Take heart, Mr Jogi, you can get better too By: Kavita Krishnan April 14, 2004 http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2004/april/81027.htm
Last November Mohammed Arif (20) was riding his motorbike home from classes when he collided head-on with a BEST bus. "I don't remember anything. When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed and could only move my neck," said Arif. The accident left him paralysed from the neck down. For people like Arif and former Chattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi, who sustained injuries to the cervical cord, Sion's Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital offers a glimmer of hope. Housed there is the Neurosciences Research Centre, where doctors are working on stem cell treatment for paraplegics, as part of a three-year project funded by the Government of India. The treatment, they hope, will enable patients to walk again. "We are trying to introduce modified stem cells (see box) into the damaged area of the spine, which will then regenerate and form lost connections," Dr Alok Sharma, head of Neurosurgery at the hospital, said. "Spinal cord injury is like cutting a telephone line. With the brain's connection to the body lost, the parts cannot function," Dr Sharma explained. "These cells will provide that connection," he added. "We have already developed our own stem cell line. We are presently trying to differentiate the stem cell into neurons or nerve cells," neuropathologist Dr Prerna Badhe said. "We should start animal experiments in about three months," she added. Arif's condition has also improved greatly in the past few months, thanks to treatment at the hospital's Paraplegic Foundation. Referred by doctors, Arif and a family member moved into the rehabilitation centre-cum-home. As is customary, social workers at the centre prepared a personal profile for Arif. "We talk to the patient, immediate family, friends, employers and prepare a detailed file on the person," said founder-president Sulabha Varde. Arif was then given an idea of the improvement he could expect. He underwent regular physiotherapy, occupational therapy, acupressure and acupuncture sessions. "Patients also undergo weekly group therapy sessions and participate in prayer meetings," Varde said. Still confined to the wheelchair, Arif said, "I can already lift my hand. I have seen others leave, some walking out on crutches. I hope to do the same some day," he said. Stem cells Stem cells are unspecialised cells that can renew themselves and differentiate into cells with specified functions. Put simply, they can be grown into bones, nerves, heart tissue, pancreas or blood cells. Research has already shown that paralysed mice injected with stem cells can move their limbs. ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
