Other highlights in the January 7 issue of JNCI
...lls express platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), stem cell factor (SCF), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and their respective receptors, PDGFR, c-Kit, and Flk-1. Kiichiro Beppu, Carol J. Thiele, Ph.D., and colleagues from the Pediatric Oncology Branch at the National Cancer Institute evalu...Mayo researchers observe genetic fusion of human, animal cells -may help explain origin of AIDS
...y, Mayo Clinic investigators implanted human blood stem cells into fetal pigs. The pigs look and behave like normal pigs. But cellular analysis shows they have some human blood cells, as well as some cells that are hybrids -- part human, part pig -- in their blood, and in some of their organs. Molecular e...Scientists restore crucial myelin in brains of mice
...rves as a milestone for researchers seeking to use stem cells and related cells known as progenitors to tr...e," Goldman says. An expert on the brain's stem and progenitor cells, Goldman in 1999 isolated the cell that produces the oligodendrocyte, becoming ...New method of distinguishing Alzheimer's from Lewy body dementia
...dies are largely localized to an area of the brain stem called the substantia nigra. In DLB, Lewy bodies are also found in brain's cortex. Although DLB accounts for as much as 20 to 35 percent of the dementia seen in the United States, treatment and diagnosis is often complicated by a lack of information...Bone marrowderived stem cells active in pulmonary fibrosis
Adult stem cells have long been thought to be restricted in t... these mice, cells derived from bone marrowderived stem cells fluoresce green, while those cells that reside in the lung do not. Most of the collagen-produc...Ebola virus a threat to great ape populations
...us epidemics in the large apes hence appear not to stem from propagation of a single epidemic from one individual to another, but rather from massive simultaneous infections of these primates from the original carrier animal facilitated by a particular set of environmental conditions. Infection of humans ...International grant supports study related to preventing organ rejection
... work on animal models to understand how embryonic stem cells are accepted into a recipient cell system and are able to differentiate, that is, grow into all types of tissues. Embryonic cells do not cause the body's immune system to attack and, thus, have the potential to develop into white blood cells th...University of Pittsburgh and French National Institute begin scientific collaboration
...ies involving the characterization of a variety of stem cell populations such as hematopoietic stem cells, those derived from bone marrow and blood. Other stem cell populations to be studied include p...Database on blood and marrow stem cell transplants now available online
...database of results from clinical blood and marrow stem cell transplants involving unrelated donors. Acces... on the role of donor matching in blood and marrow stem cell transplants. The database also provides survival rates of people who received cell grafts, help...Cheap four-drug combo saves heart patients' lives
...enefit for the patient." This amplified effect may stem from a beneficial interaction between the ways in which the four types of drugs fight the plaque that builds up in clogged, hardened arteries -- the atherosclerosis that leads to chest pain and reduced blood flow to the heart. The bottom line for pat...Cord blood cells proven to differentiate into heart muscle and brain cells
...e scientifically validated for the first time that stem cells in umbilical cord blood can infiltrate damag...ed the molecular evidence to prove that cord blood stem cells were the root of a cure. Now, the Duke team has dissected heart tissue to confirm the presence...Targeting cell fusion as possible way to repair organs, deliver cancer vaccines
...s for this targeted biofusion technology, involves stem cells. Because of their powerful generative and regenerative abilities, stem cells are used to repair damage in the bone marrow and to different organs such as the liver, brain ...Duke physicians predict risks of deadly infections after cord blood transplants
...he invading virus. Surprisingly, the number of stem cells the children received had no impact on their... the first 100 days following transplant, although stem cells play a vital role in long-term immunity, said Szabolcs. While stem cells are critical for repo...HPV testing helps identify potential cases of cervical cancer, meta-analysis suggests
...s in the meta-analysis and note that some of these stem from the fact that cervical cancer screening is a rapidly evolving field. "Eventually, we hope to identify and validate markers of cancer risk that are even more accurate than either cytology or HPV DNA testing," they write....Insulin decreases inflammation, aids clot-busting drugs in heart attack patients, UB study shows
...eased significantly less. Insulin also appeared to stem the increase of a factor called plasminogen activator inhibitor, or PAI-1, which has been shown to hinder the ability of clot-busting drugs to open blocked vessels. In addition, creatinine kinase, a protein contained in the heart muscle that is ...Fat: It isnt always bad for the heart
...ontains large numbers of stromal cells, which have stem cell-like properties, said Keith L. March, M.D., P...ow and umbilical cord blood. In addition to their stem cell-like properties, stromal cells in fat tissue make significant amounts of growth factors that en...Reprogrammable cells from fat are true adult stem cells
...nstrated that these specific cells are truly adult stem cells with multiple potential, instead of being a ...the majority of these cells are indeed truly adult stem cells that have the potential to be reprogrammed into traveling down multiple developmental paths. T...Progenitor cells predict heart disease severity
...s into patients or by retraining the patient's own stem cells to differentiate into progenitor cells capab... arterial repair. While the direct clinical use of stem cells as a treatment might be many years off, the researchers said it is likely that strategies curr...New eggs continue to develop in adult mice
...research suggests that these new oocytes come from stem cells located in the ovary. The study, supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), one of the National Institutes of Health, was conducted by Jonathan L. Tilly, Ph.D., and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical Scho......ay provide important clues to the potential use of stem cells in the treatment of memory-related diseases ... new neurons begin in a primitive state similar to stem cells, and understanding how they mature may help stem cell research into neurological diseases. St...