LATEST NEWS ON ANTIAGING

From frizzy perms to over-bleached waves, "bad hair days" could soon become a less frequent occurrence. Chemists report the first detailed microscopic analysis of what happens to individual hair fibers when they interact with each other, an advance in knowledge key to the development of improved shampoos, conditioners, and other products for repairing damaged hair, the researchers say. They presented the study at the American Chemical Society's 236th National Meeting.
08/18/2008

The Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals (SPCP) is conducting its first European Workshop, which will be held in Brussels, Belgium October 12-14, 2008. This groundbreaking event is being held in consideration of hundreds of International SPCP members. The SPCP values and appreciates the support and attendance put forth by its European members at annual SPCP events in the U.S.
08/14/2008

Evera Medical announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted conditional approval of the Company's investigational device exemption (IDE) application for its FulFil Lip cosmetic augmentation implant. This approval allows Evera Medical to assess the safety and effectiveness of the FulFil Lip implant in patients undergoing aesthetic lip enhancement.
08/13/2008

More U.S. patients have begun to travel abroad or visit retail clinics for medical services, practices that could reduce expenses for consumers and health insurers but also could cost physicians and hospitals billions of dollars in revenue annually, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports. According to a report recently released by the
08/06/2008

Findings from a study published in the July/August 2008 issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal show a marked improvement in quality of life for patients who underwent breast reduction surgery, indicating that benefits of the procedure go beyond the mere aesthetic result. One hundred patients with breast hypertrophy were chosen to participate in the study, and randomly allocated into two groups.
08/05/2008

A recent study investigating the relationship between complications of body contouring surgery and body mass index has confirmed an increase in the occurrence of such complications with worsening degree of obesity. Findings from the study are published in the July/August 2008 issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, the peer-reviewed publication of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).
08/01/2008

The New York Times on Monday examined how "dermatology is fast becoming a two-tier business in which higher-paying customers" seeking cosmetic procedures "often receive greater pampering" than "medical patients for whom health insurance pays fixed reimbursement rates.
07/29/2008

Gel-Del Technologies, a St. Paul, Minnesota based biomedical device company announced that it has concluded clinical trials of CosmetaLife, a dermal filler injection that company officials say holds potential to be a more effective alternative to currently available treatments for deep lines and wrinkles that activates a more natural skin correction. The company began clinical trials of CosmetaLife, a gel-particle product for injection to correct wrinkles, at six U.S.
07/25/2008

PEAK Surgical, Inc., a medical device company that has developed a new tissue dissection system based on a proprietary technology, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted the company 510(k) clearance to market its PEAK(R) Surgery System for use in general surgery. The PEAK Surgery System combines the PULSAR(TM) Generator, which supplies pulsed plasma radiofrequency energy, with the PEAK PlasmaBlade(TM) 4.
07/25/2008

Is Breast Reduction More Dangerous for Morbidly Obese Women? As the obese population increases, more overweight women are consulting plastic surgeons for breast reductions. In previous studies, this group of patients had been thought to have higher complication rates. The authors of this study, however, found it to be as safe to perform large-volume breast reductions in morbidly obese women as slimmer patients.
07/24/2008

Dr. Michael Law, a board certified plastic surgeon in Raleigh, North Carolina, sees patients from all parts of the world seeking natural looking plastic surgery. "Fat grafting has changed the results of facial plastic surgery dramatically. Traditional facelifts simply do not provide the natural result of microfat grafting," says Dr. Law. Fat grafting has been performed by plastic surgeons for decades.
07/24/2008

Fat removed from the lower abdomen and inner thigh through liposuction was found to be an excellent source of stem cells, with higher stem cell concentrations than other areas of the body, reports a Brazilian-based study in August's Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery(R), the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
07/24/2008

Ekkyo (formerly known as Heatwave Technology) a photomedicine company, which develops first-in-class laser-based systems for skin scar prevention and reduction, announced the publication of a scientific article in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine reporting the results of a pilot study on cutaneous scar prevention by LASH.
07/23/2008

Burns in children are a complex and all-too common injury requiring coordinated care to achieve good medical, functional, and psychological outcomes. A thorough update in a wide range of areas affecting treatment and rehabilitation for "The Burned Child" is presented in a special topic section of the July Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.
07/22/2008

In a groundbreaking study involving 75 African American patients, Dr. Oleh Slupchynskyj, Founder and Director of The Aesthetic Facial Surgery Institute of New York and New Jersey, statistically proves a unique three-tiered surgical approach in rhinoplasty results in an excellent degree of preservation of ethnic characteristics, very high patient satisfaction postoperatively and consistently increased self-esteem.
07/21/2008

Medistem Laboratories (OTCBB: MEDS) reported positive efficacy data supporting development of its lead product, the Endometrial Regenerative Cell (ERC) for treatment of an advanced form of peripheral artery disease known as critical limb ischemia. In the peer reviewed publication, a collaborative team supported by Medistem reported that administration of ERC preserved leg function and viability in animals induced to mimic the human condition of critical limb ischemia.
08/20/2008

US scientists have developed an efficient way to make mature red blood cells on a large scale using human embryonic stem cells to make young red blood cells and then maturing them in the lab. The development opens the possibility of making almost unlimited amounts of transfusion blood in the lab although experts caution there are still many hurdles to overcome.
08/20/2008

STEM cell scientists have developed a more accurate way of identifying aggressive forms of bowel cancer, which should eventually lead to better treatment and survival rates. The UK-led team, headed by scientists from Durham University and the North East England Stem Cell Institute, (NESCI*), studied tissue samples from 700 colorectal cancer patients and tracked their progress.
08/20/2008

Human embryonic stem cells trigger an immune response in mice, researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine report. The finding suggests that the effectiveness of human therapies derived from the cells could be limited unless ways are found to dampen the rejection response. The researchers found the immune response in mice could be mitigated by the use of common antirejection medications.
08/20/2008

Cells obtained from menstrual blood, termed 'endometrial regenerative cells' (ERCs) are capable of restoring blood flow in an animal model of advanced peripheral artery disease. A study published in BioMed Central's open access Journal of Translational Medicine demonstrates that when circulation-blocked mice were treated with ERC injections, circulation and functionality were restored.
08/19/2008

Presidential candidates Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Saturday at a forum moderated by the influential evangelical minister Rev. Rick Warren at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., discussed their positions on abortion rights and human embryonic stem cell research, the Wall Street Journal reports.
08/19/2008

In a study of 25 bone marrow donors, treatment with plerixafor, an antagonist able to disrupt a critical pathway associated with stem cell mobilization, was shown to mobilize cells faster than treatment with granular colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), the current standard method used to collect bone marrow stem cells from healthy donors.
08/19/2008

Ning Zhang, assistant professor of bioengineering at Clemson University and the CU-MUSC Bioengineering Program, has received the prestigious 2008 Early Career Translational Research Award from the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation. The foundation judged Zhang's research on an injectable hydrogel-based system for the treatment of stroke to be a highly promising technology that can progress towards commercial development and clinical practice.
08/18/2008

A fifth young scientist from the Stanford University School of Medicine has received funding from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine through its efforts to foster the next generation of stem cell researchers. Ching-Pin Chang, MD, PhD, assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine, was awarded $3.1 million over a five-year period for his proposal to investigate the role of stem cells in the restenosis, or narrowing, of coronary arteries enlarged by angioplasty.
08/18/2008

The Genetics Policy Institute (GPI) will hold its annual Stem Cell Action Awards dinner on Monday, September 22, at Alliant Energy Center as part of the 2008 World Stem Cell Summit in Madison, Wisconsin. The 2008 awards dinner is underwritten by Promega Corporation. Through the Stem Cell Action Awards, the Genetics Policy Institute recognizes organizations and individuals who have most positively impacted the stem cell community.
08/18/2008

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The clinical manifestations of CMV disease are serious and range from gastrointestinal disease to life-threatening pneumonia, myelosuppression, retinitis, and encephalitis.
08/15/2008

Opponents of a proposed ballot initiative to loosen Michigan's restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research on Monday launched a campaign to defeat the measure, saying it would lead to human cloning, the Detroit News reports. State Sen.
08/14/2008

Supporters of increased federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research are concerned that Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) would do an "about-face" on the issue to appeal to abortion-rights opponents if he is elected, The Hill reports.
08/14/2008

New research sheds light on the biological events by which stem cells in the bone marrow develop into the broad variety of cells that circulate in the blood. The findings may help improve the success of bone marrow transplants and may lead to better treatments for life-threatening blood diseases. "As we better understand the biological pathways that regulate the growth of stem cells, we may identify new approaches for treating blood disorders," said study leader Wei Tong, Ph.D.
08/14/2008

Australia's regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast Limited (ASX:MSB)(PINK:MBLTY), announced successful preclinical trial results which showed that its proprietary adult stem cells regenerated and regrew damaged knee cartilage in post-menopausal osteoarthritis.
08/12/2008

Chronic lead poisoning, caused in part by the ingestion of contaminated dirt, affects hundreds of thousands more children in the United States than the acute lead poisoning associated with imported toys or jewelry. Could treating contaminated soil with water prevent this public health scourge? In a study appearing in the August issue of the journal Applied Geochemistry, Gabriel M. Filippelli, Ph.D.
08/20/2008

The Woods Institute for the Environment has awarded five faculty planning grants to develop long-term research programs at Stanford that help solve the world's urgent demands for fresh water.
08/20/2008

Over 170 collaborating organizations will meet to discuss issues around water and its impact on health, the environment, and poverty alleviation, at the annual World Water Week to be held in Stockholm from August 17 to 23. This year's theme; Progress and Prospects on Water: For a Clean and Healthy World includes a special focus on sanitation and hygiene. 2008 is the International Year of Sanitation (IYS).
08/19/2008

Scientists have discovered why one of the world's most important agricultural diseases emerged, according to research published in the September issue of the Journal of General Virology. Maize streak virus (MSV) causes the main virus disease of Africa's most important food crop. By comparing the genome of the virus to those of its less harmful relatives, scientists have discovered how and why MSV became a serious pest and spread so rapidly across Africa.
08/19/2008

Ah, nothing like breathing clean coastal air, right? Think again. Chemists at UC San Diego have measured for the first time the impact that dirty smoke from ships cruising at sea and generating electricity in port can have on the air quality of coastal cities.
08/19/2008

Tetra-Amido Macrocyclic Ligands (TAMLs) are environmentally friendly catalysts with a host of applications for reducing and cleaning up pollutants, and a prime example of "green chemistry." Carnegie Mellon University's Terry Collins, the catalyst's inventor, believes that the small-molecule catalysts have the potential to be even more effective than previously proven.
08/19/2008

One in three U.S. public schools are in the "air pollution danger zone," according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC). UC researchers have found that more than 30 percent of American public schools are within 400 meters, or a quarter mile, of major highways that consistently serve as main truck and traffic routes.
08/19/2008

A previously unrecognized group of air pollutants could have effects remarkably similar to harmful substances found in tobacco smoke, Louisiana scientists are reporting in a study scheduled for presentation at the 236th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. Inhaling those pollutants exposes the average person up to 300 times more free radicals daily than from smoking one cigarette, they added.
08/18/2008

When entrepreneurial geneticist Craig Venter sailed around the world on his yacht sequencing samples of seawater, it was an ambitious project to use genetics to understand invisible ecological communities. But his scientific legacy was disappointing - a jumble of mystery DNA fragments belonging to thousands of unknown organisms.
08/18/2008

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures show that in the 10 year-period between 1997/98 to 2006/07 there were 399 fatal accidents involving farm workers and 134 of these fatal incidents occurred during the harvest months of August, September and October. HSE is urging all farmers to take extra precautions with agricultural machinery during the harvest season.
08/18/2008

An international team of researchers led by Monash University has used chemicals found in plants to replicate a key process in photosynthesis paving the way to a new approach that uses sunlight to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The breakthrough could revolutionise the renewable energy industry by making hydrogen - touted as the clean, green fuel of the future - cheaper and easier to produce on a commercial scale.
08/18/2008

A global study led by Professor Robert Diaz of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, shows that the number of "dead zones" - areas of seafloor with too little oxygen for most marine life - has increased by a third between 1995 and 2007.
08/17/2008

Progress toward addressing the issues of bycatch and marine debris reduction will be featured at the MCA's booth at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The 138th Annual Meeting of the AFS takes place at the Ottawa Congress Centre and Westin Hotel August 17-21, 2008. The theme of the meeting is "Fisheries in Flux: How Do We Ensure Our Sustainable Future.
08/16/2008

Palestinian and German scientists have recommended to the authorities in the Gaza Strip that they take immediate measures to combat excessive nitrate levels in the drinking water.
08/16/2008

Using a novel theoretical approach, researchers from NASA and other institutions have identified the common thread that determines how aerosols from human activity, like the particles from burning of vegetation and forests, influence cloud cover and ultimately affect climate. The study improves researchers' ability to predict whether aerosols will increase or decrease cloud cover.
08/15/2008