Stem cells ,a response to Steven Crowder
Adult stem cells in brief
WSJ article
http://online.wsj.com/artic…
By RHONDA L. RUNDLE
Yokohama, Japan
…………..
Dr. Yoshimura jabbed the underside of the woman’s left breast with a thick, long needle, drawing it in and out. At his side, an assistant slowly cranked the handle of a canister filled with an orange-colored mixture, pumping it into the needle through a tube. The substance was a fat concoction from the woman’s own body — which had been processed in an adjoining laboratory to fortify the stem cells it contained. Then it was injected into the patient to enlarge her breasts.
The combination of fat and stem cells — used to either make breasts larger or repair them after cancer surgery — has become one of the hottest, and most controversial, corners of cosmetic medicine. Breast surgeries that rely on a person’s own fat are being performed in Japan and Europe and are hurtling toward the U.S., where some surgeons are already experimenting……………
…………
Using Fat as a Cosmetic Tool
A stem cell is a cell from which other types of cells develop. The theory behind the new procedures is that fat may be processed or handled in a way that allows fragile stem cells to create a blood supply for the transplant that helps the fat survive. During a single operation, fat is siphoned from a woman’s thigh or abdomen and then processed using various techniques. The fat is injected back into the breasts. Because the patient is the donor, there is no risk of tissue rejection.
Harvesting stem cells from fat doesn’t present the ethical issues that arise when stem cells are retrieved from human embryos. In fact, fat is routinely discarded by plastic surgeons after liposuction, one of the most popular cosmetic procedures. Research is increasingly looking into the therapeutic potential of adult stem cells taken from blood, bone marrow or fat……………
