Re: Re: Stem Cells Put Woman's Arthritis in Remission

[Guest guest]

Jennie,

There are more than 100 joints connecting the body's 206 bones and this girl

had arthritis in 38 of the joints.

a

>

> Wow, this is incredible. But why did they say she had RA in 38

> joints. You have RA in your whole body. That makes me suspicious,

> when they can't even describe the disease right. Shouldn't someone

> who did the study be reviewing the news article for accuracy?

>

> If this is true, what an amazing break through.

>

>

>> Stem Cells Put Woman's Arthritis in Remission

>>

>> Wed Aug 25, 4:42 PM ET

>>

>>

>> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Transplanting stem cells from a healthy

> woman to

>> her sister with severe rheumatoid arthritis apparently cured the

> disease,

>> researchers report in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

>>

>> At the Northwestern University in Chicago, researchers led by Dr.

> K.

>> Burt used stem cells from the sibling to treat a 52-year-old woman

> with

>> rheumatoid arthritis in 38 joints.

>>

>> Prior to transplantation, the woman was given various drugs to

> increase the

>> odds that her body wouldn't reject the cells.

>>

>> Her morning stiffness disappeared before she was discharged from the

>> hospital and did not recur. Her rheumatoid nodules were completely

> gone 9

>> months after transplantation and now one year later the patient is

>> disease-free and is not taking any drugs to suppress her immune

> system.

>>

>> At 10 months after transplantation, the patient became infected

> with the

>> shingles virus, but the disease responded well to the drug

> acyclovir. There

>> was no evidence that the transplanted cells attacked the patient's

> own

>> cells, a condition called graft-versus-host disease that is

> essentially the

>> opposite of what occurs with rejection.

>>

>> The procedure, the researchers conclude, " may be performed safely,

> without

>> the development of graft versus host disease or serious infection,

> and

>> results in ... marked resolution of the disease manifestations of

> rheumatoid

>> arthritis. "

>>

>> SOURCE: Arthritis and Rheumatism, August 2004.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Jennie,

There are more than 100 joints connecting the body's 206 bones and this girl

had arthritis in 38 of the joints.

a

>

> Wow, this is incredible. But why did they say she had RA in 38

> joints. You have RA in your whole body. That makes me suspicious,

> when they can't even describe the disease right. Shouldn't someone

> who did the study be reviewing the news article for accuracy?

>

> If this is true, what an amazing break through.

>

>

>> Stem Cells Put Woman's Arthritis in Remission

>>

>> Wed Aug 25, 4:42 PM ET

>>

>>

>> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Transplanting stem cells from a healthy

> woman to

>> her sister with severe rheumatoid arthritis apparently cured the

> disease,

>> researchers report in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

>>

>> At the Northwestern University in Chicago, researchers led by Dr.

> K.

>> Burt used stem cells from the sibling to treat a 52-year-old woman

> with

>> rheumatoid arthritis in 38 joints.

>>

>> Prior to transplantation, the woman was given various drugs to

> increase the

>> odds that her body wouldn't reject the cells.

>>

>> Her morning stiffness disappeared before she was discharged from the

>> hospital and did not recur. Her rheumatoid nodules were completely

> gone 9

>> months after transplantation and now one year later the patient is

>> disease-free and is not taking any drugs to suppress her immune

> system.

>>

>> At 10 months after transplantation, the patient became infected

> with the

>> shingles virus, but the disease responded well to the drug

> acyclovir. There

>> was no evidence that the transplanted cells attacked the patient's

> own

>> cells, a condition called graft-versus-host disease that is

> essentially the

>> opposite of what occurs with rejection.

>>

>> The procedure, the researchers conclude, " may be performed safely,

> without

>> the development of graft versus host disease or serious infection,

> and

>> results in ... marked resolution of the disease manifestations of

> rheumatoid

>> arthritis. "

>>

>> SOURCE: Arthritis and Rheumatism, August 2004.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

a- This is really interesting. My sister and I are identical twins...she

doesn't have RA. Wonder if Sharon was donor my RA would/could technically be

cured?? I am sure there is a lot to the procedure...but really interesting.

> Jennie,

> There are more than 100 joints connecting the body's 206 bones and this girl

> had arthritis in 38 of the joints.

> a

>

>

> >

> > Wow, this is incredible. But why did they say she had RA in 38

> > joints. You have RA in your whole body. That makes me suspicious,

> > when they can't even describe the disease right. Shouldn't someone

> > who did the study be reviewing the news article for accuracy?

> >

> > If this is true, what an amazing break through.

> >

> >

> >> Stem Cells Put Woman's Arthritis in Remission

> >>

> >> Wed Aug 25, 4:42 PM ET

> >>

> >>

> >> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Transplanting stem cells from a healthy

> > woman to

> >> her sister with severe rheumatoid arthritis apparently cured the

> > disease,

> >> researchers report in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

> >>

> >> At the Northwestern University in Chicago, researchers led by Dr.

> > K.

> >> Burt used stem cells from the sibling to treat a 52-year-old woman

> > with

> >> rheumatoid arthritis in 38 joints.

> >>

> >> Prior to transplantation, the woman was given various drugs to

> > increase the

> >> odds that her body wouldn't reject the cells.

> >>

> >> Her morning stiffness disappeared before she was discharged from the

> >> hospital and did not recur. Her rheumatoid nodules were completely

> > gone 9

> >> months after transplantation and now one year later the patient is

> >> disease-free and is not taking any drugs to suppress her immune

> > system.

> >>

> >> At 10 months after transplantation, the patient became infected

> > with the

> >> shingles virus, but the disease responded well to the drug

> > acyclovir. There

> >> was no evidence that the transplanted cells attacked the patient's

> > own

> >> cells, a condition called graft-versus-host disease that is

> > essentially the

> >> opposite of what occurs with rejection.

> >>

> >> The procedure, the researchers conclude, " may be performed safely,

> > without

> >> the development of graft versus host disease or serious infection,

> > and

> >> results in ... marked resolution of the disease manifestations of

> > rheumatoid

> >> arthritis. "

> >>

> >> SOURCE: Arthritis and Rheumatism, August 2004.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

a- This is really interesting. My sister and I are identical twins...she

doesn't have RA. Wonder if Sharon was donor my RA would/could technically be

cured?? I am sure there is a lot to the procedure...but really interesting.

> Jennie,

> There are more than 100 joints connecting the body's 206 bones and this girl

> had arthritis in 38 of the joints.

> a

>

>

> >

> > Wow, this is incredible. But why did they say she had RA in 38

> > joints. You have RA in your whole body. That makes me suspicious,

> > when they can't even describe the disease right. Shouldn't someone

> > who did the study be reviewing the news article for accuracy?

> >

> > If this is true, what an amazing break through.

> >

> >

> >> Stem Cells Put Woman's Arthritis in Remission

> >>

> >> Wed Aug 25, 4:42 PM ET

> >>

> >>

> >> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Transplanting stem cells from a healthy

> > woman to

> >> her sister with severe rheumatoid arthritis apparently cured the

> > disease,

> >> researchers report in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

> >>

> >> At the Northwestern University in Chicago, researchers led by Dr.

> > K.

> >> Burt used stem cells from the sibling to treat a 52-year-old woman

> > with

> >> rheumatoid arthritis in 38 joints.

> >>

> >> Prior to transplantation, the woman was given various drugs to

> > increase the

> >> odds that her body wouldn't reject the cells.

> >>

> >> Her morning stiffness disappeared before she was discharged from the

> >> hospital and did not recur. Her rheumatoid nodules were completely

> > gone 9

> >> months after transplantation and now one year later the patient is

> >> disease-free and is not taking any drugs to suppress her immune

> > system.

> >>

> >> At 10 months after transplantation, the patient became infected

> > with the

> >> shingles virus, but the disease responded well to the drug

> > acyclovir. There

> >> was no evidence that the transplanted cells attacked the patient's

> > own

> >> cells, a condition called graft-versus-host disease that is

> > essentially the

> >> opposite of what occurs with rejection.

> >>

> >> The procedure, the researchers conclude, " may be performed safely,

> > without

> >> the development of graft versus host disease or serious infection,

> > and

> >> results in ... marked resolution of the disease manifestations of

> > rheumatoid

> >> arthritis. "

> >>

> >> SOURCE: Arthritis and Rheumatism, August 2004.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Jennie,

If you've ever read clinical trial qualifications, sometimes they will

specify that the joint count has to be a certain number or higher in order

to qualify. I was surprised when I was being evaluated for a clinical trial

and they counted my joint count way higher than I did. That is when I found

out that I counted my ankle joint as one joint and they counted it as about

5. Then there are all those bones in the feet that add up!

a

> Well I should have know, someone actually counts them! If ever

> asked, I will just say I have RA in multiple joints.

>

>

>> Jennie,

>> There are more than 100 joints connecting the body's 206 bones and

> this girl

>> had arthritis in 38 of the joints.

>> a

[Guest guest]

Jennie,

If you've ever read clinical trial qualifications, sometimes they will

specify that the joint count has to be a certain number or higher in order

to qualify. I was surprised when I was being evaluated for a clinical trial

and they counted my joint count way higher than I did. That is when I found

out that I counted my ankle joint as one joint and they counted it as about

5. Then there are all those bones in the feet that add up!

a

> Well I should have know, someone actually counts them! If ever

> asked, I will just say I have RA in multiple joints.

>

>

>> Jennie,

>> There are more than 100 joints connecting the body's 206 bones and

> this girl

>> had arthritis in 38 of the joints.

>> a

[Guest guest]

It may be worth a phone call to Dr Burt and see if he is taking patients.

Maybe he is going to do a clinical trial, and if so I'd think he'd be very

interested in identical twins.

a

>

> a- This is really interesting. My sister and I are identical twins...she

> doesn't have RA. Wonder if Sharon was donor my RA would/could technically be

> cured?? I am sure there is a lot to the procedure...but really interesting.

[Guest guest]

It may be worth a phone call to Dr Burt and see if he is taking patients.

Maybe he is going to do a clinical trial, and if so I'd think he'd be very

interested in identical twins.

a

>

> a- This is really interesting. My sister and I are identical twins...she

> doesn't have RA. Wonder if Sharon was donor my RA would/could technically be

> cured?? I am sure there is a lot to the procedure...but really interesting.

[Guest guest]

It would be interesting to look up Dr. Burt and his work- don't know what kind

of clinical trials would be involved in stem cell - but I am sure it would be

too experiemental at this stage to be covered by insurance- I may sound cynical

but it seems like all the effective stuff is. The TNF articles were scary the

other day. Sharon's " Significant other/ BF " - however you call a long time

squeeze after a certain age- is a family doc. I am sure he would venture an

opinion. Thanks for keeping us updated on this. I think there was a study about

undifferentiated stem cells and possible work in that area awhile back. If I

remember they even discussed the fact that fat cells could be helpful as

undifferentiated cells and we all agreed - at least many of us on prednisone- to

donate. LOL

Hugs,

>

> It may be worth a phone call to Dr Burt and see if he is taking patients.

> Maybe he is going to do a clinical trial, and if so I'd think he'd be very

> interested in identical twins.

> a

>

> >

> > a- This is really interesting. My sister and I are identical twins...she

> > doesn't have RA. Wonder if Sharon was donor my RA would/could technically be

> > cured?? I am sure there is a lot to the procedure...but really interesting.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

It would be interesting to look up Dr. Burt and his work- don't know what kind

of clinical trials would be involved in stem cell - but I am sure it would be

too experiemental at this stage to be covered by insurance- I may sound cynical

but it seems like all the effective stuff is. The TNF articles were scary the

other day. Sharon's " Significant other/ BF " - however you call a long time

squeeze after a certain age- is a family doc. I am sure he would venture an

opinion. Thanks for keeping us updated on this. I think there was a study about

undifferentiated stem cells and possible work in that area awhile back. If I

remember they even discussed the fact that fat cells could be helpful as

undifferentiated cells and we all agreed - at least many of us on prednisone- to

donate. LOL

Hugs,

>

> It may be worth a phone call to Dr Burt and see if he is taking patients.

> Maybe he is going to do a clinical trial, and if so I'd think he'd be very

> interested in identical twins.

> a

>

> >

> > a- This is really interesting. My sister and I are identical twins...she

> > doesn't have RA. Wonder if Sharon was donor my RA would/could technically be

> > cured?? I am sure there is a lot to the procedure...but really interesting.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

, a and I have posted the results of Dr. Burt's group's work

over the last couple of years as the news surfaces. I'm keeping a close

eye on him since he is in my neck of the woods. He's done remarkable

work. Some of the SLE cases have produced amazing results.

BUT this is an extreme procedure since they would wipe out your immune

system and try to restart it nearly from scratch with either your own

stem cells that they harvested previously or from a suitable donor (such

as Sharon is likely to be).

The risk of death or other serious complications from the procedure

itself is probably much higher than your RA poses to you now, so I'm not

sure you would be a good candidate. It is an expensive and risky

procedure, and it's likely that that's how insurance companies would

look at it, too. Stem cell transplantation for those with rheumatic

diseases is currently performed most often in people with a dire

prognosis who have failed all other available treatments.

I'd also want to wait a few more years and see what happens to these RA

patients long term. So far, the relapse rate seems to be pretty darn

high.

One of the best things about these experimental cases is that it helps

us understand what went wrong in the first place.

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

Re: [ ] Re: Stem Cells Put Woman's Arthritis in

Remission

> It would be interesting to look up Dr. Burt and his work- don't know

what kind of clinical trials would be involved in stem cell - but I am

sure it would be too experiemental at this stage to be covered by

insurance- I may sound cynical but it seems like all the effective stuff

is. The TNF articles were scary the other day. Sharon's " Significant

other/ BF " - however you call a long time squeeze after a certain age-

is a family doc. I am sure he would venture an opinion. Thanks for

keeping us updated on this. I think there was a study about

undifferentiated stem cells and possible work in that area awhile back.

If I remember they even discussed the fact that fat cells could be

helpful as undifferentiated cells and we all agreed - at least many of

us on prednisone- to donate. LOL

>

> Hugs,

[Guest guest]

, a and I have posted the results of Dr. Burt's group's work

over the last couple of years as the news surfaces. I'm keeping a close

eye on him since he is in my neck of the woods. He's done remarkable

work. Some of the SLE cases have produced amazing results.

BUT this is an extreme procedure since they would wipe out your immune

system and try to restart it nearly from scratch with either your own

stem cells that they harvested previously or from a suitable donor (such

as Sharon is likely to be).

The risk of death or other serious complications from the procedure

itself is probably much higher than your RA poses to you now, so I'm not

sure you would be a good candidate. It is an expensive and risky

procedure, and it's likely that that's how insurance companies would

look at it, too. Stem cell transplantation for those with rheumatic

diseases is currently performed most often in people with a dire

prognosis who have failed all other available treatments.

I'd also want to wait a few more years and see what happens to these RA

patients long term. So far, the relapse rate seems to be pretty darn

high.

One of the best things about these experimental cases is that it helps

us understand what went wrong in the first place.

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

Re: [ ] Re: Stem Cells Put Woman's Arthritis in

Remission

> It would be interesting to look up Dr. Burt and his work- don't know

what kind of clinical trials would be involved in stem cell - but I am

sure it would be too experiemental at this stage to be covered by

insurance- I may sound cynical but it seems like all the effective stuff

is. The TNF articles were scary the other day. Sharon's " Significant

other/ BF " - however you call a long time squeeze after a certain age-

is a family doc. I am sure he would venture an opinion. Thanks for

keeping us updated on this. I think there was a study about

undifferentiated stem cells and possible work in that area awhile back.

If I remember they even discussed the fact that fat cells could be

helpful as undifferentiated cells and we all agreed - at least many of

us on prednisone- to donate. LOL

>

> Hugs,