Daily News

Companies in the United States that had been selling products derived from umbilical cord blood — usually involving stem cells — without approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have now received urgent warnings from the agency. The FDA have issued warnings to several companies that had been selling medical products derived from umbilical cord blood. Umbilical cord blood is a great source of stem cells. These are unspecialized cells that have the ability to transform into virtually any type of cell. For this reason, stem cell therapy is becoming increasingly sought after for the treatment of all sorts of conditions and physical injuries. This is despite the fact that research into this form of therapy is still in its early stages in many ways. This is also why the FDA have issued detailed and strict regulations regarding which products derived from umbilical cord blood can receive approval to be sold to medical professionals and their patients, as well as under what conditions. Recently, however, the FDA identified several companies that were selling umbilical cord-derived products without their approval. What is more, many of these companies appeared not to have abided by the FDA guidelines when harvesting umbilical cord blood and preparing their products. This can put people using these products at very serious risk. The FDA have therefore issued warningsTrusted Source to each of these companies, asking them to immediately address the issues and to reply to the warnings, detailing the steps they intend to take in order to remedy these issues. Should the companies fail to respond appropriately, they may face seizures, injunctions, or even prosecution.

(Credits: www.medicalnewstoday.com)

New research using roundworms and mice has shown that one probiotic of human origin does not have to be alive to reduce markers of inflammation and promote health. Probiotics are usually live, active bacteria that interact with the gut flora — the bacteria already present in the gut. Nutritionists and other health specialists have found that probiotics can offer many health benefits when people ingest them in the right amounts. These benefits include rebalancing the population of bacteria in the gut, aiding digestion, and improving symptoms of gastrointestinal conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome. Increasingly, research is showing that inactivated — or "dead" — probiotic bacteria may also offer a host of benefits. Yet, since the definition of probiotics refers to "live microorganisms," many scientists argue that "dead" or inactivated bacteria do not qualify as probiotics, and some propose a different name for them: paraprobiotics. Some specialists also argue that while medical authorities regulate probiotics as dietary supplements, inactivated probiotic bacteria would fit more under the class of drugs, and they should be regulated as such. Be that as it may, the notion that some probiotic bacteria may be effective, even once inactivated, has stirred the interest of researchers ever looking for ways of improving people's well-being. Now, a new study from the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC has tested the potential for health of an inactivated strain of human-derived Lactobacillus paracasei (D3-5). In the study paper — which appears in the journal GeroScience — the authors report finding that, even after inactivation, L. paracasei demonstrated effectiveness by extending lifespan in roundworm experiments, and it also reduced inflammation and improved cognitive function in elderly mice.

(Credits: www.medicalnewstoday.com)