New hope for stem cells, regenerative medicine emerges from the lab

JoVE, the Journal of Visualized Experiments, has published a novel technique that could resolve a snag in stem cell research for application in regenerative medicine - a strategy for reprograming cells in vivo to act like stem cells that forgoes the risk of causing tumors.Dr. Kostas Kostarelos, principal investigator of the Nanomedicine Lab at the University of Manchester, said that he and his colleagues have discovered a safe approach to reprogramming somatic cells (which constitute most of the cells in the body) into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.

Improvements needed in preventive dental care in the USA

The uptake rate of preventative dental care increased over a ten-year period in the United States, but there remains a large disparity among ethnic groups, reports one of the largest and most comprehensive studies on the subject, published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Public Health.Neglect of dental care can have serious consequences like decay, inflammation, and loss of teeth, and an increased risk of malnutrition. Gum disease has been implicated in an increased risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease.

Stem cell therapy for spinal cord injury

A systematic survey of the scientific literature shows that stem cell therapy can have a statistically significant impact on animal models of spinal cord injury, and points the way for future studies.Spinal cord injuries are mostly caused by trauma, often incurred in road traffic or sporting incidents, often with devastating and irreversible consequences, and unfortunately having a relatively high prevalence (250,000 patients in the USA; 80% of cases are male).

Global map to predict giant earthquakes

A team of international researchers, led by Monash University's Associate Professor Wouter Schellart, have developed a new global map of subduction zones, illustrating which ones are predicted to be capable of generating giant earthquakes and which ones are not.The new research, published in the journal Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors, comes nine years after the giant earthquake and tsunami in Sumatra in December 2004, which devastated the region and many other areas surrounding the Indian Ocean, and killed more than 200,000 people.

New tool for transplanting stem cells into the beating heart

Mayo Clinic researchers and colleagues in Belgium have developed a specialized catheter for transplanting stem cells into the beating heart. The novel device includes a curved needle and graded openings along the needle shaft, allowing for increased distribution of cells. The result is maximized retention of stem cells to repair the heart. The findings appear in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.

Non-significant reduction in the amount of candida in women who were taking oral garlic tablets

In a world-first study, led by the University of Melbourne and the Royal Women's Hospital, researchers have found garlic does not significantly reduce vaginal candida (thrush).Led by University of Melbourne PhD candidate Cathy Watson also of the Royal Women's Hospital, the findings were published online in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.This study is the first to investigate the effect of oral garlic on vaginal colonisation of candida and provides another link in the chain of investigation of complementary and alternative therapies.

Rapid evolution of novel forms: Environmental change triggers inborn capacity for adaptation

In the classical view of evolution, species experience spontaneous genetic mutations that produce various novel traits - some helpful, some detrimental. Nature then selects for those most beneficial, passing them along to subsequent generations.It's an elegant model. It's also an extremely time-consuming process likely to fail organisms needing to cope with sudden, potentially life-threatening changes in their environments. Surely some other mechanism could enable more rapid adaptive response.