you could potentially save a life," says Pillon.
Scott was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2005. His chances of survival slim to none.
"They gave me a 20% chance of just getting into remission," he said.
For three years he survived on experimental drugs that were approved by the FDA.
It wasn't until stem cell transplants became more advanced that he found the key to life.
For years it remained a mystery who his donor was. Thinking it was a male he was surprised to find out it was a woman.
"I have all of her cells my blood type changes and I have female chromosomes," Scott said.
Dr. Shachar Peles, an oncologist with the Palm Beach Cancer Institute, says stories like Scott's are why so many people need to donate. "I think it's critical."
"I know just from being in the hospital that many people can't get a match and it's really important that we have as many donors as we can," said Scott.
Source: New Channel 5, 04,Jan 2011
CordLife康盛人生參加第三屆香港國際燒傷及傷口癒合研討會促進科學交流
康盛人生參加第三屆香港國際燒傷及傷口癒合研討會促進科學交流
康盛人生參加2010年11月27日至28日期間於威爾斯親王醫院舉行的第三屆香港國際燒傷及傷口癒合研討會。該研討會針對時下流行的話題包括被酸灼傷、先進的傷口護理技術、處理由輻射引起的併發症、幹細胞及組織工程。康盛人生菲律賓的醫務總監Dr. Arvin C. Faundo, M.D. FPSP應邀成為講者之一及以臍帶血庫的代表身份分享利用臍帶血治療燒傷和創傷。此外，他還與臨床醫生、醫療暨研究人員，及來自香港和亞洲的學生討論有關道德和臨床測試的問題，這個科學交流對業界獲益不少。
CordLife encourages scientific exchange by participating in the 3rd Hong Kong International Burns & Wound Healing Symposium
| CordLife has participated in the 3rd Hong Kong International Burns & Wound Healing Symposium held during 27- 28 November 2010 at Prince of Wales Hospital. The symposium focused on some very topical and current concerns including acid assault burns, advanced wound care technologies, dealing with the challenges of radiation induced complications, stem cells and tissue engineering. Dr. Arvin C. Faundo, M.D. FPSP, Medical Director, CordLife Medical Philippines, Inc. was invited as one of the speakers and a representative of cord blood banking industry to share how cord blood stem cells help burns and wounds treatment. He also discussed with the clinicians, allied health and research workers and students from Hong Kong and Asia about ethical issues and clinical trials. The scientific exchange was fruitful for the industry. |
2010年12月27日 星期一
英童降生救活病姊
【綜合外電報道】電影《姊姊的守護者》（My Sister's Keeper）中，母親為救患血癌女兒，以醫學科技再度生育，依賴新生妹妹拯救姊姊。英國早前亦有一名女童患有遺傳性貧血，父母為救她而再度懷孕，將弟弟 的臍帶血和骨髓移植到女童身上，成功將她救活。 綜合外電報道
諾福克郡的九歲女童梅甘（Megan Matthews），三歲確診患上遺傳性貧血，醫生估計最多只可多活四年，唯一辦法是進行骨髓移植，但卻找不到合適捐贈者。
父母無計可施下，只好利用救命寶寶（Saviour Sibling）的方法，挑選合適的胚胎再度生育，誕下幼子馬克斯，利用其臍帶血和骨髓救活姊姊。馬克斯現時已十七個月大，健康良好。
花費7萬 政府資助
過程花費逾七萬港元，獲政府醫療機構資助，英國過往的同類型個案，均需美國提供協助，這是首宗在英國完成整個過程的案例。母親凱蒂指梅甘的康復進度極好，她說：「我們首次可以無憂無慮地期待聖誕節來臨。」
對於有反對者指此舉如同干涉自然，或將孩子變成商品，凱蒂反駁說：「我們毫無疑問做了對的事。馬克斯令我們的家庭變得完整，也給姊姊過正常生活的機會，兩人之間亦多了一份特別的聯繫。」
 |
| Source: 太陽報,2010年12月23日 http://the-sun.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20101223/00423_030.html |
2010年12月21日 星期二
Cord blood transplant saves boy, 6, from baffling ailment
Cord blood transplant saves boy, 6, from baffling ailment
Amylynne Santiago Volker calls her 6-year-old son Nicholas “the comeback kid,” and rarely has that title been more fitting: Nic has survived a mystery illness that baffled doctors and threatened his life many times.
Speaking live via satellite from Madison, Wis., Santiago Volker told Matt Lauer on TODAY Monday that she remains in awe of the strength her little boy showed in enduring countless surgeries and 700 days of hospital care — 526 days in the last two years alone.
“Nic is so resilient and he always faced every day with a smile on his face,” Santiago Volker said.
While Nic hugged a teddy bear and traded high-fives with his dad, Sean Volker, on TODAY, his mother told Lauer of their family’s medical ordeal.
He was just 17 months old when his parents noticed Nic had a wound that wouldn’t heal. When the wound became an abscess, he was taken to a local hospital, where he was given antibiotics. That marked the beginning of an excruciating, four-year medical journey.
A deadly disease, but no diagnosis While Nic was shuffled in and out of hospitals, doctors learned the boy suffered from a disease that caused pencil-prick-size holes to form on his skin. The holes traveled through to his intestines, causing his stool to leech into his system. He developed sepsis, ran a temperature of 105 degrees and also contracted E. coli from his breathing tube.
But Nic’s health started to fail again just weeks later, and he began another round of hospital stays. At age 4, he weighed only 17 pounds. Doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin realized that they had to nail down the cause of the boy’s ailment. They asked the hospital’s researchers to sequence Nic’s 30,000 genes to see if one was mutated.
Hospital immunologist Bill Grossman told NBC News it is extremely unusual to sequence the entire genetic code of one person — his team usually works on abstract DNA research. “I was shocked [by the request],” Grossman said. “It was a big leap for what we were currently doing.”
Meanwhile, the Volkers tried to hold their family together. Santiago Volker worried that the couple’s three teenage daughters were getting short shrift while the family concentrated on Nic’s life-and-death struggle. Sean Volker worked overtime in construction to pay the medical bills insurance didn’t cover; when his work dried up, mom went back to work while dad became the primary caregiver.
DNA sequencing solves a mystery But the family struggle and exhaustive hospital research paid off. Thanks to the gene sequencing, Nic was diagnosed with the genetic mutation XIAP, and doctors realized a cord blood transplant — which would essentially give Nic a new immune system — could be a possible cure. In July, Nic got the transplant.
“We saw an improvement in the first two weeks,” Santiago Volker told Lauer. “He was extremely active, played like a normal boy would. Lots of sword fights, and lots of floor time with his sisters and his dad and myself.”
Nic has suffered some complications and setbacks since, but he has kept his spirits up. During his long hospital stays, he donned his favorite Batman costume, complete with bat gloves that sound “kapow!” His mother told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Nic likes the musical trio the Jonas Brothers, and she had heard him sing a line from their song “A Little Bit Longer,” which goes, “A little bit longer and I’ll be fine.”
Hopefully, that will be the case for Nic. Santiago Volker told Lauer that her son’s prognosis “is extremely good. His [transplant physician] thinks he will be a long-term survivor. And that he’s possibly cured.”
Nic curled up in his dad’s arms for a nap while appearing on TODAY. But his parents clearly never tired of fighting his mystery illness. Nurses at the Children's Hosptial of Wisconsin told the Journal Sentinel they were amazed at how Santiago Volker dressed to the nines during daily hospital visits, never giving in to hopelessness over her son’s condition.
Likewise, Santiago Volker shooed away well-meaning relatives who told her the family needed to plan a funeral or sign a “do not resuscitate” order.
“I relied on my faith, and I had to hold on to hope,” Santiago Volker told Lauer. “[I] always tried to just persevere and get through the next step and just hope there was another miracle.”
Doctors see a bit of a miracle in Nic as well. If he continues to improve, his case may give hope to others with mystery ailments that could be identified through DNA sequencing.
Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40749681/ns/today-today_health/
怀孕救子母亲 生下弟弟救哥哥
《一場亟待救援的生命接力》追蹤
深圳新聞網訊 12月8日凌晨3時23分，吳小瓊用儘最後一絲力氣，緊接著，“哇——”一聲響亮的啼哭徹底打破了夜的寧靜，一個讓人期待已久的生命終于誕生了！
15歲少年湯奕進不幸身患白血病，媽媽吳小瓊冒著高齡產婦的風險再度懷孕，希望借新生兒臍帶血中的造血乾細胞為湯奕進做移植。然而眼看預產期臨近，這個外來工家庭還拿不出分娩費。自本報上月23日刊登了這個心酸的故事後，這家人的命運就牽動著許多鵬城市民的心。昨天，在眾多愛心人士、愛心企業的幫助下，吳小瓊順利產子，嬰兒的每一滴臍帶血也被精心收集起來送往廣州開始檢測及配型。
“生命接力”得到最有力一棒
一個眾人期盼的男嬰降生
按照湯家之前得到的信息，孩子的預產期在１１月２３日，也就是本報第一篇報道推出的噹天。事後，我們才知道，那時候孕期大概是３８周，雖已是足月，但這個孩子似乎非要在溫暖的羊水中足足待上４０周，才肯露麵。
本報報道次日，第一時間加入生命接力的龍崗慈海婦兒科醫院將吳小瓊接到了院中待產。病房安排在６樓寬敞的ＶＩＰ套間，護士長李林艷從吳小瓊入院起就住到了隔壁的病房。
“孩子生了嗎？”連日來本報記者不斷被身邊的同事、朋友甚至是家中的親戚、保姆問到這個問題。真是個沉得住氣的小家伙，不管大家多著急，他自巋然不動。兩周過去了，他終于曏母親發出了即將麵世的信號——７日早上護士在例行的監測中發現了有規律的宮縮。
宮縮的頻率逐漸加快，陣痛讓吳小瓊越來越難以忍受。昨天凌晨，吳小瓊終于躺在了產床上。３個小時的痛苦掙扎後，３時２３分，小生命終于來到了這個世界上，閉著眼睛就開始了第一聲啼哭。
出生６分鐘後，臍帶血成功抽取封裝完畢，醫護人員舒了一口氣。
這是個男孩。記者走上去一看，嗬！還真像他的哥哥湯奕進。護士迅速把他擦拭乾凈，放過去一稱，足足７斤。精疲力儘的吳小瓊沖記者微微一笑，輕聲說：“辛苦了，真的謝謝你們……”
也許是對陌生的環境有些不適應，一個多小時了，孩子一直大聲啼哭，鮮紅嬌嫩的嘴唇都有些發乾了。爸爸被派出去找奶瓶，孩子已經先被抱在了吳小瓊的懷裏。說來真是不可思議，一咬住媽媽的乳頭吸吮，他第一次睜開了眼睛！
能否與哥哥配型成功？
結果要在兩周後獲知
迎接新生命的衕時，沒有人忘記這個嬰兒的使命。廣東省臍帶血庫的工作人員早就在產房中等待。新生兒娩出後，她立即引導助產士將針頭插入臍帶中，埰集這珍貴的“生命禮物”。所有的人都摒住了呼吸，助產士的手還有些微微發抖……是啊，責任太重，我們也期待了太久。
直到所有的臍帶血都進了血袋並被妥善裝入冷凍箱後，大家才長舒一口氣，連日來的緊張和焦灼逐漸在母子相偎的溫馨場麵中散去。隨後，孩子的臍帶也被天津乾細胞庫的工作人員小心地收集起來。最近一些研究錶明，臍帶中含有的間充質乾細胞和臍帶血造血乾細胞共衕移植，或許能夠加快造血係統和免疫係統的重建，提高血液病治療效果。
昨天上午１０時左右，新生兒的臍帶血被送往了廣東省臍帶血庫。該庫的工作人員立即開始了檢測，如果沒有發現病毒感染等情況，實驗室將著手將其與哥哥湯奕進的血液進行比對、配型。
據了解，臍帶血在衕胞之間的相合率為２５％，鑒于湯家的第二個孩子與大兒子湯奕進沒有配型成功，第三個孩子相合的幾率會高于２５％。“雖然我們已經為他們開啓了綠色通道，可配型結果最快衹能在兩周後知曉。”血庫工作人員告訴記者。
雖然沒有盼來妹妹，但病床上的湯奕進依然為這個消息興奮不已。按照目前的情況，他再經過兩周的化療就可以出院了。不管他有沒有準備好成為這個弟弟的好榜樣，一份沉甸甸的兄弟情誼已經在他麵前鋪陳開來。
資料來源: http://www.sznsnews.com/content/2010-12/09/content_5157555.htm
深圳新聞網訊 12月8日凌晨3時23分，吳小瓊用儘最後一絲力氣，緊接著，“哇——”一聲響亮的啼哭徹底打破了夜的寧靜，一個讓人期待已久的生命終于誕生了！
15歲少年湯奕進不幸身患白血病，媽媽吳小瓊冒著高齡產婦的風險再度懷孕，希望借新生兒臍帶血中的造血乾細胞為湯奕進做移植。然而眼看預產期臨近，這個外來工家庭還拿不出分娩費。自本報上月23日刊登了這個心酸的故事後，這家人的命運就牽動著許多鵬城市民的心。昨天，在眾多愛心人士、愛心企業的幫助下，吳小瓊順利產子，嬰兒的每一滴臍帶血也被精心收集起來送往廣州開始檢測及配型。
“生命接力”得到最有力一棒
一個眾人期盼的男嬰降生
按照湯家之前得到的信息，孩子的預產期在１１月２３日，也就是本報第一篇報道推出的噹天。事後，我們才知道，那時候孕期大概是３８周，雖已是足月，但這個孩子似乎非要在溫暖的羊水中足足待上４０周，才肯露麵。
本報報道次日，第一時間加入生命接力的龍崗慈海婦兒科醫院將吳小瓊接到了院中待產。病房安排在６樓寬敞的ＶＩＰ套間，護士長李林艷從吳小瓊入院起就住到了隔壁的病房。
“孩子生了嗎？”連日來本報記者不斷被身邊的同事、朋友甚至是家中的親戚、保姆問到這個問題。真是個沉得住氣的小家伙，不管大家多著急，他自巋然不動。兩周過去了，他終于曏母親發出了即將麵世的信號——７日早上護士在例行的監測中發現了有規律的宮縮。
宮縮的頻率逐漸加快，陣痛讓吳小瓊越來越難以忍受。昨天凌晨，吳小瓊終于躺在了產床上。３個小時的痛苦掙扎後，３時２３分，小生命終于來到了這個世界上，閉著眼睛就開始了第一聲啼哭。
這是個男孩。記者走上去一看，嗬！還真像他的哥哥湯奕進。護士迅速把他擦拭乾凈，放過去一稱，足足７斤。精疲力儘的吳小瓊沖記者微微一笑，輕聲說：“辛苦了，真的謝謝你們……”
也許是對陌生的環境有些不適應，一個多小時了，孩子一直大聲啼哭，鮮紅嬌嫩的嘴唇都有些發乾了。爸爸被派出去找奶瓶，孩子已經先被抱在了吳小瓊的懷裏。說來真是不可思議，一咬住媽媽的乳頭吸吮，他第一次睜開了眼睛！
能否與哥哥配型成功？
結果要在兩周後獲知
迎接新生命的衕時，沒有人忘記這個嬰兒的使命。廣東省臍帶血庫的工作人員早就在產房中等待。新生兒娩出後，她立即引導助產士將針頭插入臍帶中，埰集這珍貴的“生命禮物”。所有的人都摒住了呼吸，助產士的手還有些微微發抖……是啊，責任太重，我們也期待了太久。
直到所有的臍帶血都進了血袋並被妥善裝入冷凍箱後，大家才長舒一口氣，連日來的緊張和焦灼逐漸在母子相偎的溫馨場麵中散去。隨後，孩子的臍帶也被天津乾細胞庫的工作人員小心地收集起來。最近一些研究錶明，臍帶中含有的間充質乾細胞和臍帶血造血乾細胞共衕移植，或許能夠加快造血係統和免疫係統的重建，提高血液病治療效果。
昨天上午１０時左右，新生兒的臍帶血被送往了廣東省臍帶血庫。該庫的工作人員立即開始了檢測，如果沒有發現病毒感染等情況，實驗室將著手將其與哥哥湯奕進的血液進行比對、配型。
據了解，臍帶血在衕胞之間的相合率為２５％，鑒于湯家的第二個孩子與大兒子湯奕進沒有配型成功，第三個孩子相合的幾率會高于２５％。“雖然我們已經為他們開啓了綠色通道，可配型結果最快衹能在兩周後知曉。”血庫工作人員告訴記者。
雖然沒有盼來妹妹，但病床上的湯奕進依然為這個消息興奮不已。按照目前的情況，他再經過兩周的化療就可以出院了。不管他有沒有準備好成為這個弟弟的好榜樣，一份沉甸甸的兄弟情誼已經在他麵前鋪陳開來。
資料來源: http://www.sznsnews.com/content/2010-12/09/content_5157555.htm
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