Saturday 16th November 2002

Medical science can be confusing at the best of times but add into that ethical debates about cloning, discarded embryos, and financial interests and you've got a box that even Pandora would be reluctant to claim at lost property.

Well ,do you understand what Stem Cell Research is all about ?What is a stem cell ,anyway ? What's the difference between an embryonic stem cell and an adult stem cell?

There are all sorts of claims and rebuttals about all sorts of potential disease cures. If there is a real is the possibility of curing debilitating conditions like Alzheimer's, quadriplegia and paraplegia , how close are we to seeing these in practice ?

Every organism starts life as a single cell . This cell divides in to two and then four and so on. Somewhere along the way these cells go through a process of differentiation and specialisation - they develop specialised internal structures that allow them to perform specific tasks . Each cell contains a full compliment of genetic material but during the process of specialisation some of the genetic material is switched on and others switched off.

Science has been trying for decades to understand the triggers and mechanism of cell specialisation.

Stem cell are those most basic cells at the beginning of life that exist before the specialisation process begins. Scientists have been working for a long time to harness these cells to try and make them specialise into specific cells on command. The theory is that if this can be achieved it might be possible to grow specialised cells or even organs that can be used to treat diseases. This is the basis of Stem Cell research .

In Humans these basic cells are found in embryos and in a natural state would only exist in a woman's uterus. However IVF technology creates these embryos outside the body and excess ones are frozen or in some cases discarded .

There is ethical debate over whether it is appropriate to use these embryonic cells in stem cell research.

Of recent time there has been research to show that it might be that these undifferentiated cells actually still exist beyond this embryonic stage and possibly still are present in adult humans - these are referred to as Adult Stem Cells.

However there is another issue - its a financial one. A break through in this type of technology would undoubtedly be a saleable commodity. Who should reap the financial benefits ?

We'll discuss the issues with Associate Professor Martin Pera from Monash Institute of Reproduction and Development

We al know the story of a person who went to England and wanted some tape sticky tape to wrap a gift and came home with condoms ! But have you ever considered that in Australia we might have dialects as well ? Think about it - if a Victorian visiting South Australia order scallops they'lll most likely get a plate of "potato cakes". For South Australians who travel east the same order will result in some small whitish molluscs with orange roe. Lets not start with trying to order a beer in various states .......same sized glasses....different names ( beware of a stubby in Darwin unless you are VERY thirsty.

Susan Butler is an Editor of the Macquarie Dictionary and she has a penchant for regionalism. We'll be talking to her about how when the language traverses our wide brown land words and descriptions change.

Would you know what to do it you witnessed a drowning or your friend was bitten by a snake? Sure dialing 000 is the right thing to do but that's not ALL you can do. We are all part of the chain of survival and no matter how fast an ambulance is dispatched YOU can help an injured person by following some simple guidelines

- We'll be talking with Ceri Price, a Paramedic from St John Ambulance, WA about what you can do if faced with a health emergency .

How helpless would you feel if you didn't know what to do ? Keep calm, and assess the situation using DR ABC.

D	danger	assess any threat of immediate danger to the patient yourself or others ? eg potential fire
R	response	if safe, respond to the situation, go to the patient's aid organise others to assist. If appropriate call 000
A	airway	check whether the patient's airway (mouth and nose) are clear
B	breathing	check whether the patient is breathing - watch chest - feel for breath
C	circulation	check the patients pulse - carotid pulse in neck is strongest - check ONE side only at a time

Of course you'll need to know more than just how to assess the situation if the person is bleeding or has stopped breathing or their heart stopped beating Everyone should do a FIRST AID COURSE .

Jillian Thomas is a Community Development worker with Vanish, a group dedicated to helping people with an adoption or state ward experience. We'll be discussing the issues as well as people's rights and moreover solutions.

What is a (or is it an) horologist ? Michael Coleman is one and he will be joining us in teh studio to tell us why he loves his work explain all about horology ......Want a hint ?..........

Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr Richard De Steiger will join us in the studio to tell us all about Hip Replacement which has meant mobility for so many people with worn out hip joints from Arthritis and other joint problems.

Advances in technology have lead to improvement in this operation and Richard will explain how computers help surgeons do the operation .

While many of us worry about the colour, cut or style of our hair - others would be glad to only have that to worry about. Hair loss is a common problem. It can be slow or sudden , might be thinning in a specific or even total loss of hair all over the body. While it might be fine to voluntarily shave your head. When you dont have a choice its different.

Dermatologist Dr Belinda Welsh will discuss the causes and treatments of hair loss

We'll also speak to Dr Richard Shiell who is one of Australia's pioneering hair transplant surgeons, about the procedure and how it has changed over recent years.

Louis Barnett and Sons have been wigmakers in Melbourne for over 100 years. They specialise in hand made cotton based foundation using natural looking European haired medical wigs and hair pieces.

We'll be speaking to Rhonda Barnett about the craft and the medical application -

Barnett and sons are located in Melbourne and can be contacted on 03 9428 9855 or visit their website at http://www.wigmakers.org/

He spent his first pay packet on a surf board - his second on the black leather bag he still carries on home visits to see his two and four legged furry and feathered patients. Dr Harry Cooper is Australia's favourite Vet . His infectious smile trademark caps, phenomenally successful TV shows and

click to find out more about Harry's books

books have made him a household name.

He's just released another book - Stethoscopes and Calving Ropes and Harry will stop in to the studio for a quick visit between book signings to go under MY stethoscope as this week's Celebrity Check up !