Adult stem cells offer new treatment for fractures that fail to heal.Washington, October 5 (ANI): Adult stem cells can offer a new treatment for the 10 to 20 percent of fractures that fail to heal, according to a new study. "Lack of fracture repair Fracture Repair Definition Fracture repair is the process of rejoining and realigning the ends of broken bones. This procedure is usually performed by an orthopedist, general surgeon, or family doctor. often leads to several surgeries, long periods of immobilization Immobilization Definition Immobilization refers to the process of holding a joint or bone in place with a splint, cast, or brace. This is done to prevent an injured area from moving while it heals. , pain, bone deformities, and sometimes death. The precise reason why a patient's fracture does not heal remains unknown in most cases," said senior investigator Dr. Anna Spagnoli, of the University of North Carolina North Carolina, state in the SE United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean (E), South Carolina and Georgia (S), Tennessee (W), and Virginia (N). Facts and Figures Area, 52,586 sq mi (136,198 sq km). Pop. . The researchers are of the opinion that a deficiency in adult stem cells, which normally become reparative re·par·a·tive also re·par·a·to·ry adj. 1. Tending to repair. 2. Relating to or of the nature of reparations. cells in response to damage, may be the main reason why broken bones sometimes fail to heal. Spagnoli say that stem cells in human bone marrow, called mesenchymal stem cells, can become bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, and blood vessel cells, and directing these stem cells into the repair mode is one of the objectives of a new branch of medicine called regenerative medicine. She adds that the adult stem cells, which can be obtained from a patient's bone marrow in a minimally invasive procedure Minimally invasive surgical procedures avoid open invasive surgery in favor of closed or local surgery with less trauma. These procedures involve use of laparoscopic devices and remote-control manipulation of instruments with indirect observation of the surgical field through an , have been reported to improve fracture healing in a few patients. She, however, also stresses that need for animal studies before clinical trials can begin. In a recent study, she and her colleagues took adult stem cells from the bone marrow of mice with leg fractures, and engineered them to express a potent bone regenerator, insulin-like growth factor insulin-like growth factor one of the twenty or so substances, additional to the classic bone-regulating hormones, which exert an effect on bone cell metabolism. See also somatomedin C. 1 (IGF-1). The researchers then transplanted the treated cells into mice with a fracture of the tibia tibia: see leg. , the long bone of the leg. Upon computed tomography (CT or CAT) scanning, the team observed that the treated mice had better fracture healing than did untreated controls. They found that the stem cells migrated to the fracture site and increased the bone and cartilage that bridged the bone gap. "Our study provided critical data needed to implement a novel therapeutic approach in patients with impaired fracture healing," Spagnoli said. She believes that the use of adult stem cells would have several advantages over embryonic stem cells because they do not have the ethical controversy that surrounds embryonic stem cells, and they may avoid the immune rejection response, as the patient's own cells can be used. Dr. Froilan Granero-Molto, research associate of the University of North Carolina, will make a presentation on the study's findings on Monday at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco. (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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