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Gary Anderson
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« on: July 30, 2009, 03:57:31 PM » |
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cauda equina lesion. Cord undamaged/intact (Accy. 1989) gammy arm & traumatic brain injuries (Accy. 2006)
ALWAYS REMEMBER - The darkest hour is only 60 minutes long and what won't kill you will make you stronger.
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Andy
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« Reply #1 on: August 01, 2009, 11:42:26 AM » |
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from the times on same subject:-
A food dye similar to the one used in blue M&Ms and liquorice allsorts could offer hope to people with spinal cord injuries, its only drawback being that it would briefly turn them blue.
In a study of rats the dye, known as brilliant blue G (BBG), reduced inflamation in the spinal cord and signifiantly improved long-term outcomes after injury.
An unforeseen side-effect of the treatment on rats was that their skin turned bright blue, leaving the white animals with bizarre blue noses, ears, paws and tails. The eyes of the albino rats turned from pink to a deep navy.
In the study, details of which are published today in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ), rats were injected with either a high or low dose of BBG within 15 minutes of receiving a spinal cord injury. A control group was injected with water.
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Both the groups given the BBG treatment showed much better long-term recovery than the control rats. After 42 days, the best-performing BBG rats were able to co-ordinate the movement of their front and back legs well enough to support their weight and walk. None of the control rats was able to do so.
Apart from their unusual appearance, the rats seemed not to suffer any ill effects. Their body temperature, blood pressure and weight were unchanged.
There was no difference in effectiveness between the two doses but the rats on the higher dose turned a deeper shade of blue.
All of the rats resumed their natural colour within a week.
The skin colouring could last longer in humans, however, as our metabolism is about eight times slower.
According to the scientists, the dye works by blocking the action of the chemical known as adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, that is responsible for inflammation in the spinal cord after injury. For spinal neurons, the inflammation often causes more serious and irreversible damage than the initial trauma. Typically, ATP floods the injured area and sends neurons into a firing frenzy until they eventually die. But the BBG dye has a stronger affinity for spinal neurons than does ATP and so blocks its action.
Crucially, the blue dye is effective because it is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and penetrating the spinal cord.
Although other chemicals have been found that can block ATP they were unable to cross the blood-brain barrier.
Between 36,000 and 40,000 people in Britain have a spinal cord injury and about 1,000 new cases occur each year. Many of them receive no treatment other than pain relief and physiotherapy.
The most common treatment is a high dose of steroids. However, steroids are effective only for milder injuries and given in only about 15 per cent of cases. Maiken Nedergaard, a neuroscientist at the University of Rochester in New York and a co-author of the study, said BBG could offer a more direct and effective treatment.
The study’s authors are hoping to begin trials with the treatment in people as soon as possible.
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Andy
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« Reply #2 on: August 01, 2009, 11:44:13 AM » |
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Gary Anderson
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« Reply #3 on: August 03, 2009, 08:22:49 AM » |
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What the ?!?!? I woud risk turning GREEN if I thought it could help me. I would rather beblue for 15 minutes and walking with a limp than the way I was/am. I am just thankful that I am in a job that allows me to receive the best of therapy to stay mobile. The day I lose that mobility is the day you will find me not posting here because I will be 6 feet under!! And before anyone posts to slate me for that, REMEMBER THIS - not everyone love their life in the new "normal" some of us just try to make the best of it that does not mean we accept it!
Anyone who says they would not accept turning blue to give it a try if it was proven to work I reckon is lying. Our researchers have polled a spinal unit and 99.9% of people polled would try anything.
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« Last Edit: August 03, 2009, 08:24:57 AM by Gary Anderson »
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cauda equina lesion. Cord undamaged/intact (Accy. 1989) gammy arm & traumatic brain injuries (Accy. 2006)
ALWAYS REMEMBER - The darkest hour is only 60 minutes long and what won't kill you will make you stronger.
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chrisarnold
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« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2010, 12:05:50 PM » |
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Hi Andy,
I know that this is a late reply, but I'm pretty new, and have only just read this post.
Prospects of a real cure are foremost in all our minds. Reading through the mails only serves to gring home how many folks are worse off than myself.
I read "blue cure" up, and it appears that it may only be of some benefit to patients who have only just sustained an injury. For those involved in accidents, this is not practicable. What is of great interest is research based around “olfactory ensheathing cells” taken from the nose, and stem cells extracted from bone marrow. This proposes, if successful, the following major advantages:
1 there is no moral problem, as in the uses of foetal stems cells
2 being harvested from the subject, there is no tissue rejection issue.
In the mean time I guess we just keep praying!
Regards,
Chris
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Jilly
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« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2010, 10:44:01 PM » |
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Dont worry Chris... Im even later in replying! How the hell did I miss this a year ago???!!!! Those rats are so cute!! And blue is my favourite colour!!! I 'spose if humans went around with blue noses and ears and hands etc they would look a bit cold though...  I kinda look like that anyway, its still winter here! |
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Gary Anderson
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« Reply #6 on: August 17, 2010, 12:22:19 PM » |
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Jilly my little pal how are you?
That is just how I imagine you - blue nose and ears!!
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cauda equina lesion. Cord undamaged/intact (Accy. 1989) gammy arm & traumatic brain injuries (Accy. 2006)
ALWAYS REMEMBER - The darkest hour is only 60 minutes long and what won't kill you will make you stronger.
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Jilly
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« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2010, 05:24:53 AM » |
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Im good... feeling a wee bit chilly.... |
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Jilly
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« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2010, 05:26:55 AM » |
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Uh Oh... chilly Jilly... thats gonna stick...  |
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DavesMom
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« Reply #9 on: September 14, 2010, 10:01:53 PM » |
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Hi All,
We read about this blue dye here in the states last year also. I think the research was done in Canada if I am not mistaken. I told Daves doctor, if it would work, he would have to go round looking like a smurf. The blue dye in Gatorade is also supposed to work. I keep hoping one day something will work for David and everyone else that has any kind of sci.
DavesMom, Diane
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chrisarnold
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« Reply #10 on: September 20, 2010, 12:30:12 PM » |
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The best of luck to us all would be smurfs,
Chris
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Jilly
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« Reply #11 on: September 30, 2010, 10:09:20 AM » |
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Look on the bright side... smurfs are very cute!
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DavesMom
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« Reply #12 on: October 01, 2010, 05:31:45 PM » |
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The smurf look would definitely work for me if my son and all of you with sci could improve. Just think, you all would stand out from the crowd. lol
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