ABORTED FOETAL TISSUE USELESS AND DANGEROUS AS PARKINSONS TREATMENT

LifeSite ^ | December 3, 2002

[nickcarraway]

Second Aborted Foetal Tissue Study Shows 'Treatment' Causes Patients Severe Damage

NEW YORK, December 3, 2002 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In what is being described as the death knell for the use of aborted baby tissue in Parkinson's treatment, a second study has had catastrophic results debilitating permanently many of the human subjects involved. A recent study conducted by Warren Olanow, a neuroscientist at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York found that of the 23 Parkinson's patients who received transplants of aborted foetal tissue, 13 developed severe uncontrollable movements.

While the results of the study are only to be published in a medical journal early next year, the news has spread quickly among the scientific community which was eagerly awaiting the results of this study which many had hoped would refute similar findings from a previous study. A study published in the March 2001 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine showed that the treatment had "disastrous side effects." The results have prompted researchers including Dr. Paul Greene, a neurologist at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, to back out of work in the area. "No more foetal transplants. We are absolutely and adamantly convinced that this should be considered for research only. And whether it should be researched in people is an open question," said Greene.

In 15 per cent of the patients who underwent an embryonic stem cell treatment, the cells began producing too much dopamine, causing patients to "chew constantly" and "writhe and twist, jerk their heads, fling their arms about." Greene remarked that the results are "absolutely devastating ... It was tragic, catastrophic. It's a real nightmare. And we can't selectively turn it off," he said.

The Wall Street Journal indicates that the news will come as a major disappointment to groups which have put millions of dollars into funding the controversial treatment such as the Michael J. Fox foundation. However, even formerly strong proponents of the treatment are admitting it is time to quit. "This is a surprising result that forces reconsideration of transplantation without a great deal more research," said Anthony Lang, a Parkinson's expert at Toronto Western Hospital in Canada. (Wall Street Journal, Dec. 3, 2002)

[nickcarraway]

ping

[trebb]

But...but...but...fetal tissue is supposed to be the panacea of panaceas...

[Mr. Thorne]

Some people might consider that a bit of poetic, even cosmic, justice.

I feel sorry for them, after a fashion.

[Desdemona]

In 15 per cent of the patients who underwent an embryonic stem cell treatment, the cells began producing too much dopamine, causing patients to "chew constantly" and "writhe and twist, jerk their heads, fling their arms about." Greene remarked that the results are "absolutely devastating ... It was tragic, catastrophic. It's a real nightmare. And we can't selectively turn it off," he said.

Oh, how horrible. For everyone, living and dead, involved.

[Pres Raygun]

I feel sorry for them in the same way I feel sorry for anyone who falls victim to their own evil schemes. The narcisism, hubris and depravity of this generation is sickening.

[ArrogantBustard]

I feel sorry for them, after a fashion.

I suppose, in the same way as one might feel sorry for a drunk dying from cirrhosis or a promiscuous queer dying from AIDS. In all these cases, we have someone suffering physical evil as a result of willingly participating in moral evil. One can pray that the physical evil they are suffering drives them to repent the moral evil which caused it.

[Leonard210]

Transplantation of Embryonic Dopamine Neurons for Severe Parkinson's Disease

Curt R. Freed, M.D., Paul E. Greene, M.D., Robert E. Breeze, M.D., Wei-Yann Tsai, Ph.D., William DuMouchel, Ph.D., Richard Kao, Sandra Dillon, R.N., Howard Winfield, R.N., Sharon Culver, N.P., John Q. Trojanowski, M.D., Ph.D., David Eidelberg, M.D. and Stanley Fahn, M.D.

ABSTRACT

Background Transplantation of human embryonic dopamine neurons into the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease has proved beneficial in open clinical trials. However, whether this intervention would be more effective than sham surgery in a controlled trial is not known.

Methods We randomly assigned 40 patients who were 34 to 75 years of age and had severe Parkinson's disease (mean duration, 14 years) to receive a transplant of nerve cells or undergo sham surgery; all were to be followed in a double-blind manner for one year. In the transplant recipients, cultured mesencephalic tissue from four embryos was implanted into the putamen bilaterally. In the patients who underwent sham surgery, holes were drilled in the skull but the dura was not penetrated. The primary outcome was a subjective global rating of the change in the severity of disease, scored on a scale of –3.0 to 3.0 at one year, with negative scores indicating a worsening of symptoms and positive scores an improvement.

Results The mean (±SD) scores on the global rating scale for improvement or deterioration at one year were 0.0±2.1 in the transplantation group and –0.4± 1.7 in the sham-surgery group. Among younger patients (60 years old or younger), standardized tests of Parkinson's disease revealed significant improvement in the transplantation group as compared with the sham-surgery group when patients were tested in the morning before receiving medication (P=0.01 for scores on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale; P=0.006 for the Schwab and England score). There was no significant improvement in older patients in the transplantation group. Fiber outgrowth from the transplanted neurons was detected in 17 of the 20 patients in the transplantation group, as indicated by an increase in ¹⁸F-fluorodopa uptake on positron-emission tomography or postmortem examination. After improvement in the first year, dystonia and dyskinesias recurred in 15 percent of the patients who received transplants, even after reduction or discontinuation of the dose of levodopa.

Conclusions Human embryonic dopamine-neuron transplants survive in patients with severe Parkinson's disease and result in some clinical benefit in younger but not in older patients.

Source Information

From the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver (C.R.F., R.E.B., S.C.); Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York (P.E.G., W.-Y.T., R.K., S.D., H.W., S.F.); AT&T Shannon Laboratory, Florham Park, N.J. (W.D.); University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia (J.Q.T.); and North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, N.Y. (D.E.).

Address reprint requests to Dr. Freed at the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, C-237, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 4200 E. Ninth Ave., Denver, CO 80262, or at curt.freed@uchsc.edu.

Fron The New England Journal of Medicine Volume 344:710-719 March 8, 2001 Number 10

[ArrogantBustard]

Transplantation of human embryonic dopamine neurons into the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease has proved to cause the death of the humans from whom the dopamine neurons were taken.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Superman, Michael J. Fox, Mary Tyler Moore, and Mort Kondracke can please sit down and shut up now. Let us hear no more about aborting babies to fund this research.

[SuziQ]

I wonder if these researchers have tried using cord blood stem cells for their research? It is getting good results in other studies.

If some of these folks weren't so wedded to their pro-abortion ideas in trying to justify the embryonic stem cells, maybe they could try other things and make some REAL progress!

[Charlie OK]

F*** YOU SUPERMAN!!

Bwahahahahaha!!!

[Mr. Thorne]

Agreement; but I could see the desperation factor, as well.

I have a disease that will kill me, slowly, and with little dignity, and someone comes and offers a 'miracle cure.' Yeah, I can see giving in to temptation. Especially since they probably talked it up to beat the band. "Well, there's no real proof, but preliminary studies are VERY promising..."

The reason I'd feel sorry? Consider the borderline folks in this study. The ones who now have to face the fact that they've been practicing something akin to cannibalism, and they're even worse off now then they were before. The remorse alone would kill me.

But of course, that's all MHO.

[Mr. Thorne]

Sometimes it seems that way doesn't it. Almost as if they'll do ANYthing to justify abortion in some way...

[MHGinTN]

Coming soon to a 'research' facility near 'you', a cloning program which will create a tissue matched clone embryo of the patient to be treated for a disease, then the fetus will be harvested when tissues differentiate, then the harvested tissues implanted in the clone 'parent' to cure the malady. [I'm finishing a novel dealing with this very issue, freepers. Let's hope it exposes some of this frankenscience to the collective american psyche. There was a recent Law&Order, SVU episode that dealt with this issue, already, by posing the notion that comatose nursing facility young females were implanted with matched embryos then aborted to harvest the targeted tissues. The episode was well written and balanced in presentation, oddly enough, given the past liberal bias of the show.]

[ArrogantBustard]

The latest issue of IEEE Spectrum has an article about growing replacement organs (skin in particular) by inducing the patient's own skin cells to grow on a biodegradable polymer form. No aborted clones necessary. I think I'll post that as a separate thread...

[MHGinTN]

If I can find it again, there was an interesting article in Discover Mag regarding the Visconti brothers and their find of pluripotent stem cells in adult body, cells that can be coaxed into nearly every organ and tissue of the adult body! I'll link it when I find it. [Nice to have you in the fray, so to speak.]

[G Larry]

I made this case years ago on this board and got slammed 'big time'.
My source was a research PhD. that spent years conducting research 'by her own hand'.
She was quite frustrated that they could not penetrate the 3 month barrier.

Adult Stem Cells will be the only source of long term benefit.

[Pres Raygun]

I understand your point about the desperation factor, but for an honorable person facing such an option, the correct choice should be obvious. The desperation factor is often attributed to our survival instinct. But that is misleading since any survival instinct only comes into play when there is an immediate danger as opposed to a terminal disease. The desperation that comes from a terminal disease results from our cherishing our own life at a rational level and not at an instinctual level. Even those with painful and disabling diseases, cherish life, enough to endure their suffering. Those that have cherished their life so much that they would accept tissue from a person who has been deprived of the chance to live even a diseased life are the epitome of narcissism.

Your mention of cannibalism is interesting. Societies, even many primitive ones, condemn cannibalism, because it will naturally lead to the murder of the innocent for the benefit of others. Ironically our society already condones the murder of babies for the benefit of the mother and sometimes the father. So why do those who support abortion have any repulsion toward cannibalism?

[Coleus]

THE FOUNDATION IN THE NEWS

Scientific Advisory Board Responds to Fetal Tissue Study Results
January 16, 2003

In November 2002, Dr. Warren Olanow presented the results of a second major study of fetal tissue transplantation at the Seventh International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders in Miami, Florida. Dr. Olanow reported that the procedure does not improve parkinsonian disability, and but does cause serious side effects in the form of increased involuntary movements, or dyskinesias. Dr. Olanow pointed out that his findings are consistent with the previous study of Drs. Freed, Fahn and colleagues.* The Scientific Advisory Board of The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has made the following observations:

The reported results of this study, conducted by lead researcher Dr. Warren Olanow, reaffirm our long-held belief that the welfare of patients must be paramount in all clinical research. Until researchers are reasonably certain that the medical dictum of “first do no harm” can be met, we believe that no further human clinical trials involving fetal tissue transplants ought to occur.

Still, important lessons may be drawn from this research. First, a well-structured, controlled, double-blind trial that uses placebos and examines patients long after initial treatment is critically important to assessing comparative results and moving science forward. Prior experimentation with transplants was, in general, not structured in such a controlled fashion, nor studied over such a long period of time. As a consequence, the findings were inconsistent and equivocal. Because this study was carefully planned, executed and documented over a longer period of time, researchers have a clear picture of the effects of fetal transplantation as currently performed, and road map to follow in determining why the procedure did not succeed.

Of particular interest to scientists is the fact that although brain scans showed that the transplanted cells appeared to function as anticipated researchers weren’t able to discern any measurable improvement in signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in the patients studied. Further, many of the serious side effects occurred only many months after the treatment. Scientists are already at work using experimental models of Parkinson’s disease to determine why the procedure was not more efficacious, and why side-effects developed

Throughout history, every major scientific breakthrough has been preceded by much trial and error. To most scientists, failure has the potential to teach just as much as success. Indeed, the currently accepted therapy for Parkinson’s disease, the drug levodopa, at first produced terrible side effects (including severe nausea) which were overcome only by starting patients on very small doses and increasing them very slowly. When a promising new therapy fails to deliver the expected results, there is clearly a need for a sober reappraisal of every aspect of the original hypothesis. Yet we must keep in mind that often the result of such an assessment is progress rekindled.

With the goal of renewed progress and discovery in mind, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research has planned a summit of experts in cell replacement therapy and other areas of Parkinson’s research scheduled to convene from March 24 to March 26. The goal is to develop a consensus on the key scientific questions raised by this study and to assess ways in which the Foundation can accelerate the progress of science in this area.

http://www.michaeljfox.org/news/newsarticle.php?id=41

http://www.wemove.org/emove/article.asp?ID=510

Subject: No Symptomatic Benefit in Second Fetal Transplant Double-Blind Trial (MovDis Congress 2002)
Date: 11/15/2002

E-MOVE reports from the Seventh International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders, November 10-14 in Miami, Florida. Poster (P) and page numbers are from Movement Disorders 2002;17(suppl 5).


Transplantation of fetal tissue does not improve parkinsonian disability, and can cause off-medication dyskinesias, according to results from a new double-blind study presented in a platform session. The lack of symptomatic benefit occurred despite significant improvements seen with PET imaging.

Thirty-four patients were randomized to receive bilateral grafting of 4 fetal tissues per side, 1 tissue per side, or sham surgery (partial burr hole without penetration of the dura), similar to the previous double-blind surgical trial by Freed et al. Unlike that trial, tissues were held for less than 48 hours before transplantation, and all patients received immunosuppression for six months after surgery. Other differences included the number of tissues used (4 or 1 vs. 2), the target site (posterior putamen vs. caudate and putamen), trial duration (24 vs. 12 months), and primary outcome variable (UPDRS motor score vs. quality of life). Fluorodopa uptake was assessed via PET imaging in a subset of patients.

Thirty-one patients completed the trial. Two patients died during the trial, and 3 afterward, for causes unrelated to the procedure. Post-mortem examination was performed on all patients. While placebo patients showed virtually no tyrosine hydroxylase staining in the striatum, transplanted patients did, indicating striatal innervation. In patients with 4 tissues "the surrounding striatum was very well innervated," according to Dr. Warren Olanow, who presented the results.

PET results indicated a significant dose-dependent increase versus baseline in fluorodopa uptake, with no change in placebo patients and an approximate one-third increase in patients receiving 4 tissues.

Despite these histochemical and imaging improvements, no significant differences were seen in clinical measures. Increase (worsening) from baseline in the UPDRS motor score while off medication was 9.4 for placebo, 3.5 for 1 tissue, and -0.72 for 4 tissues (p=0.096 for 4 vs placebo). Dr. Olanow noted results for treated patients improved for approximately 9 months, then worsened, possibly suggesting a delayed immune response. No differences were seen for on time without dyskinesias, total off time, ADL scores, or levodopa dose required. Patients with initially lower UPDRS scores did respond significantly better to treatment than to placebo, while those with higher scores did not.

No placebo patients, but 13 of 23 treated patients, developed off-medication dyskinesias, similar in kind to those seen in the Freed trial. Three patients required surgical treatment to control them.

"Despite the hope and promise of open label trials, fetal translation in our study failed to meet its primary or secondary endpoints," Dr. Olanow concluded.

----
2002 E-MOVE conference reports are made possible in part through unrestricted educational grants from Bertek Pharmaceuticals, Elan Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Pharmacia Corporation, and Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals.

Proctor and Gamble, eh???

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/612636/posts?page=18#18

http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=gamble&sp-a=sp1001aaa7

http://www.trunkerton.fsnet.co.uk/Eugenics.htm