Monthly Archives: March 2017

Researchers Engineer Enforcer Cells That Will Take out Lethal Bacteria – Big Think

Posted: March 7, 2017 at 8:45 am

Bacteria and antibiotics have been in an arms race since the drugs were invented. But for economic reasons, fewer and fewer of these drugs are being developed today, while the fear of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is ever-growing. This, and the potential threat of a bioterror attack, where say an epidemic-causing bacteria is released into the general population, makes the need for countermeasures obvious. Johns Hopkins researchers have come up with a new way to eliminate dangerous bacteria, using beefed up cells who seek out and destroy dangerous pathogens, all on their own.

Researchers from the John Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering and the School of Medicine teamed up on this four-year project. They received a grant of $5.7 million, awarded by the federal agency DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). The point of the study is to create a biocontrol system that can send out single-cell enforcers to find and eliminate certain pathogens. Researchers will program amoeba cells to do so, each one micron long, about one-tenth the width of a human hair.

These amoeba are independent and travel on their own surfaces--meaning they can get potentially deadly pathogens wherever they may be. In the event they are needed, they would be emitted through a spray. As a first step, scientists hope to program the cells to go after the bacteria which causes Legionnaires disease.

It could also be used to target Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a dangerous, potentially deadly, treatment-resistant strain of pneumonia. In another scenario, specially engineered amoeba cells are unleashed by health officials if an outbreak occurs. There are other uses too. They could sterilize instruments, and studying them may even reap benefits for cancer research.

So whats DARPAs interest? These biochemical warriors may someday help dampen down or even counteract a bioterror attack. They could also be used to render contaminated soil harmless. The innovation here is that each cellular soldier is self-directed. It does not depend on an outside human operator. Principal investigator Pablo A. Iglesias likened it to a self-driving car. Iglesias is a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Johns Hopkins.

Amoebas.By C.G. Ehrenberg (Die Infusionthierchen, 1830) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Just as cruise control slows down or speeds up a car, Iglesias said, In a similar way, the biocontrol systems were developing must be able to sense where the pathogens are, move their cells toward the bacterial targets, and then engulf them to prevent infections among people who might otherwise be exposed to the harmful microbes.

Iglesias started looking into biocontrol systems 15 years ago. To develop this particular type of synthetic biology, he is teaming up with four colleagues at the school of medicine. Each is a biological chemistry expert. Douglas N. Robinson, a professor of cell biology is on the team. He likened what these amoebas do to bacteria to what humans do when they encounter freshly baked cookies. They seek to gorge themselves unabashedly.

Though the technique has a lot of potential, Iglesias admitted to the Baltimore Sun, that past experiments in the field havent actually gone very well. "People manage to do things but it takes huge amounts of effort and it's more or less random, he said. There has to be a lot of iterations before it works." Other experts say, this teams efforts are heartening, particularly due to the growing menace of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Researchers are using amoeba cells called Dictyostelium discoideum in their experiments. This species is commonly studied. It can be found in the damp soil of riverbeds. These microbes surround bacteria and devour them. Turns out the bacteria let off a biochemical scent that the amoeba, using a specific type of receptor, pick up.

Robinson said that their experiments must adhere to the strictest operating protocols, lest such amoeba escape into the environment and wreak havoc. If this project bears fruit, researchers believe theyll have a new tool to fight infection in hospitals, and protect society against bioterror and ecological disasters. So far, scientists are targeting only pathogens lurking outside the human body. In this contract, we are not targeting bacteria in human blood, Iglesias said. But the hope is that the techniques we develop would ultimately be useful for that.

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Asymmetrex’s Head Will Lead Discussion on Supplying Private Stem Cell Clinics at the 6th Annual Clinical Trial … – PR Web (press release)

Posted: March 7, 2017 at 8:45 am

Time to Supply Private Stem Cell Clinics?

Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 07, 2017

Recent scientific reports put the number of private clinics offering stem cell medical treatments in the U.S. at greater than 400. More than 300 of these clinics emerged since 2009. They mirror the rapid increase in FDA-approved clinical trials during the same period at a rate of about 300 new therapy-focused adult tissue stem cell trials each year. However, because of the inherently small number of patients enrolled in early clinical trials and the much larger number of patients seen in medical clinics, the number of stem cell treatments performed in private clinics dwarfs the number in clinical trials by more than 10-fold.

In both settings, treatment cell transplants per se appear generally safe, as long as proper care is given to other routine safety factors, which include mainly keeping treatments free of infectious agents and chemical contaminants and avoiding immune reactions. These safety procedures fall well within the training and expertise of physicians in private clinics, as well as in hospital-based clinical trials.

The rapid growth of private stem cell clinics has alarmed some stem cell scientists and their member organizations. The clinics are accused of making false claims, exploiting patients pain and distress for financial gain, and generally harming the reputation of stem cell science. In contrast, in FDA-approved clinical trials, patient volunteers are necessarily informed that their treatments are experimental, and therefore may bring them no medical benefit. Generally, trial subjects do not pay for their treatment, though often treatment costs are covered by their personal health insurance.

Asymmetrexs founder and director, James L. Sherley, M.D., Ph.D., recently began a public discourse, in which he argues that in the important respects private stem cell clinics are not all that different than FDA-approved clinical trials. First, he says that glibly painting all several hundred or more private stem cell clinics as exploitive is an unsubstantiated claim itself. Generally, physicians in both settings are diligently looking for ways to improve the health of patients clinical trial physicians in the more distant future and private clinic physicians immediately. Sherley, a physician scientist, stresses the importance of recognizing medical empiricism as an important contributor to the advance of modern medicine and medical science.

At the conference, Sherley is scheduled to lead a panel discussion on the topic on March 8 at 15:50 PM (EDT) and give a talk on March 9 at 13:30 PM (EDT). A major new position he will present is that the volume of stem cell treatments now occurring in private clinics is much too large to simply disparage and attempt to shut down. Working to improve the quality of private stem cell clinic treatments for patients and to improve their documentation towards accelerating progress in stem cell medicine is a better goal.

To attendees at this weeks Clinical Trials Supply conference, Sherley will suggest that the supply of private stem cell clinics with high quality, certified sources of stem cells is an underappreciated crucial need for advancing stem cell medicine. The companies that are able to mobilize to fill in this supply gap could have a 10-fold greater impact on advancing stem cell medicine compared to their current minimal impact in FDA-approved stem cell clinical trials.

About Asymmetrex

Asymmetrex, LLC is a Massachusetts life sciences company with a focus on developing technologies to advance stem cell medicine. Asymmetrexs founder and director, James L. Sherley, M.D., Ph.D. is an internationally recognized expert on the unique properties of adult tissue stem cells. The companys patent portfolio contains biotechnologies that solve the two main technical problems production and quantification that have stood in the way of successful commercialization of human adult tissue stem cells for regenerative medicine and drug development. In addition, the portfolio includes novel technologies for isolating cancer stem cells and producing induced pluripotent stem cells for disease research purposes. Currently, Asymmetrexs focus is employing its technological advantages to develop and market facile methods for monitoring adult stem cell number and function in stem cell transplantation treatments and in pre-clinical assays for drug safety.

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Asymmetrex's Head Will Lead Discussion on Supplying Private Stem Cell Clinics at the 6th Annual Clinical Trial ... - PR Web (press release)

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Hospital group invests $20M in stem cell therapy biotech – FierceBiotech

Posted: March 7, 2017 at 8:44 am

Hospital group Sanford Health has invested $20 million in InGeneron to support clinical trials of a stem cell regenerative medicine. The Series D gives Sanford a financial stake in an adipose-derived stem cell therapy it is testing in a clinical trial at its network of healthcare facilities.

InGeneron began working with Sanford on an 18-person trial of its stem cell injection in patients with partial thickness rotator cuff tears around the turn of the year. And the network of 45 hospitals and close to 300 clinics has now tightened its ties to InGeneron by investing $20 million in the Houston, TX-based regenerative medicine company. InGeneron sees benefits in strengthening its relationship with Sanford.

This significant investment demonstrates Sanfords commitment to be an active participant in InGeneron as well as being our clinical trial site of choice. Our joint efforts will enable the company to make regenerative cell therapies available to clinical practice and to establish a leading position in the application of adipose-derived regenerative cells, InGeneron President Ron Stubbers said in a statement.

Sanford runs the two trial sites that are enrolling patients in the aforementioned 18-person trial. Both sites specialize in orthopedics and sports medicine. Rotator cuff injuries are associated with overhead sports, such as baseball and tennis. The healthcare system is presenting its close involvement with InGeneron as a positive for the patients it serves because it facilitates early access to an experimental therapy.

The treatment entails processing adipose tissue harvested during liposuction to create a mixture containing stem cells and nutrients. This mixture is injected into the site of the injury. In the trial, one-third of participants will form a control arm and receive a cortisone injection instead of stem cells.

The exec team tells FierceBiotech that the first patients were enrolled in the feasibility trial for rotator cuff tendinopathy in January, with U.S. regulatory market approval "anticipated in 2020."

InGeneron last raised money last year through a $4.5 million seed round. That financing, which came 10 years after InGeneron was founded, followed studies of the companys cell therapies in knee surgeries. InGeneron also makes biomedical equipment for collecting and processing adipose tissue.

The biotech has and its subsidiaries on both sides of the Atlantic has a team of 30 people, and has raised $38 million to date.

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Stem Cell Therapy An Option For ENC Patients | Public Radio East – Public Radio East

Posted: March 7, 2017 at 8:44 am

Stem cell therapy is a quickly advancing treatment being used across the country. Now, its becoming more prevalent in eastern North Carolina to those living with chronic pain an alternative to surgery. The minimally invasive procedure is showing results in alleviating back, knee, hip and shoulder pain. Though stem cell therapy is classified by the Food and Drug Administration as experimental, patients say theyre finding relief. Meet New Bern resident and a local endodontist Dr. Donnie Luper. He was skeptical of the procedure at first.

How did you know what those stem cells were going to differentiate into? I mean was I going to grow a foot out of my shoulder or something like that?

Luper tore his rotator cuff 25 years ago during a tubing incident on the Trent River. A subsequent fall during a golf trip in 2015 sent him to a specialist.

I went to see a shoulder surgeon in Richmond. He told me that he didnt think it was a complete tear of my rotator cuff, that I could probably have a minor surgical procedure done and I asked him about stem cell.

After talking with a friend who opted for stem cell treatment for her knee pain, Luper decided to find out more.

My option was if I would have had that shoulder surgery and they had do that bicep tendon repair, I mean I would have been in a sling for six weeks and probably not working for three months.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, stem cells sometimes called the bodys master cells - have the ability to divide and develop into many different cell types. Each new cell has the potential to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell, such as a nerve cell, a skin cell, or a red blood cell. They may also help repair the body by dividing to replenish cells that are damaged by disease, injury or normal wear. Parkinsons disease, spinal cord injuries, damaged organs and cancer could all be possibly treated with the use of stem cells, but more research is needed. Dr. Angelo Tellis is the owner/physician of Aegean Medical, which provides stem cell therapy to patients in Cary, Jacksonville, Morehead City and New Bern.

The adult stem cells we call multipotent stem cells so they can only differentiate into very specific or certain kinds of tissue. Whereas the embryonic stem cells we call pluripotent and can become a variety, almost any tissue. But I only deal with adult stem cells, theyre found to be more useful in clinical applications.

Dr. Tellis says adult stem cells are more responsive to growing tissue in very specific locations. When patients go into Dr. Tellis office for the two hour procedure, he starts by numbing an area of the abdomen and performing liposuction to collect one or two syringes of body fat.

Stem cells can be found in a lot of different tissues throughout the body, but theyre actually in one of the highest concentrations in your own body fat.

The stem cell sample is combined with platelet rich plasma or PRP collected through a blood draw.

That has a lot of the chemical signals and messengers that activate stem cells. So Ill typically combine that with some of the stem cells collected from the body fat and then go under x-ray guidance and put it exactly in the targeted location where we want to create that healing process.

Soreness and stiffness can be expected immediately following the procedure and for about a week after. Dr. Tellis says the results tend to improve with time, taking about three to six months for full recovery. This was Lupers experience in 2016.

Really didnt have to take any pain medications. The joint was really sore over the weekend just because of the injection of the fluid there and after that, I had a small amount of discomfort, but nothing I really had to take medication for.

After three months, Luper says he felt 90 percent better. But he decided to get a second opinion from a shoulder surgeon.

And he told me he thought the stem cells had done a lot but that I still had one little bone spur that was rubbing against the muscle and constantly tearing the little bit of the muscle.

After surgery, Luper says his left shoulder started feeling significantly better in about a month. He was also able to return to one of his favorite pastimes golf. While surgery helped eliminate all of his pain, Luper believes stem cells helped regenerate tissue that was damaged years ago.

He said my rotator cuff muscle didnt even look like it had been torn. I actually tore that, Im sixty now, and I actually tore that when I was 34, 35 tubing on the river and I had to do physical therapy for about three months, but he said he saw absolutely no evidence that Id ever had a rotator cuff tear.

Even though some have found relief and possibly a cure through stem cell therapy, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved any stem cell-based products for use, other than HEMACORD (HE-muh-cord). According to their website, the use of stem cells raises safety concerns such as excessive cell growth, the development of tumors as well as cells migrating from the site of administration and differentiating into inappropriate cell types. And then, theres the cost of the procedure, which is not covered by insurance. The price for the treatment ranges from $2,500 to $5,000. But for those who want to avoid major surgery and the downtime associated with recovery, the risk and cost may be worth it.

If Id have surgery, my deductible would have been that because I have an out-of-pocket max. And I would want to do anything to avoid surgery, especially something that would keep me out of work for three months.

The FDA recommends that consumers interested in stem cell therapy should start a conversation with their doctor about the potential risk to benefit ratio. In addition to Aegean Medical, Advanced Health and Physical Medicine in Greenville and Regenerative Medicine Clinic of Wilmington also provide stem cell therapy in eastern North Carolina.

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Northern Colorado Doctor Kenneth Pettine Releases Information on Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Chronic Neck … – Benzinga

Posted: March 7, 2017 at 8:44 am

Dr. Kenneth Pettine, a board certified retired Orthopedic Surgeon and one of the Top 50 Spine Surgeons and Specialist to Know according to Becker's Spine Review, is offering to educate the public about mesenchymal stem cell therapy in Northern Colorado. Mesenchymal stem cells are being studied by Dr. Pettine for their ability to treat orthopedic conditions such as osteoarthritis and other joint and disc related chronic neck and back pain.

(PRWEB) March 07, 2017

Dr. Kenneth Pettine, a Northern Colorado board-certified retired orthopedic surgeon, is currently researching the use of the mesenchymal stem cell and their potential in treating orthopedic conditions such as osteoarthritis or other joint and disc related issues. He's now releasing more information about what these incredible stem cells are and the exciting therapeutic opportunities of mesenchymal stem cell therapy for the interested public in Northern Colorado.

Stem cells are rare, unique cells in our body that can duplicate themselves over and over again and can continue to regenerate throughout our lives. Each particular stem cell can only become either one type or a very limited number of cell types. As we get older, we have fewer stem cells in our body, which is why we have a decreased ability to heal and avoid diseases like cancer. Introducing new stem cells to the body could help counteract the effects of degenerated joints and chronic neck and back pain.

Mesenchymal stem cell are one type of stem cell, and the one that Dr. Pettine is using to focus his clinical research on stem cell therapy. This particular type of stem cell modulates your immune system, is extremely anti-inflammatory and has many positive effects in helping your body treat autoimmune conditions. The mesenchymal stem cell is the main cell helping your body heal from orthopedic and spine injuries and helping treat degenerative conditions such as arthritis.

Almost all of this research involves mesenchymal stem cells obtained from bone marrow. Most all these studies involved obtaining the mesenchymal stem cell from a donor's bone marrow and then expanding these cells in a laboratory. The number of mesenchymal stem cells in a petri dish can be increased to result in several hundred million cells. These cells are then put into recipient animals and humans to study their ability to treat numerous autoimmune diseases such as Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, crohn's disease, asthma, lupus, to name just a few. These cells are also being studied to treat and regrow damaged heart muscle after a heart attack. Extensive research is being conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of utilizing mesenchymal stem cells to treat orthopedic conditions such as osteoarthritis of your joints and disc related chronic back and neck pain.

This has exciting implications for chronic neck and back pain sufferers. These Mesenchymal stem cells could help regenerate tissue in the spine, reversing issues like degenerative disc disease. The stem cells could also decrease pain-causing inflammation and help patients recover from accidents and injuries faster.

If you are a chronic neck or back pain sufferer and would like to learn more about Dr. Pettine's research on Mesenchymal stem cell therapy, visit his website at http://www.KennethPettine.com for more information.

About Dr. Kenneth Pettine Dr. Pettine is currently the principal investigator for 18 FDA studies evaluating non-fusion spine surgery implants and stem cells for their uses in treating spine pathology. He is considered a pioneer in the field of biologics to treat orthopedic and spine pathology. He founded The Rocky Mountain Associates in Orthopedic Medicine in 1991 to offer patients a non-fusion surgical option for their neck and back pain. He co-invented the FDA-approved Prestige cervical artificial disc and the Maverick Artificial Disc. He is currently focused on educating anyone interested in learning about the use of Mesenchymal stem cell therapy. You can learn more about stem cells and Dr. Pettine at his website, http://www.KennethPettine.com.

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With diabetes under control, pitcher Dylan Covey tries to stick with White Sox – Chicago Tribune

Posted: March 7, 2017 at 8:44 am

White Sox pitching prospect Dylan Covey is among the many players in spring training who have no idea where they will head when the teams pack up for the regular season.

A Rule 5 draft pick in December, Covey would have to make the big-league roster out of spring training or be put on waivers and offered back to the Athletics, per major-league rules.

But at 25, Covey already is a pro at dealing with the unpredictable.

His biggest life-altering twist came in 2010 after the Brewers drafted the right-hander 14th overall one spot behind Chris Sale out of his California high school. Covey was nearing the signing deadline when a blood test from a team physical revealed he had Type 1 diabetes.

That gave him just days to figure out how to proceed.

Covey said the Brewers offered him the slot value of $1.7 million, less than what he asked for before the diagnosis, but he and his family decided to turn it down. He instead attended the University of San Diego, closer to home and his physician, while he learned to manage his disease.

"Maybe not financially speaking, but as far as my health, which is obviously more important, I think it was the right decision," Covey said. "I had all of the resources there. I'm sure the Brewers would have been great with it too, but just being so unfamiliar with it all, it was really a comfort thing. I didn't know what to expect."

When the Sox asked about Covey this offseason, he told them the diabetes "is not even an issue anymore." He knows how to eat and has an insulin pump to manage it, and he said his body is "like a normal person's now."

It took a while to get there.

The first year and a half after his diagnosis were "really tough," he said. Covey learned about counting carbohydrates and taking insulin. He lost weight before the diagnosis, and after putting it back on, he worked to turn it into muscle.

Meanwhile, he pitched 34 1/3 innings as a freshman at San Diego, though in retrospect he said he should have redshirted.

"Learning to do that at first is tough because you don't really think about how many carbohydrates you're eating every time you take a bite of food," said Covey, who is 6-foot-2 and weighs 195 pounds. "It was definitely an adjustment period I had to go through."

After three seasons at San Diego, the A's drafted Covey in the fourth round in 2013, and he signed for $370,000. He worked his way to Double A in 2016 and had a 1.84 ERA in six starts before an oblique injury. He returned to pitch in the Arizona Fall League, going 4-0 with a 4.74 ERA, before the Sox picked him up at the winter meetings in December.

It has been a more difficult journey than Covey could have imagined as a teenager.

"Who knows what would have happened if I had signed in 2010," Covey said. "It has been a little bit longer of a path, but I'm happy for the situation I am in right now with the White Sox."

The Sox are giving Covey a shot to show what he can do this spring.

He gave up two earned runs on three hits in his first one-inning appearance against the Rockies last month, an outing pitching coach Don Cooper chalked up to "anxiousness."

But he pitched two scoreless innings on 16 pitches in his start against the Padres on Friday, and he's scheduled to start again Saturday.

"He had a nice outing the other night, got nothing but ground balls," Cooper said. "He's a two-seam guy, so he's real strong with his sinker, arm-side, down and in to righties, down and away to lefties. ... I told him, now we're on the move, and now we've got to see if he can carry it into the next one."

The Sox rotation is full, barring a trade, but the club could keep Covey as a long reliever or spot starter. They also could try to strike a trade with the A's if they like what they see this spring.

Covey said he is staying focused amid the "little bit of pressure."

"If I don't make the team, I go back to the situation I was in before," Covey said. "I've just got to go out and do my best every time, and hopefully my actions prove to them that I'm worth the pick they used to get me."

Intention to start: Pitching prospect Reynaldo Lopez has made it known he hopes to remain a starter when he reaches the majors, and manager Rick Renteria reiterated Monday the Sox are sticking with that plan for now.

Renteria said he was happy with how Lopez located in his second start Sunday, when he allowed one earned run on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts in three innings.

"First inning was a little rough, but obviously he settled down and did a nice job," Renteria said. "He was commanding all of his pitches and looked very good."

WBC update: Sox minor-leaguer Alex Katz pitched a scoreless inning in Team Israel's 2-1, 10-inning victory over South Korea to open the World Baseball Classic. Katz hit one batter and had one strikeout in the seventh.

ckane@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @ChiTribKane

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Diabetes in pregnancy tied to altered fat cells in adult offspring – Fox News

Posted: March 7, 2017 at 8:44 am

When pregnant mothers have diabetes, their children may have altered fat cells that make metabolic diseases in adulthood more likely, a small Danish study suggests.

Babies of mothers with diabetes may be exposed to high blood sugar levels in the womb, a condition known as fetal hyperglycemia.

"Fetal hyperglycemia affects fat stem cells and these defects can be detected several years later," said lead study author Ninna Schioler Hansen of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

In lab tests, adult offspring of women who had diabetes during pregnancy appeared to have larger fat cells and more leptin, a protein made by fat cells that influences hunger.

"If (high blood sugar) or diabetes is present during pregnancy, our study supports the importance of aiming at normal blood glucose levels to reduce the negative impact on the cells of the unborn baby," Hansen added by email

"Women who are lean and fit before pregnancy have a reduced risk of developing gestational diabetes during pregnancy," Hansen said.

Hansen's team studied 206 adults, including some whose mothers had diabetes before pregnancy, others whose mothers developed a condition known as gestational diabetes during pregnancy, and a control group with mothers who didn't have diabetes at all.

Adult offspring of women with diabetes in pregnancy showed "fundamental changes" in the size of their fat cells, their ability to store fat as well as the way their bodies produced the hormone leptin, which influences appetite regulation in the brain, Hansen said.

It's possible that differences between adults with and without mothers who had diabetes during pregnancy might be explained by other factors that happened during fetal development, the authors note in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Even so, the results offer clues to explain the increased diabetes risk among children born to mothers with diabetes, said Dr. Joachim Dudenhausen, an obstetrics and gynecology researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York who wasn't involved in the study.

Changes induced by hyperglycemia in the mother "can be responsible for diabetes of the child in later life," Dudenhausen said by email.

The best prevention is for women to start pregnancy at a normal weight and gain a healthy amount of weight while they're growing their babies.

Women who start out at a normal healthy weight should gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy, while women who are overweight to start should gain no more than 25 pounds, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"One of the highest risk factors for gestational diabetes is being overweight before and during pregnancy," Dudenhausen said.

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Early periods associated with risk of gestational diabetes – Science Daily

Posted: March 7, 2017 at 8:44 am


Medical News Today
Early periods associated with risk of gestational diabetes
Science Daily
"A large proportion of women who develop diabetes during pregnancy are overweight or obese, and encouraging those with an early start of puberty to control their weight before pregnancy may help to lower their risk of gestational diabetes," she said.
Early period may indicate risk of diabetes during pregnancyMedical News Today
Early Periods May Increase Women's Risk of Gestational DiabetesNDTV
Early period may up gestational diabetes riskThe Tribune
TheHealthSite
all 20 news articles »

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UNL’s new College Diabetes Network hopes to raise awareness, connect students – Daily Nebraskan

Posted: March 7, 2017 at 8:44 am

Most people can think of one person they know who suffers from diabetes, and yet not everyone knows about the disease.

The University of Nebraska-Lincolns College Diabetes Network is setting out to bring awareness to the disease and to promote a supporting environment for diabetics. College Diabetes Network is a nationally Recognized Student Organization that got its start at UNL after Haley Schepers, president and founder of UNLs chapter, decided to bring it here in December 2016. The club was approved in January 2017.

Type 1 diabetes is a disease in which the pancreas stops working, affecting the production of insulin, a hormone that breaks down sugars in the body. Diabetics must use insulin shots or pumps to regulate their blood sugar levels all day every day. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease that has no known cause or cure, although has some hopethere is a cure.

Schepers and the vice president of UNLs College Diabetes Network Ansley Alberts have similar stories about why theyre dedicated to diabetes. Both have younger siblings who were diagnosed at a young age with Type 1 diabetes. Schepers sister was diagnosed at age 12, and Alberts brother was diagnosed at age 11.

Its a complete life cycle change, so being a sister to someone with diabetes is really about being a support system, Alberts said. Its always on your mind.

Now, both students are making it their goal to raise awareness about Type 1 diabetes and to change the culture on campus. They want the club to be a place where students with diabetes can talk to each other. This is especially important for freshmen who have never lived alone with the disease.

Schepers said she hopes the group can get upperclassmen to mentor underclassmen on how to live with diabetes in college. This includes learning how to handle the drinking culture as well as eating in the dining hall and regulating their blood pressure.

Students are given this freedom and they dont know what to do with it, Schepers said, Theyre thrown into this crazy culture and theyre not regulating it, and people around them dont know how to help them.

Jacinta Benton, a member of College Diabetes Network, said the group has supported her by being a place where she can have personal interactions with others who have Type 1 diabetes. Benton was diagnosed with the disease last year when she was a freshman.

Benton said she quickly learned to take diabetes one day at a time. She said she hopes students will be educated on the science behind diabetes. Benton also said she thinks its important for UNL students to know what to do in a situation when a diabetics blood pressure is too low or too high.

Students should know how to check a students blood pressure and when to give more sugar if its at dangerous levels, she said.

Benton said that reaching out to other people with diabetes helps you learn specific accommodations you can get in college.

I would recommend to people who get diagnosed to do your research and reach out to people early, she said. If you do it early, later on in your life its simpler - not easier - but simpler.

Schepers said she hopes the group can get the word out about College Diabetes Network and attract new members. She said in the future she wants students who get diagnosed to get sent straight to College Diabetes Network so they can help with the transition.

The club accepts students who have diabetes, students who know someone who has it or students who just want to help the cause. Schepers said to go to their Facebook page CDN-Lincoln to learn more about meeting times and upcoming events like an awareness campaign and their first annual Walk to Cure Diabetes on April 2 with a fraternity on campus, Delta Tau Delta.

Schepers said there is also a GoFundMe page for the event if someone cannot attend but would like to help.

We are very close to a cure for Type 1 right now, Alberts said. I think that cure can come in my brothers lifetime.

news@dailynebraskan.com

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D-backs’ De La Rosa counting on stem-cell therapy to avoid second Tommy John – Arizona Sports (registration) (blog)

Posted: March 6, 2017 at 2:46 am

Rubby De La Rosa had already undergone Tommy John surgery. So when his right elbow became an issue again, he had a tough decision to make.

He could have the surgery again and risk that it might not be as effective the second time around. Or he could venture down another avenue.

Either way, his career was at stake.

De La Rosa was in his second season as a Diamondback when it was interrupted in September by a familiar pain in his elbow.

His rookie season with the Dodgers in 2011 was cut short for the same reason. He ended up having his first Tommy John procedure.

So when the issue arose again last season, he and Dr. James Andrews who performed De La Rosas first Tommy John surgery discussed the options. They decided stem-cell therapy would be more effective than a second surgery. De La Rosa then received one stem cell injection in late September and another in December.

He has been playing catch and said he feels 100-percent healthy, but he will not begin throwing off the mound until mid-March.

What I see from it right now, its working, said De La Rosa, who will be 28 years old March 4. No more pain, no more soreness. Just waiting for my time.

Dr. Keith Jarbo is an orthopedic surgeon with OrthoArizona who specializes in elbow surgery. Jarbo, who has performed many Tommy John surgeries to repair the ulnar collateral ligament, said the procedure is less effective the second time around.

Stem-cell therapy has become more popular in orthopedics over the past five to 10 years, Jarbo said. Some doctors even use it in addition to Tommy John surgery to accelerate the healing process. He said stem cells are used because they are pluripotent, meaning they can develop into every type of cell that makes up the body.

They have a lot of the growth factors that are necessary for healing, Jarbo said. We think they can be important adjuncts for healing.

However, there is a risk. Jarbo said there is no research that compares the efficacy of stem-cell therapy to that of Tommy John surgery. With the lack of research, Jarbo said one doctor may be using different types of stem cells than another.

He said he doesnt use stem cells and wont until there is more research that shows it is effective. Until then, he cant assure his patients that stem-cell therapy will produce a ligament that has similar characteristics to what it did before the injury.

Its high-risk in the sense that we dont know exactly what its going to do, Jarbo said. We think that it promotes healing, but we dont know exactly what growth factors are within or whats going to happen.

I dont think youre necessarily getting a new, better tissue as if youre developing a robot. Youre really just trying to get good healing and strong appropriate tissue, whether thats with surgery or not.

Jarbo estimated Andrews conducts over 100 Tommy John surgeries per year. He said doctors like Andrews may be helpful in researching stem-cell therapys effectiveness if they can use stem cells on half of their patients and compare the results with the half that received Tommy John surgery.

De La Rosa is part of a group of trendsetters. Last season, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitchers Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney both received stem cell injections to stave off Tommy John surgery. Heaney ended up needing the surgery anyway.

D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said De La Rosa seems encouraged by his health.

We just know that Rubby is in a really good place, hes been throwing the ball really well hes smiling, and hes back to himself, which is always a good sign for him, he said.

Diamondbacks pitching coach Mike Butcher said stem-cell therapy is unpredictable, but seems to helping De La Rosa.

Its obviously helped out Rubby, Butcher said. The results have been good so far; he feels great. Now its just a matter of working toward the progression of where we can get him off the mound.

Jarbo said the largest risk with using stem-cell therapy may be that players are rushed back to action through an accelerated rehab program.

However, De La Rosa has been patient throughout his now five-month recovery.

He hopes it means the end of his elbow pain.

Its frustrating because sometimes you want to pitch but you cannot pitch because theres a lot of soreness, he said. When you do it right and you get hurt and everything switches, now you cant pitch with your whole motion and you have to limit a lot of things.

You get bad pitching.

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D-backs' De La Rosa counting on stem-cell therapy to avoid second Tommy John - Arizona Sports (registration) (blog)

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