KDN NO.PP 13813/ 07/ 2011 (029890)
V O L U M E
N O V
2 0 1 1
How Stem Cells
Helped Me Get My
Teeth Back
Stem Cells Regenerating A
Brave New World
Congratulations!
Aaliyah Yoong,
SEA Games’ youngest ever
athlete to win a gold.
A Day Out with
Baby....
Made Easy!
StemLife
“Pleasure in the job
puts perfection in the work”
- Aristotle
Event Highlights,
Adult Stem Cell
Banking, Referral
Program
Biography
Professor
Aw
Tar
Choon
is a co-founder and Chief
Medical Officer of StemLife.
Having graduated as a medical doctor from the University of Malaya, he
obtained Specialist Certification from
NUS, Royal College of Physicians UK,
and the Royal College of Pathologists
of Australasia. He has previously
served at NUH (Chief of Department),
NUS Medical School (Vice Dean),
Alexandria Hospital (Chief Executive) &
Health Management Group.
L E T T E R
F R O M
T H E
C M O
Content
3
StemLife Event Highlights
4
Knowing Your Genetic Self
- Part II
6
How Stem Cells Helped Me
Get My Teeth Back
9
Stem Cells - Regenerating
A Brave New World
13
Principles of Stem Cells for
Facial Rejuvenation
16
A Day Out With Baby...
Made Easy
17
Understanding Bedwetting
18
Ask the Specialist
19
StemLife Referral Program
Dear StemLife Parents and Families,
2011 was a significant year in the advancement of
personalized medicine and cellular therapy. The Nobel
Prize for Medicine for 2011 was accorded to scientists
Bruce Beutler, Jules Hoffman and Ralph Steinman. They
discovered how immune systems can be harnessed with
special cells to fight certain cancers
Ralph Steinman dedicated his life to immunology research
and led a transformative clinical trial for a dendritic cell
vaccine to treat pancreatic cancer. His discovery of dendritic
cells in 1973 led to the first therapeutic cancer vaccine, now
available in the US as Provenge by Dendreon. This is the
first and only therapeutic vaccine for men with advanced
prostate cancer.
Unlike other therapeutic cancer vaccines, Provenge is
customized to each patient. In the days prior to treatment,
patients undergo a procedure called “leukaphereis”(see
StemLife’s adult stem cell services) to isolate antigenpresenting cells (APCs) from their blood. Dendreon’s
laboratory converts these hundreds of millions of APCs to
become the patient’s cancer vaccine.
Researchers are now incredibly excited by the thought that
it may be possible to harness vaccines in combination with
novel cellular therapies. A trial using Provenge in early stage
non-metastatic prostate cancer is now on-going. This likely
marks only the beginning of many future therapies that will
seek to understand a person’s unique immune system for
the provision of early intervention.
Each and every one of us is unique. Our genes may be
similar but how each gene is activated or de-activated
varies greatly depending on our genetic make-up, the
environment and our nutrition. Only now are we starting
to understand the special language embedded in each of
our genes. As we decipher this fascinating code we can
deepen our understanding of how our lifestyles, nutritional
and pharmaceutical needs may be tailored to mitigate risks
of degenerative conditions, allergies and other illnesses. A
thorough genetic analysis that ten years ago would have
cost millions of dollars today is made affordable to families
in SE Asia, and StemLife is proud to now be offering genetic
analysis services and counseling.
Since Watson and Crick discovered the double helix in 1953,
technology has leaped forward providing us tremendous
amounts of data; today the field of bio-informatics is rapidly
evolving to provide us with more and more clues about
what this data might mean.
An exciting future lies ahead of us. The ability to have
a much deeper understanding of our unique personal
chemistry now empowers us to make informed lifestyle
decisions towards a healthier and longer life.
My warmest regards to your stem cell baby and family,
Prof. Aw Tar Choon
www.StemLife.com
Ambank
As a caring bank, Ambank believes that health is equally important to
having wealth. StemLife was invited to give a talk at their open day event
for their million dollar private banking clients on 26 March 2011 at the Sime
Darby Convention Centre. StemLife team was there in full force to bring
awareness to the invited guests on the potential benefits of cord blood
and adult stem cell banking. Talk was delivered by Thai StemLife’s Medical
Director Dr Kostas “Is your health platinum” which was well received by
those who attended the event .
NADI - Diabetes Conference
The 3rd Annual Diabetic Foot Seminar/Workshop & Trade Exhibition was a
2 day affair held on 28-29th May, 2011 at The Summit Hotel, USJ Subang.
Objective of the event was to help participants improve, prevent &
manage diabetic foot problems with emphasis on up-to-date (and recent
advances) as well as practical aspects of care for diabetic foot ulcers.
As a sign of support, StemLife Berhad sponsored Dr Kostas from Bangkok
to give a lecture on “Limb Recovery Only with Your OWN Stem Cells” to
participants comprising General Physicians and Surgeons, Primary Care
Physicians, General Practitioners, Medical and Health Officers, Trainee
Lecturers, Nursing Practitioners, Diabetes Educators
Sunway Medical Centre Berhad
(SunMed Jogathon 29 May 2011)
The theme of this Jogathon was “Communication Connects“ and the
proceeds was for the Children’s Wish Society to fulfil a child’s last wish.
StemLife Berhad sponsored 1,000 PVC hand fans to support and help
raise public awareness of the importance of healthy living and preventive
health care.
"What they are up to now?"
Emir Aziz
Father: Mohd Hatta
Mother: Norfazidah
Emir picks-up and learns a lot of
things every day from his father,
mother, 2 brothers and a sister. He
learns new words and songs and
apply them in his funny and amusing
sentences. Some of his sentences
make us laugh to our dry bones.
His daily outside activities are
bicycling and swimming.
3
Knowing Your
Genetic Self - Part II
In the last issue of Regen, we were introduced to Michael and Melissa who found out about their carrier status
from a state-of-the-art genetic test. They found out that by simply taking daily vitamin supplements they could
ensure that their enzymes are in perfect working condition.
In this episode the friends are re-united for dinner and the question of knowing who your spouse really is takes
on a whole new dimension as Roger, a trained geneticist, uncovers the mysteries of how the genes we carry may
express themselves in surprising ways in our children. The truth is, our spouse, and even we ourselves, carry a
whole series of genetic traits that we didn’t reveal, but our children just might! We discover Melissa’s paranoia
about her baby becoming bald, learn more about Thalassemia, and discover how a simple test today allows
parents to screen for their genetic predispositions.
Melissa was seven months pregnant and wow, was
it showing! Not that she was trying to hide it. To
her husband Michael’s frequent embarrassment,
Melissa suddenly seemed compelled to be running
around all of town’s most posh establishments in
yoga outfits from California! And a big pregnancy
wasn’t about to stop Melissa from being the great
social host, so tonight she invited two couples
over for dinner, Roger and Rowena, and Lincoln
and Lisa. For some reason all of them had fallen
in love with someone who’s name started with the
same letter – weird!
Melissa was wearing a fashionable white skirt and
a quite fitting exercise top that to Michael looked
suspiciously like yet another piece of suggestive
yoga attire from Lulu-Lemon. He rolled his eyes
and smiled as he gave her a kiss thanking her
for the delicious dinner she had prepared. It
was ready just in time as the guests arrived – a
delicious grilled fish with ginger and tomatoes,
steamed carrots, long beans and stir-fried kai lan.
Everybody quickly sat down for dinner and
as they started eating the delicious meal, the
conversation inevitably turned into speculating
on what Michael and Melissa’s child might look
like and who’s character traits it would adopt?
“I think it’s going to have Michael’s nose” Lisa said,
“and Melissa’s big eyes.”
Rowena chimed in “If it’s a girl, she’ll probably
inherit Melissa’s complexion, and maybe Michael’s
if it’s a boy!”
“Well as long as he or she doesn’t inherit my
balding pattern!” Michael proclaimed with a self-
4
conscious laugh … Melissa also laughed, but
couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty… actually, she
had been wondering the same… especially as her
own father is completely bald.
Michael then remembered and asked “Hey Roger,
aren’t you a trained geneticist? What do you think
their kid is going to look like?!”
“hahaha!” Roger burst out in laughter, “hopefully
Melissa’s great looks… and her brains!!... But
seriously,” Roger said… “these things are very hard
to predict. The truth is each of us carries all sorts
of traits that we don’t show, but we may pass on
to our children. And our children inherit genes
from both the parents, the amount of variety is
quite amazing. Traits such as balding or eye color
will depend on the luck-of-the-draw and also
dominance.”
“There are so many factors at play, I find it really
amazing that our genes can come up with so many
variations and that each baby can be very different
from the next one.” Lisa said thoughtfully “Roger,
can science now track and predict inheritance
traits?”
Roger got excited and exclaimed “Yes! Science
is almost there and its really amazing how far
we’ve come over the last twenty years in terms of
decoding our DNA and finding out what it controls
and how. The technology is quite sophisticated
and now we can sequence a whole person’s DNA
in just a week when it would have taken us several
years a decade ago.”
Rowena who worked as an accountant had no
Genetics Testing
idea what DNA was “ Roger, is there a simple way to explain to me how genes are inherited? I mean, I
know that I get some stuff from my mum and some from my dad, and its all about the egg and sperm
but is it really possible to predict what genes we’ll get from each parent?’
“Oh absolutely” Roger said, “In fact, the simplest form of explaining the genetics of inheritance came
about centuries ago by a monk called Gregor Mendel and he is still regarded as the founding father of
genetics today.”
Grabbing a nearby napkin and whipping a ballpoint pen out of his pocket, Patrick began to draw. “Okay”
he said “let’s start at the beginning. So a sperm meets the egg to form a person right? Each sperm and
each egg carry one set of 23 chromosomes, so when sperm and egg fuse…”
“It combines to a total of 46 chromosomes..” said Rowena (the accountant).
“Yes, that’s correct, and we can also call this 23 pairs of chromosomes as they each match up like a game
of Snap. Imagine that this first pair of chromosomes here are labeled 1A and 1B. So you see this person’s
chromosomes consists of half from the egg and half from the sperm. And the combinations can be
infinite because each child can inherit the same genes but different combinations...”
“…So now…. “ Patrick started drawing a family tree “Let’s say that this is mum and this is dad, and that
they have four children. Now let’s say that mum and dad both carry an affected gene or a trait on
one of the chromosomes, and that it is the same chromosome, for example say chromosome 1 on the
mother’s and the same for father. Their sperm and egg can contain the either the A version or B version
of chromosome 1 with the trait or without the trait.”
“Wait a minute” said John “so it’s a bit of the luck of the draw whether their child will get one or maybe
two of the genes with the trait”.
“And all four could be different” Lisa added “one child might inherit the mum’s trait, one the dad’s,
another child might get the two chromosomes without the trait and one child could end up with two
chromosomes with the trait.”
“Exactly” Patrick confirmed “a child from these parents have a 25% chance of having a child with two of
the chromosomes with the trait, 25% chance of a child with none of the traits and a 50% chance that
their child might be like them, a carrier of the trait.”
“Are all traits necessarily bad?” John inquired.
“Not necessarily, no. It could also be good traits that confer some sort of protection or evolutionary
advantage. For example, did you know that the people who are carriers of the Thalassemia gene are less
susceptible to malaria?” Patrick continued, “In the days when malaria was rampant, the people who had
the Thalassemia mutation were more likely to survive than the ones who didn’t. So you see, having the
Thalassemia gene is only a disadvantage if you inherit both the genes from your parents. If you only have
one gene, then you have an advantage over the rest of the population during those malaria epidemic
times.”
Melissa spoke up “Well Mike and I have done our genetic test and both our results were negative for
Thalassemia.”
“Yes although we better not go to any areas with a malaria epidemic”, added Michael with a serious face.
“Hey guys, I really think we should get our genetic tests done so that we know our status and we can
plan what we need,” said Lisa, “ It’s a pity Robert couldn’t make it over tonight but I’ll call him tomorrow
and ask him for a kit.”
StemLife collaborates with a leading US laboratory to offer this specialized test in Malaysia. Call us at
+6016 211 1166 to get your kit and instructions. All tests are performed on saliva
5
How Stem Cells
Helped Me
Get My Teeth Back
Carol, a lively and active financial administrator who
just celebrated her 54th birthday, couldn’t pinpoint
exactly when she had lost most of her natural adult
teeth. She had already been through two root canals
and had a bridge done on one side, several dentists
recommended getting implants and a crown instead
of getting dentures. She had thought about her options for a long time and was getting increasingly
frustrated that she was unable to enjoy her favorite
foods, ribs and chilli crabs. On her last visit to her
dentist Dr. Leo, he had told her that her “bite was
rather strong” and due to the missing teeth on her
left side, her back teeth on one side were wearing and
her front teeth were also gradually eroding as she was
using her front incisors to compensate.
Dental health was an important issue to her and she
wished she had taught it early, but back then dental care was a luxury not all could afford and most
people were afraid of going to the dentist. “I used to
see people asking each other to pull teeth, we used
one side of the string to tie the affected tooth and the
other tied to a door. We would slam the door to yank
the tooth out.” She recalls “There might be a genetic
cause but cavities and poor nutrition robbed many
people of their teeth, my own mum lost all her teeth
by the time she was in her thirties because she had no
access to calcium.”
Carol had seen her mother use dentures and knew
that it would never compare eating or speaking with
the feel of teeth. When she asked Dr. Leo about what
could be done for her situation, he laid out the scenario for her. He said “Right now, you’re depending
on your right molars and front incisors to chew. As
you do not have any teeth on the right side of your
jaw, you load it all on the remaining teeth, wearing
them down faster. On top of that, the fact that you
do not have teeth on the right side means that your
bite is uneven and this will eventually affect the shape
of your teeth and your jaw muscles.” Carol was not
satisfied, she wanted to rectify the situation so that
she would be able to enjoy her food for the next two
decades.
6
“What are my options?” She asked.
Firstly, he told her that her bite was off and required
rehabilitation, but in order to do this she would have
to “re-balance” her jaw loading by getting implants.
“Implants and crowns are an option” Dr. Leo replied
“but we need to assess if its possible to insert implants at this site, an X-ray will show us the condition
of your maxilla.”
An X-ray of Carol’s jaw highlighted a conspicuous
loss of bone mass in the back of her upper maxilla.
She explains “I lost my three back molars in my thirties after I had my first child. I think it was because
I had frequent and recurring sinus infections which
eroded the bone tissue in my upper jaw… so my
teeth had nothing to hold onto and fell out.”
What Dr. Leo proposed was a program that would
re-build her maxilla bone strength and allow metal
implants to be inserted into the bone to act as an-
Human Permanent Teeth Structure
Adult Stem Cells
chors for a bridge to replace the three missing teeth.
To rebuild the maxilla bone, the dentist said that he
could remove some bone and bone marrow from her
iliac crest (hip-bone) and use it to replace the lost
bone in her jaw. It would be done in one operation
but she would have to have two surgical sites.
Knowing that every procedure carried its own risks,
she thought of an idea. “What about using my own
stem cells doc?” She asked “I stored my own peripheral blood stem cells last year and I would much prefer using that so that you don’t have to puncture my
hip bone.”
Dr. Leo gave it some thought before replying. “Well,
that’s not been done before in dentistry to my knowledge, but orthopaedic surgeons have been using it
over the last few years to treat joint injuries without
any side effects.”
He explained that he would combine a small aliquot
of her stem cells with some bone matrix and use
it to fill the gap in her upper jaw bone. After that,
they would wait and let the area heal and the bone
to form. He estimated that it would require at least a
minimum wait of six months before bone formation
would be complete, after which the implant screws
could be inserted into the bone. He called this a “sinus graft surgery”.
Carol asked what the usual chances were of success
with sinus graft surgeries performed on patients previously.
Dr. Leo answered frankly “It depends a lot on the
size of the area but results also vary from patient to
patient as not all patients are able to form bone effectively. If the soil is not stable, we can’t put in the
pillars… this happens roughly in one out of two patients.”
Carol’s surgery proceeded smoothly and without incident, Dr. Leo mixed the Carol’s aliquot of stem cells
with the bone matrix powder and transferred the
raspberry sherbert like mixture into the sinus gap,
ensuring that it was sufficient to fill the area. He then
placed a thin membrane over the wound and neatly
stitched the area closed.
After the surgery, Carol was placed on some antibiotics to prevent any opportunistic infection and given
a few day’s worth of pain killers. She didn’t need
them after the second day. When she went for an appointment with Dr. Leo a few days later, he was very
impressed with the quick healing of the wound. The
surgical scar was almost indiscernible although the
stitches were still in place. Dr. Leo gently removed
the stitches, told Carol to consume soft food and not
to place any pressure on the surgical site. As Dr. Leo
knew that Carol’s work schedule was unrelenting and
very unpredictable, he left it to her when she would
return for her next appointment.
At eight months post surgery, Dr. Leo examined Carol’s gums which were pink and healthy with no signs
of scarring. He scrutinized her panoramic dental Xray which he had ordered for her and through sophisticated software was able to map the area where
the graft and stem cells had been placed. Everything
looked stable and almost indistinguishable from the
surrounding bone tissue. He inserted the three implants and took the bone tissue as a biopsy.
Six months later, once Carol’s bone tissue had securely grown around the implants and anchored
them tightly, Dr. Leo affixed the bridge consisting of
the three back teeth. He also related the good news,
which was that he had sent her bone biopsies to a
histopathologist for inspection, and he had reported
that it appeared completely as normal bone tissue.
Carol was elated with the results. Since she had her
bridge fixed, it has now been almost two years. She
has been enjoying her ribs and seafood, although
she admits she eats carefully so that the bridge will
last as long as possible. She also limits these foods
for health reasons so that she can maintain her figure
and weight.
As a mother, Carol is now very proactive with her
children’s dental health. She takes them to the dentist
for regular check-ups and stresses the importance of
twice daily brushing and flossing. They are now in
their twenties and still have all their adult teeth.
“Implants and crowns are an option”
“but we need to assess if its possible to
insert implants at this site, an X-ray will
show us the condition of your maxilla.”
7
“It’s all about regenerating healthy
cells to replace diseased and
damaged ones.”
Lisa Ray who
battled multiple
myeloma, a lifethreatening blood
cancer, announced
that she was
free from cancer
after a stem cell
transplantation
recently.
Stem Cells
regenerating a brave new world
Regenerative medicine is replacing damaged cells
to help combat many diseases
Ray didn’t know much and did not understand
the process which would ultimately save
her life after months of chemotherapy that
destroyed her immune system. Stem cells,
isolated and harvested from her own blood,
were eventually reintroduced into her body
where they multiplied into the healthy cells
that were responsible for her recovery.
Stem cells are the mother cells of the human
species. U.S. science writer Alice Park wrote in
her book The Stem Cell Hope, “A stem cell will
self-renew, dutifully making two copies of itself.”
Theoretically they are “the fountain of youth.”
“It’s all about regenerating healthy cells to
replace diseased and damaged ones. For
many diseases – Diabetes, Parkinson’s and
Alzheimer’s – we know there is a group of cells
that are not functioning properly because they
are either missing something or defective in
some way. Up to this point we have had no way
to replace those cells, but stem cell technology
is allowing us to do this and such is the promise
of this field of medicine.”
What is Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative medicine is where stem cells are
used to repair, regenerate or replace diseased
cells, tissues and organs.
Heart muscle cells generated in the lab may be
transplanted into patients with heart disease.
Stem cells may be important for transplantation
medicine, to repair damaged human tissues
and reverse blindness.
Reference:
National Institute of Health Stem Cell Information:
http://stemcells.nih.gov/
McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine:
http://www.mcewencentre.com/
Harvard Stem Cell Institute: http:// www.hsci.harvard.edu
9
SEL STEM
Perubatan
regenerasi
menggantikan
sel-sel rosak
untuk membantu
melawan pelbagai
MENGENERASIKAN
SEBUAH DUNIA BARU penyakit
Ray tidak tahu banyak dan tidak memahami proses yang akhirnya akan menyelamatkan nyawanya
selepas berbulan menghadapi kemoterapi yang juga telah memusnahkan sistem imunnya. Sel
stem yang diperolehi dari darahnya sendiri dimasukkan semula ke dalam badannya di mana sel itu
berganda menjadi sel yang sihat yang bertanggungjawab bagi pemulihan beliau.
Sel stem adalah ibu kepada sel-sel manusia. Penulis sains Amerika Syarikat, Alice Park menulis
dalam buku beliau Harapan Sel Stem, “sel stem akan berganda dengan sendirinya menjadikan
salinan sendiri.” Secara teorinya sel stem adalah “mata air belia”.
“Semuanya ini tentang mengenerasikan sel
yang sihat untuk menggantikan sel yang
berpenyakit dan rosak. Banyak penyakit –
Diabetes, Parkinson dan Alzheimer – Wujudnya
satu kumpulan sel yang tidak berfungsi dengan
baik kerana ianya sama ada hilang sesuatu atau
ada kerosakan dalam beberapa fungsi. Sehingga
kini, tidak ada cara untuk menggantikan sel-sel
ini, tetapi teknologi sel stem berupaya untuk
melakukan ini dan begitulah potensi bidang
perubatan ini.”
Apakah Perubatan Regenerasi?
Perubatan regenerasi adalah di mana sel stem
digunakan untuk membaiki, mengenerasi
semula atau menggantikan sel, tisu dan
organ berpenyakit. Sel jantung yang dijana di
makmal berpontensi dipindahkan ke dalam
pesakit yang mempunyai penyakit jantung.
Sel stem mungkin penting dalam perubatan
pemindahan organ seperti mengubati tisu
manusia yang rosak seperti tisu mata lalu
mengubatinya.
“Semuanya ini tentang
mengenerasikan
sel yang sihat untuk
menggantikan sel yang
berpenyakit dan rosak. ”
10
Lisa Ray
yang menghidapi
multiple myeloma,
kanser darah yang
mengancam nyawa,
mengumumkan bahawa
dia bebas daripada
kanser selepas melalui
transplantasi sel stem
baru-baru ini.
干细胞
重建一个美好新世界。
干细胞再生医疗技术有助于治
疗许多疾病，并且重生人体受
损的细胞。
一開始 丽莎并不太了解干细胞治疗，這是一个
能让細胞重生的医疗技术。经过多次的化疗，丽莎
的免疫系统被摧毁了。医学人员从丽莎的血液里分
離和抽取健康的干细胞，并为她进行干细胞治疗。
重新注射进她体内的健康干细胞发挥了复制的功
能，使她得以康复。
干细胞是人体内的母细胞。 美国科学作家爱丽丝
在她“干细胞的希望“书中提到:“干细胞拥有自
我更新 和自我复制的功能”。从理论上，它们
是“青春之泉”。
“這是关于使用再生的健康细胞取代不健全和受损
的细胞”。在许多疾病上，如糖尿病，帕金森氏症
和阿尔茨海默氏症，这些疾病都拥有一组不正常的
细胞，因为它们缺乏了某样功能或有某方面的缺陷
¬¬。人体内的细胞无法取代这组不正常的细胞，但
现在先进的干细胞技术可以让我们做到，这是医学
领域的承诺。
什么是干细胞再生治疗？
再生治疗是指应用干细胞
来修复再生，取代受损的
细胞，细胞组织和器官。
例如实验室里再生的心脏
肌肉细胞可移植予有心脏
疾病的患者。可以說干细
胞是一项重要的移植医学
技術，用以修復受損的人
体组织，以便扭转病况。
“这是关于
使用再生的
健康细胞取
代不健全和
受损的细
胞。”
雷丽莎曾罹患多发性骨髓瘤，
这是一种危及生命的血液癌症，
经过干细胞移植后，
她已经康复了。
11
Principles
of
Stem
Ce s
for Facial
Rejuvenation
Dr Nadzri Mokhtar
Stem cells have long been popular in the elite
circles as a treatment for various disease and disorders.
It been touted as the cure all and answer for all sorts of
indications from arthritis to cancer. Much of this is not yet
based on actual studies and is not currently approved by
the medical fraternity nor the Medical Council. However the
public at large are the main drivers and proponents for the
progression and advancement of stem cells for these various
procedures. Many are the anecdotes you may hear whilst having
coffee with your friends or at that dinner party conversation. How
so and so recovered from her debilitating stroke after having stem
cells injected in the spine or the autistic child improving well after
having injected stem cells in his ventricles (dare I say it, brain). And
of course who hasn’t heard of a certain Tun and prominent public
figure whom everyone has been speculating on how he has
maintained such a picture of health despite his advanced age.
I personally believe it is good that there is a driving force
that moves the industry but it should be tempered by
science as a lot of the times one can get carried away
into the realm of the weird and wonderful. There
are certain things which I would not yet dream
of experimenting on.
13
In practice, stem cells are derived from either
the cord blood, bone marrow, peripheral
blood or fat. These can either be extracted
from one’s own tissues (allogenic) or
harvested from a donor whereby its termed
(autologous). At StemLife specifically we
use cord blood and peripheral blood stem
cells. It’s an ethically acceptable source and
the laboratory procedures and protocols for
storage and extraction are FDA approved.
In terms of beauty and facial rejuvenation,
since that’s the topic I’m focusing on, there
have been some remarkable results following
the usage of stem cells. Though there are no
specific clinical trials comparing the results
of stem cells vs placebo however, my clinical
experience has provided many testimonies
that show encouraging results.
Patients have reported that there’s increased
elasticity, volume and brightness in the
condition of their skin, typically about 1
month after the stem cells were injected
into their faces. They also show clinically a
global improvement in their skin texture
and reduction of fine lines. The stem cells
are applicable not only to the facial area
but can be extended to the neck and hands.
The injections are placed intradermally or
via laplanche technique and only about
0.1ml is used per injection. It can also be
used as “fillers” for areas like nasolabial
folds and marionette lines either alone or in
combination with conventional hyaluronic
acid fillers.
Another method of using stem cells is as a
post procedure adjuvant, typically after a
laser resurfacing or sublative treatments.
Sublative radiofrequency has gained a lot of
popularity as a treatment for acne scarring
and yields very good results. When combined
with external application of stem cells post
procedure the healing time is shortened and
there’ll be less inflammation.
The beauty of using stem cells as an
alternative for facial rejuvenation is that
one has no side effects at all as the source is
mainly one’s own cells and it is totally natural.
There’s no risk of rejection, immune reaction
or sensitivity from the cells. The injection
procedure itself may leave some bruises
14
initially but this will quickly heal as the stem
cells work their magic.
The popularity of this treatment has caught
on amongst many discerning elite as an
alternative to the other more conventional
treatments and has attracted many medical
tourists.
By Dr Nadzri Mokhtar,
Medical Director, MB BCH, BAO ( Ireland), Diploma, Board of
America Academy of Aesthetics
“ Patients have reported that
there’s increased elasticity,
volume and brightness in
the condition
of their skin,
typically
about 1
month after
the stem
cells were
injected into
their faces. “
S T E M L I F E E A S Y O N L I N E PAY M E N T
Pay easier, pay faster, pay online!
Step 1
How? Things you need:
Credit card (Visa / Mastercard only)
Your StemLife invoice
StemLife makes it easier than ever to
renew your stem cell storage fees yearto-year! Use your Visa or Mastercard
credit card to pay online today.*
Log on http://www.payonline.com.my or Register as a new user
Select the Service Provider Category “Others”
Select the Individual Service Provider “StemLife Berhad”
Click Proceed.
**
Step 2
Please key in the relevant details
as found on your StemLife
Invoice. (Refer to sample)
Click “Proceed to my payment
page” to continue**
Input your credit card details.
Click “Proceed” &“Confirm”.
Don’t forget to logout!
Once we have received your payment your storage
subscription of your baby’s stem cell unit will
be renewed for the year.
*Only applicable to payment of StemLife Baby (cord blood stem cells) storage
fees on annual basis. Not applicable to payment of StemLife Package Enrolment
Fee (whether full payment, installment, monthly deposits) or Advanced Period
Payment of Storage fee (whether full payment, installments, monthly deposits).
A Day out with
made easy ! ! !
Baby ....
Going out with baby can seem so tedious. Don't worry, use our checklist to make
sure you have all the essentials you need.
Mark down your checklist here :
A diaper bag or rucksack
Diapers (always bring extra!)
Baby wipes
Portable changing pad
Diaper rash cream (if needed)
Nursing pads
Nursing cover
Baby Wrap
Baby bottles
Milk Formula (if not breastfeeding)
Baby bib
Burb cloth
Spare clothes for Baby (just in case !)
Spare top for Mom (just in case !)
Rattle or baby's favourite toy
Pacifier
Baby blankets
(if headed to an air -conditioned place e.g.
shopping mall)
Teething rings (around 3 – 9 months)
A snack for Mom!
Take it easy !
Start off with a couple of simple tasks first. You won't be as efficient as you
were before the baby came along but that's okay. You might not be supermom
today but you've taken the first step!
Testing......Testing......
Practice setting up and dismantling your stroller the night before. If you're
headed outdoors, rehearse attaching the stroller awning and make
sure it works.
Don't let it get you down !!!
If baby is screaming, it is time to
head home and try again another
time. Don't be disappointed,
eventually a routine will emerge
and you'll get to know your baby's
temperament, preferences and
schedule. Soon you'll be out and
about and having a great time
with your baby!
Mummy,
I want to go out ~
16
Understanding
BEDWETTING
Is bedwetting about laziness, being afraid to get up to go to the bathroom, or is it really
about night time bladder control which may be due to a lot of reasons.
Biological -There are medical reasons for bedwetting including issues of the bladder such
as delayed maturation, infections, hormonal imbalance. It could be due to constipation,
diabetes, and genetics. However, biological factors explain only 3% of bedwetting cases.
Psychological – A large number of cases of bedwetting are due to stress. Stress may include
issues like negligence, abuse, personal loss or disruption of family life. It could also be issues
like a new bedroom, new residence, new school, new teacher, or loss of a security blanket.
Stress can lead to sleep disorders and loss of bladder control.
It is very common.
Here’s some statistics easily obtained from the internet:
5 to 7 million kids who have been potty-trained wet their beds at night.
Bedwetting appears to be more among boys than girls.
15% of children aged 5 wet their beds from time to time.
12% of kids aged 6 have this problem.
95% of children aged 10 do not have this problem
What needs to be done?
It is critical to remind your child that it is not his/her fault. Make sure that your child knows
he or she is not the only one. It is hard to keep calm when you have to wash bed sheets every
morning but getting angry with your child adds to the problem.
There are things that you can do to minimize the emotional consequence.
Some tips on bedwetting:
Use diapers on preschoolers at night.
Ensure your child goes to the bathroom right before sleeping.
Lessen the amount of drinks before going to bed.
Use alarms that wake up the child.
Wrap the mattress with a plastic.
17
ask the
specialist
From StemLife Laboratory
Why does cord blood need to be processed?
Prior to storage, your stem cells go through “stem cell isolation” or stem cell processing in the laboratory. This entails multiple
steps including the “stem cell separation step”. This step is essential to remove all other parts of the blood leaving only the
“buffy coat” which is the layer containing stem cells.
Stem cell separation involves the following steps:
1) Cord blood is spun at high speeds (consistent Gravity-force) using a device known as a “centrifuge”.
2) Spinning at high speeds causes the different cells to separate according to weight due to the Gravity force: Red blood cells
are the heaviest, settling at the bottom, plasma (containing proteins) at the top, and the buffy coat is in the middle.
3) The different layers are separated into different bags, including the buffy coat into the final stem cell bag for storage.
What is automated stem cell processing?
Automated processing is the use to a device with an optical sensor to detect the different layers of blood and mechanically
“squeeze” the different layers into different bags. The current devices on the market are AXP and Sepax. Both devices function
similarly, using the steps mentioned above to separate the different blood layers.
The main difference is that Sepax uses one in-built centrifuge to process one unit per time, whereas AXP allows between 1 to
6 units to be processed at one time using an external centrifuge.
Is it true that an in-built centrifuge is better than the external centrifuge used for
AXP?
No. The in-built centrifuge is perfectly capable of separating the blood stem cells, however
the small size of the in-built makes it sensitive to vibrations of the table or sudden impact of
something falls on the machine.
The external centrifuge for AXP allows for spinning multiple samples at one time, but it is
important to ensure the blood bags opposite each other are “balanced” prior to spinning. This
means that the bags, placed within the AXP device and if slotted opposite each other, have to
be of the same weight.
As “balancing” is the basic principle of centrifugation, all centrifuges are built to detect errors
in different opposing weights, and the centrifuge will not function if the weight of the blood
bags opposite each other do not balance. Cord blood volume does not affect the processing
efficiency.
As a basic
principle,
centrifuges
are built to
detect errors in
balancing.
How do you ensure the blood bags are balanced?
As you know, the amount collected for each individual varies. This also means the weight for each one varies. To ensure
the blood bags opposite each other are of the same weight, the AXP device has its own Balancing Kit, allowing for different
weights to be added if one blood bag is lighter than another.
Once the weight is balanced, the centrifuge will begin running the spin without errors.
What do you have to do to ensure automated processing runs smoothly?
Both AXP and Sepax devices require proper training and Standard Operating Procedures for laboratory technologists. All
devices also require validation to ensure accuracy, along with regular maintenance by the supplier.
18
Change of address? New mobile phone no.?
Referring a friend? New e-mail address?
StemLife Parents!
Have your details changed? If so please fill in the following
form so we can update accordingly and keep in touch with
you in the future. You can also do so by e-mailing us.
Know anyone expecting? Fill in their details on this form,
and you as our existing client with current StemLife account,
will get RM150* in cash for every successful referral. So hurry, let all your friends & family know about us today!
Send in your completed form [Attn : Customer Service] to StemLife
Berhad by post or fax today!
StemLife Berhad, B-7-15 Megan Avenue II, 12 Jalan Yap Kwan Seng,
50450 Kuala Lumpur.
Fax: 603 2164 9808
Email: info@stemlife.com
*Terms and Conditions apply. Permission to release details to StemLife must be
granted by the referree / expecting couple. Referral award is on a first-come-first
served basis. Only the first referral is rewarded. Value of award can be changed
by the Management without prior notice. Please check with your representative for
further details.
"
REMEMBER:
Every drop counts!
Remind your O&G
Doctor to collect as
much cord blood as
possible!
cut along this line
Your Current Details
Applicable to existing StemLife clients only
Mother’s Full Name
(ALL FIELDS ARE
COMPULSORY)
Referral Details 1
(ALL FIELDS ARE
COMPULSORY)
Name
Contact No. (Hp)
Expected Date of Delivery
Mother’s I.C. No.
Father’s Full Name
Doctor
Hospital
Relationship to You
Sibling
Cousin
Others (please state)
Cheque Payee Name
Colleague
Referral Details 2
Friend
(ALL FIELDS ARE
COMPULSORY)
Name
Address
Contact No. (Hp)
Expected Date of Delivery
Doctor
"
cut along this line
Contact No. (Hp)
Hospital
E-mail
Relationship to You
Sibling
Cousin
Others (please state)
Colleague
Friend
19
Over 40,000 Stem Cell Units
Stored... and still growing!
Upcoming
Events with
StemLife
3rd Motherhood
Expo 2012
th
24 - 26th Feb 2012
KLCC
Mom & Baby Expo
23rd - 25th March 2012
Expo Hall, Danga City Mall
Johor Bahru
Mom & Baby
Expo 2012
th
11 - 13th May 2012
Mid Valley Exhibition
Centre