LONDON: Stroke patients who suffer partial paralysis, become handicapped and lose the ability to carry out simple day-to-day activities such as taking a shower or changing clothes can now hope to be cured with their own stem cells.
Researchers have reported encouraging interim data from the world's first clinical trial examining the safety of neural stem cell treatment in stroke patients, ahead of an application for Phase II trials.
The trial saw brains of stroke patients injected with neural stem cells to test the safety and tolerability of the treatment.
Results presented to the 22nd European Stroke Conference in London on Monday found that most of the five patients injected with stem cells had experienced sustained modest reductions in neurological impairment compared with their pre-treatment baseline performance, accompanied by improvement in abilities to undertake day-to-day tasks.
Professor Keith Muir of the University of Glasgow, who is heading the trial at the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, reported that data from the first nine patients treated had shown no cell-related or immunological adverse affects. A further two patients have been treated since the data were collated and the trial is now drawing to a close, with full results due to be published next year.
Meanwhile, plans are proceeding for a Phase II trial that will examine the efficacy of stem-cell treatment in stroke patients and an application is expected to be submitted to the UK regulatory authorities in July. If approved, the Phase II trial is scheduled to commence later this year. The Phase II trial will be a multi-centre one involving about 20 patients initially, all of whom will have suffered a stroke within a few weeks.
"The evidence of functional improvement requires further investigation in a suitably designed Phase II efficacy study and we look forward to being a principal clinical site in that study when it commences," said Professor Muir.
This breakthrough has the potential to drastically change the way stroke patients are treated in India, where stroke is a major cause for loss of life, limbs and speech. The Indian Council of Medical Research estimates that in 2004 there were 9.3 lakh cases of stroke and 6.4 lakh deaths due to stroke in the country, most of the people being less than 45 years old.
Dr Kameshwar Prasad from AIIMS said the number of deaths and persons disabled due to stroke was rising in India. Increasing life expectancy at birth, rising urbanisation, changing lifestyles and rising stresslevels are bound to increase stroke cases. Those with high blood pressure, diabetes and high blood fat (cholesterol) are especially at risk. The most important of these risk factors is high BP. In India, more than 16% of people above 20 years of age suffer from high BP.
A small-scale study conducted by Delhi's AIIMS had found that about 60% of 12 patients, in whose cases stem cells taken from the bone marrow were injected back into the antecubital vein (in the forearms, near the elbow), were able to carry out activities such as walking, using the toilet, taking a bath, dressing and eating independently within six months. This increased to 70% within a year. None of these patients had been able to carry out such activities at the beginning of the study. But the same was not true for the three equally serious stroke patients who did not receive stem cells during their treatment. While 33% were able to carry out these activities at the start of the study, the figure increased to only 50% in a year.
"Around 50% in the stem cell group became free of deficits like weakness of one limb and inability to walk as against 30% in the control arm," Dr Prasad said. "The stem cells had excellent safety profile. After carrying out PET scans and MRIs thrice in a year on patients who received stem cells, we found no side-effects. This study shows that stem cells are a safe and feasible therapy in acute stroke. This holds promise and needs to be confirmed in a bigger study."
Eye mouse’ for the physically challenged
Shruthi Shettigar, Prasad Nayak, Vanishri and Sandhya Shet of the Srinivas Institute of Technology (SIT) developed the device under the guidance of associate professor Sathish Kumar K and Bheema Shastry, head of the department of electronics and communication engineering, SIT.
Sathish told TOI the students developed an application and installed it on a webcam-connected computer. The computer is connected to a light-dependent resistor circuit that is fixed to a chair. Once a physically challenged person sits on the chair, the computer turns on and the webcam captures the person's eyeball movements, says Sathish. The recorded video is automatically uploaded to the application developed by the students.
"After this, a physically challenged person can start using the computer without using a mouse," says Sathish. "The user has to just stare closely at the folder or icon, and within few seconds the folder opens."
Through eyeball movements, the cursor can be moved on to any folder.
The students, who spent Rs 5,000 on the innovation, are trying to get a patent for it. "After getting a patent, we will launch this product in the market to help the handicapped," says Sathish.
Woman dies, delivers baby, returns to life
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heart
Erica
Nigrelli, a teacher at Elkins High School in Missouri City, was
teaching English when she felt faint, placed her hands on a table to
steady herself and then passed out.
RELATED
HOUSTON: In a miracle, a 36-week pregnant American woman, who was technically dead as her heart had stopped, has delivered a 'normal' baby.
In February, Erica Nigrelli, a teacher at Elkins High School in Missouri City, was teaching English when she felt faint, placed her hands on a table to steady herself and then passed out.
Her colleagues immediately grabbed her. They kept her alive until paramedics arrived and rushed her to a hospital.
Nigrelli's husband, Nathan, also a teacher at the school, was just two doors down. He rushed into the room.
"I opened the door and walked in. Erica was lying on the floor, she was foaming and making gurgling sounds and just staring up," he was quoted as saying by CNN affiliate KPRC.
"My wife is pregnant," he said. "She's having a seizure! The baby's due in three weeks!"
By the time 32-year-old Erica was rushed to the hospital, doctors could not find a pulse. Her heart had stopped.
Doctors delivered the baby by emergency cesarean section. Technically, it was a postmortem delivery because Erica's heart was not beating, the report said.
But then something remarkable happened. The doctors turned to Erica and soon her heart started beating again.
Now three months later, doctors said her baby - named Elayna - is getting healthier.
"She's just a baby," said Erica. "A normal baby."
It's a miracle considering how Elayna came into this world, doctors said, adding Nigrelli technically died, gave birth, and was brought back to life.
"Nine times out of ten most people die from the initial collapse," said Erica. "It was literally a ticking time bomb, it just happened when I was 36 weeks pregnant."
Now, the mother and the baby are both home and doing great, the report said.
In February, Erica Nigrelli, a teacher at Elkins High School in Missouri City, was teaching English when she felt faint, placed her hands on a table to steady herself and then passed out.
Her colleagues immediately grabbed her. They kept her alive until paramedics arrived and rushed her to a hospital.
Nigrelli's husband, Nathan, also a teacher at the school, was just two doors down. He rushed into the room.
"I opened the door and walked in. Erica was lying on the floor, she was foaming and making gurgling sounds and just staring up," he was quoted as saying by CNN affiliate KPRC.
"My wife is pregnant," he said. "She's having a seizure! The baby's due in three weeks!"
By the time 32-year-old Erica was rushed to the hospital, doctors could not find a pulse. Her heart had stopped.
Doctors delivered the baby by emergency cesarean section. Technically, it was a postmortem delivery because Erica's heart was not beating, the report said.
But then something remarkable happened. The doctors turned to Erica and soon her heart started beating again.
Now three months later, doctors said her baby - named Elayna - is getting healthier.
"She's just a baby," said Erica. "A normal baby."
It's a miracle considering how Elayna came into this world, doctors said, adding Nigrelli technically died, gave birth, and was brought back to life.
"Nine times out of ten most people die from the initial collapse," said Erica. "It was literally a ticking time bomb, it just happened when I was 36 weeks pregnant."
Now, the mother and the baby are both home and doing great, the report said.
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