Part 3. Classic Literature VideoBook with synchronized text, interactive transcript, and closed captions in multiple languages. Audio courtesy of Librivox. Playlist for The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: www.youtube.com

Stem cells occur naturally in the human body.  They are not blood cells, nerve cells, brain cells or any other kind of cell.   In fact, they have no identity by themselves — at least not yet.  They can, however, develop into different types of cells, replacing cells that have been damaged or are somehow, defective.  They have the ability to clone themselves and make more stem cells.  Adult stem cells, which exist in mature body tissue and organs, continuously renew their numbers as needed throughout an individual’s life, replacing damaged cells as needed.   It is this fact that caused researchers to wonder if these stem cells could correct hearing loss.
When the outer ear captures the sound waves traveling through the air and then directs it into the ear canal it is said that hearing occurs.  This is where you find the tympanic membrane (ear drum) and the three smallest bones in the human body namely, the stirrup, hammer and anvil.  You will also find the cochlea, a snail–shaped organ that contains delicate, hair–like nerve fibers that translate sound waves into electrical impulses that are, in turn, transmitted to the brain. The hair–like nerve fibers are very delicate and can be damaged or impaired very easily due to age, disease, exposure to loud noise and other medical and non–medical conditions.  Hearing–loss, most often permanent in nature, is the result of the damage to these nerves.
With this in mind, a group of researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine under the instruction of Dr. Eri Hashino, Ph. D., set out to find out if they could transform cell nerves into sensory nerve cells, called neurons.  To do this, they took stem nerves from the bone marrow of lab mice and transformed it into cells that had numerous characteristics similar to neurons.  Neurons transmit sound from the outside world to the brain where the sound is processed and interpreted.  These results suggest the possibility to re-grow and replace damaged neurons with the stem cells taken from bone marrow.
Dr. Hashino stated that their interest in the marrow cells was due to their potential use in autologous cell-based therapy (using stem cells from a patient as a part of that patient’s treatment).  They were ideal for use as the bone marrow cells are easily collected and can be kept alive in the laboratory until needed.
Around the same time of Dr. Hashino’s experiments, additional research was conducted in Tokyo.  These studies revealed that the bone marrow stem cells injected into a damaged ear can speed hearing recovery after partial hearing loss. It showed that some re–growth of cochlear fibrocytes is possible after these cells have been damaged.  However, only partial recovery was observed over a period of weeks, but patients who experience traumatic hearing loss tend to permanently lose their ability to hear high frequency sounds.
Research on the practical use of a patient’s stem cells to restore or improve hearing is just beginning.

Animal studies indicate the potential to regenerate the nerves that convert sound waves into electrical impulses that are subsequently delivered to the brain for processing.  Today, the future looks bright for restoring the sense of hearing to those who have lost or are losing it.
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Dr. David Hallatt, talks to you about depression, anxiety, and the treatment of it with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT. This short informative video delves into what CBT is and how it differs from traditional therapy methods. You can get more information or have your questions answered by email: dh.psych@gmail.com.

Clinical depression is a challenge that can frequently make you believe there is no hope, as if you are in the rock bottom of despair. When you feel like there is no hope and you are in the pits of gloom then you may have clinical depression. It is a dilemma that millions of people face each and every day. Depression can be very hard to defeat but if you are up-to-date about the illness of clinical depression then you have a better prospect at getting healthy. It is imperative to know how depression works and some of the many treatment options available to assist and heal this problem.

While everyone is prone to sad feelings on occasion, these feelings of misery are typically related to a specific occurrence. However when expressions of hopelessness surface over and over, then you may be suffering from clinical depression, especially if these feelings of sadness have no definite source. Many diagnosed with clinical depression often feel depressed without a clear explanation. Although both girls and men can battle depression, research studies demonstrate that girls experience depression twice as often as males.

Experiences of self-hatred and sadness, low self admiration and an absence of interest in contributing in daily activities are general signs of clinical depression.

Depression may crop up in families and is thought to be a genetic issue. Over half of all victims have a familial temper to the illness. Being a part of your family history or not, let's not forget that specific life events can often absolutely trigger a case of depression. There are several things that can initiate the onset of clinical depression can involve the demise of someone close to you, a loss of employment, the unintended demise of a relationship,relocating to a new house or neighborhood or even a serious lifestyle transformation can all contribute to the onset of depression.

Clinical depression is thought to be because of an insufficient numbers of neurotransmitters in the brain. These chemical agents, called, neurotransmitters are chemical agents that help us to have precise emotions. So it makes sense that if there is a lower amount of these neurotransmitters, serotonin and norepinephirne, within the brain, then clinical depression can quickly take hold. Since there is a clear relationship of neurotransmitters to depression, one of the primary meds used to deal with clinical depression is a class of drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs. These meds cause the brain to be unable to soak up the excess serotonin that is there. With this weak point, there is more serotonin available in the brain, which can be very advantageous in abolishing the depressed feelings.

Although you may not feel like making the call, it is absolutely necessary that if you are aware that you are hopeless enough that you believe you may have clinical depression, it's central to speak with your healthcare provider immediately. delay. Depression deserves to be treated and to be treated without delay and effectively. While depression doesn't display obvious physical signs, the consequences of untreated depression can be harsh.

So don't go one more day without making that phone call and getting the help you require in order to be free from clinical depression.

Jeff Foster