Loss of urinary control is an embarrassing -- and very common -- problem that afflicts up to 17 million American adults.
Those millions will no doubt be cheering the study findings of a group of Pittsburgh scientists, who have come up with a remarkable and perhaps permanent treatment that uses stem cells taken from the arm to rebuild weakened sphincters -- the muscle that controls the flow of urine from the bladder.
Stem cells are the body's primitive "starter" cells and have the capacity to grow into new tissue anywhere in the body. Almost daily, it seems, scientists are announcing new uses for these chameleon-like cells.
Illustration: Wikipedia.
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WebMD (06/04/01)