Category Archives: Alaska Stem Cells

For near two decades, Tim Petrick skied withconstant pain in his right knee. As the formerPresident and CEO of K2 Sports and the currentCOO at Silverton Mountain in Colorado, heshad the fortune to ski some of the worlds mostmajestic mountains, and has probably madeseveral million, mostly satisfying, turns.

But in 2000, one of a skiers worst fearsstruck while Petrick was heli skiing in Alaska.I tumbled down a couloir following (the late)Doug Coombs in deep powder and blew myACL out, says Petrick. I also lost parts of mymedial and lateral meniscus from going endover end. After surgery to repair his ACL, hisknee deteriorated over the next decade and hewas prescribed an unloader knee brace, whichmitigated the pain just enough so he could ski.I wore that brace religiously because if I didntwear it, my knee would ache like crazy, he says.

Illustration by Thomas Pitilli

Petrick knew he was a classic candidate fortotal knee replacement surgery, but that seemedlike a daunting decision to him. After years ofbeing a hard-charging athlete, it also felt a bit like a defeat, a surrender ofsorts on the battlefield of your body.

His doctor, Mark D. Wagner, MD, of Seattle Sports & Regenerative Medicine,recommended an alternative to the invasive joint replacement surgery.Wagner, an avid skier himself, had recently begun performing a procedurecalled Stem Cell Therapy. The procedure uses the patients own stem cellsmixed with a sample of bone marrow and adipose tissue, which is spun ina centrifuge and injected into the damaged joint in what Wagner likens tospackle filling in the cracks. You can also think of the stem cells as seedsyou put on the bare spots on your lawn, says Wagner. Your platelets arethe fertilizer, promoting growth. The stem cells sense the environment,go into the joint, and lay down new cartilage.

The payback many skiers face after years of carving turns down icy slopesor the repetitive pounding from moguls is the breaking down of cartilagein their joints, particularly the knees. Cartilage is the tissue found on alljoint surfaces, but because its not supplied with blood vessels, it doesntself-repair. Stem cells are found throughout the body and have the potentialto become any type of cellincluding those found in cartilage. They canhelp the body regenerate tissue by implanting cells that stimulate healingand reduce the painful effects of osteoarthritis. Our results with Stem CellTherapy are impressive, says Wagner. About 85 percent of patients havesignificantly improved within one year.

Adult stem cell treatments have been used successfully for years totreat diseases such as leukemia and related blood and bone cancers. Unlikeembryonic stem cells, the use of adult stem cells does not carry the sameshadow of controversy because it doesntinvolve the fate of an embryo.

Stem Cell Therapy, however, has a negativeside. As a relatively new procedure in theU.S.doctors in Europe were performingthe procedure over a decade ago, first usingmammalian stem cellslong-term patientoutcomes havent been thoroughly studied.

It can also be cost-prohibitive. Currentlythere are no FDA-approved stemcell treatments for knee injuries or osteoarthritis,says Andrea Fischer, PressOfficer for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Since the FDA does not sanctionStem Cell Therapy, insurance companiesdo not offer coverage. Even though thetherapy involves about a 90-minute outpatientprocedure performed under localanesthesia, the out-of-pocket expense canrange between $5,000 and $12,000.

We're not doctors, but it looks like something's going on in Petrick's right knee.

Photo Courtesy of Tim Petrick

At this time, its unclear whether StemCell Therapy will eventually be consideredfor government approval, and thereforecoverage. According to the FDA, however,potential safety concerns include a reactionat the injection site, an unwanted immuneresponse to the cells, failure of thecells to function as anticipated, and eventhe development of tumors. Currently the FDA only approves stem cellproducts derived from cord blood thats used for treating blood disorders,and warns about potentially unsafe stem cell practices. Its imperative thatindividuals considering stem cell therapy be informed of the risks and consumersare encouraged to contact the FDA to learn more, Fischer says.

After weighing the pros and cons, the 63-year-old life-long skier optedfor Stem Cell Therapy in September 2016. I took a chance, Petrick says.Its an experimental procedure and insurance doesnt cover it, but Iddo it tomorrow versus thinking about having a replacement knee. Theprocedure did involve blood, bone marrow, and fat tissue withdrawal, butPetrick isnt squeamish about needles. As the doctor injected the cocktailof his own stem cells and platelet-rich plasma into Petricks knee, therewas discomfort from the pressure, but it went away in a few hours.

After a few weeks of limited activity, Petrickstarted riding his bike. After four monthswhich coincided with the start of last ski seasonthe knee that ached for nearly 16 yearsstarted to feel normal again.

Now one year after the procedure, Petricksknee is 85-90 percent better. He scopes out hislines differently now without dealing with a barkingjoint, and without the unloader knee brace, lessequipment to carry around. Ive skied nearly 90days this past winter and its all good, Petrick says.

Not everyone is a candidate for Stem CellTherapy. If the knee is bone-on-bone or theosteoarthritis is severe enough, the recommendationis mostly likely knee replacementsurgery. Artificial joints typically last only a fewdecadesnot the best solution for young skiers.Thanks to multiple studies in the U.S. and Europethat show promising results, the practiceof harvesting stem cells from the patients ownbody and using them for self-healing could becomecommonplace among sports enthusiasts.

I think Stem Cell Therapy is one of the mostexciting things Ive seen in sports medicine in the30-plus years Ive been practicing, says Wagner.And since skiing doesnt involve a lot of cuttingand pivoting on an individual leg, we have greatresults getting people back into the sport.

As for Petrick, hes feeling good enough to headback up to Alaska, which is all he could ask for.

Krista Crabtree lives in Nederland, Colorado, darn closeto Eldora resort, where she runs the women's program. This article was first printed in the 2018 Resort Guide.

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Can Stem Cell Therapy Save Your Knees? - Ski Mag

Similar to spackle filling in the cracks, a new procedure taps into your bodys reserves to repair joint injuries with your own cells. So far so good.

Krista Crabtree, Contributor, SKI Magazine Oct 10, 2017

For near two decades, Tim Petrick skied with constant pain in his right knee. As the former President and CEO of K2 Sports and the current COO at Silverton Mountain in Colorado, hes had the fortune to ski some of the worlds most majestic mountains, and has probably made several million, mostly satisfying, turns.

But in 2000, one of a skiers worst fears struck while Petrick was heli skiing in Alaska. I tumbled down a couloir following (the late) Doug Coombs in deep powder and blew my ACL out, says Petrick. I also lost parts of my medial and lateral meniscus from going end over end. After surgery to repair his ACL, his knee deteriorated over the next decade and he was prescribed an unloader knee brace, which mitigated the pain just enough so he could ski. I wore that brace religiously because if I didnt wear it, my knee would ache like crazy, he says.

Petrick knew he was a classic candidate for total knee replacement surgery, but that seemed like a daunting decision to him. After years of being a hard-charging athlete, it also felt a bit like a defeat, a surrender of sorts on the battlefield of your body.

His doctor, Mark D. Wagner, MD, of Seattle Sports & Regenerative Medicine, recommended an alternative to the invasive joint replacement surgery. Wagner, an avid skier himself, had recently begun performing a procedure called Stem Cell Therapy. The procedure uses the patients own stem cells mixed with a sample of bone marrow and adipose tissue, which is spun in a centrifuge and injected into the damaged joint in what Wagner likens to spackle filling in the cracks. You can also think of the stem cells as seeds you put on the bare spots on your lawn, says Wagner. Your platelets are the fertilizer, promoting growth. The stem cells sense the environment, go into the joint, and lay down new cartilage.

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Can Stem Cell Therapy Save Your Knees? - SS&RM

Stem Cell Therapy uses stem cells remove from the patients own tissue and have the ability to renew themselves and transform into a variety of different cells. This process replaces dying cells, and regenerates tissues that are too damaged to heal on their own. Concentrated stem cells are injected in to the damaged area and can stimulate the formation of cartilage, tendon, ligaments, bone and fibrous connective tissues, to help the body heal naturally.

Stem Cell Therapy Alaska, is the utilization of undeveloped cells to treat or keep a sickness or condition. Bone marrow transplant is the most broadly utilized undifferentiated cell treatment, however a few treatments got from umbilical line blood are likewise being used.

Stem cells live in all of us and they act as the repairmen of the body. However, as we age or get injuries, we sometimes cant get enough of these critical repair cells to the injured area. Stem cell injections Alaska, procedures of Stem Cell Representatives help solve this problem by greatly increasing your bodys own natural repair cells and promote healing. This is accomplished by harvesting cells from areas known to be rich in mesenchymal stem cells and then concentrating those cells in a lab before precisely reinjecting them into the damaged area in need of repair.

Pain management

Pain management can be basic or complex, contingent upon the reason for the torment. A case of suffering that is regularly less intricate would be nerve root bothering from a herniated circle with agony transmitting down the leg. This condition can regularly be mitigated with an epidural steroid infusion and active recuperation.

We do stem cell therapy in Alaska, USA with the the specialisation of following treatments:

Knee stem cell procedures:The most common treatment for patients looking for an alternative to arthroplasty or knee replacement.

Shoulder Stem Cell Procedures:Those that have a rotator cuff tear, shoulder arthritis, tendonitis, or bursitis, may be a good candidate for stem cell therapy.

Hip Stem Cell Procedures:Surgeries on the hip are normally very traumatic followed by months of pain difficult to deal on a daily basis

In spite of the considerable number of realities specified previously and the quickened information about immature microorganisms treatments; there are just a couple of centers in the United States that are lawfully endorsed up until this point.

We offer latest and newest medical treatment at prestigious healthcare facilities, as well as the opportunity to enjoy of our beautiful State of US Alaska, at the same time you improve your quality of life. Contact Us now.

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Stem Cell Therapy, Alaska USA - stemcellreps.com

Extinct genus of mammals

A mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus, proboscideans commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair. They lived from the Pliocene epoch (from around 5million years ago) into the Holocene at about 4,500 years ago[1][2] in Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. They were members of the family Elephantidae, which also contains the two genera of modern elephants and their ancestors. Mammoths stem from an ancestral species called M. africanavus, the African mammoth. These mammoths lived in northern Africa and disappeared about 3 or 4 million years ago. Descendants of these mammoths moved north and eventually covered most of Eurasia. These were M. meridionalis, the 'southern mammoths'.[3]

The earliest known proboscideans, the clade that contains the elephants, existed about 55 million years ago around the Tethys Sea area. The closest relatives of the Proboscidea are the sirenians and the hyraxes. The family Elephantidae is known to have existed six million years ago in Africa, and includes the living elephants and the mammoths. Among many now extinct clades, the mastodon is only a distant relative of the mammoths, and part of the separate Mammutidae family, which diverged 25 million years before the mammoths evolved.[4]

The following cladogram shows the placement of the genus Mammuthus among other proboscideans, based on hyoid characteristics:[5]

Since many remains of each species of mammoth are known from several localities, it is possible to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the genus through morphological studies. Mammoth species can be identified from the number of enamel ridges on their molars; the primitive species had few ridges, and the amount increased gradually as new species evolved and replaced the former ones. At the same time, the crowns of the teeth became longer, and the skulls become higher from top to bottom and shorter from the back to the front over time to accommodate this.[6]

The first known members of the genus Mammuthus are the African species Mammuthus subplanifrons from the Pliocene and Mammuthus africanavus from the Pleistocene. The former is thought to be the ancestor of later forms. Mammoths entered Europe around 3 million years ago; the earliest known type has been named M. rumanus, which spread across Europe and China. Only its molars are known, which show it had 810 enamel ridges. A population evolved 1214 ridges and split off from and replaced the earlier type, becoming M. meridionalis. In turn, this species was replaced by the steppe mammoth, M. trogontherii, with 1820 ridges, which evolved in East Asia ca. 1 million years ago. Mammoths derived from M. trogontherii evolved molars with 26 ridges 200,000 years ago in Siberia, and became the woolly mammoth, M. primigenius.[6] The Columbian mammoth, M. columbi, evolved from a population of M. trogontherii that had entered North America. A 2011 genetic study showed that two examined specimens of the Columbian mammoth were grouped within a subclade of woolly mammoths. This suggests that the two populations interbred and produced fertile offspring. It also suggested that a North American form known as "M. jeffersonii" may be a hybrid between the two species.[7]

By the late Pleistocene, mammoths in continental Eurasia had undergone a major transformation, including a shortening and heightening of the cranium and mandible, increase in molar hypsodonty index, increase in plate number, and thinning of dental enamel. Due to this change in physical appearance, it became customary to group European mammoths separately into distinguishable clusters:

There is speculation as to what caused this variation within the three chronospecies. Variations in environment, climate change, and migration surely played roles in the evolutionary process of the mammoths. Take M. primigenius for example: Woolly mammoths lived in opened grassland biomes. The cool steppe-tundra of the Northern Hemisphere was the ideal place for mammoths to thrive because of the resources it supplied. With occasional warmings during the ice age, climate would change the landscape, and resources available to the mammoths altered accordingly.[6][8][9]

The word mammoth was first used in Europe during the early 17th century, when referring to maimanto tusks discovered in Siberia.[10] John Bell,[11] who was on the Ob River in 1722, said that mammoth tusks were well known in the area. They were called "mammon's horn" and were often found in washed-out river banks. Some local people claimed to have seen a living mammoth, but they only came out at night and always disappeared under water when detected. He bought one and presented it to Hans Sloan who pronounced it an elephant's tooth.

The folklore of some native peoples of Siberia, who would routinely find mammoth bones, and sometimes frozen mammoth bodies, in eroding river banks, had various interesting explanations for these finds. Among the Khanty people of the Irtysh River basin, a belief existed that the mammoth was some kind of a water spirit. According to other Khanty, the mammoth was a creature that lived underground, burrowing its tunnels as it went, and would die if it accidentally came to the surface.[12] The concept of the mammoth as an underground creature was known to the Chinese, who received some mammoth ivory from the Siberian natives; accordingly, the creature was known in China as yn sh , "the hidden rodent".[13]

Thomas Jefferson, who famously had a keen interest in paleontology, is partially responsible for transforming the word mammoth from a noun describing the prehistoric elephant to an adjective describing anything of surprisingly large size. The first recorded use of the word as an adjective was in a description of a large wheel of cheese (the "Cheshire Mammoth Cheese") given to Jefferson in 1802.[14]

Like their modern relatives, mammoths were quite large. The largest known species reached heights in the region of 4m (13.1ft) at the shoulder and weights of up to 8 tonnes (8.8 short tons), while exceptionally large males may have exceeded 12 tonnes (13.2 short tons). However, most species of mammoth were only about as large as a modern Asian elephant (which are about 2.5 m to 3 m high at the shoulder, and rarely exceeding 5 tonnes). Both sexes bore tusks. A first, small set appeared at about the age of six months, and these were replaced at about 18 months by the permanent set. Growth of the permanent set was at a rate of about 2.5 to 15.2cm (1 to 6in) per year.[15]

Based on studies of their close relatives, the modern elephants, mammoths probably had a gestation period of 22 months, resulting in a single calf being born. Their social structure was probably the same as that of African and Asian elephants, with females living in herds headed by a matriarch, whilst bulls lived solitary lives or formed loose groups after sexual maturity.[16]

Scientists discovered and studied the remains of a mammoth calf, and found that fat greatly influenced its form, and enabled it to store large amounts of nutrients necessary for survival in temperatures as low as 50C (58F).[17] The fat also allowed the mammoths to increase their muscle mass, allowing the mammoths to fight against enemies and live longer.[18]

Depending on the species or race of mammoth, the diet differed somewhat depending on location, although all mammoths ate similar things. For the Columbian mammoth, M. columbi, the diet was mainly grazing. American Columbian mammoths fed primarily on cacti leaves, trees, and shrubs. These assumptions were based on mammoth feces and mammoth teeth. Mammoths, like modern day elephants, have hypsodont molars. These features also allowed mammoths to live an expansive life because of the availability of grasses and trees.[19]

For the Mongochen mammoth, its diet consisted of herbs, grasses, larch, and shrubs, and possibly alder. These inferences were made through the observation of mammoth feces, which scientists observed contained non-arboreal pollen and moss spores.[20]

European mammoths had a major diet of C3 carbon fixation plants. This was determined by examining the isotopic data from the European mammoth teeth.[21]

The Yamal baby mammoth Lyuba, found in 2007 in the Yamal Peninsula in Western Siberia, suggests that baby mammoths, as do modern baby elephants, ate the dung of adult animals. The evidence to show this is that the dentition (teeth) of the baby mammoth had not yet fully developed to chew grass. Furthermore, there was an abundance of ascospores of coprophilous fungi from the pollen spectrum of the baby's mother. Coprophilous fungi are fungi that grow on animal dung and disperse spores in nearby vegetation, which the baby mammoth would then consume. Spores might have gotten into its stomach while grazing for the first few times. Coprophagy may be an adaptation, serving to populate the infant's gut with the needed microbiome for digestion.

Mammoths alive in the Arctic during the Last Glacial Maximum consumed mainly forbs, such as Artemisia; graminoids were only a minor part of their diet.[22]

The woolly mammoth (M. primigenius) was the last species of the genus. Most populations of the woolly mammoth in North America and Eurasia, as well as all the Columbian mammoths (M. columbi) in North America, died out around the time of the last glacial retreat, as part of a mass extinction of megafauna in northern Eurasia and the Americas. Until recently, the last woolly mammoths were generally assumed to have vanished from Europe and southern Siberia about 12,000 years ago, but new findings show some were still present there about 10,000 years ago. Slightly later, the woolly mammoths also disappeared from continental northern Siberia.[23] A small population survived on St. Paul Island, Alaska, up until 3750BC,[2][24][25] and the small[26] mammoths of Wrangel Island survived until 1650BC.[27][28] Recent research of sediments in Alaska indicates mammoths survived on the American mainland until 10,000 years ago.[29]

A definitive explanation for their extinction has yet to be agreed upon. The warming trend (Holocene) that occurred 12,000 years ago, accompanied by a glacial retreat and rising sea levels, has been suggested as a contributing factor. Forests replaced open woodlands and grasslands across the continent. The available habitat would have been reduced for some megafaunal species, such as the mammoth. However, such climate changes were nothing new; numerous very similar warming episodes had occurred previously within the ice age of the last several million years without producing comparable megafaunal extinctions, so climate alone is unlikely to have played a decisive role.[30][31] The spread of advanced human hunters through northern Eurasia and the Americas around the time of the extinctions, however, was a new development, and thus might have contributed significantly.[30][31]

Whether the general mammoth population died out for climatic reasons or due to overhunting by humans is controversial.[32] During the transition from the Late Pleistocene epoch to the Holocene epoch, there was shrinkage of the distribution of the mammoth because progressive warming at the end of the Pleistocene epoch changed the mammoth's environment. The mammoth steppe was a periglacial landscape with rich herb and grass vegetation that disappeared along with the mammoth because of environmental changes in the climate. Mammoths had moved to isolated spots in Eurasia, where they disappeared completely. Also, it is thought that Late Paleolithic and Mesolithic human hunters might have affected the size of the last mammoth populations in Europe.[citation needed] There is evidence to suggest that humans did cause the mammoth extinction, although there is no definitive proof. It was found that humans living south of a mammoth steppe learned to adapt themselves to the harsher climates north of the steppe, where mammoths resided. It was concluded that if humans could survive the harsh north climate of that particular mammoth steppe then it was possible humans could hunt (and eventually extinguish) mammoths everywhere. Another hypothesis suggests mammoths fell victim to an infectious disease. A combination of climate change and hunting by humans may be a possible explanation for their extinction. Homo erectus is known to have consumed mammoth meat as early as 1.8 million years ago,[33] though this may mean only successful scavenging, rather than actual hunting. Later humans show greater evidence for hunting mammoths; mammoth bones at a 50,000-year-old site in South Britain suggest that Neanderthals butchered the animals,[34] while various sites in Eastern Europe dating from 15,000 to 44,000 years old suggest humans (probably Homo sapiens) built dwellings using mammoth bones (the age of some of the earlier structures suggests that Neanderthals began the practice).[35] However, the American Institute of Biological Sciences notes that bones of dead elephants, left on the ground and subsequently trampled by other elephants, tend to bear marks resembling butchery marks, which have allegedly been misinterpreted as such by archaeologists.[36]

Many hypotheses also seek to explain the regional extinction of mammoths in specific areas. Scientists have speculated that the mammoths of Saint Paul Island, an isolated enclave where mammoths survived until about 8,000 years ago, died out as the island shrank by 8090% when sea levels rose, eventually making it too small to support a viable population.[37] Similarly, genome sequences of the Wrangel Island mammoths indicate a sharp decline in genetic diversity, though the extent to which this played a role in their extinction is still unclear.[38] Another hypothesis, said to be the cause of mammoth extinction in Siberia, comes from the idea that many may have drowned. While traveling to the Northern River, many of these mammoths broke through the ice and drowned. This also explains bones remains in the Arctic Coast and islands of the New Siberian Group.[citation needed]

Dwarfing occurred with the pygmy mammoth on the outer Channel Islands of California, but at an earlier period. Those animals were very likely killed by early Paleo-Native Americans, and habitat loss caused by a rising sea level that split Santa Rosae into the outer Channel Islands.[39]

An estimated 150 million mammoths are buried in the frozen Siberian tundra.[40] The use of this preserved genetic material to recreate or de-extinct living mammoths, has long been discussed theoretically but has only recently become the subject of formal effort due to advances in molecular biology techniques. As of 2015, there are several major ongoing projects, such as those of Akira Iritani of Japan and the Long Now Foundation,[41][42] attempting to create a mammoth-elephant hybrid.[43] According to the researchers, a mammoth cannot be recreated, but they will try to eventually grow in an "artificial womb" a hybrid elephant with some wooly mammoth traits.[44][45]

In April 2015, Swedish scientists published the complete genome (complete chromosomal DNA sequences) of the woolly mammoth,[41] and now separate projects are working on gradually adding mammoth DNA sequences to elephant cells.[41][42][46] For example, a Harvard University team is already attempting to study the animals' characteristics in vitro by inserting some specific mammoth genes into Asian elephant stem cells.[47] By March 2015, some woolly mammoth genes had been copied into the genome of an Asian elephant, using the new CRISPR DNA editing technique. Genetic segments from frozen mammoth specimens, including genes for the ears, subcutaneous fat, and hair attributes, were copied into the DNA of skin cells from a modern elephant.[47][48]

If a viable hybrid embryo is obtained via gene editing procedures, it may be possible to implant it into a female Asian elephant housed in a zoo,[41] but with the current knowledge and technology, it is unlikely that the hybrid embryo would be carried through the two-year gestation.[49][50] To illustrate one of the many difficulties, it can be noted that the genetic differences between an Asian elephant and an African elephant are so great that they actually cannot be interbred,[51] but on one occasion a pair produced a live calf named Motty that died of organ defects at less than two weeks old.[52]

If any method is ever successful, there is the suggestion to introduce the hybrids to a wildlife reserve in Siberia called the Pleistocene Park.[53] Some biologists question the ethics of such recreation attempts. In addition to the technical problems, there is not much habitat left that would be suitable for elephant-mammoth hybrids. Because both species are [were] social and gregarious, creating a few specimens would not be ideal. The time and resources required would be enormous, and the scientific benefits would be unclear, suggesting these resources should instead be used to preserve extant elephant species which are endangered.[54][55] The ethics of using elephants as surrogate mothers in cloning attempts has also been questioned, as most embryos would not survive, and it would be impossible to know the exact needs of a hybrid elephant-mammoth calf.[56]

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Mammoth - Wikipedia

What is Stem Cell Therapy?

Stem Cell Therapy utilizes the patients own stem cells to replace dying cells and regenerate damaged tissue to eliminate pain. These cells are obtained from the patients own bone marrow or fat tissues through a sterile closed surgical process. The cells are isolated in a centrifuge and injected into the pain site to begin healing. The cells are collected and injected on the same day using specialized imaging technology to ensure the most effective treatment.

Stem Cell Therapy accelerates the bodys own natural healing processes and is effective for treating pain. When the body is injured, adult stem cells are dispatched to the area of the injury to regenerate healthy cells, but this isnt always enough. Stem Cell Therapy collects concentrated amounts of stem cells from healthy areas of the body, and injects the cells directly into the area of injury. Stem Cell Therapy is effective for many types of tissue including cartilage, tendons, ligaments, bone, and fibrous connective tissue. Stem Cell Therapy reduces pain and promotes healing without the need for pain medications or steroid injections.

Dr. Johnson and his compassionate staff at AA Spine & Pain Clinic believe that no one should have to live in pain. We will take the time to educate our patients about their conditions and their available treatment options so they can make the best decisions about their care. Each patient will receive individualized treatment based on their specific needs to ensure the best possible outcome.

You may be considering stem cell therapy if you suffer from ongoing pain from an injury or if you are currently managing pain through medication or injection therapy. Stem Cell Therapy is a relatively new procedure and is not yet covered by most insurances. We want to provide the best treatment options for your pain, and will review your specific situation and treatment options with you.

Each Stem Cell Therapy procedure is performed in our medical office and usually takes less than an hour to complete. It does not require surgery, general anesthesia, or hospital stays. Most people find they can return to work the day after receiving Stem Cell Therapy, but strenuous physical exercise should be avoided for several weeks afterwards to promote healing and to prevent injury.

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Stem Cell Treatment - Anchorage and Fairbanks Alaska Spine ...

Why is Algone Different from other Regenerative Medicine Clinics?

Algone is Alaskas ONLY Regenexx affiliate. What is Regenexx? Regenexxwas founded in 2005 by Christopher Centeno, MD and John Schultz, MD. They were the first physicians in the United States to use culture expanded stem cells in patients through an IRB approved study from 2005-2007 and since then have optimized their procedures for the best possible outcome. Regenexxs procedures are unlike any other Regenerative Medicine processing company and are now patented because of how unique they are.

In 2012, Regenexx developed the Regenexx network, which is a medical provider network that features handpicked physicians who receive extensive training. With about 25 sites in the United states, Regenexx is VERY picky on who they choose to perform their procedures. Algones very own, Matthew R. Peterson, MD was the first in Alaska to be chosen and we now have Steven P. Johnson, MD and Nichelle C. Renk, MD as Regenexx Network Providers.

Regenexx is the longest running, most experienced, best published orthopedic stem cell therapy in the United States

.

What are stem cells?

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the ability to produce a wide variety of specialized cells with distinct functions in the body. Stem cells can potentially be used to treat chronic pain by producing site-specific healing cells in damaged tissue.

How to doctors get stem cells?

Physicians at Algone only use mesenchymal stem cells, which are adult stem cells from the patients own tissue. These cells can be obtained in one of two ways. The first involves a procedure similar to liposuction, as stem cells are gathered from fat tissue around the waist. The second procedure uses a needle to obtain a small amount of liquid bone marrow from the pelvic or breast bone in a process called bone marrow aspiration.

Is bone marrow aspiration the same as a bone marrow biopsy?

No, bone marrow aspiration is the removal of a small amount of tissue in liquid form, while a bone marrow biopsy removes actual marrow.

Most patients are familiar with the painful procedure required for a bone marrow biopsy. In contrast, a bone marrow aspiration is a quick procedure that utilizes a local anesthetic to numb the site before a needle is inserted. The majority of patients report the procedure results in little or no discomfort.

How are the stem cells used?

After obtaining the mesenchymal stem cells, physicians at Algone isolate the cells in the clinics lab using a proprietary separation technique. The regenerative stem cells are then injected into the target area to produce specialized cells and jumpstart the bodys secondary healing process.

What pain can be treated with this procedure?

Stem cell therapy is a potential treatment option for a wide variety of chronic pain issues. Common conditions include arthritis, ligament and tendon tears, osteonecrosis and bursitis.

Why should I consider stem cell therapy?

Stem cell therapy is a swift treatment option that has the potential to provide patients with relief from chronic pain. The procedure takes less than a day and offers an affordable alternative for patients who may be contemplating surgery or joint replacement. Not only is the procedure quick, but many patients resume normal activities immediately following the treatment, avoiding a lengthy rehabilitation period.

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Algone | Stem Cell Therapy

UASKetchikan welcomes new assistant professor hopes to implement community hikes: Pawlus teaching chemistry, geology, anatomy and physiology; hopes to coordinate hikes

By ALAINA BARTELDaily News Staff Writer

As a part of his community service hours, new University of Alaska Southeast Assistant Professor Matthew Pawlus, Ph.D., hopes to organize community nature hikes that are open to the public. With children of his own, the new assistant professor of science at the UAS Ketchikan campus especially enjoys working with younger groups, and plans to implement nature hikes and beach walks through tidal pools. Adults are welcome as well, as he hopes to start a trail building group.

Nothing official is planned quite yet for those hikes, as Pawlus is warming up to the campus and has just begun teaching his first semester at UAS.

Before receiving the position in Ketchikan, Pawlus had lived around the country. After being born in Ohio, his family moved to Wasilla when he was 8 years old and was there until he finished high school.

His next move was to Grand Junction, Colorado, where he attended Mesa State College a small school in the desert surrounded by a mountain biking and whitewater rafting community. While there, he met his wife, who was in school for nursing.

Pawlus relocated to Denver to attend grad school at the University of Colorado, where he received his doctorate in molecular biology. His main focus was on breast and kidney cancer, and ho w low oxygen levels, or hypoxia, drives cancer growth.

After that, I got a postdoc position in Seattle at the University of Washington, Pawlus said. I worked at an institute called ISCRM, the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. Like the name suggests, its all about regenerative medicine growing back body parts, repairing tissue after its been damaged.

I did a bunch of work with stem cells there and a little bit of work with zebrafish, which are regenerative animals, he continued. Theyre pretty cool, you can cut them in half, cut off tissue, you can amputate 20 percent of their heart and theyll grow back.

Pawlus focused on modeling traumatic brain injuries in the fish, where hed poke them in the nostril with a small needle and make a hole in their brain. The wound would heal in a few weeks, and he would watch how that process evolved, and see if he could adapt it to humans.

While in Seattle, he began teaching a summer class at the University of Washington with other postdoc students about wound healing, and moved to Boulder, Colorado, where he was teaching science classes.

Pawlus then relocated to Spearfish, South Dakota, where he was teaching biology, and finally ended up in Ketchikan. He said his main goal at UAS is to engage and interest his students, especially since most of his classes are introductory courses.

Its always good when people are having fun and paying attention, thats really the goal, Pawlus said. I like to integrate a lot of activities whenever we can. If people are enjoying themselves and doing something, hopefully theyll remember what they learned.

He will be teaching general chemistry, anatomy and physiology, and an online geology class focusing on the evolution of life and fossils.

By implementing lab activities and fun chemical reactions, he hopes his students are able to take a liking to the subject.

I expect a lot out of them but I can remember whats it like to be in college. Im not going to bore them to death with lectures, he noted. I hate standing up there for long periods of time. Hopefully with these activities and interesting visuals, they can actually stay interested and maybe even be entertained a little bit.

Continued here:
UAS Ketchikan welcomes new assistant professor hopes to implement community hikes: Pawlus teaching chemistry ... - Ketchikan Daily News

Living next to historys greatest cultural, military and economic superpower, Canada is constantly ribbed for being mediocre. While it can be hard to stand out next to our big, increasingly brash neighbour, the truth is, we like it here in the Great White North. As Canada celebrates its 150th birthday we dug into the numbers to find some of the many ways this countryis the best from sports and science, to politics and entertainment.

Life & well-being

Lewis Kent drinks a beer during the Beer Mile competition. (Damien Maloney)

1. We live a long time: Canadians born today will live an average of two years longer than the global average (close to 82 years in Canada versus 80). Meanwhile, 89% of Canadians reported being in good health, 20% above the average world-wide.

2.Our quality of life is tops: According to the U.S. News & World Report, our political and economic stability, solid job market and world-class public education system means our citizens should have the highest sense of well-being in the world. (Sadly, Switzerland bested us for the title of best country overall).

3. Saying Sorry is good for you: Canadians are mocked for always apologizing, but its not a character flaw. Saying sorry has been found to boost happiness and strengthen relationships. Researchers at the University of Waterloo even found apologizing to a cop when pulled over for speeding can get fines reduced an average of $51. True, scientists did recently claim that refusing to apologize for your actions leads to a sense of empowerment, but such short-sighted thinking would only appeal to self-centred Americans. (Sorry, that was mean.)

4. We truly are nice: At least on Twitter. Researchers from McMaster University looked at how Canadians and Americans engaged on Twitter and found that Canadians use much nicer language. While Canadians commonly used words like favourite, gorgeous, great, and amazing, Americans favoured more negative words like damn, hate, bored and annoying.

5. Our kids are all right: Canadas schools take heat from all sides, but they must be doing something right. Our 15-year-olds routinely score in the top 10 of 65 countries that participate in the OECDs reading, math and science tests. Last time around, in 2015, we were fourth, behind Singapore, Japan and Estonia.

Theres more: 6. Compared to our U.S. neighbours, we have a lower rate of suicide (11.1 per 100,000 people, versus 12 in the U.S.), 7. a lower rate of infant mortality (5.1 per 1,000 live births, versus 6.1 in the U.S.), 8.and our health care costs per person are much lower (US$4,569 per capita in Canada, versus $9,086 in the U.S.). 9.We also offer better parental leave(new mothers and fathers can take up to 18 months of leave, versus just three unpaid months in the U.S.). 10.More of our marriages last: For every 1,000 population in the U.S., 3.6 marriages end in divorce annually, compared to 2.1 in Canada. 11.Poor kids are likely to attend university or college here: By age 19 to 21 roughly 54 per cent of Canadian youth from low-income families are enrolled in post-secondary education, compared to just 30 per cent of the poorest youth in America.

12. Were quitting smoking: Only 17.7 per cent of men smoke tobacco, according to World Health Organization data for 2015, ranking us country 14th-lowest out of 129 countries, ahead of the U.S. (21st), United Kingdom (22nd), France (59th) and Jordan (128th), whose males are nearly four times more likely to take the cancer-causing puffs as Canadas. Our women rank 81st in the WHO report, but thats largely because women in less industrialized states are less likely to smokeand at 12.2 per cent, Canadian women are wiser about staying away from cigarette packs than their husbands, brothers and dads.

13. You can grow old here comfortably: Canada was ranked 5th best out of 91 countries for elderly treatment, ahead of Switzerland, New Zealand and the U.S.

14. And Canadian retirees are the happiest in the world, second only to those in Mexico.

15. We have the most most liveable cities: Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and Torontothey all made it into the top 25 on the 2017 Mercer list of most liveable cities in the world. Taken together, that means half of all Canadians enjoy some of the best city living there is.

16. Were well educated: Two-thirds of Canadians have a post-secondary degree or certificate, compared to the average of 40 per cent for the developed world. That puts us third, after Japan and Korea, for most educated population in the world.

17. Were not prudish: The Pew Research Centre surveyed 40,117 respondents in 40 and found that found 85 per cent of Canadians believe sex between an unmarried man and woman is acceptable, compared to the global average of just 48.4 per cent.

18. We drink responsibly: Despite our reputation as beer guzzlers and whisky swiggers, Canadians drinking habits are more tame than the global average.

19. Were getting richer: The number of millionaires in Canada is expected to grow by at least 500,000 by 2021.

20. Were inclusive: Canada is the third most gay-friendly country, after Germany and Spain, according to a Pew Research study. In Canada, 80 per cent of people said society should accept gays and lesbians. In the U.S., just 60 per cent said the same.

21. Canadians are generous: Roughly 64 per cent of Canadians donate money to charitiesmore than all other countries, aside from Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. But compared to the front-runners, more Canadians are willing to help a stranger in need.

22. We have better work-life balance: Less than 4% of Canadian employees work more than 50 hours a week, far below the average of 13% across OECD countries.

23. Our homes are the most spacious: We have 2.5 rooms per person in Canada, the highest rate among OECD countries where the average is 1.8 rooms.

24. There are few, if any, countries more tolerant than Canada: According the Legatum Prosperity Index, Canadians enjoy more personal freedoms, including freedom of religion and expression, social tolerance and human rights, than every other country, besides Luxembourg.

Theres more: 25.That Legatumindex ranked Canada third, after Australia and New Zealand, on measures of social capital, i.e. the strength of our personal relationships, social network supports and civic participation. 26.Our knowledge is highly sought-after. Canada is the seventh most popular place in the world to study, with 263,800 foreign students pursuing post-secondary education in Canada in 2015 alone.

Money & work

27. Canada has strong economic freedom: So says the U.S.-based Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom. Canada scores 6th place, while America comes in 10th. Credit our sounder public finances.

28. Our banks are sound: In Bloombergs annual ranking of the worlds strongest banks, Canada clinched four of the top 10 spots.

29. We have more social mobility: The Conference Board of Canada gave us an A in intergenerational income mobility, meaning that if youre born into poverty in Canada, you have a decent shot at becoming a high-income earning as an adult. Compared to the U.S., children born to poor parents in Canada are twice as likely to escape poverty. In other words, if you want the American Dream, move to Canada.

30. The money in your wallet is safe: Canadian currency once had a terrible reputation for being easy to counterfeit, but new polymer bills introduced by the Bank of Canada have hi-tech features that make them almost impossible to reproduce. Of the 500 million notes circulated since 2011, only 56 fakes have been seized. In the U.S., out of every one million banknotes in circulation, an estimated average of 6.5 are fakes.

31. Canada is the most politically and socially stable nation to crack the top ten list for biggest economies in the world.

32. Business is good: Canada cracked the top ten on Forbes annual Best Countries for Business ranking, ahead of Singapore, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the United States.

33. Weve got great pensions: Canada consistently ranks in the top ten on the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index, landing the number eight spot on the list in 2016. Our standing is expected to improve in coming years after the Canadian government, along with all provincial governments except Quebec, decided to expand the Canada Pension Plan starting in 2019.

Theres more: 34.Our corporate taxes are low (PricewaterhouseCoopers ranked Canada 8th out of 185 countries for its advantageous corporate tax structure). 35.We embrace transit: Seven of the 10 North American cities with the most people taking transit to work are in Canada.36. We get paid holidays: America has no mandated paid holidays or vacation time, so 23 per cent of U.S. workers get no paid time off, compared to Canadian workers who get at least two weeks and nine paid public holidays. 37.We have strong female workforce participation: Roughly 82 per cent of women work in Canada, up from 24 per cent in 1953. 38.Were (slowly) closing the gender wage gap. Canadian women earn 87 cents on the dollar compared to men. Its still not great, but its an improvement on the 77 cent to the dollar women made in 1981. Meanwhile, the global pay gap has been widening in recent years to 59 per cent. 39.More of our immigrants strike it rich: In both the U.S. and Canada the majority of millionaires are self-made, but a larger number in Canada are immigrants, according to a BMO studyin Canada nearly half of millionaires are immigrants or second-generation residents, compared to just one-third in America.

Arts & entertainment

Drake performs during OVO Fest at Molson Canadian Amphitheatre in Toronto, Aug. 3, 2015. (J. ADAM HUGGINS/New York Times/Redux)

40. Canadian musicians rule the charts: Drake set a recordthis year by having 21 of the top 50 streamed music tracks, according to Billboard. Who held the record before? Still Drake, with 20 of the top 50.

41. Were home to blockbusters:At one point last summer, the top two films at the U.S. Box OfficeSuicide Squad and Sausage Partywere both produced in Canada. A third film filmed in Canada, Star Trek Beyond, was number eight for ticket salesat the same time.

42. Our Indigenous music scene is mighty, with artists like Tanya Tagaq, A Tribe Called Red, Tomson Highway, Susan Aglukark, and Buffy Sainte-Marie representing Canadas ancestral roots on the international stage.

43. The Academy loves us: Canadians played pivotal roles in some of the biggest films of the last year, from Ryan Goslings role in La La Land, to the talented team of Montrealers Sylvain Bellemare, Patrice Vermette and Paul Hotte, who were behind the sound and visual production of Arrival.Canada alsodominates the Oscars animated short category.

44. Our opera house is tops: Theres no city in North America with an opera house to compare to the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto. Jack Diamond, who built it, was promptly handpicked by Valery Gergiev to build the new Mariinsky II theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia.

45. The best small-screen sci-fi is secretly Canadian: Continuum, Lost Girl, Haven and Orphan Black have all captured both record ratings and critics notoriously fickle hearts. All were (or are) filmed here, funded by our networks and starring a host of talented Canadian actors (albeit some of whom are masked in layers of monster makeup).

46. We help navigate urban spaces: Canadian designer, Paul Arthur, did more than anyone to make it easier to find your way around otherwise confusing urban spaces by essentially inventing the art of signage for Expo 67, including designing clear male/female pictographs for bathrooms:

47.Superman is half Canadian: The man in tights may be the quintessential American hero, but he wouldnt exist if not for Canadian artist Joe Shuster. While the character was written by American Jerry Siegel, Shuster is credited for giving him his signature blue tights and red cape.

48. Were responsible for some of the most prominent literary authors of our time: Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, Miriam Toews, Yann Martel, Lawrence Hill, Emma Donoghue, and the list goes on.

49. Our broadcast TV doesnt have to treat adults like children: Maybe its because Americans are such sensitive folk, or its our ill-defined role as cultural bridge between the U.S. and Europe, but Canadian TV regularly gets away with showing things broadcast networks south of the border cant: nipples, F-bombs and the like. When The Sopranos aired unedited on CTV, executive producer David Chase said that could never happen on U.S. network TV: Its just not possible, we have rules against that.

50.Were big gamers: Roughly 20,400 people now work in Canadas gaming industry, making it the third largest in the world behind the United States and Japan. That also means itsthe largest gaming industry in the world on a per capitabasis.

51. Our special effects are the best: While demand for blockbuster visual effects in movies skyrockets, Californias special effects industry is collapsing. Why? They cant keep up with Canada (or Britain or Asia or New Zealand, but thats beside the point). In Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Winnipeg, visual effects artists have been taking over the design of explosions, gore and CGI monsters as our technical schools pump out skilled graduates.

Theres more: 52.Our filmmakers are wild: David Lynch, eat your heart out. Canadian movies are wilder and weirdernecrophilia in Kissed, David Cronenbergs car-crash fetishism and twin gynecologists, and Atom Egoyans films about father-daughter incest, a schoolgirl stripper, and a wife who hires a young hooker to test her husband. 53.Our filmmakers are worldly, too: Unlike Americans, who wait for the rest of the world to learn English, Canadians get Oscar nominations for foreign-language films, and not just ones in FrenchDeepa Mehtas Hindi-language Water was nominated in 2007. 54.We know our art: When museums want to tour their blockbuster exhibits, they know to stop here first. From the Picasso show at the AGO to Sebastio Salgados work at the ROM, Canada is the stop for top-tier North American premieres. 55.Our festivals rule: TIFF is by far North Americas most important film festival, and the worlds second-biggest after Cannes. 56.Hot Docs is North Americas biggest documentary festival. 57. Contact is the continents biggest photography festival. 58.Just For Laughs is the biggest comedy festival. 59.Montreals Jazz Festival is still the largest, with the most free concerts, the largest purpose-built downtown outdoor concert space and the most audacious programming. 60.ImagineNative is the worlds biggest Indigenous film and media arts festival. 61.And Torontos Caribana is the continents biggest Caribbean carnival.

Sports & leisure

Ottawa Redblacks wide receiver Jake Harty (8) and Redblacks linebacker Tanner Doll (52) celebrate their victory over the Calgary Stampeders during overtime CFL Grey Cup action Sunday, November 27, 2016 in Toronto. (Nathan Denette/CP)

62. We dominate hockey: Stanley Cups aside, hockey is still Canadas game. While the percentage of Canadians playing in the NHL has declined since the 1980s, Canadians still make up more than 50 per cent of all players in the league, including the worlds greatests: 63.Wayne Gretzky and 64.Sidney Crosby.

65. Football is better here: Since the late 1970s, the National Football League has been tweaking its rules to encourage more passingthat is, to make the U.S. game more exciting. Up here, we got it right the first time: a three-down game on a great, big field. So on second and 10, you can bet that ball will be in the air.

66. We were first to the races: When it comes to sporting events, Canada got off to an early start. Established in 1816, the Royal St. Johns Regatta is North Americas oldest annual sporting event. Hamiltons Around the Bay Race is North Americas longest distance road race, which began in 1894, beating Boston by three years. And this July Toronto plays host to the 158th running of the Queens Plate, the oldest continuously run stakes race on the continent.

67. We have great skiing: Canada is home to the best skiing in North America. The most popular ski resort, Whistler, trumps Americas most-visited resort, Vail, with more trails (200 vs. 193), longer runs (a total of 36,960 feet vs. 15,840 feet) and more snow (469 inches vs. 348 inches)

Weve invented some of the best sports on earth, including 68.Lacrosse, 69.ice hockey, 70.basketball,71.and dont forget five-pin bowling.

72. We made winters fun: Before it was a dynastic Canadian empire, Bombardier was known for inventing the Ski-Doo. In 1959, after decades of tinkering with snowmobile iterations, Joseph-Armand Bombardier completed the first Ski-Doo, which he personally delivered to a missionary in remote northern Ontario. The vehicle transformed life for northern arctic communitiesand made enduring rural winters more fun for every one.

73. We see the world: Last year Canadians took close to 12 million trips abroad to countries other than the U.S. Despite having a population nearly 10 times that of Canada, Americans made just 30 million trips overseas. The poor showing from U.S. travellers shouldnt be a surprise. While 65 per cent of Canadians hold a valid passport, only 35 per cent of Americans do.

74. We get outdoors: A survey by the Canadian Tourism Commission found that 30 per cent of Canadians consider themselves outdoor adventure enthusiasts.

75. Were plugged in: In Canada, 93.3 per cent of people surf the web, more than the U.S., Germany, France, Switzerland, the U.K. and Australia.

Environment & geography

76.Canada is the best place to ride out any impending climate change. UCLA geographer Laurence Smith has argued that by 2050 warming will unlock vast new resources and transform Canada into an economic superpower.

77. Less spin: Despite our proximity to the United States, we experience far fewer tornadoes. We average just 60 reports of twisters per year compared with the 1,200 confirmed tornado strikes in the U.S., the most of any country in the world. Only five per cent of our storms reach the EF-3 category of intensity, the level where winds of more than 220 km/h start tearing up buildings and trees. The U.S. gets about 37 such tornadoes annually, costing the country 80 lives.

78. Canada boasts some of the most beautiful skies in the world, with the Aurora Borealis lighting up the nights from August to April. The northern territories offer the most brilliant and frequent viewing opportunities, but its possible to catch occasional glimpses of the Northern Lights in nearly every province.

79. We have the highest tides in the world: The Bay of Fundy, between Nova Soctia and New Brunswick, sees the most dramatic tides in the world, with the difference in high and low tide reaching 16.3 meters.

80. We help repopulate endangered species: When the U.S. wants to help an animal species come back from the brink, they call on Canada. In 1995, dozens of grey wolves were captured in Alberta and shipped south to be let free in Yellowstone National Park, 72 years after the parks last wolf den was destroyed under a federal extermination plan. Alaska recently reintroduced wood bison, North Americas largest living land mammals, into the wilderness. The animals come from a captive herd started with Canadian animals.

81. Niagara Falls: We may share the falls with the States, but tourists will be wise to visit Canada to take in the view. Theres a reason why any photo you see of the natural wonder is captured from the Canadian side.

82. Water, water everywhere: With less than half a per cent of the worlds population, we have seven per cent of its renewable water supplythe most per inhabitant of any developed country. The supply for an average American is just 11 per cent of whats available to us.

83. Dinosaurs lived here: Not only did archaeologists uncover the largest-ever bed of dinosaur bones near Medicine Hat, Alta., in 2010, since then scientists re-examining old fossils identified a new species of spiky-headed dinosaur called Xenoceratops foremostensisor alien horned-face from Foremost. Canada is also home to the number one place on earth for sheer number of dino discoveries: 37 species have been found in Albertas Dinosaur Provincial Park.

84. We have rat-free zones: Alberta claims to be the only human-populated jurisdiction in the world that has zero rats, thanks to an intense political campaign launched 67 years ago to protect crops from the vermin.

85. We have less gravity: A certain lightness may come over you in some parts of Canada. Thats because we have areas, namely around Hudson Bay, where, because of how ice age glaciers formed in the area, gravity is slightly weaker than anywhere else in the world.

Theres more: 86.Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined, with fresh water accounting for 9% of the countrys total area. Theres nearly one lake for every ten people in Canada, and thats just counting freshwater bodies bigger than three square kilometres. 87.We have more coast to enjoy than all but five countries in the world, with 243,000 km of shoreline. 88.Canadian waters are home to approximately three-quarters of the worlds narwhals, about 80,000, making Canada the hood of arguably the freakiest sea mammal in existence. 89.According to the OECD Better Life Index our air is cleaner than the average in the developed world, and 90.so too is our water. While there are indeed water crises in communities across the country, about 89 per cent of Canadians report being satisfied with the quality of local water. Studies also show that most tap water in Canada is better quality than any bottled water on the market. 91.Weve got the best bling: Canada is the fifth largest diamond-producing country in the world, and given its rigorous environmental and labour standards, you can count on those gems being the most ethically-sourced of its competitors. 92.And bonus: Canadian bovine semen is world-class. Thats right. Our bull semen is the most coveted in the world, with the top performers delivering $50,000 worth of product in one shot.

Politics

93. Canada is one of the most peaceful places on earth. It was ranked eighth out of 163 countries on the Global Peace Index. Meanwhile, our North American neighbour was among the 50 least peaceful countries, taking the 114 spot on the list.

94. Our elections are fair and democratic: While voter turnout may be higher in the United States, its much more equitable in Canada, with broad social inclusion of both high-income and low-income voters. In Canada, voter turnout for the richest 20 per cent of the population is roughly 63 per cent, whereas the participation rate of the bottom 20 per cent is only slightly less, at 60 per cent. In the States, roughly 79 per cent of the wealthiest voters turn out to cast ballots, compared to just slightly more than half of the poorest voters.

95. Our politicians better represent the gender divide: Federally, women make up 27.2% of Parliament, compared to the global average where women represent just 22.8% of parliament members.

96. Our leader is internationally adored: While Canadians have reeled in their gushing over Justin Trudeau (to some extent), the rest of the world is still smitten with the charismatic, panda-snuggling feminist. In an Ipsos poll, even 40 per cent of Americans said theyd take Trudeau over Trump in the White House.

97. We have far fewer assassinations compared to other developed countries: Since Confederation, only three Canadian politicians have been assassinated, including two Fathers of Confederation: Thomas DArcy McGee was shot by a Fenian sympathizer in 1868; George Brown was shot in the leg by a former Globe employee in 1880 (the wound led to a fatal infection). Quebec minister of labour Pierre Laporte was kidnapped and assassinated by the FLQ in 1970. In the United States, a staggering 44 politicians have been assassinated, including four sitting presidents.

98.We support our troops: Fifty-eight per cent of Canadians believe we need to increase the size of our military, according to a poll conducted as part of The Canada Project.

99. We paved the way for marriage equality: The federal government legislated same-sex common law marriage in 1999, ahead of every other country. By 2005, same-sex marriage was legal in every province and territory.

100. Canada is a leader in gender rights: In 2002, The Northwest Territories was the first government in Canada to prohibit gender discrimination, and include gender identity in their Human Rights Code. Most other Canadian governments have since followed suit, including the federal government which passed Bill C-16 this spring. The legislation will amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code, making it illegal to discriminate based on gender identity or gender expression on provisions of housing, employment and social services.

101. Wewelcome refugees: A majority of Canadians think the country should accept more Syrian refugees, according to The Canada Project. Public opinion is often reversedin the United States.

Theres more: 102.We alsowelcome immigration: Canada gets 5.7 per 1,000 people, cracking the top 20 for most most migrants per capita ahead of Belgium, Australia, Sweden and the United States. 103.We have relatively few lobbyists: Weve seen an explosion in lobbying, but in Canada the ratio of lobbyists to senators and MPs is still 12 to 1, while in the U.S. the ratio of lobbyists to members of Congress is 23 to 1. Some estimate the U.S. ratio is as high as 65 to 1 since many lobbyists dont register. 104.We mandate a time for holding the governments feet to the fire: Sure, question period has degenerated in recent years, but nothing like it exists in the U.S. political system. 105.You dont have to be rich to run for the highest office in the land: Australia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey have no spending or donations restrictions, while Finland and the U.S. cap donations but not spending. Thanks to Elections Canada spending limits, Canadas top five parties were allowed to spend a combined $90 million, compared to the estimated US$7 billion it costs to mount U.S. presidential elections.

Science & Technology

106. We have the most social astronaut: Eight North Americans have commanded the International Space Station over the last four years, but only Canadas Chris Hadfield became a household name worldwide. His photos, duets from space and that cover of Space Oddity helped catapult @Cmdr_Hadfield to one million Twitter followers.

107. Holy crap, were discovering a miracle cure: Canada is a leader in fecal transplant therapy (its exactly what it sounds like). By transferring healthy bacteria from a donors stool into patients suffering from potentially fatal gut infections like C. difficile, doctors believe it could one day cure all sorts of ailments, maybe even obesity and allergies.

108. We lead in quantum computing: Whats that, you ask? Rather than calculating with ones or zeros as conventional computers do, quantum computers can theoretically harness subatomic particles to process more complex calculations in a fraction of the time. And scratch the word theoretical. In 2013, Burnaby, B.C.-based D-Wave said one of its quantum computers, the only such machines commercially available, is installed at the Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab, a collaboration between Google, the Universities Space Research Association and NASA.

109. Were wiring the oceans like no one else: Canadas NEPTUNE and VENUS projects off the coast of B.C. have installed fibre-optic cables that transmit data from the bottom of the ocean. In 2011, Popular Science named NEPTUNE one of humankinds top 10 most ambitious science projects alongside the Large Hadron Collider and the International Space Station.

110. Were rational thinkers: Most Canadians (61 per cent) accept evolution, compared to just 41 per cent of the world in general. Just 30 per cent of Americans believe in evolution, and incidentally, the same percentage believe Bigfoot is definitely or probably real.

111. Were world leaders in space robotics: Theres the Canadarm, of course, but also Dextre, which lives on the International Space Station and is the most advanced space robot ever builta space handyman that fixes up the station. In 2013, Dextre performed the first demonstration that a robot could refuel a satellite in orbit, which could give our satellites longer lives in space.

112. We invented the egg carton: The simple design is the genius of Joseph Coyle of Smithers, B.C. who, in in 1911, settled an ongoing dispute between a farmer and hotel owner over broken eggs consistently showing up in the hoteliers order. More than 100 years later, the cardboard carton has barely changed.

113. We revolutionized movie theatres: With the invention of IMAX, Canadians Graeme Ferguson, Robert Kerr, Roman Kroitor and William C. Shaw changed the way the world goes to the movies. The camera system displays images at about twice the resolution than most cinema films, and has become the global standard for the movie-viewing experience.

114. We discovered stem cells: Dr. James Till and Dr. Ernest McCulloch made history when they identified stem cells in a Toronto laboratory in 1963. These unspecified cells have the ability to regenerate or repair any cell in the body, and hold the potential to revolutionize medicine. Today, theyre used for bone marrow transplants and to treat several blood cancers.

115. Found a treatment for diabetes: Canadian doctors Frederick Banting, Charles Best and John James Rickard Macleod are credited with discovering insulin and saving the lives of people with diabetes. In 1921, Banting identified that lack of insulin caused diabetes, after removing a dogs pancreas, where insulin is produced, induced diabetic symptoms in the animal. But by extracting the insulin from the removed pancreas and injecting it back into the dog, the symptoms subsided. The first human patient began insulin therapy the following year, and treatment has been used ever since.

116. We keep hearts beating: Canadian electrical engineer John Hopps invented the first cardiac pacemaker while researching how radio frequency could help with heating in hypothermia in 1941. Knowing that the heart stopped beating when body temperature dropped, he hypothesized that it could be restarted using electrical stimulation. With that knowledge, Hopps invented the first pacemaker (which was for a dog) in 1950. Today, roughly 1 in 50 people over 75 years old rely on the device.

117. We invented the telephone: While the landline is verging on obsolescence, it revolutionized communication and remained virtually unchanged for more than 100 years after Alexander Graham Bell invented it.

118. We beat Edison to the light bulb: Thomas Edison may get all the credit, but the invention actually belongs to Henry Woodward. The Toronto medical student patented the first incandescent lamp, which featured an electric light bulb, and sold the rights to Edison who refined the invention.

119.We made hockey safer: In 1959, Goalie Jacques Plante of the Montreal Canadiens became the first player in the NHL to wear a face mask, which he helped design himself. The mask set in motion a movement towards more protective gear in the sport.

Crime & calamity

Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin (2nd R) takes part in a ceremony at the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa February 10, 2015. REUTERS/Blair Gable

120. We dont have out-of-control prison sentences: Canadas incarceration rate is about 85 offenders for every 100,000 citizens, a lower rate than nearly 200 other countries, according to World Prison Brief.

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150 reasons why it's better to be Canadian - Macleans.ca

10 YEARS AGO

June 9, 2007 Alaskas congressional delegation continues to support legislation that would give the federal government more opportunities to fund embryonic stem cell research.

Rep. Don Young voted in favor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 on Thursday, which would make federal funds available to research projects using excess embryonic stem cells that have been donated to an in vitro clinic, and would otherwise be discarded.

The House voted 247-176 in favor of the bill, which has been sent to President Bush.

25 YEARS AGO

June 9, 1992 Fairbanks Mayor Wayne Nelsons sweeping four-part plan to cut the costs of city government and generate revenues survived its introduction to the city council Monday.

The council voted unanimously to advance ordinances calling for the closure of the Fairbanks Fire Department, the creation of a city-run lottery, the appointment of a revenue commission and the opening of the citys labor negotiations to the public.

50 YEARS AGO

June 9, 1967 Fairbanks could receive live television programming from communication satellites within 18 months, Alaskas broadcasters were told yesterday.

Maj. Gen. George P. Sampson, USA-Ret., vice president for operations with Communications Satellite Corp., described the rapidly developing future of satellite communication to a luncheon meeting of the Alaska Broadcasters Association here yesterday.

75 YEARSAGO

June 9, 1942 The million miles which Al Jolson has been promising since 1909 to walk for one of his mammys smiles was never closer to an accurate figure today.

At least 900,000 miles, by his own calculation, from the spot where he knows the sun shines best the dynamic song and patter man of stage, screen, and radio strolled the streets of Fairbanks, making mental notes of his first view of life in Alaska while marking time before the first performance of his Keep em Smilin tour of the Territorys Army encampments.

Before most of the men in Uncle Sams new Army were born Al Jolson was already dubbed one of the greatest dominators in the theater. And, years before that, he had shucked off the name he brought with him to the United States from his native Russia as a boy of seven Asa Yoelson and turned his aspirations from that of becoming a cantor.

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Looking Back: June 9, 2017 - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

June 9, 2017 by Ricki Lewis, Phd, Plos Blogs A coyote (Canis latrans)

Are the red and eastern wolves separate species, or hybrids with coyotes? And what has that got to do with climate change? Actually a lot, in illustrating what scientific inquiry is and what it isn't.

Comparing canid genomes

A report in this week's Science Advances questions conclusions of a 2016 comparison of genome sequences from 28 canids. The distinction between "species" and "hybrid" is of practical importance, because the Endangered Species Act circa 1973 doesn't recognize hybrids. But DNA information can refine species designationsor muddy the waters.

At first, genetic marker (SNP) studies hinted at a mixing and matching of genome segments among coyotes, wolves, and dogs. Then came full-fledged genome sequencing.

Last year Bridgett M. vonHoldt, head of Evolutionary Genomics and Ecological Epigenomics at Princeton and colleagues, scrutinized the 28 full genome sequences for signs of "lack of unique ancestry." They compared the genomes of 3 domestic dog breeds (boxer, German shepherd, and Basenji), 6 coyotes, a golden jackal from Kenya, and various wolves to 7 "reference" genomes from 4 Eurasian gray wolves (to minimize recent mutations) and 3 coyotes. The conclusion: lots of genes have flowed from coyotes and gray wolves into the genomes of the animals that became what we call red and eastern wolves, in different proportions.

A bit of background.

Classifying these animals based on geography and visible traits gets confusing, with all the overlaps and shared DNA sequences. Apparently various pairings can successfully mate but probably don't do so very much in the wild when populations are large. Tracking genomes reveals a classic cline, in the parlance of population genetics, with coyote gene introgression into wolf genomes rising from Alaska and Yellowstone (8-8.5%), to the Great Lakes (21.7-23.9%), to Ontario (32.5%-35.5%), and to Quebec (>50%). (BTW the Basenji, the barkless dog, is 61% gray wolf.)

Paul A. Hohenlohe of the University of Idaho and colleagues maintain that the 2016 findings actually support 2 hypotheses: recent admixture (hybridization) or that red and eastern wolves are distinct species. Actually it's 3: hybridization might have happened a long time ago, something that following genes with known mutation rates might reveal.

The new paper challenges the 28-genome comparison:

Dr. vonHoldt's team responded to Dr. Hohenlohe's team's comments, reiterating that the results show red wolf and eastern wolves are "genetically very similar to coyotes or gray wolves," reflecting recent hybridization.

Discussion of wolf classification goes back a quarter century, and this trio of papers is only a recent glimpse of the debate. But I love the respectful back-and-forth of the efforts to extract a compelling narrative from the data that might be what actually happened. Multiple interpretations of the same data and amending interpretations as new data accumulate is the very essence of the scientific process.

Anti-science rhetoric

Let's reframe the wolf papers using the language of the popular climate change discussion.

Are Hohenlohe and his co-workers "coyote deniers?"

Do vonHoldt and her colleagues "believe in" wolf-coyote couplings and Hohenlohe et al don't?

The science of wolf origins is clearly not "settled" for science is NEVER settled. Facts aren't proven, but instead evidence demonstrated and assessed, from both experimentation and observation. The information from tested hypotheses may be so consistent and compelling that it eventually builds to gestate a theory, or even a law, that then explains further observations. But to get there, science is all about asking questions. As I've written in all 35 or so editions of my various textbooks, science is a cycle of inquiry.

In fact the history of genetics is a chronicle of once-entrenched dogma changing with new experiments and observations. I was in grad school when Walter Gilbert's famed "Why Genes in Pieces?" was published. The classic paper introduced introns, the parts of genes that aren't represented in the encoded protein. It was an astonishing idea circa 1978, but with compelling evidence. Yet even Mendel's pea crosses sought an alternate explanation for the prevailing notion that traits simply disappear between generations.

Before I'm hurled insults, let me assert that although my expertise isn't in climate science, I think that the evidence very strongly supports the hypothesis that the planet is warming at an accelerated rate compared to some other times. And fossil fuel use is likely a partial cause, not just a correlation or association, because the relationship is linear and a mechanism plausible. But I don't "believe" in global warming as if it is the tooth fairy or a deity.

I cringe when politicians and celebrities appoint and anoint themselves experts on climate change, then use language that illustrates profound unfamiliarity with the ways of science.

Why did Eddie Vedder begin his speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Pearl Jam with "climate change is real?" He's a musician, not a meteorologist. Why not, "semi-conservative DNA replication is real?" Or "hydrogen bonds are real?" "Noble gases are real?"

I've long had a problem with the term "climate change," because of course climate changes! Why would it ever be static, given weather ups and downs?

Climate dynamics are a little like the composition of blood, or any other manifestation of biological homeostasis. Have a complete blood count at various times and, if you're healthy, results are likely to be within a narrow normal range. Ditto blood sugar, liver enzymes, serum cholesterol level. But steady blood counts don't mean that the same blood cells hang out forever. Bone marrow stem cells continually pump out blood cell progenitors as the older specialized cells die off. Natural systems change over time, with fluctuations large and small.

Climate always has and always will change.

We can learn about normal blood circulation by studying off-kilter situationsleukemia, infection, anemiawithout fear of being labeled a "denier." It's not only a scientifically inappropriate term, but one that is offensive to some, with its echoes of the Holocaust.

I'm interested in other times deep, geologic time, not the president's simplistic reference to the next century when the climate warmed at the rate that it is doing so now. How long did the warming escalate and persist? What forces or events might have precipitated warming? What factors accompanied its ultimate reversal as ice ages neared? By asking questions we can learn what we can expect from nature, so that perhaps we can better understand what we can do to counter the warming trend.

And so those who claim to believe in climate change and vilify those who ask questions might learn a lesson in what science actually is from the elegant discussion of wolf origins.

Explore further: Study doesn't support theory red and eastern wolves are recent hybrids, researchers argue

This story is republished courtesy of PLOS Blogs: blogs.plos.org.

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Wolf evolution and 'settled science' - Phys.Org