Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research | Adult Cells

In doing a little bit of research of my own, I found a pretty cool sight today that taught about stem cells via flash animation. So if my blog, the Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research, doesn’t answers some of the questions that you might have about stem cells (if you have any, or have something you would like me to blog about, please let me know), I sill realize that some of your visual learners. So I saw this and thought that the readers would want to know more about it. It is actually an adobe flash program (which means that you might need an adobe flash player) that shows what a stem cell would sort of do to turn into other types of cells. For those of you whare are doing stem cell research it should be a good ifnd. It looks like they also expand on it a little to talk about Embryonic or Adult Stem Cells Research. I’m not sure which. So please, take a look. And again, let me know if you want me to blog on anything.

I have been spending a lot of time looking around on blogs over the past few days. I found one which discussed the connection between science and the recent majority of Democrats in the house (the link is to the homepage, I couldn’t find the specific post later). Anyway, for those of you who are studying the Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research, you should be aware that this has some big implications. The Bush administration, and the conservatives have been a leading cause in current regulation on how federal funds could be spent on Stem Cell Research. (That is not a critique, but it is true. Some will think that is good that they did it, others bad, but it is true). Anyway, if Democrats are able to push their agenda we will see a lot more money, and institutions, being dedicated to Embryonic Stem Cell Research. Since the new house is not yet in place, we don’t really know the full implications, but we can rest assured, that the stem cell debate is far from over. Embryonic Stem Cell Research should be moving forward.

So get ready for the Stem Cell Debate to escalate.

As I was going through the Internet reading up on stem cell research, I came across another article on another blog. Heres what I found out:

Justine Asher, a 35 year old paraplegic, was allegedly told that she could be healed by a stem cell treatment. She is now suing the Cape Town Businessman and his girlfriend for performing this completely illegitimate procedure. Not only was the treatment which they formulated completely “unsafe” and “untested” but the defendants Stephen van Rooyen and Laura Brown were on the FBI’s most wanted list for similar scams before.

To make matters worse, Asher is now haunted by the fact that during the procedure she may have contracted HIV or other diseases. Asher, who has undoubtedly spent a lot of her money on medical expenses (electronic wheelchairs, wheelchair transportation, Doctor Visits, Medical Assistants, the list goes on and on) was cheated out of her money and potentially infected by a disease that could kill her.

What a sad commentary on humanity and how low people will stoop to earn a quick buck. In my opinion, scams like this are some of the worst types of things that we will hear about associated with the Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research.

So I can’t stress it enough: Research, Research, Research. Please do your research on stem cell treatment, your physician, etc. I imagine that this unlucky woman wishes that she had done a little bit more research of her own.

A lot of us hear about stem cell research, and we know that there is a controversy, but we don’t really even know what the controversy is over. So what is a stem cell?

Stem cell research started primarily with the findings of two Canadian Scientists in 1957. Stem cells are a certain type of cell common to all multi-cellular organisms, and by definition meet two criteria. First, they must possess the trait of self-renewal. They must be able to divide multiple times, while remaining in the same state after each division? And second, they must be able to turn into multiple other types of cells.

Well, Stem cells fall into two different categories. Embryonic Stem Cells and Adult Stem Cells.

Embryonic Stem Cells come from blastocysts. A blastocyst is an early stage embryo (about 4 to 5 days old in humans and consisting of 50-150 cells total). Embryonic Stem Cells have the ability to develop into more than 200 types of adult cells when given the proper stimulation for a specific cell type. Some favor research of an embryonic stem cell because of their long proven ability to become other types of cells.

Adult Stem Cells are stem cells that we would have after we are born. The name is a little misleading, but Adult Stem Cells are also found in children, and simply imply the maturity of the stem cell. In fact, one of the main ways that we obtain adult stem cells today is from the umbilical cord blood when a new baby is born. Previously, many believed that adult stem cells didn’t have the same ability to transform into other types of cells. But, recently that belief has been changed. Scientists believe that it possesses all of the abilities of Embryonic Stem Cells in terms of becoming other types of cells. Adult Stem cells also have a much longer track record of being used in treatments, and are therefore preferred by many.

So, now you know what a stem cell is. From now on when you hear about the debate, you’ll at least know what they’re talking about.

As I’ve been looking around the internet, I found an article that I think really highlights the Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research. For your reference, I read this blog. To sum it up, the article discusses how in Ukraine, women who reported giving birth to healthy babies later found out that their babies had been taken by the maternity staff. The reason? They were taken for their stem cells.

I certainly hope that most all of us would agree that this is without question blatantly wrong and disturbing. It is sad that for the cause of research to “help humanity” that we are kidnapping babies for stem cells. But what I would like to focus on is the attitudes of those who commented on the blog. As you read through the blog you read of some who say “Wow, it’s disturbing once they’re born, but it’s okay if they’re aborted…?” While, there are others who defend the abortion and say that the cells harvested from a mother are the mother’s body and therefore her decision. The purpose of this blog is to not pick sides, and I will continue to make every effort to leave my personal opinions at the door. But, I do think it’s interesting that this article which speaks of the atrocities performed in the name of stem cell research is turned into the same debate on abortion vs. no abortion. Essentially when it comes right down to it the Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research rests more on your opinion of what is right and what is wrong and a little less on the science of it. Few will actually deny that stem cell research has great potential in the future of medicine. But, some also wonder if the pros are worth the cons in the debate. Aside from those who conspired to steal the babies, few will argue that helping mankind now is worth destroying our future. The difference lies in what we believe our future to be. Ultimately that is the Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research.

“How to bank your babies blood - Private or Public? The new liquid gold in medicine is cord blood, but this tiny amount of blood in the umbilical cord connecting mother and baby is causing an uproar.
Parents are being offered the chance to store their child’s core blood, either in a public bank for public use, or in a private bank, for use only by their own child. Catalyst reporter Paul Willis investigates the dilemma that has sprung up around how to bank baby cord blood - Private or Public?

Until recently Cord Blood was discarded as waste at birth, but now it’s been found to have the ability to cure diseases like leukaemia. But because the genetic problems that caused the child’s disease are very likely be present in their own cord blood, most are cured using cord blood from another child, supplied from a newly established Public Cord Blood Bank.

But because Cord Blood contains stem cells parents are also being offered the option of storing their babies cord blood in a private bank. Stem cells are those incredible cells that science says are the future of medicine, they hold the potential to cure many diseases – but only if you use your own. That’s why the private cord blood bank is attractive. But by putting your child’s blood in a private bank it is being locked up and denied to the people who could use it to cure their child’s disease right now. Parents have a difficult decision to make, least of which is what happens if the private blood bank goes bankrupt? It’s already happened in the US.”

“Catalyst - Cord Blood VHS Discout” - ABC Enterprises

This is the first post of a new website dedicated to those who are researching Embryonic or Adult Stem Cells. As the name might indicate, the goal of this site is to help those who are seeking knowledge learn of the pros and cons of stem cell research. This site will take on the form of a blog, sometimes having editorial type of posts, and other times simply interesting quotes by politicians, attorneys, celebrities, etc. The focus will not solely stem cells, but will branch into umbilical cord blood research, ebryonic stem cell research.

Some of you might be wondering why cord blood (which is short for umbilical cord blood) would be a topic in this blog. But, one of most recent aspects of stem cell research is harvesting the blood in a newborn’s umbilical cord and saving it in a cord blood bank or registry. The blood in umbilical cords is very rich with stem cells, and could prove useful later in one’s life. So, the blood is harvested and kept in a cord blood bank or a cord blood registry just in case they might need it in the future.

All of these topics and many more will be discussed in this blog. I truly hope that you find this helpful.

Pros and Cons of Stem Cell Research

Also, please feel free to leave a comment (which may be posted) about the pros and cons of stem cell research, cord blood, etc, or just about how this site might be improved.

Feel free to visit our other site dedicated to notebook and laptop computer backpacks. The site is www.laptopcomputerbackpacks.com. We have Women Notebook Bags, Totes Briefcases, whatever type of laptop computer backpack you might need.