Posted on 03/05/2006 7:11:17 PM PST by Incorrigible
Since revelation of fabricated research, other biotechnology achievements are scrutinized
SEOUL, S. Korea // When Hwang Mi Soon rose from her wheelchair and shuffled forward with the aid of a metal walker, her small steps were trumpeted around the world. "Stem-Cell Gal's Miracle Steps," crowed the New York Post in November 2004, while a New Zealand newspaper proclaimed, "Miracle Cure for Paralysis." Photos of the 37-year-old South Korean woman who was smiling through her tears accompanied the pronouncements.
Today there are only the tears.
Hwang is back in the wheelchair, which she has used since falling off a bridge as a teenager. She said the purported miracle treatment - which entailed injecting umbilical stem cells into her damaged spine - had only fleeting benefits that wore off after a few weeks. A second procedure in March 2005 caused an infection and left her in constant pain.
"I was like an animal they used for testing," a bitter Hwang said...
Regulations were eased in mid-2004 to allow experimental procedures with stem cells to be performed on what were defined loosely as "emergency cases."
But in the wake of the disclosures about Hwang Woo Suk, the bubble has burst.
With much of the human cloning research proving to have been fabricated, other purported achievements in biotechnology are coming under scrutiny. ...
Jeong Yeong Seon, a neurosurgeon at Bundang Cha Hospital who is now Hwang's doctor, said injecting stem cells into his patient's spine probably relieved some of the pressure temporarily but did not lead to any meaningful improvement.
"There should have been more clinical testing on animals before they tried these procedures on people," Jeong said.
(Excerpt) Read more at baltimoresun.com ...
It's a damn shame that NJ Tax Dollars are going to support an embryonic stem cell lab started by the disgraced Governor McGreevey. And NJ is broke!
Ping
I should mention that despite the fact that the umbilical cord stem cells did not work in the case of the women mentioned in the article, there is a FReeper that has a link to a whole host of helpful procedures using these stem cells versus embrionic stem cells.
As science becomes more complex, it becomes easier to hoodwink the folks.
The problem with umbilical stem cells is that they do not upset people who care about the sanctity of life. Thus they do not provide a way for left wing nuts to feel superior to the rest of us.
bump & a ping
I wonder the mere fact that anything was injected into the spine gave the temporary effect.
A Stem Cell Therapy Answer to Uncurable Diseases
Article has a photo of the patient using a walker
They need to bring back sham surgery. Many years ago they showed that people receiving sham open-heart surgery did just as well as people who got the real thing. Unfortunately it was deemed to be "unethical" by the medicine men.
I don't think the the two have anything to do with each other.
First, Bush, rightfully IMO, was blocking fetal stem cell use and experimentation from new "lines" (ie; additional babies would have been killed). This was research using umbilical stem cells.
Secondly, since Kerry, Edwards and the majority of the democrats have no reservations about distorting the truth or lying outright in order to try to bring down Bush, we will never hear any apology from their ilk.
BTTT
BTTT
The modern religion of secular humanism must have its current rituals offered by its current priests.
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