Patients own skin may be used to repair damage of Mutiple Sclerosis

Scientists have revealed that a patient’s own skin may be able to repair the nerve damage caused by the incurable disease, Multiple Sclerosis.
MS attacks the fatty lining around the nerves causing malfunctions of movements and more.
But scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Centre in the US have used skin cells to repair the damage in  animal tests, says a report in the journal Stem Cell.
Just like electrical wires, nerves have insulation – but instead of plastic, the body uses a protein called myelin.
However, diseases that result in damage to the myelin, including MS, leave the nerves exposed and electrical signals struggle to travel round the body.
They took a sample of skin cells and converted it into stem cells, which are capable of becoming any other type of cell in the body. The next step was to transform the stem cells into immature versions of cells in the brain that produce myelin.
When these cells had been injected into mice born without any myelin it had had a significant effect, said researchers.
However, MS patients would still have the problem of their immune system continuing to attack their myelin.
Any treatment would need to be used alongside other therapies to tame the immune system – or would need to be repeatedly performed.
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Scientific breakthrough in skin ageing from Vichy

London:A new scientific discovery, the fruit of 10 years research into understanding skin ageing, has resulted in the creation of a new generation cream.

Vichy LiftActiv Derm Source the skin cream that has been dubbed by the press as a ‘wrinkle cream first’ targeting the skin’s ageing process went on sale in Britain last week, following a wave of media and consumer interest in the product ever since scientific research on its breakthrough formulation was revealed at the beginning of the year.

femme_liftactiv.jpgThe breakthrough, backed by rigorous scientific testing and independent analysis, with the findings published in various medical journals such as PLoS ONE*, has seen scientists identify the key role of papillary fibroblasts in the Derm Source (also known as the papillary dermis), in the production of collagen fibres which keep the skin plump and elastic.

Taking its lead from the expert and scientific methodologies used in the pharmaceutical industry, researcher’s trialled 50 different compounds to identify the most effective ingredient to specifically target the Derm Source and actively stimulate the production of collagen fibres and through this testing, identified Rhamnose, a derivative of the Silver Birch Tree and Cat’s Claw (Uncaria) as the clear winner.

The product containing this active ingredient is called LiftActiv Derm Source by Vichy. It has been tested on 800 women, 40% of which have sensitive skin and there have been 6 clinical tests carried out plus 2 in vivo studies.

Dermatologists found a measurable decrease in the five leading types of wrinkles in the areas tested (face and neck).

Watch our video below to see how the product works and how the experts predict it will revolutionise the skin care industry.

 

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Scientists grow spare skin

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Paris: French scientists have used human embryonic stem cells to grow human skin cells, a report in the medical journal Lancet reveals.

Scientists working for Inserm , France’s medical research agency, treated the embryonic cells and grew them on a matrix, before grafting them onto mice. The cells proceeded to grow into skin.

This procedure may be used in medical treatments for temporary cover for burns patients while their own skin is grown, also in a lab, over a period of weeks.