September 16, 2012 (Press-News.org) The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the first phase of a clinical trial that could potentially revolutionize treatment available for people with spinal cord injuries.
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis is a joint venture created by a father and son, both of whom used to play football. The father, a former NFL linebacker, has been striving to find a cure for his son's paralysis since his son was injured in a college game. The two founded The Miami Project which researches and performs clinical trials in an attempt to find a cure for spinal cord injuries.
With the FDA approval, researchers will be treating eight patients who have recently suffered spinal cord injuries by injecting Schwann cells into their body at the point of their injuries. These cells, which are taken from the peripheral nervous system, behave like stem cells and have been shown to restore function and sensation in the areas where they are injected. Scientists believe that these cells are the key to curing paralysis.
Studies performed on lab animals brought amazing results; when Schwann cells are injected in the area of nerve cell damage, an animal typically regains 70 percent of its function and movement in the previously paralyzed part of its body.
Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries
Statistics show that approximately 11,000 people suffer from spinal cord injuries each year in the United States. More than 50 percent of those receive such injuries become paraplegic -- meaning they have lost the use of the lower half of the body, including both legs -- and 47 percent are quadriplegic, having lost the use of both arms and both legs.
The most common causes of these catastrophic injuries include:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Violent acts
- Falls
- Workplace or industrial accidents
Other common causes for spinal cord injuries include shallow diving accidents and sports-related trauma.
Treatment of Spinal Cord Injuries
Surgery is a common treatment for spinal cord injuries. Surgical procedures often include:
- Removal of bone fragments or foreign objects
- Aspiration of fluid or tissue that is pressing on the spinal cord
- Fusion of fragmented or fractured spinal bones
- Installation of braces along the spine for support
The newly approved cell-replacement clinical trial is a drastic departure from traditional treatment and offers hope to many who suffer from spinal cord injuries. It is the first trial of its kind in the world.
Long-Term Effects of Spinal Cord Injuries
Any type of spinal cord injury has life-altering effects on the person injured as well as his or her family. The first year of medical treatment for a paraplegic typically costs in excess of $150,000; for a quadriplegic, the cost is nearly $500,000. Average lifetime expenses can exceed $1 million dollars. Unfortunately, most sufferers are unable to return to work after their injuries and, statistically, only about half have health insurance coverage.
If you suffer from a spinal cord injury due to someone else's negligence or your insurance carrier is failing to pay for the medical treatment you deserve, consult an experienced personal injury lawyer who is knowledgeable about spinal cord injury claims.
Article provided by Law Offices of Lee Arter
Visit us at www.lawyerlee.com
New Clinical Trials Give Hope to Those Suffering From Spinal Cord Injuries
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, which was founded by a paralyzed former football player, has begun clinical trials on a treatment that may revolutionize the way spinal cord injuries are handled.
2012-09-16
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Employee Misclassification Can Be Costly
2012-09-16
In recent years, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has been cracking down on the issue of employee misclassification. This renewed gusto comes in response to an increased number of wage-and-hour lawsuits filed by employees against their employers (over 7,000 filings in the first half of 2012 alone), many of which are challenging their exempt employee status.
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employees in a "bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity" are designated "exempt" and therefore not eligible for overtime pay. ...
Seniors and Medical Debt: Bankruptcy as a Life Choice
2012-09-16
"Life is like a box of chocolates," Forrest Gump's mother told him in the hit movie of that name. "You never know what you're gonna get."
Forrest Gump had many adventures in the Oscar-winning film, but aging wasn't one of them. For senior citizens, however, the ultimate box-of-chocolates experience awaits: not knowing how their health and finances will hold out in their retirement years.
For many seniors, getting old can become a source of great anxiety as declining income and increasing health problems trigger problems with medical debt. This ...
Aer Lingus Announces Official Airline Sponsorship of the Ulster Rugby Club for the Next Two Years
2012-09-16
Ulster Rugby's flying start to the season has been given a turbo charged boost with the signing of a major new sponsorship deal with Aer Lingus.
Details of the two-year support package were unveiled at a signing ceremony held at Ravenhill.
As part of the new relationship, Aer Lingus will provide Ulster Rugby with air travel as well as supporting the development of travel and accommodation packages for Ulster supporters to away matches.
Declan Kearney, Aer Lingus Director of Communications said the link-up with Ulster Rugby represented a significant sporting first ...
Diamond Reveals Young Women Unprepared for Change in Gender Law
2012-09-16
In just over three months' time a new law comes into force which will prevent insurance companies from pricing premiums based on gender. This is likely to mean higher car insurance premiums for young women, but new research reveals the majority of those who will be most affected by the change are completely unaware of it.
The EU Gender Directive becomes law on 21st December. Diamond, a specialist in car insurance for women, surveyed 1,000 women motorists aged under 30 about the Directive, and found that many of them don't realise how much it will affect them.
More ...
Breast Augmentation With Body Fat
2012-09-16
Dr. Melek R. Kayser, MD, FACS, has recently introduced into his practice the technique of breast enhancement with autologous fat grafting. This revolutionary procedure adds a totally new dimension to breast augmentation and reconstruction as a patient's own body fat is used exclusively to enlarge the breast! With this approach, the traditional breast implant is no longer used at all.
"This is probably the hottest topic in plastic surgery right now," says Dr. Kayser, founder of Image by Design Plastic Surgery in Roseville, Michigan. "I have been using ...
Terri Scheer Tips on How to Find Good Tenants
2012-09-16
A tenant can make or break a landlord's experience of owning a rental property, according to landlord insurance specialist Terri Scheer Insurance.
Terri Scheer Insurance Manager, Ms Carolyn Majda, said finding good tenants and keeping them happy was one of the best investments a landlord could make.
"Sourcing good tenants is one of the most important tasks for landlords who self-manage their own investment properties," Ms Majda said.
"And by ensuring they have a positive experience while living at your property, they may be more likely to pay their ...
Study shows breath analysis could help diagnose pulmonary nodules
2012-09-15
DENVER – A pilot study, published in the October 2012 issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) Journal of Thoracic Oncology, showed that breath testing could be used to discriminate between benign and malignant pulmonary nodules. The study looked at 74 patients who were under investigation for pulmonary nodules and attended a referral clinic in Colorado between March 2009 and May 2010.
Researchers from Israel and Colorado collected exhaled breath from each patient, analyzing the exhaled volatile organic compounds using gas chromatography ...
Nurses examine caregiver grief
2012-09-15
Family members who care for terminally ill patients at home can be helped by nurses throughout the course of the illness and particularly after the patient's death, according to Penn State nursing researchers.
The death of a loved one can be particularly hard for those who were involved in the day-to-day care of the person. This transition can be eased by existing support from nurses and other medical professionals.
"What we know is that the caregiver's primary contact with the health care system is during brief office visits [for the patient]," said Janice L. Penrod, ...
Children of immigrants come out ahead of peers
2012-09-15
Children of immigrants are outperforming children whose family trees have deeper roots in the United States, learning more in school and then making smoother transitions into adulthood, according to sociologists at The Johns Hopkins University.
Researchers Lingxin Hao and Han S. Woo tracked nearly 11,000 children from as young as age 13 into their early 30s, coming from families with diverse backgrounds. When comparing children with similar socioeconomic status and school conditions, Hao and Woo found that the best students, and later the most successful young adults, ...
Maternal drinking during pregnancy can damage the earliest fetal learning
2012-09-15
Habituation refers to the ability of an organism to stop responding to repeated stimulation.
A new study has examined the impact of maternal drinking on fetal habituation or learning abilities while still residing in the mother's womb.
Results showed that those fetuses exposed to heavy binge drinking required significantly more trials to habituate, and also exhibited a greater variability in test performance.
While it has become clear that drinking during pregnancy can damage the fetal central nervous system, these outcomes can also be influenced by factors such ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Ancient engravings shed light on early human symbolic thought and complexity in the levantine middle palaeolithic
The sexes have different strengths for achieving their goals
College commuters: Link between students’ mental health, vehicle crashes
Using sugars from peas speeds up sour beer brewing
Stormwater pollution sucked up by specialized sponge
Value-added pancakes: WSU using science to improve nutrition of breakfast staple
Beyond the gut: A new frontier in IBS treatment by targeting the brain
New spin on quantum liquids: Quasi-1D dynamics in molecular spin systems
Spinal cord stimulation restores neural function, targets key feature of progressive neurodegenerative disease
Shut the nano gate! Electrical control of nanopore diameter
Cutting emissions in buildings and transport: Key strategies for 2050
How parents can protect children from mature and adult content
By studying neutron ‘starquakes’, scientists hope to transform their understanding of nuclear matter
Mouth bacteria may hold insight into your future brain function
Is cellular concrete a viable low-carbon alternative to traditional concrete for earthquake-resistant structures?
How does light affect citrus fruit coloration and the timing of peel and flesh ripening?
Male flies sharpened their eyesight to call the females' bluff
School bans alone not enough to tackle negative impacts of phone and social media use
Explaining science in court with comics
‘Living’ electrodes breathe new life into traditional silicon electronics
One in four chance per year that rocket junk will enter busy airspace
Later-onset menopause linked to healthier blood vessels, lower heart disease risk
New study reveals how RNA travels between cells to control genes across generations
Women health sector leaders good for a nation’s wealth, health, innovation, ethics
‘Good’ cholesterol may be linked to heightened glaucoma risk among over 55s
GLP-1 drug shows little benefit for people with Parkinson’s disease
Generally, things really do seem better in morning, large study suggests
Juicing may harm your health in just three days, new study finds
Forest landowner motivation to control invasive species depends on land use, study shows
Coal emissions cost India millions in crop damages
[Press-News.org] New Clinical Trials Give Hope to Those Suffering From Spinal Cord InjuriesThe Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, which was founded by a paralyzed former football player, has begun clinical trials on a treatment that may revolutionize the way spinal cord injuries are handled.