Admittedly I haven't researched each nuanced detail over the variety of therapeutic stem cells. (Embyronic, Fetal, Adult, Amniotic, Induced pluripotent) Needless to say each of these have their own particular advantages or disadvantages in the prospective treatments they're intended for.
For instance, the use of embryonic stem cells achieves a greater breadth in generating new cells, but also carries the risk of inducing host autoimmune reactions which can be more devastating than the illness they were intended to treat.
I'm no expert on these issues, but I am much more excited about the clinical research that has been undertaken thusfar (using the author's preference of stem cell type) in treating previously intractable chronic illnesses.
-----------------------------------------
My attention is mainly focused on diseases of the brain. Current medicine is able to slow progression of neurodegenerative diseases as well as treat symptoms in the various types of illnesses. But in issues of neurodegeneration, there hasn't been a time when scientists could replenish the mind. Damage done by stroke or other vascular damages were in most regards permanent. A man in the mid 1800s suffered a severe TBI when a pipe went through his skull, he however was able to recover from his illness and retain nearly complete mental faculty. The illustration of which, is that throughout history and to this time period as well, we have more or less relied on the brain's innate ability for plasticity in recovering from damage.
I say more or less, because certain medications, such as ssris have been shown to increase a phenomenon known as neurogenesis which has been able to effectively grow new neurons in the adult brain in the dentate gyrus region and extending throughout the CA divisions (some studies showing growth in the CA1 region of the hippocampus after neurogenesis)
But, considering that for all intents and purposes most neurodegenerative diseases as we know them (parkinsons, dementia, Battens disease etc etc) are damaging areas that modern and historical science has not been able to remedy.
Until now.
We know that neurons grown from stem cells are able to provide added functionality to the adult brain. That structural growth of the brain is not limited to the embryonic, prenatal, perinatal, and early post natal periods. We know this early on from the study of the hippocampus. That the brain naturally is growing neurons in this structure, and that after the growth occurs, it results in functional improvement in symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as improved memory of both the working and spatial type have been confirmed by a myriad of studies.
The significance of these findings is that it is possible for stem cells to become neurons within the brain's environment and in addition for them to grow connections to the existing neuronal network, and to have the effect of improving functional ability.
This is all that is needed to provide the sound theoretical framework of the use of stem cells in the treatment of all types of neurodegenerative disorders.
Now, a critical reader will say, not so fast! The framework is not complete. What about the safety of stem cells? What is to prevent these cells from growing too fast and creating tumors? A series of case studies on children with Batten's disease in which stem cells were injected in multiple areas all across the brain showed that the stem cells were safely incorporated into the brain and the result of which shows that it is indeed theoretically safe to inject massive amounts of stem cells into the brain. This completes the framework.
The simplest disorders to treat, will most probably be those whose area of pathology is focused into discrete regions of the brain, and whose types of cells are rather homogenous in this region and of a smaller area of destruction.
Take for example Parkinson's disease. From pathological studies of this disease, it results from a critical loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra region of the midbrain. A case study from earlier in this decade in which a young patient with parkinson's underwent a stem cell trial in the half of the brain that corresponded with their symptoms (in this case the bradykinesia was present in the left side only) experienced complete remission of their motor symptoms in a period of a few months. The progress was upheld for many years thereafter until, the other side (the side the stem cells did not treat for) began experiencing motor symptoms. What this shows us, is that the stem cells were able to again mature into fully integrated neurons in a region that brain had not previously designated an area for stem cell growth (i.e. outside of the hippocampus)
The results of this case study again: show us that the stem cells were able to grow and mature into neurons, that they were able to integrate into the surrounding neuronal network and that they were able to provide functional (i.e. improvement in motor symptoms) improvement in the patient. In addition, the patient did not experience brain tumors nor other signiciant adverse effects. It remains to reason then, the the stem cells are being instructed by surrounding biosignals of some type unknown to me but that of course lies in the surrounding integrity of the DNA in the cells. That these instructions are precise enough so as to do the work essentially for us in integrating these new cells into functional structures.
The treatment of parkinsons in this manner has been furthered by recent work on mice with parkinsons disease which have again shown functional improvement of the motor symptoms.
To my knowledge there are now studies being conducted in the UK on using stem cells for treating stroke damage.
This is an incredibly exciting time and I look forward to reading the results.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Feelings
Majority of people experience feelings, but how we express them is a function of cultural, personal, and conditions in the immediate environment. For instance, if someone yells at me, of course this is going to lead me to being angry, but how I express this anger is dependent on the situation. For instance if it's my boss that's yelling at me, I very much doubt I will yell back or reveal my emotion in an explicit way because this obviously could lead to me getting fired.
With experience it becomes easier to identify what a person is feeling based off of their emotional expression. Something I've noticed is that it's become much easier to know when someone is faking an emotion i.e. sounding happy about something they really don't care about and unfortunately for them - the lack of genuity in their emotional expressiveness is more telling than the emotion they try to convey in the first place.
For instance, why would someone fake happiness? Today I heard a girl meet a guy who she was tutoring in English. When he came to the table (without ever meeting eachother) the girl instantly threw out a fake smile and in that forced happy voice sound uttered how glad she was to meet this person. How can someone be glad to meet someone they know nothing about? What if this dude was an animal rapist who carried a machete and was waiting for her to look away before giving the ole slicy and dicey?
But that's not the point.
What does it say about someone when they fake an emotional expression? First, it says they understand how a person with a genuine feeling would react in a circumstance. So, even though they don't have this genuine feeling they want to convey that they do. This is a form of manipulation, but why do people feel compelled to manipulate in circumstances such as these where it really doesn't matter what the other person thinks?
Emotions are no doubt how we connect with eachother. Emotions are just as important as the words in conveying a message. I can generally tell what a person is feeling or thinking based off of the emotions they convey. People realize this of course, and so often times they manipulate how they express their emotions either out of fear of being judged or just a subconscious fear or even a malicious desire to manipulate.
But the thing is, since emotions are so widespread and accessible to everyone, people know when someone has a genuine feeling or not, and really by hiding our emotions and by hiding our expressions we're in fact stating that we can't be trusted entirely. That we're manipulating for some reason or another.
With experience it becomes easier to identify what a person is feeling based off of their emotional expression. Something I've noticed is that it's become much easier to know when someone is faking an emotion i.e. sounding happy about something they really don't care about and unfortunately for them - the lack of genuity in their emotional expressiveness is more telling than the emotion they try to convey in the first place.
For instance, why would someone fake happiness? Today I heard a girl meet a guy who she was tutoring in English. When he came to the table (without ever meeting eachother) the girl instantly threw out a fake smile and in that forced happy voice sound uttered how glad she was to meet this person. How can someone be glad to meet someone they know nothing about? What if this dude was an animal rapist who carried a machete and was waiting for her to look away before giving the ole slicy and dicey?
But that's not the point.
What does it say about someone when they fake an emotional expression? First, it says they understand how a person with a genuine feeling would react in a circumstance. So, even though they don't have this genuine feeling they want to convey that they do. This is a form of manipulation, but why do people feel compelled to manipulate in circumstances such as these where it really doesn't matter what the other person thinks?
Emotions are no doubt how we connect with eachother. Emotions are just as important as the words in conveying a message. I can generally tell what a person is feeling or thinking based off of the emotions they convey. People realize this of course, and so often times they manipulate how they express their emotions either out of fear of being judged or just a subconscious fear or even a malicious desire to manipulate.
But the thing is, since emotions are so widespread and accessible to everyone, people know when someone has a genuine feeling or not, and really by hiding our emotions and by hiding our expressions we're in fact stating that we can't be trusted entirely. That we're manipulating for some reason or another.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Update
I've since completed the entire park jogging course. 3 miles of jogging! Hey, for a fat*** such as myself that's an accomplishment. I'm thinking of maybe training for a Boston marathon, although you have to post a marathon run of 3 hours and 30 minutes which averages a little over 8 minutes a mile for 26 miles.
I can do 8 minute mile...for maybe a mile and a half. So there's a long way to go before I post the qualifying time.
However, if you have the will then any goal is dependent only on time. Well at least when it comes to personal goals.
Will power itself is heavily dependent on your thoughts and expectations of yourself. Your willpower is directly proportional to your ego.
I feel like I don't have the will power I used to have. Back in the day my mind would flood with thoughts and feelings as if a river had been unleashed each and every day, but now my mind feels as if it's been bunkered down and constrained and pressurized to exist only in some sort of contained vessel.
I'm entering a new phase in my life and unlike other people I perhaps don't have the equipment to make the venture a successful one. I feel as if my only chance is to follow my own path, a traditional lifestyle just seems out of reach for me or maybe I'm not reaching hard enough. Either way, I have to work harder and harder. There is hard work I can do, but in order to accomplish what I want, I have to work harder than that.
I want to become a doctor, and somewhere in me I feel it's inevitable that I will get into medical school. Even though I have such disability I feel as if my body has become a sort of ancient seaship, the kind of folklore that suffers the many assualts of the sea and yet still somehow manages to sustain itself and navigate.
I have a feeling within me that even though the divide between me and medical school seems to be analgous to the pacific ocean, I feel like it's destined. Like as if another force is in control and I will get there.
I feel so sorry for my body which has suffered so much. I assign human values to my arms, legs, head, neck, etc. And I feel though if they were alive themselves, that I have tortured them so much. Yet they seem to hold together and serve their purpose for me, through it all. In some ways the inanimate objects of my body are my closest friends, both figuratively and literaly. Throughout all the pain and storms of my life they've held steady and healthily, just as that mythological ship which has sailed through the many storms.
Certainly armed with this body of mine, I know I can make the journey a successful one. It's going to be rough, but it's also going to be fun.
I can do 8 minute mile...for maybe a mile and a half. So there's a long way to go before I post the qualifying time.
However, if you have the will then any goal is dependent only on time. Well at least when it comes to personal goals.
Will power itself is heavily dependent on your thoughts and expectations of yourself. Your willpower is directly proportional to your ego.
I feel like I don't have the will power I used to have. Back in the day my mind would flood with thoughts and feelings as if a river had been unleashed each and every day, but now my mind feels as if it's been bunkered down and constrained and pressurized to exist only in some sort of contained vessel.
I'm entering a new phase in my life and unlike other people I perhaps don't have the equipment to make the venture a successful one. I feel as if my only chance is to follow my own path, a traditional lifestyle just seems out of reach for me or maybe I'm not reaching hard enough. Either way, I have to work harder and harder. There is hard work I can do, but in order to accomplish what I want, I have to work harder than that.
I want to become a doctor, and somewhere in me I feel it's inevitable that I will get into medical school. Even though I have such disability I feel as if my body has become a sort of ancient seaship, the kind of folklore that suffers the many assualts of the sea and yet still somehow manages to sustain itself and navigate.
I have a feeling within me that even though the divide between me and medical school seems to be analgous to the pacific ocean, I feel like it's destined. Like as if another force is in control and I will get there.
I feel so sorry for my body which has suffered so much. I assign human values to my arms, legs, head, neck, etc. And I feel though if they were alive themselves, that I have tortured them so much. Yet they seem to hold together and serve their purpose for me, through it all. In some ways the inanimate objects of my body are my closest friends, both figuratively and literaly. Throughout all the pain and storms of my life they've held steady and healthily, just as that mythological ship which has sailed through the many storms.
Certainly armed with this body of mine, I know I can make the journey a successful one. It's going to be rough, but it's also going to be fun.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Running Regiment
So for the past few weeks I've been running everyday. I go to the same park to run, so I set a goal to run a little further than the previous day's run. So far I'm now able to run continously for longer than 10 minutes getting well over a mile of running in.
The course itself totals about 3 and a half to four miles long, so I'm quite a ways away from being able to finish the course in a continous run, but that is my ultimate goal.
I haven't weighed myself in a few days, I'm approaching this differently than I have in the past, instead of constantly needing instant gratification and results I'm focusing instead on the goal-oriented aspect of my exercise routine. I want to be able to run further, faster, and better. Those are the results I'm concentrating on.
I can already feel the benefits, I feel more flexible (from stretching), I feel more energetic, I feel more alert and sharp - overall I've been feeling a lot healthier and that translates into more self confidence that I've been lacking.
Next week I'm going to incorporate weight lifting.
The course itself totals about 3 and a half to four miles long, so I'm quite a ways away from being able to finish the course in a continous run, but that is my ultimate goal.
I haven't weighed myself in a few days, I'm approaching this differently than I have in the past, instead of constantly needing instant gratification and results I'm focusing instead on the goal-oriented aspect of my exercise routine. I want to be able to run further, faster, and better. Those are the results I'm concentrating on.
I can already feel the benefits, I feel more flexible (from stretching), I feel more energetic, I feel more alert and sharp - overall I've been feeling a lot healthier and that translates into more self confidence that I've been lacking.
Next week I'm going to incorporate weight lifting.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Favorite Shows
As of right now, I'd like to compile a list of my all time favorite shows.
At number 1 of all time
Seinfeld
Yes, I understand one of the cast turned out to show racism and Jerry in real life is so arrogant and full of himself but Seinfeld was a show that could put you into another reality. What I mean by that is, when I used watch the show as a child and adolescent I could buy into the carefree and humorous reality that Jerry seemed to view the world with and that view was so unique and so uplifting that I cherish all of the episodes to this day. I can't really describe how much I liked the show, but suffice to say that the last episode really and completely ripped me apart.
And besides, who can forget "NO SOUP FOR YOU!"
Number 2 Family Guy
I understand the controversial humor Seth Mcfarlen uses, but if you can't absolutely lose yourself in laughter after watching an episode of family guy, then you really have no soul.
Number 3 Simpsons (1994-2003)
Simpsons for the past 5 years or so has really transformed into something awful. just awful. It's become so political and unsubstantiated jokes. I don't know if they lost their original writers or what but I really can't watch the new stuff anymore. However, back in the day, the simpsons was the de facto program of primetime. In school I can vividly recall the classroom trivia games we would play about simpsons, and what's more - is that everyone was capable of answering the questions because we all watched the episodes - several times.
Number 4 That 70's show.
Awesome. There's not much more I can say about this show, but I feel like the cast really bonded together and made the drama and humor that much more intense. In some ways I could relate to their problems when I was in high school, and I always envied Eric's basement. I wish I had a basement.
Number 5 Law and Order SVU
Of all the Law and Orders this is the best one, the actors seem so much more personable, the stories are so much more complex, and the relation to real life forms a reality check that I feel we all need. Again the stories were very compelling and I usually always watch this show when it's on TV.
Number 6 NCIS
Ziva is too hot not to like this show. No, this show also has very compelling stories and I'll always watch it when I see it on.
Number 7 The Daily Show with John Stewart
This is how I get my news, and what I like about him is his willingness to show bad sides of both political parties. There's a lot of ill in the world and it's always better to absorb it through a filter, and J. Stew is that filter not in the sense of censoring the news but painting a lighter side of things which his own unique brand of comedy.
Number 8 Monty Python and the Flying Circus
No comment.
So, what are some of your favorite shows? (to anyone who reads this)
At number 1 of all time
Seinfeld
Yes, I understand one of the cast turned out to show racism and Jerry in real life is so arrogant and full of himself but Seinfeld was a show that could put you into another reality. What I mean by that is, when I used watch the show as a child and adolescent I could buy into the carefree and humorous reality that Jerry seemed to view the world with and that view was so unique and so uplifting that I cherish all of the episodes to this day. I can't really describe how much I liked the show, but suffice to say that the last episode really and completely ripped me apart.
And besides, who can forget "NO SOUP FOR YOU!"
Number 2 Family Guy
I understand the controversial humor Seth Mcfarlen uses, but if you can't absolutely lose yourself in laughter after watching an episode of family guy, then you really have no soul.
Number 3 Simpsons (1994-2003)
Simpsons for the past 5 years or so has really transformed into something awful. just awful. It's become so political and unsubstantiated jokes. I don't know if they lost their original writers or what but I really can't watch the new stuff anymore. However, back in the day, the simpsons was the de facto program of primetime. In school I can vividly recall the classroom trivia games we would play about simpsons, and what's more - is that everyone was capable of answering the questions because we all watched the episodes - several times.
Number 4 That 70's show.
Awesome. There's not much more I can say about this show, but I feel like the cast really bonded together and made the drama and humor that much more intense. In some ways I could relate to their problems when I was in high school, and I always envied Eric's basement. I wish I had a basement.
Number 5 Law and Order SVU
Of all the Law and Orders this is the best one, the actors seem so much more personable, the stories are so much more complex, and the relation to real life forms a reality check that I feel we all need. Again the stories were very compelling and I usually always watch this show when it's on TV.
Number 6 NCIS
Ziva is too hot not to like this show. No, this show also has very compelling stories and I'll always watch it when I see it on.
Number 7 The Daily Show with John Stewart
This is how I get my news, and what I like about him is his willingness to show bad sides of both political parties. There's a lot of ill in the world and it's always better to absorb it through a filter, and J. Stew is that filter not in the sense of censoring the news but painting a lighter side of things which his own unique brand of comedy.
Number 8 Monty Python and the Flying Circus
No comment.
So, what are some of your favorite shows? (to anyone who reads this)
Monday, August 2, 2010
Getting healthier
For the past few weeks I've been entering into a process of change when it comes to my bad habits. I've come to realize that I've lost so much physical fitness since high school and that as a result of this I've lost energy, attention span, happiness, and opportunities.
As I say I allowed myself to get into bad habits I mean I couldn't even label my diet as "poor nutrition" because it goes beyond what an adjective "poor" can describe, and the phrase "poor nutrition" still contains the word nutrition.. no what I ate and my diet can be described as no other than "septic" pure septic crap.
Wendy's double cheeseburgers, french fries, taco bell, donuts, just about every type of fried animal meats and fried foods in general x 100's of days. Each day!
but now, I'm changing. For the past 3 weeks I've replaced eating out at restaurants with eating assortments of packed fruits, whole grains, and healthy snacks such as granola. I still drink sodas but I stick to diet sodas although I want to slowly wean off of that as well and go to just water.
I haven't fully replaced restaurants because frankly their convenience is so valued when I'm so time strapped, but I try to eat healthy as I can when I do eat out. Still, I'm keeping track of the types of foods I eat and I try to get fruits such as bananas, apples, oranges, and watermelon in as I can a day.
Also I've started exercising. Every morning I go to a local park and I run as long as I can until I'm forced to walk then recover and run again.. today was a sort of revolution for me, because while running instead of getting out of breath, I started out feeling tired but then my body recovered while I remained jogging!
I hadn't felt that way since I was in high school and I was fit. I ran an entire mile without stopping which for me is huge!!!!!! like seriously, when I first started I couldn't jog half a mile barely at once. Now I feel my endurance building and I'm able to go with a faster pace.
These changes I've made have resulted in me feeling happier, having more energy, and being more self-confident. It hasn't been long since I've been doing these things but the results I've gotten thus far have been enough to show me this is a path I want to continue on.
As I say I allowed myself to get into bad habits I mean I couldn't even label my diet as "poor nutrition" because it goes beyond what an adjective "poor" can describe, and the phrase "poor nutrition" still contains the word nutrition.. no what I ate and my diet can be described as no other than "septic" pure septic crap.
Wendy's double cheeseburgers, french fries, taco bell, donuts, just about every type of fried animal meats and fried foods in general x 100's of days. Each day!
but now, I'm changing. For the past 3 weeks I've replaced eating out at restaurants with eating assortments of packed fruits, whole grains, and healthy snacks such as granola. I still drink sodas but I stick to diet sodas although I want to slowly wean off of that as well and go to just water.
I haven't fully replaced restaurants because frankly their convenience is so valued when I'm so time strapped, but I try to eat healthy as I can when I do eat out. Still, I'm keeping track of the types of foods I eat and I try to get fruits such as bananas, apples, oranges, and watermelon in as I can a day.
Also I've started exercising. Every morning I go to a local park and I run as long as I can until I'm forced to walk then recover and run again.. today was a sort of revolution for me, because while running instead of getting out of breath, I started out feeling tired but then my body recovered while I remained jogging!
I hadn't felt that way since I was in high school and I was fit. I ran an entire mile without stopping which for me is huge!!!!!! like seriously, when I first started I couldn't jog half a mile barely at once. Now I feel my endurance building and I'm able to go with a faster pace.
These changes I've made have resulted in me feeling happier, having more energy, and being more self-confident. It hasn't been long since I've been doing these things but the results I've gotten thus far have been enough to show me this is a path I want to continue on.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Just random thought
I had a conversation with a friend of mine about religion and I got to thinking. What if your conditioned view of the world, reality, the universe was completely false? What if instead of there being millions and billions of different things - people, mountains, molecules, stars, etc. They were all just apart of a god. A singular omnipotent and omniscient being that controls and is all of the things you come in contact with and you are the only independent thing in this universe.
What if this god has simply made the perception that you're interacting with different things, when in fact you're only interacting with it? The news you listen to, the people you meet, the things you type on your computer - all being apart of this greater being?
The human mind is incapable of proving a negative, because the way our logic works forms truth only from other things being true, but what if all things - even the axioms we rely on - are not what we perceieve them to be?
What if this god has simply made the perception that you're interacting with different things, when in fact you're only interacting with it? The news you listen to, the people you meet, the things you type on your computer - all being apart of this greater being?
The human mind is incapable of proving a negative, because the way our logic works forms truth only from other things being true, but what if all things - even the axioms we rely on - are not what we perceieve them to be?
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