Search

The possibility to isolate, cultivate, preserve, characterize and differentiate Human Embryonic Stem Cells (ES) discovered by James Thomson and his colleagues in 1998 was a milestone in the history of Stem Cell Research. Immediately after this discovery many speculations were made about the therapeutic possibilities of ES, motivated by ideological, political and economic aspects. The episode made clear the lack of scientific rationality and ethics when assessing realities as meaningful as those of human embryos obtained by in vitro fertilization techniques (IVF) or human eggs. Therapeutic Cloning as a promise to produce ″tailored″ Stem Cells reported by Hwang and his team in 2004, ended up being a scandal within the scientific community. The technical difficulties and ethical controversies that arose from obtaining ES were insurmountable. In 2010 only two clinical trials were reported using these cells. Those trials were abandoned in late 2011 arguing financial reasons. The discovery of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPS) in 2006 in mice and in 2007 in humans, represented the possibility of obtaining pluripotent stem cells without the need to destroy embryos. Today, the absence of clinical trials using ES, caused by financial difficulties as a result of its ineffectiveness, anticipates that the use of ES will be limited to certain experimental controls. Probably, the main contribution of Embryonic Stem Cells will be the understanding that biomedical research should follow an ethically and rationally based rigorous method that cannot be ignore.

The term 'stem cell' most commonly refers to embryonic stem cells, particularly in the lay media; however, it also describes other cell types. A stem cell represents a cell of multi-lineage potential with the ability for self-renewal. It is now clear that the plasticity and immortality of a given stem cell will depend on what type of stem cell it is, whether an embryonic stem cell, a fetal-placental stem cell or an adult stem cell. Stem cells offer great promise as cell-based therapies for the future. With evolving technology, much of the socio-political debate regarding stem cells can now be avoided., (© 2011 The Authors. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health © 2011 Paediatrics and Child Health Division (Royal Australasian College of Physicians).)

Background: Glioma stem cells (GSCs) are a sub-population of cancer stem cells with capacity of self-renewal and differentiation. Accumulated evidence has revealed that GSCs were shown to contribute to gliomagenesis, distant metastasis as well as the resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. As a result, GSCs were regarded as a promising therapeutic target in human glioma. The purpose of our study is to identify current state and hotspots of GSCs research by analyzing scientific publications through bibliometric methods. Methods: All relevant publications on GSCs during 2003-2021 were extracted from the Science Citation Index Expanded of Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), and related information was collected and analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2016, GraphPad Prism 8 and VOSviewer software. Results: A total of 4990 papers were included. The United States accounted for the largest number of publications (1852), the second average citations per item (ACI) value (67.54) as well as the highest H-index (157). Cancer Research was the most influential journal in this field. The most contributive institution was League of European Research Universities. RICH JN was the author with the most publications (109) and the highest H-index (59). All studies were clustered into 3 groups: "glioma stemcell properties", "cell biological properties" and "oncology therapy". The keywords "identification", "CD133" and "side population" appeared earlier with the smaller average appearing years (AAY), and the keywords "radiotherapy" and "chemotherapy" had the latest AAY. The analysis of top cited articles showed that "temozolomide", "epithelial-mesenchymal transition", and "immunotherapy" emerged as new focused issues. Conclusion: There has been a growing number of researches on GSCs. The United States has always been a leading player in this domain. In general, the research focus has gradually shifted from basic cellular biology to the solutions of clinical concerns. "Temozolomide resistance", "epithelial-mesenchymal transition", and "immunotherapy" should be given more attention in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents news briefs about science, including a genetic study about Africa's history which confirms the genetic diversity of African populations. Also discussed is the increase of financial aid granted to stem cells research in United States as a result of a policy change by President Barack Obama.

The article examines how the federal courts in the U.S. view religion, and how they consider religious knowledge in regards to public policy and decision-making. It argues that federal courts were wrong in discrediting informed theological knowledge in the public policy proposals and that they erred in interpreting religious belief. It provides overviews about religious knowledge, how the court rule on religious-based claims, and considers government funded embryonic stem cells research.

The article reports on the decision of U.S. President Barack Obama to reverse the Federal stem cell funding policy on March 9, 2009 in the U.S. It says that the president lifted the ban on the use of federal funds for human embryonic stem cells research. It further states that the scientists believe that the research will possibly help to cure several diseases including Parkinson's, cancer, heart disease, and others.

The controversy over patients' access to stem cell interventions is familiar to scholars of the drug regulatory system and the politics of evidence-based medicine. What counts as evidence of a biomedical intervention's safety and effectiveness? Who should define and assess safety and effectiveness, and how? In the first section of the paper we describe the types of stem cells that may be therapeutically effective. We then describe how the US Food and Drug Administration asserted regulatory authority over certain stem cell interventions and the legal challenge to the agency's actions. Next, we place the debate about patients' access to stem cell interventions in the broader context of efforts in the US to promote and implement health technology assessment and the debate about standards of evidence. We then review several proposed initiatives to get stem cell and other new biomedical interventions into the clinic faster and consider the extent to which these policies can resolve the underlying conflicts about evidentiary standards for clinical use. Finally, we consider whether efforts to expedite access to biomedical technologies may undermine countervailing efforts to improve the safety and effectiveness of stem cell interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on the book "Religion Without God" by Ronald Dworkin, the concept of secular liberal neutrality towards religion, and Dworkin's views on theistic beliefs. The views of atheists are mentioned, along with an egalitarian theory of religious freedom in America and the U.S. Constitution's Religion Clauses. Secularism and jurisprudence in America under the First Amendment to the nation's Constitution are examined. Religious exemptions and special rights in U.S. law are assessed.

The article focuses on the U.S. patent policy for the stem cell research and presents the U.S. Supreme Court cases on patenting of biotechnological inventions. Topics include creation of human stem cells from somatic cells, case of Mayo vs. Prometheus on the use of thiopurine drugs in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and the case of Association for Molecular Pathology vs. USPTO and Myriad Genetics regarding the patenting of recombinant genes. It also mentions various claims made by Myriad.

The article presents information on several people from the field of science. It discusses the possibilities of being in the U.S. administration, of six U.S.' science officials after the 2008 presidential elections. The officials include presidential science adviser John Marburger and Elias Zerhouni, director of the U.S. National Institute of Health. It mentions the building up of a center by Japan's Ministry of Education, to help scientist Shinya Yamanaka in his stem cells research. It states that Yamanaka has recently turned the human skin cells into cells that behave like embryonic stem cells. It also mentions the steps taken by Valérie Pécresse, higher education and research minister of France which include the passing of a bill, giving more freedom to the universities.

The article presents the results of bibliometric analysis of published stem cell research between 1999 and 2008. The study's goals and methodology are described, and an overview of the aims and methodology of bibliometrics is presented. The author's emphasis on the importance of stem cell research and the usefulness of the study for highlighting what research has been done is commented on, and findings including the primacy of the U.S., England, and the Netherlands in stem cell research and India's substantial contributions among developing countries are discussed.

The concepts of biocitizenship and biosociality, in many ways developed as a reaction to the former critique of genetification and fears of a return of eugenics, have gained a stronghold in much of the current debates on the social effects of modern-day genetics. In contrast to claims of a return to eugenics, the literature on biocitizenship highlights the new choice-enhancing possibilities involved in present-day biomedicine, underlining the break with past forms of biopower. In this analysis, hope becomes a life-inducing and vitalizing force, opening new avenues of civic participation and engagement. Most critics of this analysis have attacked the claims to novelty attributed to these concepts, arguing that more traditional forms of biopower remain as important as ever. In contrast, we argue that the biocitizenship literature underestimates the radical nature of this break with the past, ending up with a too narrow and one-sided interpretation of the ramifications of the new discourse of hope. On the basis of two different case stories, the “Portraits of Hope” campaign from California, USA and the “Mehmet Case” from Norway, we indicate an alternative “darker” reading of the new discourse of hope, arguing that its driving force is not so much future possibilities as present despair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent media portrayals of developments in stem cell research underline the high expectations that surround this field. Trials for stem cell treatments are currently underway around the world; however, very few applications are widely available. In spite of this, a range of purported stem cell therapies are being marketed directly to patients, principally via the Internet. Scientists and clinicians have expressed concerns about the marketing of unproven treatments but responses thus far have been based upon a limited understanding of the dynamics of the advertising of such treatments. Drawing on the findings from a qualitative analysis of online, “direct-to-consumer” advertisements (DTCA) for stem cell treatments, this article examines the role played by such advertisements in the “political economy of hope.” It reveals the various techniques used by advertisers to effect a positive portrayal of treatments and thus help engender confidence in treatments and trust in providers. It concludes by discussing the implications of the findings for policy responses to the marketing of such treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral mucosa progenitor/stem cells reside as a small-sized cell population that eventually differentiates concurrently with an increase in cell size. Activation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) leads to an increase in cell size. We hypothesized that rapamycin, a specific inhibitor of mTOR, will maintain primary human oral keratinocytes as a small-sized, undifferentiated cell population capable of retaining their proliferative capacity. Primary, rapamycin-treated (2 nM, 20 nM) oral keratinocytes showed a diminished cell size that correlated with a higher clonogenicity, a longer-term proliferative potential, and a slower cycling cell population concurrent with decreased expression of a differentiation marker when compared with untreated cells. Only the 2-nM rapamycin-treated oral keratinocytes maintained their ability to regenerate oral mucosa in vitro after 15 weeks of culture. Rapamycin, a Food and Drug Administration-approved drug, may have applicability for use in creating a highly proliferative cell population for use in regenerative medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the protests made against the stem cells research in the United States. Payment suspended to the Stanford University for the research; Aim of the Bio-X Program; Research grants offered by Michael J. Fox Foundations.

Key ethical issues arise in association with the conduct of stem cell research by research institutions in the United States. These ethical issues, summarized in detail, receive no adequate translation into federal laws or regulations, also described in this article. U.S. Federal policy takes a passive approach to these ethical issues, translating them simply into limitations on taxpayer funding, and foregoes scientific and ethical leadership while protecting intellectual property interests through a laissez faire approach to stem cell patents and licenses. Those patents and licenses, far from being scientifically and ethically neutral in effect, virtually prohibit commercially sponsored research that could otherwise be a realistic alternative to the federal funding gap. The lack of federal funding and related data-sharing principles, combined with the effect of U.S. patent policy, the lack of key agency guidance, and the proliferation of divergent state laws arising from the lack of Federal leadership, significantly impede ethical stem cell research in the United States, without coherently supporting any consensus ethical vision. Research institutions must themselves implement steps, described in the article, to integrate addressing ethical review with the many legal compliance issues U.S. federal and state laws create. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the announcement of American Heart Association (AHA) to fund for research on stem cells. Response of volunteers for the Association's position in national agreement on stem cells research; Finalization of guidelines and instructions for research by the board members of the organization; Increase in the private funding into stem cell research.

The article compares policymaking in the field of human embryonic stem cell research in the United States and in Germany. Although experimental research with human stem cells is controversial in both countries, restrictions on research are much more strict in Germany than in the United States. In order to explain the contrast between the United States and Germany in dealing with human embryonic stem cell research and to predict possible future developments, we need to look carefully at a number of important differences in the interpretations and discourses of embryonic stem cell research and their consequences for the strategies of institutions and actors in the political-regulatory realm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents suggestions for the regulation of scientific advancements in the United States. Discussion on pluripotential cells; Significance of public involvement; Difficulty of implementing ethical control; Concern over research on somatic cell nuclear transfer.