Tuesday, November 16, 2004
From the 8 October issue of "Science":
A particular strain of mutant mice have defective heart development, including problems with the myocardium and its electric signaling. Injection of nonmutant embryonic stem cells into blastocytes of these defective mice rescued the heart defects in the mutant mice, and injection of normal embryonic stem cells into the peritoneal cavity of pregnant mice rescued some of the heart defects in the mutant offspring.
My personal opinion is that we should be encouraging stem-cell research. As far as I can tell, the objections to this are based on religious beliefs which appear to hold that unused, unimplanted embryos are human beings, and that somehow if they're not implanted, it is better to let them have freezer burn forever than to use them for something of benefit to people. I also feel that doing medical research on human cells makes more sense than continuing to test things on animals; by using human stem cells, we can avoid some animal research and the attendant pain and suffering the animals may have.
I know that other people have strong opinions on this subject. I wouldn't mind hearing from people who have something to say that is NOT based solely on religious beliefs about embryos.
A particular strain of mutant mice have defective heart development, including problems with the myocardium and its electric signaling. Injection of nonmutant embryonic stem cells into blastocytes of these defective mice rescued the heart defects in the mutant mice, and injection of normal embryonic stem cells into the peritoneal cavity of pregnant mice rescued some of the heart defects in the mutant offspring.
My personal opinion is that we should be encouraging stem-cell research. As far as I can tell, the objections to this are based on religious beliefs which appear to hold that unused, unimplanted embryos are human beings, and that somehow if they're not implanted, it is better to let them have freezer burn forever than to use them for something of benefit to people. I also feel that doing medical research on human cells makes more sense than continuing to test things on animals; by using human stem cells, we can avoid some animal research and the attendant pain and suffering the animals may have.
I know that other people have strong opinions on this subject. I wouldn't mind hearing from people who have something to say that is NOT based solely on religious beliefs about embryos.
Monday, November 08, 2004
Vitamin D - read an article in the October 9 "Science News" - turns out Vitamin D is more important than people think. Among other things, very important to leg strength. Many of us with heart failure worry that every leg cramp we get may mean we're potassium-depleted, but it can be other things. People living up north, not getting much sunlight, and not taking daily vitamins, may not be getting enough D.
Vitamin D also appears to provide some protection against MS, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, and diabetes. If you're one of the people who has CHF as a side effect of diabetes, maybe more D could help both?
Also, too little vitamin D can lead to gum disease and tooth loss.
While this stuff isn't directly CHF-related, anything that helps our overall health, reduces stress on our hearts. So if you aren't already getting 600 IU of vitamin D daily, start!! Vitamin pills, a little more sunshine, and fruit juices fortified with calcium and Vitamin D are all good ways to get there.
Vitamin D also appears to provide some protection against MS, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, and diabetes. If you're one of the people who has CHF as a side effect of diabetes, maybe more D could help both?
Also, too little vitamin D can lead to gum disease and tooth loss.
While this stuff isn't directly CHF-related, anything that helps our overall health, reduces stress on our hearts. So if you aren't already getting 600 IU of vitamin D daily, start!! Vitamin pills, a little more sunshine, and fruit juices fortified with calcium and Vitamin D are all good ways to get there.
