The Regeneration of The Spinal Cord Claimed

The Japan Times report that A leading researcher into severe spinal cord injuries says trials for stem cell therapy have shown groundbreaking results in giving immobile patients the ability to walk again. The treatment involves injecting umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells into patients’ damaged spines to help regenerate nerves, while lithium is used to promote the growth of the nerve fibers.

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Wise Young, the chief executive officer of China Spinal Cord Injury Network said that on average, 15 out of 20 patients in the Chinese city of Kunming who received umbilical cord blood cell transplants and intensive walking therapy were able to walk with minimal assistance seven years after complete spinal cord injury.

Each component of the combination therapy will be tested in the third phase, which Young said would involve 120 patients in China and another 120 across India, Norway and the United States.

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Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/

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Toxins found in umbilical cord blood of newborns

Credit: http://environmentaldefence.ca

According to a report, Detectable levels of a large number of environmental chemicals have been found in the cord blood of some newborns, raising concerns that Canadian children already carry toxins in their bodies at birth. The report was released on Wednesday by Environmental Defense.

Some of the chemicals tested for are linked to serious health conditions such as cancer, and developmental and reproductive problems.

Environmental Defence tested the umbilical cord blood of three anonymous newborns in Toronto and Hamilton, finding a total of 137 chemicals overall. The number of toxins in each baby's cord blood ranged from 55 to 121.

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Many of the chemicals are linked to serious health conditions: 132 are reported to cause cancer in humans or animals; 110 are considered toxic to the brain and nervous system; and 133 cause developmental and reproductive problems in mammals.

Toxins that were found in the babies’ umbilical cords study were flame retardants, lead, organochlorine pesticides and perfluorochemical (PFCs), a chemical found in non-stick cookware, stain-resistant carpets and fabrics, coatings on some food packaging such as microwave popcorn bags, and fast food wrappers.

In addition, some banned chemicals were also detected in the study’s findings, suggesting that toxic chemical can persist in our bodies and in the environment for years.

The group expressed concern that their findings indicated that infants are exposed to chemicals in the womb because of the widespread pervasiveness of these pollutants in the environment and in consumer goods.

Environmental groups have been asking the federal government to take actions to ensure that toxic chemicals are not used in industry or products.

In response to the study, Douglas Haines, director of Health Canada’s Chemicals Surveillance Bureau, said it was too early to conclude how bad the exposure is on the human body.
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The report, Pre-Polluted: A Report on Toxic Substances in the Umbilical Cord Blood of Canadian Newborns, can be downloaded at www.environmentaldefence.ca

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