stem cells restore cognitive abilities impaired by brain cancer treatment

8/6/2019 Stem Cells Restore Cognitive Abilities Impaired by Brain Cancer Treatment

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Jake T. CaballoBSN IV-B

Stem cells restore cognitive abilities impaired by brain cancer treatment

July 12, 2011

UCI study sheds light on how transplantation alleviates side effects of radiotherapy

Irvine, Calif., July 13, 2011 A Human neural stem cells are capable of helping people regain learning and memory

abilities lost due to radiation treatment for brain tumors, a UC Irvine study suggests.

Research with rats found that stem cells transplanted two days after cranial irradiation restored cognitive function, as measured in

one- and four-month assessments. In contrast, irradiated rats not treated with stem cells showed no cognitive improvement.

Our findings provide solid evidence that such cells can be used to reverse radiation-induced damage of healthy tissue in the brain,

said Charles Limoli, a UCI radiation oncology professor.Study results appear in the July 15 issue ofCancer Research, a journal of

the American Association for Cancer Research.

Radiotherapy for brain tumors is limited by how well the surrounding tissue tolerates it. Patients receiving radiation at

effective levels suffer varying degrees of learning and memory loss that can adversely affect their quality of life.

In almost every instance, people experience severe cognitive impairment thats progressive and debilitating, Limoli said. Pediatric

cancer patients can experience a drop of up to three IQ points per year.For the UCI study, multipotent human neural stem cells

were transplanted into the brains of rats that had undergone radiation treatment. They migrated throughout the hippocampus A a

region known for the growth of new neurons A and developed into brain cells.Researchers assessed the rats one month and four

months after transplantation, noting enhanced learning and memory abilities at both intervals.Additionally, they found that

transplanting as few as 100,000 human neural stem cells was sufficient to improve cognition after cranial irradiation. Of cells

surviving the process, about 15 percent turned into new neurons, while another 45 percent became astrocytes and oligodendrocytes

A cells that support cerebral neurons.

Most notably, Limoli said, he and his colleagues discovered that about 11 percent of the engrafted cells expressed a

behaviorally induced marker of learning, indicating the functional integration of those cells into memory circuits in the hippocampus.

This research suggests that stem cell therapies may one day be implemented in the clinic to provide relief to patients suffering from

cognitive impairments incurred as a result of their cancer treatments, Limoli said. While much work remains, a clinical trial

analyzing the safety of such approaches may be possible within a few years, most likely with patients afflicted with glioblastoma

multiforme, a particularly aggressive and deadly form of brain cancer.

SOURCE:

http://www.breakthroughdigest.com/medical-news/study-uses-new-stem-cell-therapy-in-patients-up-to-19-days-after-

stroke/


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OverOne in Six Older ER Patients Wrongly Given Potentially Harmful Drugs

Friday, April 16, 2010 by: Tony Isaacs

A recent study at the University of Michigan has found that over 1 in 6 older patients receive the wrong medications

in emergency room visits. According to the study, which was published inAcademic Emergency Medicine, nearly 19.5 million

patients age 65 and older received one or more potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in emergency visits from 2000-2006.

Researchers found that doctors are not aware of the right drugs and dosages to give to older patients. As a result, the risks involved

outweigh any benefits of the drugs. The researchers also noted that since the study did not explore the possibility of medication

interactions, it is possible that the potential harm by medications is even greater than their study suggests.

Certain pain relievers and antihistamines are among most common drugs used in emergency visits, in spite of known risks from

those drugs to patients over age 65. The study found that 10 medications accounted for 86.5 percent of PIMs used in emergency

room treatment. The five most common ones used were promethazine, ketorolac, propoxyphene, meperidine, and

diphenhydramine. Promethazine and ketorolac accounted for nearly 40% of the total.

"There are certain medications that probably are not good to give to older adults because the potential benefits are

outweighed by potential problems," said lead study author, William J. Meurer, assistant professor at the U-M Departments of

Emergency Medicine and Neurology.In the study, researchers looked at a large nationwide sample of approximately 470,000

emergency department and outpatient clinic visits. The study used data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey,

to see how many patients aged 65 and older were prescribed potentially inappropriate medications. The results of the study were

then applied to the national estimate of about 1.5 billion total visits to estimate the total number of patients who received potentially

inappropriate drugs.

There were substantial variations found between different regions as well as hospital type (teaching vs. non-teaching).

PIMs were less likely to occur in emergency room visits to hospitals in the Northeast and twice as likely in the rest of the country.

Receiving a potentially inappropriate medication was more likely to occur at for-profit hospitals.

Meurer suggested that greater efforts are needed to educate doctors about the suitability of medications for older

patients. As published at the University of Michigan newsroom, Meurer offered the following advice to patients to help insure they do

not receive inappropriate medications:

* Make sure you talk to your primary care physician, either during or after your ED visit.

* Know what medications and supplements you are taking and make sure the nurses and doctors at the ED know.

* Talk to the ED doctors and nurses about how long the medicines they have given you will affect you.

* Ask for a list of all medications that you received while at the ED before you leave the ED for home or go to a bed in the hospital.

The list should include information on the possible side effects of those medicines.

* If you leave the ED and then have an adverse event caused by medication, contact your physician immediately or go back to the

emergency department.

* Be proactive with your pharmacy and make sure you understand what you are taking.

SOURCE:

http://www.naturalnews.com/028590_hospitals_medical_errors.html


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The 12 rights of medication administration

1. Right patient

2. Right drug

3. Right dose

4. Right time

5. Right route

6. Right expiration date

7. Right documentation

8. Right of the patient to refuse

9. Right Education

10. Right to Reason

11. Right

Assessmenthttp://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=244326572258559&set=pu.239850996039450

&type=1&theater

12. Right Evaluation


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stem cells restore cognitive abilities impaired by brain cancer treatment

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