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Embryonic Stem Cell Research Yields Major Success

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Manal:
Sharmin, do you mean plastic blood that was invented to be used in wars ??

manal

Sharmin:
I am not too sure, Manal.  I think that we talked about it on this site at an earlier time.

Sharmin

Andy Battaglia:
There have been serious problems found with the synthetic artificial blood substitute. This product is intended for use where there has been a major blood loss, until real blood can be accessed. However, things have not gone well.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2008/04/blood.html


--- Quote ---April 29, 2008

• Health News
Investigators working at the National Institutes of Health have concluded that artificial blood is too risky for further testing, because patients who receive it have a 30 percent increased chance of dying.

While the idea of a blood substitute that doesn't need refrigeration or cross-matching and has a long shelf life would be an exciting scientific advance, the study concludes these products significantly increase the risk of heart attacks and death.

The authors also raise serious questions about the role of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in continuing to allow human trials of these products, despite evidence from past clinical trials that found patients given these hemoglobin-based blood substitutes face a 30 percent greater risk of death and a 171 percent increased risk of heart attack than those treated conventionally.
--- End quote ---

This product would have very little value for thals even if it was safe, as it lasts a very short period. Creating blood using stem cells would have a much greater implication for thals.

Sharmin:
Perhaps I was talking about this - adding NO to donated blood so that it will last longer:

http://www.thalassemiapatientsandfriends.com/index.php?topic=1261.0;highlight=transfusion+last+longer

I wonder if NO inducers like watermelon, and L-carnitine taken during tx would have some benefit.  Although, it seems that much of the NO is lost during storage - so it should be added at the time of collection & storage  ???

Sharmin

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