Do you think Kerry could have been put over the top by yesterday's news?

[brentspeak]

SEOUL (AFP) - A South Korean woman paralyzed for 20 years is walking again after scientists say they repaired her damaged spine using stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood.

Hwang Mi-Soon, 37, had been bedridden since damaging her back in an accident two decades ago.

Last week her eyes glistened with tears as she walked again with the help of a walking frame at a press conference where South Korea (news - web sites) researchers went public for the first time with the results of their stem-cell therapy.

They said it was the world's first published case in which a patient with spinal cord injuries had been successfully treated with stem cells from umbilical cord blood.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1512&e=...
................................................................

The only problem with this story is that it happened four weeks too late. Kerry could have pointed out how many paralyzed Iraq War vets might already have benefitted had it not been for Bush's faith-based medicine policies.

[still_one]

1. no, the corporate media and diebold wouldn't let it happen

[illflem]

2. Think it would matter when

most bush voters don't know the difference between North and South Korea and would think it was just axis of evil propaganda since the terrorists support Kerry?

[whalerider55]

3. with all due respect...

i think the repugs counter argument is that they prefer miracles that come from laying on of hands- works better for the fundies.

whalerider55

ps if the woman from Korea had walked into a voting booth and voted for Kerry, that might have helped. then again, i expect Bush would only have obscured the difference between S Korea and N Korea, so the MSM wouldn't have reported it anyway.

whew. too cynical for my clothes toinite.

whalerider55

[StopThief]

4. This would have helped Bush.

Conservatives don't have a problem with using the blood from umbilical cords, they have a problem with killing embryos.

[brainshrub]

5. Bush could have killed a pregnant woman with his bare hands

then drank her blood on national television and he STILL would have won.

Those BBV machines are a bitch.

[newscaster]

6. Nope, not at all.

The folks that inhabit the red states who consider themselves repugs, would not accept anything that might upset their personal applecart.
When they are against something, thats it, no more arguments and they wont even look at tengible proof.
So no, Kerry would not have won had this news come out prior to the election.

[The Doctor.]

7. The South Koreans are going to crush us in research...

They've been making HUGE strides recently.

No joke - the lead scientist for South Korea's Cloning project's name is 'Hoo suk Hwang'.

- you can't make stuff like that up.

[PaganPreacher]

8. Bush policy does not prohibit cord-blood stem cell research or treatment.

This story, while excellent news for paralyzed people, would not have been an election-winner for Sen. Kerry. It's apples and oranges.

The use of stem cells from umbilical cord blood (which is extracted from umbilical cords after babies are born) is not the same as "embryonic stem cell research". Embryonic stem cells are taken from aborted fetuses, from embryos created in the process of in-vitro fertilization, or from cultures of tissue specifically created to produce those cells.

Under current Administration regulations, research using over 60 "lines" of embroynic stem cells are approved for Federal funding. Privately funded research, and research funded by state budget expenditures are legal, and common at research facilities across the US.

Read this:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/08/20010809-1.html

The Pagan Preacher
I don't turn the other cheek.

[Crunchy Frog]

20. Actually, embryonic stem cells

are not taken from aborted fetuses. They can only be derived from embryos at the blastocyst stage that are leftover from IVF. The cells in the inner clump of a blastocyst are the only type of cell known to be pluripotent, or able to develop into potentially any type of tissue or organ. Almost immediately after implantation, and before the woman even knows she's pregnant, the cells differentiate into different types which are limited in what type of tissue they can develop into.

The "pro-lifers" make a huge deal about the fact that it's necessary to destroy the blastocyst, but they seem to ignore the fact that it will be destroyed anyway, but will simply be flushed down the drain, rather than serve some use.

The abortion issue is a completely separate one from the embryonic stem cell issue.

Here's a good resource for info on stem cells.

http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/

[PaganPreacher]

22. Different source, different answer

FROM: The International Society for Stem Cell Research

http://www.isscr.org/science/faq.htm#10

"10. Do stem cells come from aborted fetuses?

One potential source of stem cells comes from early fetal tissue recovered during a narrow window of development. In development, an embryo is called a fetus at about 7-8 weeks following fertilization. At about 4-5 weeks of development, embryonic germ cells, the precursors to the egg and sperm cells, are found in the developing ovary or testis, structures only about 2 mm long.

In 1998, the isolation, culture and partial characterization of embryonic germ cells were reported. The cells were derived from human aborted tissue. When isolated and cultured, these germ cells were shown to have properties similar to stem cells isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocysts.

However, some evidence has suggested that embryonic germ cells may be more limited in their ability to become many different cell types because they are isolated from tissue that is further along in development (several weeks as opposed to only 4-5 days). More research will be required to understand the properties and behavior of these cells to determine their usefulness for future cell therapies. Because of various discrepancies in federal regulations, stem cells taken from fetuses are subject to different rules that stem cells derived from embryos."


The Pagan Preacher
I don't turn the other cheek.

[Crunchy Frog]

23. That's interesting

I didn't realize that. It still sounds like they have a somewhat more limited potential and more ethical issues attached to them than stem cells derived from blastocysts in petri dishes, but I'm sure the difference is immaterial to the "lifers".

Here's an interesting picture.

[dave502d]

9. Our they sure Pat and Jerry din't pray for this woman,n/t

[Kolesar]

10. I expected the story to be the request for a 6 mo delay for Iraq elections

Bush keeping us in Iraq forever was a good reason to dump him.

[Cheswick2.0]

11. who cares, this is great news for all of us with nerve damage

from back injuries. I am walking and functioning but I am suffering from damage to the nerves in my legs.

[goclark]

12. Hope is on the way!

I was crying when I read that article.

I saw an article in the Enquirer today about Spinal Surgery Breakthroughs.

The article was about successful surgeries done at UCLA with shorter hospital stays and less pain.

One of our dearest friends is in Constant severe pain because of a degenerated disc. This article talks about that and other situations.

My prayers to you.

[Cheswick2.0]

18. thanks, I have been in daily pain for 17 years

Sometimes I wonder why I am not disabled. I have three discs that are degenerative from an accident. I have wanted to have the experimental disc replacement operation they are doing. One day I will have it. I always wondered if my nerves would ever repair themselves and now I know that is also a possibility.
Happy day and thank you for the prayers.

Peace

[goclark]

21. Our friend is 86 and he gets one pain pill a day

He says it doesn't make a dent.

My prayers are for all of those who are suffering.

The stem cell success surgery is a miracle too!

Keep your spirits up and remember a brighter day is coming.

[Name removed]

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[purduejake]

15. I thought he wanted both.

[JI7]

16. he supports BOTH

[kentuck]

14. That is great news..!

political or otherwise.

[Crunchy Frog]

17. No, because our restrictions only encompass

embryonic stem cells, not stem cells derived from cord blood. Of course, I may be wrong about that, since most Americans probably don't know the difference. We should have had a candidate who could have played on public stupidity and ignorance more effectively.

[bullimiami]

19. amazing. we are backward and it will only hurt us.

science will advance and we will miss out. the calvinists are taking us back to the dark ages.