Jun
9
Stem Cell Tourists Denied: Costa Rica Stops Treatments at Top Clinic
Filed Under News, Research | 3 Comments
Last month, Costa Rica’s health ministry halted treatments at the country’s largest stem cell clinic, arguing that the treatments are unproven and possibly unsafe.
Though the Obama administration has expanded federal funding of stem cell research and there are ongoing clinical trials, there are currently no FDA-approved stem cell treatments. So some Americans, suffering from conditions ranging from cancer to spinal injuries, have looked elsewhere for experimental stem cell-based remedies, and clinics in countries such as Costa Rica, China, India, and Mexico have grown into stem cell tourist destinations.
Costa Rica’s largest clinic, the Institute of Cellular Medicine in San Jose, was operated by American entrepreneur Neil Riordan; it attracted about 400 patients for these treatments. The clinic used adult stem cells, which Costa Rica’s government had allowed the clinic to take from patients’ fat and bone marrow. The government had not authorized the clinic to use these cells for treatment.
“If stem cell treatment’s efficiency and safety has not been proven, we don’t believe it should be used,” said Dr. Ileana Herrera, chief of the ministry’s research council. “As a health ministry, we must always protect the human being.” [Reuters]
Researchers argue that such clinics neither provide reliable treatment nor advance research since they use anecdotal evidence for a treatment’s efficacy and don’t safeguard against other variables in their testing. Given the dire conditions of many patients seeking these clinics, many worry that desperate patients make easy targets.
Read the rest via Stem Cell Tourists Denied: Costa Rica Stops Treatments at Top Clinic | 80beats | Discover Magazine.
Jun
9
Vitamin D Linked to Poor Learning Performance in Patients With MS
Filed Under News, Research | Leave a Comment
June 9, 2010 San Antonio, Texas — A new study shows that serum vitamin D deficiency is associated with poor learning performance among patients with multiple sclerosis MS. The research was presented here at the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers 24th Annual Conference and the Third Joint Meeting of Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis.
There is some evidence that vitamin D suppresses proinflammatory cytokines, and that low levels of these cytokines could contribute to MS. Other evidence suggests that vitamin D plays a role in cognitive function in older adults. Cognitive impairment is very common in MS, but few studies have examined the relationship between serum vitamin D and cognitive deficits in this population.
Read the rest via Vitamin D Linked to Poor Learning Performance in Patients With MS.