I Loved This One

Cancer could return unless stored ovarian tissue undergoes adequate testing before re-implantation

Cancer patients who have been successfully treated for their disease face the prospect of its return if stored ovarian (or testicular) tissue is transplanted back into their bodies without adequate checks, according to researchers at two university hospitals in Israel. Writing in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal, Human Reproduction, the researchers say that hundreds of cancer patients worldwide have ovarian tissue and, in some cases, testicular tissue frozen in the hope of being able to have children after their cancer treatment has finished; but they warn that few fertility centres have the skills and use the technology needed to check the tissue for residual cancer cells, making it possible for the original cancer to re-infect the body when the tissue is re-implanted to restore the patients’ fertility.

“The interest in ovarian tissue storage as a real option for preserving fertility in cancer patients has increased. However, genuine concerns regarding the possible recrudescence [re-appearance] of the primary disease following re-implantation of stored ovarian tissue with malignant cells exist,” write the authors. The first author of the report, Dr Dror Meirow, said: “We think it’s vitally important to raise awareness amongst cancer patients, fertility specialists, oncologists and haematologists. There are few fertility centres in the world with the expertise and the technology to run the types of tests on tissue that are needed to detect residual cancer. “However, not every reproductive service that has surgical skills and freezing facilities can be safely responsible for ovarian tissue cryopreservation. We suggest that these centres should store tissue for future investigation, and samples can be shipped to specialist centres for analysis.”

Dr Meirow, who leads the fertility preservation programme in the IVF Unit at Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer (headed by Professor Jehoshua Dor), carried out the research with Professor Dina Ben Yehuda, director of the Hematology Division at Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem. Dr Meirow said that fertility centres with close connections to cancer and haematological centres should be able to work together in order to adopt the correct methods for checking stored tissue.

Before collecting tissue from the 58 young women in this study, Dr Meirow and his colleagues used various imaging methods (sonography, CT and PET scans) to look for cancer in the pelvis and ovaries of the patients; the women were about to receive chemotherapy for haematological cancers such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and leukaemia, between 1997 and 2007. They found cancer in the pelvic area of two patients, and therefore ovarian tissue was not harvested. They collected tissue from the other 56 patients and, in addition to freezing strips for future transplantation; they also froze a smaller piece of ovarian tissue separately for each patient. They planned to use these extra strips for future checks for the presence of cancer cells, using the most modern methods that would be available at the time the tissue was thawed and prepared for transplantation.

You are what your mother eats, study

Women who eat cereal for breakfast have an increased chance of having sons instead of daughters, a British study has found. Research by the Universities of Exeter and Oxford have uncovered strong links between higher energy intake among mothers around the time of conception and the birth of boys. "The consumption of breakfast cereals was also strongly associated with having male infants,'' the study said.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences journal, focused on 740 first-time mothers in the UK who did not know the gender of their unborn baby. The women were asked to provide records of their eating habits before and during the early stages of pregnancy. They were then split into three groups according to the number of calories consumed per day around the time they conceived.

Of the women in the group with the highest energy intake at conception, 56 per cent had sons, compared with 45 per cent in the group with the lowest calorie intake. As well as consuming more calories, women who had sons were more likely to have eaten a higher quantity and wider range of nutrients, including potassium, calcium and vitamins C, E and B12. The study's lead author, Fiona Mathews of the University of Exeter's School of Biosciences, said the findings could shed light on modern eating habits and birth statistics. "This research may help to explain why in developed countries, where many young women choose to have low calorie diets, the proportion of boys born is falling,'' Dr Mathews said.

While sex is genetically determined by fathers, the study indicated mothers appear able to favour the development of one sex of infant over another. While the mechanism is not yet understood, IVF research shows high levels of glucose encourage the growth and development of male embryos while inhibiting female embryos. Dr Mathews said there were implications for recent debates on whether to regulate so-called gender clinics that allow parents to select the sex of offspring, by manipulating sperm, for non-medical reasons. "Here we have evidence of a natural mechanism that means that women appear to be already controlling the sex of their offspring by their diet,'' she said. In animal studies, scientists have already established that more sons are produced when a mother has plentiful resources or is high ranking. "Potentially, males of most species can father more offspring than females, but this can be strongly influenced by the size or social status of the male, with poor quality males failing to breed at all,'' Dr Mathews said.

"Females, on the other hand, reproduce more consistently. "If a mother has plentiful resources, then it can make sense to invest in producing a son because he is likely to produce more grandchildren than would a daughter. "However, in leaner times having a daughter is a safer bet.''

Device offers cheaper IVF during lunch break

A new approach to fertility treatment that could allow women to have a cheaper form of IVF in their lunch hour is being developed. The Invocell device is designed to enable IVF to be performed without complex laboratory equipment and could make the procedure faster, more convenient and less expensive.

In standard IVF, eggs are fertilised with sperm outside the body, and any resulting embryos are left to develop in culture for three to five days before the best are transferred to the womb. The Invocell device is a sealed capsule that allows fertilisation to take place inside the body, in the vaginal cavity.

A woman would first be given mild drugs to stimulate her ovaries, and then eggs would be removed from them while she was under sedation. Up to seven eggs would then be put into the Invocell capsule, along with washed sperm.The capsule would then be placed inside the vagina. After three days, the patient would return for a second appointment, during which the capsule would be removed and any fertilised embryos examined for quality. The best one or two eggs would be transferred to thewomb.

The first appointment would take about 90 minutes and the second half an hour, according to Claude Ranoux, of BioXcell, the Massachusetts-based company that developed the device. Because eggs, sperm and embryos would at no point be stored outside the body, the technique means IVF could be performed in a doctor's office, without incurring the costs involved in incubation. Dr Ranoux said this would cut the cost of fertility treatment by hundreds of pounds. The typical bill in Britain is about Sterling pounds 2500 ($5300) a cycle.

BioXcell has completed about 800 trial cycles, obtaining a clinical pregnancy rate of 19.7per cent. The average success rate for conventional treatments for women aged under 35 in Britain is 29.6 per cent. BioXcell has applied for approval for the device from the US Food and Drug Administration, and it has also received a European Union CE mark.

Dr Ranoux said the company hoped to market it in Europe, including Britain, later this year.

Disfigured Wounded US Soldiers To Get New Skin, Ears & Fingers

The US Department of Defense has announced a five year program to develop new stem-cell based treatments for service members disfigured from war-time injuries. The new Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM) will explore the use of a patient's own stem cells to grow replacement skin, tissue and other body parts. AFIRM will collaborate with the US Army Institute of Surgical Research, in San Antonio, Texas and several universities including Wake Forest University, North Carolina; Rutgers University in New Jersey; and the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania.
The new initiative aims to use stem cell technology to make new skin, tendons, muscles, as well as new body parts such as ears, fingers and noses. Speaking at a press conference held last week, Lt Gen Eric Schoomaker cited the case of a badly-burned Marine, who will receive a new nose and ears grown using his own stem cells. He added 'the cells that we're talking about actually exist in our bodies today'.
The use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Iraq and Afghanistan is apparently the main reason for a marked increase in severe blast trauma, which now accounts for three quarters of all injuries. Within five years, AFIRM hope to develop new therapies for burn repair, wound healing without scarring, facial reconstruction and limb reconstruction or regeneration. 'We're embarking on a new generation of research that's going to redefine the Army and military medicine as we know it today', said Schoomaker.
Dr Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University, explained: 'All the parts of your body, tissues and organs, have a natural repository of cells that are ready to replicate when an injury occurs'. The scientists hope to harness this regenerative ability to grow replacement tissue that will not be rejected by the patient's body. For replacement body parts such as ears, the cells will be 'painted' on to a biodegradable scaffold, and incubated for a few weeks before being transplanted on to the patient's body. AFIRM will receive around $250 million over the initial five years,
about $80 million of which will come from the Department of Defense, with the remaining funding coming from other private and public organisations, including the National Institutes of Health.

Little wonder from India

A teenager from India who stands at a tiny 1ft 11in (58cm) tall is the smallest girl in the world. Jyoti Amge, 14, is shorter than the average two-year-old child and only weighs 11lb (5kg). Jyoti is smaller than the average two-year-old child. She has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia and won't grow any taller than her current height. Due to her size, Jyoti has to have clothes and jewellery made for her. She sleeps in a tiny bed and uses special plates and cutlery to eat, as normal-sized utensils are too big. Despite this, she goes to a regular school in Nagpur, central India, where she has her own small desk and chair, and her classmates treat her like any other student.
Jyoti also shares common interests with other teenagers, with a love for DVDs and fashionable dresses. She said: 'I am proud of being small. I love all the attention I get. I'm not scared of being small and I don't regret it. 'I'm just the same as other people. I eat like you, dream like you. I don't feel any different.' Jyoti is treated like a mini-celebrity in her home town, where people flock to meet her and some even treat her like a goddess. She will even be releasing an album with her favourite Indian pop star, the bhangra/rap star Mika Singh.
Her mum, Ranjana Amge, 45, said: 'When Jyoti was born, she seemed quite normal. We came to know about her disorder when she was five. 'We consulted a specialist and he said she will be this size all of her life. Jyoti is small, yet cute, and we love her very much.' Jyoti is ambitious and hopes to work as a Bollywood actress one day. She said: 'I would love to work in a big city like Mumbai, act in films and travel to London and America.
Jyoti chats to her friends on her phone, just like any other teenager . 'I'm proud of being small. I love all the attention I get because of it.' Her dad, Kishanji Amge, 52, said: 'I can't separate myself from her even for a single day. I love her very much.
'She makes me proud. Lots of gurus come to see and bless her. They pray for her happiness and long life.'

Salaam Bombay!

-Churchgate has neither a church nor a gate. It is a railway station.
-There is no darkness in Andheri.
-Lalbaag is neither red nor a garden.
-No King ever stayed at King's Circle .
-Nor did Queen Victoria stay at Victoria Terminus.
-Nor is there any Princess at Princess Street .
-Lower Parel is at the same level as Parel
-There are no marines or sailors at Marine Lines.
-The Mahalaxmi temple is at Haji Ali not at Mahalaxmi.
-There are no pigs traded at Dukkar bazaar.
-Teen batti is a junction of 3 roads, not three lamps.
-Trams used to terminate at Kings circle not Dadar* Tram Terminus (Dadar TT.).
-Breach Candy is not a sweetmeat market, but famous for a Hospital.
-Safed Pool has the dirtiest and blackest water.
-You cannot buy coal at Kolsa street.
-There are no Iron smiths at Lohar chawl.
-There are no pot makers at Kumbhar wada.
-Lokhandwala complex is not an Iron and steel market.
-Null bazaar does not sell taps.
-You will not find ladyfingers at Bhendi Bazaar.
-Kalachowki does not have a black Police station.
-Hanging Gardens are not suspended.
-Mirchi Gully does not sell chillies.
-Figs do not grow in Anjir Wadi.
-Sitafals do not grow in Sitafal Wadi,
-Jackfruits do not grow at Fanaswadi.
-But it is true that you may get fleeced at Chor Bazaar!
-AMCHI MUMBAI
-A City where everything is possible, especially the impossible .

-Where telephone bills make a person ill,
-Where a person cannot sleep without a pill.
-Where carbon-dioxide is more than oxygen,
-Where the road is considered to be a dustbin,
-Where college canteens are full and classes empty,
-Where Adam teasing is also making an entry,
-Where a cycle reaches faster than a car,
-Where everyone thinks himself to be a star,
-Where sky scrapers overlook the slum,
-Where houses collapse as the monsoon comes,
-Where people first act and then think,
-Where there is more water in the pen than ink,
-Where the roads see-saw in monsoon,
-Where the beggars become rich soon,
-Where the roads are leveled when the minister arrives,
-Where college admission means hard cash,
-Where cement is frequently mixed with ash.
-This is Mumbai my dear, But don't fear, just cheer, come to Mumbai every year!

THINGS TO PROVE YOU'RE A BOMBAYITE
1. You say 'town ' and expect everyone to know that this means south of Churchgate.
2 You speak in a dialect of Hindi called 'Bambaiya Hindi', which only Bombayites can understand.
3. Your door has more than three locks.
4. Rs 500 worth of groceries fit in one paper bag.
5. Train timings ( 9.27 , 10.49 etc) are really important events of life.
6. You spend more time each month traveling than you spend at home.
7. You call an 8' x 10' clustered room a Hall.
8.. You're paying Rs 10,000,00 for a 1 room flat, the size of walk-in closet and you think it's a 'steal.'
9. You have the following sets of friend: school friends, college friends, neighborhood friends, office friends and yes, train friends, a species unique only in Bombay. (REALLY TRUE!)
10. Cabbies and bus conductors think you are from Mars if you call the roads by their Indian name, they are more familiar with Warden Road, Peddar Road, Altamount Road ....
11. Stock market quotes are the only other thing* besides cricket which you follow passionately.
12. The first thing that you read in the Times of India is the 'Bombay Times' supplement.
13. You take fashion seriously.
14.You're suspicious of strangers who are actually nice to you-Hookers, beggars and the homeless are invisible.
16. You compare Bombay to New York 's Manhattan instead of any other cities of India.
16. The most frequently used part of your car is the horn.
17. You insist on calling CST as VT, and Sahar and Santacruz airports instead of Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
18. You consider eye contact an act of overt aggression.
19. Your idea of personal space is no one actually standing on your toes.
20. Being truly alone makes you nervous.
21. You love wading through knee deep mucky water in the monsoons, and actually call it ''romantic'.
22. Only in Bombay, you would get Chinese Dosa and Jain Chicken

Salaam Bombay!!

-Anonymous Mumbaite