News

Aug 2012   Fanconi anemia is an inherited disorder where patients have a defect in their ability to repair damaged DNA. It leads to progressively lower levels of blood cells and higher chances for developing acute leukemia or other cancers. The treatments available today include medications or transfusions to increase the patient's blood counts. The only potential cure for the low blood counts in Fanconi anemia is a bone marrow transplant from a person who does not carry the disorder. However, not all patients have a suitably matched donor for a bone marrow transplant, and the transplant is a very risky procedure for Fanconi anemia patients.

Aug 2012   When Dave and Lynn Frohnmayer of Eugene, Oregon founded the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund, in 1989, little was known about Fanconi Anemia and few scientists were studying it. Three of the Frohnmayers' five children had been diagnosed with this rare genetic disease and they were looking for answers. They created the nonprofit Fanconi Anemia Research Fund to find effective treatments and a cure for Fanconi Anemia, and to provide education and support services to affected families worldwide.

Aug 2012   The unfortunate "state of the weight" in the United States is that over the past 50 years, the number of Americans classified as overweight or obese has climbed from 13% to two-thirds. Of particular importance to women's health care practitioners is the fact that more than 40% of pregnant women are either overweight or obese.

Jul 2012   The maternal and family health questionnaires that mothers usually complete before the collection of their baby's cord blood are designed to safeguard the health of the cord blood recipient. These questionnaires are an important component of the health evaluation, along with the testing of the maternal blood sample for infectious disease markers.

Jul 2012   Leukemia is a random killer. It can strike any one of us at any time. But for many, there is hope of a cure through a bone marrow, blood stem cell or umbilical cord blood transplant. That is, of course, if a suitable donor - including cord blood - can be found. Headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, Gift of Life is one of the nation's public blood cell registries facilitating transplants for children and adults suffering from leukemia, lymphoma, other cancers and genetic diseases.

Jul 2012   One of the advantages of cord blood (CB) as a source of stem cells for transplantation is the ability to use "not perfect" matches, which means that the donor's CB and patient do not have to match at all HLA antigens. As a result, more patients can find suitable CB units.

Jun 2012   Recent reports show that teen pregnancy and births in the U.S. have reached an all-time low, so it's tempting for parents, healthcare providers, and community leaders to think, "problem solved!" and move on to another issue. But here is the reality: Approximately 750,000 teen pregnancies occur annually in the U.S., and roughly one in three teen girls gets pregnant before age 20.

Jun 2012   Nita Thompson of African American Blood Drive and Bone Marrow Registry for Sickle Cell Disease Awareness volunteered to run the Parent's Guide to Cord Blood exhibit booth at the 2012 Cord Blood Symposium

Jun 2012   Amniotic fluid has been used for more than 70 years for prenatal diagnosis (1). It is extracted, by a procedure called "amniocentesis", generally between the 14th and 20th weeks of pregnancy, to assess for genetic birth defects. In addition to the fluid required for testing, the doctor will also withdraw a small amount (a few milliliters) of additional fluid, in case any further testing is required. That extra fluid could be used to isolate fetal stem cells from the baby, as it contains a varied population of cells that originate from the tissues of the baby's skin, respiratory, digestive and urinary tracts.

May 2012   Diabetes is present in 2-6% of pregnant women in the United States; 88% of these women have gestational diabetes (GDM). This is a form of diabetes which appears during pregnancy, typically during the second or third trimester. The prevalence of GDM has increased due to the increased incidence of obesity in the US. The remaining 12% of pregnant women with diabetes have pre-existing type 1 or type 2 diabetes.