Monthly Archives: January 2014

Stem Cells

Major Stem Cell Related Discovery by Dr. Haruko Obokata

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The most read story on BBC today:

Stem cells can now be made quickly just by dipping blood cells into acid

New Scientist article

As is usually the case, the results have only been shown in mice as of now:-)  Nevertheless, seems like a lot of scientists around the world are excited about this.

My favorite quotes:

Chris Mason, professor of regenerative medicine at University College London, said if it also works in humans then “the age of personalised medicine would have finally arrived.”

Prof Lovell-Badge said: “It is going to be a while before the nature of these cells are understood, and whether they might prove to be useful for developing therapies, but the really intriguing thing to discover will be the mechanism underlying how a low pH shock triggers reprogramming – and why it does not happen when we eat lemon or vinegar or drink cola?”

Also make me wonder if there really is some sound logic behind alkaline diets.

Nawaz Sharif, Celebrity Hair Transplant

Was Nawaz Sharif’s Hair Transplant a Failure?

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Pakistan’s prime minister (the most important leader in the country, as opposed to the president who holds that title in the US) underwent a hair transplant around five years ago:

Nawaz Sharif Hair Transplant Before After

Although successful at the time, it seemed like the prime minister lost his transplanted hair per more recent photos:

Nawaz Sharif Balding

However, if you google news his name for the most recent photos, it seems like his hair is back, albeit not as plentiful as immediately post his first transplant.

My feeling has always been that a hair transplant is not permanent for many people, as the “permanent” donor region at the back of the scalp is not permanent in numerous men. My donor region hair in my 30s is already less dense than it was in my 20s. My grandfather on my mother’s side had no hair at all in his “permanent” donor region in his 80s, and probably very little in his 70s. He died at the age of 87, very secure in his complete baldness.