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#6360 - 11/27/06 05:48 PM
Re: Ichthyosis advances
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Member
Registered: 04/12/06
Posts: 298
Loc: Alberta, Canada
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Sideshowbob: Thanks, I overlooked that whole issue. Valid point. I should retract my earlier statement that fertility clinics are outside the debate. But I still see this whole US debate on stem cells as a 'needless debate'. Religious beliefs, of all faith backgrounds, enter political debate in my country as well. Whenever issues dealing with thwarting the will of God (ie. contraception), the point when life begins (ie. fertility clinics), or the definition of a "person" under the law (ie. abortion) arise, similar religious beliefs are discussed in Canada. We have also had religious beliefs clash with national standards as it applied to organ donation, blood transfusion, and even the primacy of a woman's life over that of an unborn child. Those issues are resolved now in Canada insofar as national policy is concerned. I have no desire to debate religious beliefs or the balancing of individual rights and I agree that this is not a place for it. However, the original post in this thread demonstrates how stem cell research is an integral part of finding a cure for ichthyosis and I am simply lamenting how research efforts if the US may not be achieving its full potential as compared to other countries. I also think there are ways to more quickly resolve the debate and avoid the state of limbo in which the US research community currently finds itself. I guess what I'm saying is that political players, on both sides, are muddying the waters and exploiting the issue for political gain when solutions that are acceptable to both sides, and for the national good, are much more easily attainable. It's a polarization issue, as so much in our world is today. Thank God, I'm writing this on my lunch break, otherwise I would have babbled on to no end. [img] http://www.ichthyosis.com/ubb/wink.gif[/img] I hope I haven't offended anyone as an "outsider" commenting on US politics. Erin: Good question. In my family's situation, the decision to bank was not based on ich. I couldn't find anything quickly online either. So, I don't have an answer for you. Dawn: Thanks, that clarifies the stem cell differences for me even more. I asked about my family's blood bank contract this morning and it appears that it used the 10-year projected expiry to "justify" a ten-year term to the contract. Basically after ten years it will have to be renewed, with an additional fee. That is, if comes to be shown at that time that cord-blood life extends well beyond 10 years. But we can still hope that cord blood will be found to have a much longer useful life.
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#6362 - 12/01/06 09:29 PM
Re: Ichthyosis advances
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Member
Registered: 06/07/05
Posts: 378
Loc: Marlton, NJ, USA
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When I was looking at Babycenter.com at my 23 week profile, I noticed that they gave this little article about banking your baby's cord blood, so I thought I would post it on here since there was a discussion about banking cord blood.
When Alex was born we were going to donate his cord blood to a public bank, but we didn't get the info until too late. We are definatly going to dontate the cord blood for this baby though. Now that I know about it I can get the info on time.
"Decision Guide: Should you bank your baby's cord blood?
Cord blood banking is a procedure in which the blood left in your baby's umbilical cord and placenta after birth is collected, frozen, and stored for future medical use. Cord blood is prized because it's a rich source of stem cells — the building blocks of the blood and immune system. Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into other tissues, organs, and blood vessels, and they can be used to treat a host of diseases such as leukemia and sickle cell anemia. Many parents view cord blood banking as a form of medical insurance should anyone in their family develop a disease that can be treated with stem cells. Only you can decide if banking your baby's cord blood is right for your family. Factors to consider:
• Cord blood research is showing promising results. Although cord blood is not yet widely used to treat patients, cord blood researchers believe that it in the future it has the potential to treat some cancers, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, heart failure, stroke, and neurological diseases including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
• It's expensive. Private cord blood banks usually charge an enrollment and collection fee of approximately $600 to $1,900, plus annual storage fees ranging from around $80 to $100.
• Chances are your baby cannot be treated with his own cord blood. If your baby develops an illness with a genetic basis — and most childhood diseases are genetic — his cord blood contains the genetic instructions for that disease, so it's not a suitable treatment. Most banked cord blood is currently used to treat siblings.
• You probably have a better chance of finding a stem cell match in the public cord blood system than in your own family. The chance of an exact tissue match between two siblings is only about 25 percent, according to Dennis Confer, chief medical officer for the National Marrow Donor Program, a nonprofit organization that maintains the largest public listing of umbilical cord blood units available for transplantation in the United States. In contrast, the chance of finding a cord blood match in the nation's public banks is 75 percent, he says.
• Doctors aren't ready to universally recommend banking your baby's cord blood. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have both expressed reservations about private cord blood banking for the general public because they believe the chances a family will ever need the blood are slim and because they support a public cord blood donation system (similar to blood banks). Many doctors, however, say that families with a history of diseases such as leukemia, lymphomas, and immune deficiency, among others, should consider private cord banking because their odds of needing a stem cell transplant are higher than those of the general population.
• If your child belongs to a minority group, private storage may be of more value to you. According to July 2003 figures, a Caucasian patient has an 88 percent chance of finding a matching donor through the National Marrow Donor Program registry, while an African American's chances were significantly lower at 58 percent."
_________________________
Heather Mom to: Alex (xli and Kallmans - 2/3/05) Liz (3/16/07)
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