Moving beyond Embryonic Stem Cells: iPS Cells

For nearly two decades, the medical world and the American public have grappled with the lightning-rod topic of stem cells, in particular the controversy surrounding cells from human embryos. But when researchers four years ago successfully “reprogrammed” adult body cells to become stem cells, some thought the ethical debate was nearly over. Those redirected cells, known as induced pluripotent cells, or iPS cells, show potential as therapy.

“The benefit is they require no destruction of human embryos,” says Mayo Clinic hematologist/oncologist C. Christopher Hook, M.D., an author reviewing the science and ethics of stem cell technologies in the July issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. “The hope is that these cells may make embryonic stem cells unnecessary, but, according to the stem cell scientists, we’re not there yet.” Read more

Researches and studies related to Diabets, Vitamin D

• Lack of vitamin D linked to teen health problems: “New research in teenagers links low levels of vitamin D to high blood pressure and high blood sugar, which can lead to ominous early health problems.”,  reports The Washington Post.
• Obesity danger ‘rivals smoking’: “Being severely obese is as hazardous to health as a lifetime of smoking, shortening life by a decade, a group of Oxford University experts has warned.”, according BBC.
• Shining Light On Diabetes-related Blindness: “A group of scientists in California is trying to develop a cheaper, less invasive way to spot the early stages of retinal damage from diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in American adults, before it leads to blindness.”, says Science Daily.
• Not Enough Vitamin D In The Diet Could Mean Too Much Fat On Adolescents: “Too little vitamin D could be bad for more than your bones; it may also lead to fatter adolescents, researchers say.”, according Science Daily.
• Stem Cells Crucial To Diabetes Cure In Mice: “More than five years ago, Dr. Lawrence C.B. Chan and colleagues in his Baylor College of Medicine laboratory cured mice with type 1 diabetes by using a gene to induce liver cells to make insulin.”, says SCience Daily. Read more