Successful stem cell therapy for treatment of eye disease

Newcastle, United Kingdom, December, 2009 -- Newly published research, by investigators, at the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) in the journal Stem Cells reported the first successful treatment of eight patients with "Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency" (LSCD) using the patients' own stem cells without the need of suppressing their immunity.

LSCD is a painful, blinding disease that requires long-term, costly treatment with frequent clinic visits and intensive hospital admissions. The vision loss due to LSCD makes this disease not only costly, but often requires social support due to the enormous impact on patient's quality of life. This is further magnified by the fact that LSCD mostly affects young patients.

Dr Francisco Figueiredo, a member of the NESCI team, said, "Corneal cloudiness has been estimated to cause blindness in 8 million people (10% of total blindness) worldwide each year. A large number of ocular surface diseases, both acquired and congenital, share features of partial or complete LSCD. "

Chemical burns to the eye are the most common cause of LSCD.

Professor Lako said: "This study demonstrates that transplantation of cultured corneal stem cells without the use of animal cells or products is a safe and effective method of reconstructing the corneal surface and restoring useful sight in patients with unilateral LSCD.

"This research shows promise to help hundreds of people regain their sight. These exciting results offer a new treatment and hope for people with LSCD."

Professor Michael Whitaker FMedSci, Co-Director of NESCI, which is a collaboration between Durham and Newcastle Universities, Newcastle NHS Foundation Trust and other partners, said: "Stem cells from bone marrow have been used successfully for many years to treat cancer and immune disease, but this is the first successful stem cell therapy using stem cells from the eye without animal products to treat disease, an important step towards the clinic. Because the early results look so promising, we are thinking hard now about how to bring this treatment rapidly into the clinic as we complete the necessary clinical trials, so that the treatment can be shared with all patients that might benefit."

"The Newcastle team has obtained some very impressive results in patients following stem cell transplants to repair the surface of the cornea. It is hugely exciting to see that a type of stem cell therapy can now be applied routinely to treat a form of blindness," said Professor Robin Ali, FMedSci, Department of Genetics, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London. "These results also provide us with further encouragement to develop stem cell therapies to repair the retina in order to treat conditions such as age related macular degeneration."

A larger study involving 24 new patients is currently underway with funding from the UK's Medical Research Council.

The Best Natural Dark Circles Treatment

Have you been staying up late thinking what would be the best dark circles treatment that will work for you?
Surely, you've already seen what it can do to your appearance and this is why you're reading this article. Dark under eye circles is a common beauty problem for both teens and adults. Basically, anyone can get them. As for the causes, these can vary from one person to the other.
As we have mentioned, lack of sleep is one of the major causes, but this is not the only one. Certain bad habits can bring about these dreaded dark circles. For example, excessive drinking of alcohol and smoking can also make them appear under your eyes.
They can also be hereditary since there are people who are more predisposed to getting them compared to others. Nutritional imbalance is another reason; if your body doesn't get all the nutrients it requires for it to be able to repair its damage cells then dark circles might start appearing.
Aging can also cause dark circles because as we get older, the skin underneath our eyes thins even further thus making the veins more visible. There are a few more reasons why dark circles occur but the ones mentioned above are the most common. If you have them, don't fret, because there are plenty of natural dark circles treatments available for you to try.
In fact, many of these natural remedies can be found right in your kitchen. You could be eating some of them right now! Shall we begin our overview of some of the best natural dark circles treatment?
Let's start with the cucumber. Surely, you have heard or seen people who use cucumber slices to de-puff their eyes. It is not a myth. It really is effective. It would reduce the redness and the bruise like hue of the pigmentation under your eyes thus making it less visible. It also refreshes the eyes and relieves pressure.
Green tea bags are another great natural remedy. You simply cool two tea bags and place it about each eye. Leave it on for about 10 - 15 minutes before rinsing it off. Green tea is a natural antioxidant, and as such, it would help refresh your eyes therefore reducing the dark circles.
You should also follow the doctor's recommendations and drink 8 glasses of water to help yourself hydrated and your skin moisturized. It would do you a lot of good. But what about eye creams?
Well, there are plenty of eye creams available everywhere. They can be quite expensive, but there are also affordable ones as well. Most of them do work but a good majority of them simply work on the symptoms and not on the problem. Besides, many of them contain synthetic ingredients which can be very dangerous for both your eyes and skin.
Think about it, your skin is absorbing all these potentially toxic ingredients and it gets into your bloodstream. With regular use, you might develop an unwanted side effect which is something you don't want. So why not go for something safe and gentler? A natural dark circles treatment is definitely one of the best choices.

Removes Dark Under Eye Circles

Hydrolyze has succeeded at creating the first intensive eye cream to effectively combat not one but TWO of the most aggravating beauty problems...dark under eye circles and wrinkles. Hydrolyze works so well because it combines the two most effective leading ingredients at making your eyes look younger and brighter:

Hydrolyze’s main active ingredient, Haloxyl® is patented and scientifically proven to help reduce the leaked blood under the skin (or “hemoglobin degradation by-products” as the plastic surgeons say) by using a series of natural enzymes that break down the blood and cause the dark circles to fade. In fact, Haloxyl® is so effective because it actually helps strengthen the capillaries to help prevent them from leaking in the first place.

In a double-blind clinical trial more than 72% of women who had serious dark circles and used Haloxyl® saw an obvious visible reduction in the dark color under their eyes. These findings were confirmed using high-speed laboratory photography that clearly showed a significant reduction in the appearance of the blue and red color that make up dark eye circles.

Matrixyl 3000™, is the other main active ingredients in Hydrolyze®, works by supporting three key building blocks needed for fresh, youthful skin. It helps your skin to produce more of its natural levels of the Collagen, Hyaluronic Acid, and Fibronectin. According to the clinical studies on Matrixyl 3000™, the long-term cumulative results begin almost immediately and are easily noticeable within weeks:

• 33% decrease in the appearance of wrinkle density
• 23% decrease in the appearance of wrinkle volume
• 20% decrease in the appearance of wrinkle depth

Despite what most people think, deep, dark circles under your eyes are not primarily caused by being tired or stressed. Actually, the dark circles are caused by capillaries that leak blood close to the skin’s surface. When this blood begins to oxidize it turns a bluish red color, similar to an ugly bruise. And since the skin under the eyes is very thin, this leads to the appearance of those embarrassing bags and dark circles. Dermatologists and plastic surgeons agree – only the ingredients in Hydrolyze can fix dark under eye circles and bags.

Until now Hydrolyze has only been available through plastic surgeons’ offices in New York and Beverly Hills. But now you can experience first-hand the unique results of Hydrolyze's anti-aging technology in combating both dark circles and wrinkles without a visit to a doctor. That’s because Hydrolyze is finally available to the public. Hydrolyze works -- this is a product that has been proven by clinical trials and real results. If you want to look younger and restore the natural beauty in your eyes, it's time to try one of the greatest breakthroughs in fighting dark circles and wrinkles. Order your 30-day risk free trial today and get a free Balancing Toner from the Hydrolyze product range (a $40 value).