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Coffee House => Coffee House Boards => CH / Science and Technology => Topic started by: asian1 on March 31, 2005, 05:04:09 PM

Title: Persistent Vegetative State and Brain Cell Transplant
Post by: asian1 on March 31, 2005, 05:04:09 PM
Hi
There is a leading edge experiment on repairing human brain using brain cell transplantation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/890005.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/573700.stm

If this method can help patients with stroke / parkinson in the future, is it possible to use this method for patient with Persistent Vegetative State (PVS)?
Title: Re: Persistent Vegetative State and Brain Cell Transplant
Post by: cecilia on March 31, 2005, 05:23:54 PM
well, it might help rebuild the brain area that has been damaged by the stroke, but creating a new brain that is gone is probably unlikely.
In other words, get this treatment as soon as the damage has occured.
Title: Re: Persistent Vegetative State and Brain Cell Transplant
Post by: on March 31, 2005, 05:26:12 PM
Quote
is it possible to use this method for patient with Persistent Vegetative State (PVS)?


Not if the god bothering nutjobs that currently run the USA have a say in it.

They just want to keep you "alive" in a PVS, but don't want to use technology that is "evil" and "not gods doing" to bring you out of it. ;-)

On the other hand, if you live in a free country such as any in Europe, and most of the far east.  You'll be able to benefit from such technology as and when it becomes available.
Title: Re: Persistent Vegetative State and Brain Cell Transplant
Post by: on March 31, 2005, 05:27:11 PM
Quote

cecilia wrote:
well, it might help rebuild the brain area that has been damaged by the stroke, but creating a new brain that is gone is probably unlikely.
In other words, get this treatment as soon as the damage has occured.


The question is, could it be used to give George W. Bush a fully functioning brain? :lol:
Title: Re: Persistent Vegetative State and Brain Cell Transplant
Post by: cecilia on March 31, 2005, 06:03:51 PM
no! it's completely empty in there! emptier than Schiavo skull, I'm sorry to say.

(and listening to the sound clips from Schiavo her moaning body sounds more coherant than Bush).
Title: Re: Persistent Vegetative State and Brain Cell Transplant
Post by: Speelgoedmannetje on March 31, 2005, 07:03:30 PM
Title: Re: Persistent Vegetative State and Brain Cell Transplant
Post by: cecilia on March 31, 2005, 07:24:32 PM
Political correctness is the language of cowards - Billy Connelly


The American Idiom: "If you have nothing nice to say....say it REAL loud!"

:roflmao:
Title: Re: Persistent Vegetative State and Brain Cell Transplant
Post by: on March 31, 2005, 07:35:37 PM
Quote

cecilia wrote:
Political correctness is the language of cowards - Billy Connelly


The American Idiom: "If you have nothing nice to say....say it REAL loud!"

:roflmao:


I always thought it was "If you have nothing to say....say it REAL loud!" ;-)
Title: Re: Persistent Vegetative State and Brain Cell Transplant
Post by: JaXanim on March 31, 2005, 07:37:07 PM
@cecilia

Quote:

" - - listening to the sound clips from Schiavo her moaning body- - -"

Not any longer you won't.

JaX
Title: Re: Persistent Vegetative State and Brain Cell Transplant
Post by: cecilia on March 31, 2005, 07:38:32 PM
Quote
I always thought it was "If you have nothing to say....say it REAL loud!"
in america it's the same thing...

anyway, as I'm a lover of black humor, here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/terrischiavo/) is a brilliant example of poor taste. read the comments to see that there are still intelligent people in this country - especially the ones that don't pay any attention to the stupid "news" media.
Title: Re: Persistent Vegetative State and Brain Cell Transplant
Post by: on March 31, 2005, 07:43:20 PM
Quote

JaXanim wrote:
@cecilia

Quote:

" - - listening to the sound clips from Schiavo her moaning body- - -"

Not any longer you won't.

JaX


About bloody time too! Now the poor woman can rest in peace.
Title: Re: Persistent Vegetative State and Brain Cell Transplant
Post by: Karlos on April 01, 2005, 12:26:43 PM
Quote

JaXanim wrote:

Not any longer you won't.


Cruel though the means was, at least now she can entirely rest in peace.

I know of a similar story.

My aunt was a midwife's assistant. Once, decades ago (before scans could reveal such anomalies), she witnessed a very rare birth deformity. The baby was born without a brain. He had the basic stem but (for whatever reason) the rest had not developed. Even his skull was severely diminished.

He was otherwise alive and healthy, exhibited some very basic reflexes and could even vocalise slightly. Other than that, he exhibited none of the behavioural properties of a normal healthy baby.

He was wrapped and given to his mother to hold. He couldn't feed (even swallowing requires more than reflexive behaviour).

Nothing was physcially wrong with his body but within a day he died due to dehydration from not being able to feed. If he were force fed his basic biological requirements, he almost certianly would have lived for some length of time.

His death was entirely natural. His family were able to grieve properly for their loss. Nobody questioned that a wrong decision had been made regarding what was best for this baby.

Now, you could argue that the hospital should have done everything in their ability to prolong his life rather than simply allow nature to take its course.

Question:

Would you consider it kinder for him and his family to have had the hospital force feed him, knowing he would almost certianly never develop beyond his current condition?

If he were force fed to keep him alive, I don't see his case being much different from Terri Schiavo's. The only significant difference between these two people was that Terri had at least experienced life for some years before she became totally incapable of experiencing it any further.
Title: Re: Persistent Vegetative State and Brain Cell Transplant
Post by: T_Bone on April 13, 2005, 09:55:54 AM
Quote

mdma wrote:
Quote
is it possible to use this method for patient with Persistent Vegetative State (PVS)?


Not if the god bothering nutjobs that currently run the USA have a say in it.

They just want to keep you "alive" in a PVS, but don't want to use technology that is "evil" and "not gods doing" to bring you out of it. ;-)

On the other hand, if you live in a free country such as any in Europe, and most of the far east.  You'll be able to benefit from such technology as and when it becomes available.


Unless the technology happens to whiten teeth, or is a vitamin suppliment, in which case it's likely banned. ;-)