Brain Injury

Brain Injury
02.05.2009 09:36
There are no translations available. Source: DFW A Decatur woman left brain-damaged by a drunk driver is in China for six weeks of potentially life-changing bone marrow stem cell therapy. Jackie Murphree and her dad arrived April 6 a the Tiantan Puhua Hospital Stem Cell Treatment Center in Beijing. "They've created a created a drug cocktail to stimulate our own stem cells in the body and a way to cultivate cells we have into a type our body needs, " Patrick Murphree told NBCDFW via Skype. "If we could get her more comfort with her arms and hands, and know she can understand what we're saying and asking, just communicate, that would be nice," said Murphree. In 2007, Jackie was a 20-year-old senior at Texas A&M. She was home in Decatur for a summer internship at Sewell Lexus in Dallas. On Aug. 17, less than a mile from home, a drunk driver hit Jackie's car causing her traumatic brain injury. "I remember Jackie as being really fun, goofy, always had something fun to say, a really neat spirit. People were always drawn to her," recalled sales associate Bobby Whitney. The story of the summer intern named Jackie circulates through the dealership and recently caught the attention of sales associate Lee Hall. "I saw the MySpace page and it really tugged at me," Hall said. "Every day we get discouraged and this guy traveled across the world for hope. This guy has hope, and I wanted to do something." So, Hall contacted Jackie's father through MySpace and offered to organize a benefit concert for her. Hall sells Hummers by day but on the side is a bassist in the band BluPearl. In six weeks, Hall and six co-workers organized Rock to Recovery, a one-night concert to help fund Jackie's stem cell treatments in China. "He obviously has a good heart, but I thought, 'Wow! he's a gutsy guy to say I'll do this,'" said Murphree. The concert is the latest event in an overwhelming community effort to support the Murphree family who lives in Decatur. When word got out that Patrick would take his 22-year-old daughter to China for treatment, the community sprung to action. "The church decided to do a fundraiser and in two days, they had the entire amount. " Jackie's aunt Leisa Gage said. "$40,000. In two days, they had $40,000." The Rock to Recovery benefit concert for Jackie Murphree happens at 8 p.m. Saturday at The Boardroom in Dallas' Victory Park. It will feature performances by local artists BluPearl and DJ So.Good. Tickets are $20 and are available at www.rocktorecovery.com or call (940) 597-1114.
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Stem Cell Treatment For Children With Brain Injury To Be Initiated

Brain Injury

04.04.2009 17:37

There are no translations available.

Source: Bio-Medicine

It has been proposed to initiate a novel clinical trial to assess the clinical benefits and safety of stem cell based therapy for treatment of traumatic brain injury in children at the University of Texas. // The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the university’s Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS) have already approved the proposal.

The fact that stem cells derived from bone marrow can drift to an injured area in the brain followed by differentiation into neurons and induce repair in animal models has offered a new hope for the present study. The study would be based on the utilization of bone marrow derived stem cells derived from the patient, eliminating the ethical concerns regarding the use of embryonic stem cells.

"There is no reparative treatment for traumatic brain injury. All we can do now is try to prevent secondary damage by relieving pressure on the brain caused by the initial injury, " said principal investigator Charles Cox.

The bone, muscle and other organs have an inherent capacity to heal following an injury. The brain however has very poor regenerative capacity, accounting for the high mortality and functional disability following traumatic brain injury. More that 15 to 25% of children suffering severe traumatic brain injury die. Those who survive face a life long disability even in case of a moderate injury.

The I phase of the clinical trial would be directed towards establishing the safety of the treatment modality while the secondary objective would be observation of the potential therapeutic effects. Ten head injury patients with between 5 and 14 years of age would be recruited for the study based upon the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Followed by initial treatment and evaluation, the parents of the injured child would be approached regarding participation in the clinical trial.

After obtaining a written informed consent, progenitor stem cells from the bone marrow in the hip region would be extracted. This would be processed to obtain two different types of cells; mesenchymal stem cells capable of differentiating into bone, cartilage, fat cells, neurons and hematopoietic stem cells capable of differentiating into blood cells.

This would be followed by processing of the mesenchymal stem cells at Baylor College of Medicine and introduction into the injured child by an intra-venous injection. The entire process would be accomplished within 48 hours of the injury.

A critical monitoring of the injured children would be taken up. In addition, tests to assess the function of the brain would be carried out at end of 1 and 6 months following the procedure. The results obtained would be compared to the existing data on other similar children with brain injury.

Even marginal improvement could mean a great deal to someone who suffers a brain injury. "It could be the difference between being able to recognize your loved ones and not being able to, or between doing things for yourself or having to rely on others. That would be a huge impact on families and on society," Cox said.

Depending on the results obtained, further studies would be carried out on a larger scale. One of the main advantages of the present study is that the possibility of an immune rejection is unlikely, as the study participants would be receiving their own cells.

Community Rallies for Injured Girl

Brain Injury
05.10.2008 21:44
There are no translations available. Source: Zanesville Times Recorder.com ZANESVILLE — Headley Avenue off of Maple Avenue was filled with people having a good time with a good old fashioned block party Sunday, but it was with a purpose. Nicole Milstead, 10, suffered a brain stem injury in an automobile accident on June 7 at the intersection of Northpointe Drive and Fairview Road. The event was held in her honor to help raise funds for medical expenses. “It’s great to see all these people come out. It’s really appreciated,” said Nicole’s father Doug as he looked out at over 100 people who had come out for the event. Doug has progressive multiple sclerosis and is unable to work while Nicole’s mother Ellen is a Chinese interpreter for the Chinese community in the Zanesville area. Ellen was with her daughter at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus on Sunday, but said via cell phone, “It’s great to have the community come out and come together and hopefully it’s something we can do forever to help out those in need.” Doug said that Nicole has gained some movement back thanks to physical therapy and can blink her eyelids. She has tried to speak, but is still unable to. He said they would be welcoming her home on Wednesday. “I know a lot of people were praying for her all over the world. Doug’s mother had friends in Mexico and Singapore that prayed for her and I had friends in Cleveland that have called and asked me about her,” said Dr. Kent Daniels. Daniels happened to be traveling Northpointe Drive with his parents to go to Coshocton for the Hot Air Balloon Festival when he saw the accident happen and participated in performing CPR until EMS arrived. “I don’t want to take any credit. I did what anyone else would have done. I was just an instrument of God that day,” he said. The benefit featured food, door prizes, games, a bake sale, an bouncing house, a clown, an auction and entertainment by the band Flashback along with other local acts, such as the Genesis Dance Academy. The academy is part of Genesis Children Center where Nicole used to go and her siblings still do. “Nicole was very kind, very social and enjoyed by the other kids and staff. Her parents were very involved,” remembered children center director Barb Fisher. Sponsors of the event were Mike Ward Music, Finley United Methodist Church and the Muskingum Presbyterian Church. Mike Ward said that he had held previous events for the Red Cross, Christ’s Table and Zanesville Animal Shelter, but this was the biggest one to date. “It makes me feel it was all worthwhile,” Ward said on organizing the event after seeing the turn out. “The community really comes out when needed. They stand behind people and back them up.” Ward even donated a 1991 Chevy Caprice for auction. Jay Butler donated his time as auctioneer. Diane Brocklehurst of Zanesville purchased a vase that she then gave promptly back so it could be re-auctioned off. “I thought it was a good idea. The family needs the money,” she said on her actions. Steve Cannon of Zanesville bought a bicycle with training wheels for his granddaughter Kendyl, 4, and had his eye on a few more items for her. Cannon said he’s good friends with Nicole’s grandparents, Ed and Pat Walters. “It’s a great cause,” he said. “It’s a tragic thing that happened, but I’m glad to help out.” Total raised through various fundraisers at the event had not been tabulated Sunday. Monetary donations may be made to the Century National Bank branch in Krogers on Maple Avenue.
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Mother Holds Out Hope for Toddler's Stem Cell Treatment

Brain Injury
15.07.2008 11:04
There are no translations available. Source: Tb News Source A Thunder Bay family is going the extra mile in an effort to improve the life of their disabled child. The family of Kamryn Pilkington has been searching for ways to reverse the effects of a near-drowning accident two years ago and while there have been many improvements, the little girl is now heading across the globe to try an experimental procedure that holds some promise. Three-year-old Kamryn has participated in various forms of therapy at the George Jeffrey Children's Centre since the accident and has attended an Ability Camp and received hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Her mother Jo-Lynn Martinsen says while she has greatly improved, she wants to quicken the pace to enhance her daughter's quality of life. ''We've been looking at a place in China where they do stem cell treatments. This is something that they say can work on the brain and can help to develop new brain tissue and new cells in the brain. So, we've been researching it for almost a year and we're really, really excited and now we've gone to a point where we're ready to try it.'' So, Martinsen and Kamryn leave for China on Friday and Kamryn will receive eight stem cell treatments injected through two sites, an IV and at the spine. Martinsen says there are no side effects of the treatment and it comes with an 85 to 90-percent chance that the patients see some sort of improvement. ''What I'm hoping for this initial visit, is if it works with Kamryn and she's able to now control her mouth and facial muscles so that she's able to start speaking, make some sounds and drinking better - that's really my big goal. And another goal is to have better weight bearing and better control of her muscles so that everything else will come easily for her, walking, crawling, standing.'' Martinsen and Kamryn will be in China for six weeks and thanks to the ''giant heart of Thunder Bay,'' they have the $45,000 to $50,000 needed to make it happen. She says a friend has also set up a personal assistant to meet them at the airport and get them set up for the first eight days of their stay. Martinsen says she'll miss the people at the George Jeffrey Children's Centre and the sentiment was mutual because many of the staff will miss little Kamryn.
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