Stem Cell Treatment Cures a Paralyzed Dog

A six-year old dog called Henry injured his back badly a year ago, after falling down the stairs. He suddenly stopped walking and lost the sense in his legs.

Henry became emotionally depressed, and couldn’t do the normal activities he use to do before. But state of the art medical intervention restored Henry’s senses and started to walk again after only one month of his surgery. How amazing is that?

Despite all the debates about the ethical uses of stem cells, it showed that its a promising way to repair damaged tissue, restore cellular function, and relief from suffering associated with many disabling disorders.

Cells were harvested from inside the back of the nose – as these special cells are capable of supporting the growth of new nerve fibers -in March and injected back into his spine after four weeks and Henry took his first steps one month later. The procedure was carried on by Professor Nick Jeffery and Professor Robin Franklin at Cambridge University.

Henry’s owner, Sarah Beech, 34, from Birmingham, said: “It is incredible, I didn’t think Henry would ever walk again, but over the last few months he has been wagging his tail and taking steps.

How Nicotine Can Help Your Memory

I am not saying go and buy a pack of cigarette and start smoking, smoking has soo many bad effects on your body especially your lungs. The study is amazing because it may lead the  researchers to find solution for memory loss, and other memory illnesses.

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine say nicotine, the addictive component in cigarettes, “tricks” the brain into creating memory associations between environmental cues and smoking behavior. The findings appear in the current issue of the journal Neuron.

“Our brains normally make these associations between things that support our existence and environmental cues so that we conduct behaviors leading to successful lives. The brain sends a reward signal when we act in a way that contributes to our well being,” said Dr. John A. Dani, professor of neuroscience at BCM and co-author of the study. “However, nicotine commandeers this subconscious learning process in the brain so we begin to behave as though smoking is a positive action.”

Dani said that environmental events linked with smoking can become cues that prompt the smoking urge. Those cues could include alcohol, a meal with friends, or even the drive home from work. To understand why these associations are so strong, Dani and Dr. Jianrong Tang, instructor of neuroscience at BCM and co-author of the report, decided to record brain activity of mice as they were exposed to nicotine, the addictive component of tobacco.

The mice were allowed to roam through an apparatus with two separate compartments. In one compartment, they received nicotine. In the other, they got a benign saline solution. Later, the researchers recorded how long the mice spent in each compartment. They also recorded brain activity within the hippocampus, an area of the brain that creates new memories.

“The brain activity change was just amazing,” Dani said. “Compared to injections of saline, nicotine strengthened neuronal connections – sometimes up to 200 percent. This strengthening of connections underlies new memory formation.”

Consequently, mice learned to spent more time in the compartment where the nicotine was administered compared to the one where saline was given to them.

“We found that nicotine could strengthen neuronal synaptic connections only when the so called reward centers sent a dopamine signal. That was a critical process in creating the memory associations even with bad behavior like smoking.”

Dani said understanding mechanisms that create memory could have implications in future research and treatments for memory disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, and for dopamine signaling disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease.

This study was supported by the National Institute of Neurology Disorders and Stroke and the National Institute of Drug Abuse.

Source – ScienceDaily.com

MythBusters: Just the Facts

Moira Gunn – Moira Gunn is host of the radio programs “Tech Nation” and “BioTech Nation,” aired by National Public Radio. “Tech Nation” episodes are normally based on an interview with the author of a science- or technology-related book. “BioTech Nation” is based on interviews with significant figures in the field of bio-technology, as well as regular discussions with science journalist David Ewing Duncan.

“Tech Nation” and “BioTech Nation” programs are also published as podcasts by IT Conversations.

Gunn’s early career included work at NASA on large-scale scientific computation and global communications, with special emphasis in infrared satellite image processing, computational fluid dynamics, and global climate and weather modeling. She also did work in robotics engineering at IBM, Morton Thiokol, United Technologies/Pratt and Whitney, Lockheed-Martin, Rolls-Royce, and the US Navy.

Gunn has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and an M.A. in computer science.
Jamie Hyneman – Hailing from Indiana farm country, Jamie Hyneman is a multifaceted man: wilderness survival expert, boat captain, diver, linguist, animal wrangler, machinist and cook, to name a few. His career has been as equally diverse: Hyneman earned a degree in Russian languages and ran a sailing/diving charter business in the Caribbean for several years before he moved over to the visual-effects industry.

Once he had joined that field and had worked for several special-effects companies, Hyneman found his way to Colossal Pictures’ model shop, where he managed the production of models and special effects for hundreds of commercials and movies. Then, 16 years ago, Hyneman took over the shop and created M5 Industries Inc.

Hyneman has worked on over 800 commercials for major automobile manufacturers, soft-drink companies, athletic shoe companies and numerous other products. And in the midst of all this activity, Hyneman’s company diversified into toy prototyping and research and development in a variety of other areas as well.

The holder of several patents and the winner of numerous industry awards, Hyneman is also a long-standing Screen Actors Guild member.

Today, while “MythBusters” occupies the majority of Hyneman’s professional activity, M5 is active with developing cutting-edge technologies for a variety of industries ranging from defense to green vehicle design. In Hyneman’s own words, “At this point, with over 130 episodes under our belts, I feel that we have evolved into different people than we were when we started Mythbusters. You can’t go through all the mayhem we have been into on the show without it changing you. I feel like we are just getting warmed up.”
Adam Savage – Adam Savage has spent his life gathering skills that allow him to take what’s in his brain and make it real. He’s built everything from ancient Buddhas to futuristic weapons, from spaceships to dancing vegetables, from fine art sculptures to animated chocolate and just about anything else you can think of.

The son of a filmmaker/painter and psychotherapist, Savage has been making his own toys since he was allowed to hold scissors. Having held positions as a projectionist, animator, graphic designer, carpenter, interior and stage designer, toy designer, welder, and scenic painter, he’s worked with every material and process he could get his hands on – metal, paper, glass, plastic, rubber, foam, plaster, pneumatics, hydraulics, animatronics, neon, glassblowing, mold making and injection molding, to name just a few.

Since 1993, Savage has concentrated on the special-effects industry, honing his skills through more than 100 television commercials and a dozen feature films, including Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Galaxy Quest, Terminator 3, A.I. and the Matrix sequels. He’s also designed props and sets for Coca-Cola, Hershey’s, Lexus and a host of New York and San Francisco theater companies.

Not only has he worked and consulted in the research and development division for toy companies and made several short films, but Savage has also acted in several films and commercials – including a Charmin ad, in which he played Mr. Whipple’s stock boy, and a Billy Joel music video, “Second Wind,” in which he drowns.

Today, in addition to co-hosting Discovery Channel’s “MythBusters,” Savage teaches advanced model making, most recently in the industrial design department at the San Francisco Academy of Art. Somehow, he also finds time to devote to his own art – his sculptures have been showcased in over 40 shows in San Francisco, New York and Charleston, W.Va.

8 Natural Ways To Improve Your Eyesight

Many people cannot afford LASIK surgery or contact lenses, so they try to find other ways that might help them improve their eyesight naturally. Many eye problems in later life are due to a loss of tone in the eye muscles. These muscles become rigid, and loses its elasticity, which make it hard on the eyes to focus at different distances.  These tips might not get your vision back the way it was before, but at least could improve, rest, and relax them naturally.

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