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Menstrual blood yields stem cells
Australian Broadcasting Corporation ^ | 03.14.06 | Martha Kerr

Posted on 03/13/2006 6:30:48 PM PST by Coleus

Japanese researchers have harvested stem cells from human menstrual blood, a medical conference has heard. The researchers say these stem cells could be coaxed into forming specialised heart cells, which might one-day be used to treat failing or damaged hearts.

At the meeting of the American College of Cardiology, Dr Shunichiro Miyoshi reported that he and his colleagues at Keio University in Tokyo collected menstrual blood from six women and harvested stem cells that originated in the lining of the uterus.

They were able to obtain about 30 times more stem cells from menstrual blood than from bone marrow, Miyoshi says. The stem cells were then cultured in a way to induce them to become heart cells. After five days about half of the cells contracted "spontaneously, rhythmical and synchronously, suggesting the presence of electrical communication" between the cells, Miyoshi says.

That is to say, they behaved like heart cells.

The researcher explains that already stem cells derived from bone marrow have been improved heart function, mainly by producing new blood vessels rather than new heart-muscle tissue. He emphasises that it is important that these cells be obtained from younger patients, because they would have a longer lifespan than cells harvested from older donors.


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Science
KEYWORDS: adultstemcells; heart; heartcells; menstrualblood; menstruation; stemcells
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1 posted on 03/13/2006 6:30:49 PM PST by Coleus
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To: Coleus

I'm glad I'm not in medical research....


2 posted on 03/13/2006 6:31:53 PM PST by gondramB (Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is God's.)
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To: Coleus

mmmm...okay.


3 posted on 03/13/2006 6:32:12 PM PST by Perdogg (The Opinions expressed by Perdogg are correct and should be relied upon)
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To: Coleus

Yuck!

But I'm not surprised at this at all. Could be a valuable discovery.


4 posted on 03/13/2006 6:35:27 PM PST by LegendHasIt
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To: Coleus

Anybody want the rest of my steak?


5 posted on 03/13/2006 6:35:33 PM PST by wizardoz
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To: 2ndMostConservativeBrdMember; afraidfortherepublic; Alas; al_c; american colleen; annalex; ...


6 posted on 03/13/2006 6:36:34 PM PST by Coleus (Roe v. Wade and Endangered Species Act both passed in 1973, Murder Babies/save trees, birds, algae)
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To: Grannyx4

"Don't trust anything that bleeds for five days but doesn't die."


7 posted on 03/13/2006 6:36:58 PM PST by LongElegantLegs (Going armed to the terror of the public.)
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To: Coleus

I don't want to be the first man to get an injection of menstrual blood and brag about it at the gym.


8 posted on 03/13/2006 6:37:03 PM PST by Dog Gone
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To: gondramB
sounds kind of yucky
9 posted on 03/13/2006 6:37:11 PM PST by Coleus (Roe v. Wade and Endangered Species Act both passed in 1973, Murder Babies/save trees, birds, algae)
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To: wizardoz

Not if it's rare. eeewwwww


10 posted on 03/13/2006 6:37:17 PM PST by Chena (I'm not young enough to know everything.)
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To: Coleus
he and his colleagues at Keio University in Tokyo collected menstrual blood from six women

Uhh YUCK!

Ok the result is nice but the method.. Yuck and double yuck!

11 posted on 03/13/2006 6:37:24 PM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (Tagline suffering from jet lag)
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To: Coleus

The blood is the life....Renfield.


12 posted on 03/13/2006 6:38:31 PM PST by TASMANIANRED (The Internet is the samizdat of liberty..)
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To: Coleus

Very exciting.

Just read about the use of stem cells and donor corneal cells to repairs a man's eyes, blind from early childhood.


13 posted on 03/13/2006 6:39:43 PM PST by School of Rational Thought (Republican - The thinking people's party)
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To: Coleus

Oh-boy. A thread for the intellectuals.


14 posted on 03/13/2006 6:40:14 PM PST by bannie (The government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend upon the support of Paul.)
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Somebody go tell nancy reagan.


15 posted on 03/13/2006 6:40:21 PM PST by solitas (So what if I support an OS that has fewer flaws than yours? 'Mystic' dual 500 G4's, OSX.4.2)
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To: TASMANIANRED

Yeh - ALWAYS listen to a guy who ate spiders and cackled maniacally.


16 posted on 03/13/2006 6:41:40 PM PST by solitas (So what if I support an OS that has fewer flaws than yours? 'Mystic' dual 500 G4's, OSX.4.2)
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To: wizardoz

Only if it's rare, and still bleedin'!

True story - back in high school, taking a tour of the Houston Medical Center with Health Occupations class, we watched some open heart surgery, visited a morgue, and even toured the OR's at St. Joeseph's Hospital.

Afterwards, we went to Pizza Hut, where half of us (at least) asked for extra sauce on the pizza... very yummy!


17 posted on 03/13/2006 6:44:55 PM PST by Ro_Thunder ("Other than ending SLAVERY, FASCISM, NAZISM and COMMUNISM, war has never solved anything")
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To: solitas
Hop two threads up and you'll find out there's a group in Missouri that wants to enshrine a right to research stem cells in their state constitution.

And there it was..... And a thought, a Bible verse, a prophecy we had not before recognized:

Mark 12:10

Haven't you even read this Scripture:'The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner. (WEB)

Have ye not read even this scripture: The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner; (ASV)

Have you not seen this which is in the Writings: The stone which the builders put on one side, the same was made the chief stone of the building: (BBE)

Have ye not even read this scripture, The stone which they that builded rejected, this has become the corner-stone: (DBY)

And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: (KJV)

And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: (WBS)

"Have you not read even this passage," He added, "'The stone which the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone: (WEY)

And this Writing did ye not read: A stone that the builders rejected, it did become the head of a corner: (YLT)

18 posted on 03/13/2006 6:49:57 PM PST by muawiyah (-)
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To: Ro_Thunder

*LOL* In my senior year of HS we got to visit the Gross Anatomy Lab at the University of Louisville. After staring at a body that had been preserved for well over a year, listening to the professor do his little speech in front of us and another schools anatomy class, our class turned to look at each other and discuss plans for lunch. McDonald's won, and the look on the other classes face was priceless. Good times, good times...


19 posted on 03/13/2006 7:04:26 PM PST by Severa (I can't take this stress anymore...quick, get me a marker to sniff....)
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To: Coleus

What's really interesting -- all those women who had bone marrow transplants - or cord blood bone marrow transplants -- from male donors - will have male stem cells in their uterine lining. Even when they're pregnant.


20 posted on 03/13/2006 7:06:12 PM PST by hocndoc (http://www.lifeethics.org/www.lifeethics.org/index.html)
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