banking - Cord Blood Stem Cell Breakthroughs: Cure For Diabetes?

Cord blood, also called placental blood, is the blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord following birth, after the umbilical cord is cut. Generally, this blood is disposed of with the placenta and umbilical cord. There is much controversy regarding the use of stem cell research as it pertains to the use of embryos. However, there have been new scientific breakthroughs in the field of stem cell research using cord blood stem cells from living babies. A team of South Korean researchers, headed by Prof. Kang Kyung-sun of Seoul National University, has successfully grown pancreatic beta cells from umbilical cord blood stem cells of newborn babies. The stem cells are able to secrete insulin, the hormone necessary for treatment of diabetes. The ability of cord blood stem cells to differentiate, or change into other types of cells in the body is a new discovery that holds great promise for improving the treatment of some of the most common diseases including diabetes. This achievement would be highlighted by The Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, the U.S.-based weekly, that documents breakthrough papers in biotechnology. Similar breakthroughs have been achieved by scientists throughout the world. Researchers at the University of Newcastle, in Dublin, produced a 'mini liver' from cord blood stem cells. The technique will be developed to create a full-sized, fully functioning liver. Tissues from mini-livers will be used to test new drugs. Researchers are hopeful that within five years, pieces of the tissue can be used to repair damaged livers and within 15 years, actual liver transplants may be done using lab-grown livers made from cord blood. This is a significant achievement that can potentially develop treatments for liver diseases. In a study published by the University of Minnesota, researchers discovered that some umbilical cord blood cells possess similar characteristics to primitive stem cells. According to Walter Low, Ph.D., senior investigator of the study and professor of Neurosurgery and the Stem Cell Institute at the University of Minnesota, this major discovery is crucial to understanding how cord blood stem cells can restore brain function after injury such as in stroke. In a laboratory test, cord blood stem cells were transplanted into rodents with controlled strokes. The results: some limb function was restored and the size of brain lesions was reduced. Cord blood stem cells developed into neuron-type cells, similar to those found in the brain. They also stimulated nerve fibers in the brain, thus the regained function in rats. This finding will significantly help advance the development of stroke research. Stem cell technology has been advancing forward in leaps and bounds. The breakthroughs in cord blood stem cell research can substantially speed up the development of treatments for life-threatening diseases and debilitating conditions. Cord blood stem cell research avoids much of the controversy and problems associated with embryonic stem cell research. Cord blood stem cell transplant is becoming increasingly important for treatment of life-threatening diseases and debilitating conditions. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are less prone to rejection than bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells. Get daily updated resources on umbilical cord blood at http://www.storingcordblood.com/home Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alvin_Toh banking - Criminals are "Fishing" For Your Identity What is Phishing? In a typical Phishing attack, a criminal will send you an email which appears to be from a well known company, bank or government agency. The email will direct you to click on a link which directs you to a Website or pop-up box that looks like the company's or organization's legitimate site. The site will instruct you to enter personal information, such as your account ID, your password, your credit or debit card number and PIN, or your social security number. The criminals are "phishing" for information. Tips for Spotting a Phishing Scam: A fraudulent email will usually have a sense of urgency, stating that you must respond immediately or your account will be closed or frozen. Also, fraudulent emails and websites will often have obvious spelling errors. Fraudulent emails will contain links to websites that appear to have an address similar to a Bank or its website name. Remember, it is always safer to type in the website address yourself than to click on a link. It can be very difficult to determine the true identity of a website based upon its address. Cyber-criminals may use programming tricks to make the address that you see appear different than the true address to which you are directed. Your greatest protection against online fraud is not to fall victim by taking reasonable steps to protect your private information. Visit the Federal Trade Commission's website at www.FTC.gov/idtheft for more information about online security and how to protect yourself from scams. 1. First and foremost, never provide personal information in response to an unsolicited email. "ThreatconYellow.com (http://www.threatconyellow.com) will never send you an email in which we ask you to reveal your password or any other private information." 2. Never click on links in unsolicited emails. If you receive an unsolicited email that appears to be from your bank, go directly to one of your banks websites by typing in the whole Internet address. If a legitimate alert were issued, you should be able to find that information on the website. If you think that you may have revealed information to someone not legitimately connected your Bank: 1. Contact your Bank immediately! 2. If possible, forward the fraudulent email to the Bank without changing the subject line, and then delete it from your inbox. When banking online, change your password frequently - At least every 90 days, but you may change it more frequently if you are concerned that your account information might have been compromised. (http://www.threatconyellow.com/phishing.htm) Join the War on Crime: Get updated "Amber Alerts" at ThreatconYellow.com.