Most women with PD are past the menopause, so endometrium all dried up ?

Quoting Nic Marais <[log in to unmask]>:

> Looks promising... I might even regret being a man;-))
> 
> Nic 58/16
> 
> On 7 May 2010 15:18, Mary Ann Ryan <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > Folks, a nurse friend sent this article to me.  Thought all of you might
> find it interesting.  Since it is from the NIH, I didn't think we would run
> into trouble posting it.
> > ----------
> > Mary Ann
> >
> > U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
> > NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News
> > Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human
> Development (NICHD)<http://www.nichd.nih.gov/>
> > For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 6, 2010
> >
> > CONTACT: Robert Bock or Marianne Glass Miller,
> > 301-496-5133, <e-mail:[log in to unmask]
> >
> > ENDOMETRIAL STEM CELLS RESTORE BRAIN DOPAMINE LEVELS
> > Mouse Study May Lead to New Therapies for Parkinson's Disease
> >
> > Endometrial stem cells injected into the brains of mice with a
> laboratory-induced form of Parkinson's disease appeared to take over the
> functioning of brain cells eradicated by the disease.
> >
> > The finding raises the possibility that women with Parkinson's disease
> could serve as their own stem cell donors.  Similarly, because endometrial
> stem cells are readily available and easy to collect, banks of endometrial
> stem cells could be stored for men and women with Parkinson's disease.
> >
> > "These early results are encouraging," said Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D.,
> acting director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child
> Health and Human Development (NICHD), the NIH Institute that funded the
> study. "Endometrial stem cells are widely available, easy to access and
> appear to take on the characteristics of nervous system tissue readily."
> >
> > Parkinson's disease results from a loss of brain cells that produce the
> chemical messenger dopamine, which aids the transmission of brain signals
> that coordinate movement.
> 
(http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/parkinsons_disease/parkinsons_disease.htm).
> >
> > This is the first time that researchers have successfully transplanted stem
> cells derived from the endometrium, or the lining of the uterus, into another
> kind of tissue (the brain) and shown that these cells can develop into cells
> with the properties of that tissue.
> >
> > The findings appear online in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular
> Medicine.
> >
> > The study's authors were Erin F. Wolff, Xiao-Bing Gao, Katherine V. Yao,
> Zane B. Andrews, Hongling Du, John D. Elsworth and Hugh S. Taylor, all of
> Yale University School of Medicine.
> >
> > Stem cells retain the capacity to develop into a range of cell types with
> specific functions. (http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/) They have been
> derived from umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, embryonic tissue, and from
> other tissues with an inherent capacity to develop into specialized cells.
> Because of their ability to divide into new cells and to develop into a
> variety of cell types, stem cells are considered promising for the treatment
> of many diseases in which the body's own cells are damaged or depleted.
> >
> > In the current study, the researchers generated stem cells using
> endometrial tissue obtained from nine women who did not have Parkinson's
> disease and verified that, in laboratory cultures, the unspecialized
> endometrial stem cells could be transformed into dopamine-producing nerve
> cells like those in the brain.
> >
> > The researchers also demonstrated that, when injected directly into the
> brains of mice with a Parkinson's-like condition, endometrial stem cells
> would develop into dopamine-producing cells.
> >
> > Unspecialized stem cells from the endometrial tissue were injected into
> mouse striatum, a structure deep in the brain that plays a vital role in
> coordinating balance and movement. When the researchers examined the animals'
> striata five weeks later, they found that the stem cells had populated the
> striatum and an adjacent brain region, the substantia nigra. The substantia
> nigra produces abnormally low levels of dopamine in human Parkinson's disease
> and the mouse version of the disorder. The researchers confirmed that the
> stem cells that had migrated to the substantia nigra became
> dopamine-producing nerve cells and that the animals' dopamine levels were
> partially restored.
> >
> > The study did not examine the longer-term effects of the stem cell
> transplants or evaluate any changes in the ability of the mice to move.  The
> researchers noted that additional research would need to be conducted to
> evaluate the safety and efficacy of the technique before it could be approved
> for human use.
> >
> > According to the researchers, stem cells derived from endometrial tissue
> appear to be less likely to be rejected than are stem cells from other
> sources.  As expected, the stem cells generated dopamine producing cells when
> transplanted into the brains of mice with compromised immune systems.
>  However, the transplants also successfully gave rise to dopamine producing
> cells in the brains of mice with normal immune systems.
> >
> > According to Dr. Taylor, because women could provide their own donor
> tissue, there would be no concern that their bodies would reject the
> implants. Moreover, because endometrial tissue is widely available, banks of
> stem cells could be established. The stem cells could be matched by tissue
> type to male recipients with Parkinson's to minimize the chances of
> rejection.
> >
> > In addition, Dr. Taylor added that endometrial stem cells might prove to be
> easier to obtain and easier to use than many other types of stem cells. With
> each menstrual cycle, women generate new endometrial tissue every month, so
> the stem cells are readily available. Even after menopause, women taking
> estrogen supplements are capable of generating new endometrial tissue.
> Because doctors can gather samples of the endometrial lining in a simple
> office procedure, it is also easier to collect than other types of adult stem
> cells, such as those from bone marrow, which must be collected surgically.
> >
> > "Endometrial tissue is probably the most readily available, safest, most
> easily attainable source of stem cells that is currently available. We hope
> the cells we derived are the first of many types that will be used to treat a
> variety of diseases," said senior author Hugh S. Taylor, M.D., of Yale
> University. "I think this is just the tip of the iceberg for what we will be
> able to do with these cells."
> >
> > The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth;
> maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population
> issues; and medical rehabilitation.  For more information, visit the
> Institute's Web site at <http://www.nichd.nih.gov/>.
> >
> > The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research
> Agency -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S.
> Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for
> conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
> and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and
> rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit
> <www.nih.gov>.
> >
> > ##
> >
> > This NIH News Release is available online at:
> > <http://www.nih.gov/news/health/may2010/nichd-06.htm>.
> >
> > To subscribe (or unsubscribe) from this list, go to
> > <http://service.govdelivery.com/service/subscribe.html?code=USNIH_1>.
> >
> >
> >
> >
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