Umbilical Cord Blood Helping Children with Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is a life-long congenital disorder that affects body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance. Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the developing brain either during pregnancy or shortly after birth.
In a phase II trial, Duke University Medical Center researched the use of stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood to treat children diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
“The research demonstrated improvements in motor function a year after the injection of a high dose of stem cells from a child’s own cord blood.”1 Further, this treatment shows it could ...
Source: Cord Blood News - January 15, 2018 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: Cord Blood stem cells Source Type: blogs
Old Wives ’ Tales: How to Predict if You ’ re Having a Boy or Girl
Like many parents-to-be, it can be a long and difficult wait to find out the gender of their baby. Is it a boy or girl?! I’m sure friends and family have their own opinions and guesses, and even you may have a feeling that you are carrying one gender versus the other. However, until you take a blood test and/or your doctors confirms the sex of the baby, there is no way to know for sure. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun while waiting!
Here are some old wives’ tales to help you predict whether or not you are having a boy or girl:
1. How are you carrying?
Its been said that if you are carrying high it...
Source: Cord Blood News - January 8, 2018 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: pregnancy Source Type: blogs
Cord Blood Proven to Help Children Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy, normally caused by brain damage or abnormal brain development, is a disorder that affects motor function, balance, and more.
Currently there is no cure for cerebral palsy, however, in a study from Duke University Medical Center children who were diagnosed with cerebral palsy showed significant improvements in both brain connectivity and motor function after receiving infusions of their own cord blood.
It has been found that using the stem cells found in cord blood actually repairs some of the brain damage from cerebral palsy.
Jessica Sun, assistant professor of pediatrics, is “hopeful that cord blood and ...
Source: Cord Blood News - January 1, 2018 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: brain development Cord Blood medical research Source Type: blogs
Prenatal Blood Tests – What to Expect
Navigating through the many different pre-natal blood tests can be confusing. Names like Sequential Screening, NIPT, and Carrier Screening meant nothing to me before being pregnant. As my doctor explained the different blood tests, I found myself being even more confused. I just wanted to know which blood test was the best option for my baby and me.
As you enter your second trimester and prepare to take multiple blood tests, it’s best to do your research beforehand. This way you’ll know what to expect and won’t be overwhelmed by the different options.
Here is a breakdown of the different blood tests:
Sequential Scree...
Source: Cord Blood News - December 18, 2017 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: pregnancy Source Type: blogs
Advanced Cell Therapy Rapid Growth
Advanced Cell Therapy is defined as “all therapies in which cells are more than minimally manipulated”, for the treatment of a variety of diseases.
Data shows that the number of cell therapies from 2016 – 2017 is rapidly growing. In 2016, the number of trials registered was 582 worldwide. We are only in the first half of 2017 and 315 trials have been registered already. This is “a modest 8% increase in the average number of trials per month.”
Almost all the 2017 trials registered thus far can be categorized as either Immunotherapy or Regenerative Medicine. Immunotherapy is “the treatment of disease by induci...
Source: Cord Blood News - November 27, 2017 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: medical research stem cells Source Type: blogs
The Benefits of Working Out While Pregnant
When you’re pregnant the last thing you are thinking about is working out. However pre-natal exercise not only helps reduce the amount of weight you gain during pregnancy but helps alleviate some of the symptoms you suffer during it. And let’s face it, if you’re in your first trimester you may be willing to do just about anything to feel better!
In general, we know that exercising gives you more energy. When you’re pregnant you may be feeling more tired than usual and even a little moody. Working out will help give you that extra energy and will also help with any mood swings and trouble sleeping.
Exercise also hel...
Source: Cord Blood News - October 30, 2017 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: pregnancy Source Type: blogs
Stem cells to treat heart failure
Currently over 6.5 million people in the US are affected by heart failure. This number is “expected to rise by 46 percent by the year 2030.” Heart failure is a chronic condition where the heart’s muscles weaken and it doesn’t pump blood as well as it should. “Half of all heart failure patients are expected to die within the first 5 years after the diagnosis, and the 10-year survival rate is less than 30 percent.” New research shows hope for people suffering from this disease.
In a new trial, Dr. Jorge Bartolucci, a professor in Chile, along with his colleagues looked at injecting stem cells derived from the umb...
Source: Cord Blood News - October 16, 2017 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: Cord Blood Cord Tissue medical research Source Type: blogs
Making a Choice: Staying Home vs. Going Back to Work
Did you just have a baby? Are you wondering whether or not you should stay home with your child or if you should go back to work? Can you stay home even if you wanted to? This can be a tough decision for many families and many factors must be considered before making it. Some things to think about are:
Is there flexibility at your current job?
Things happen. There may be days where you need to come in late or need to leave work early. Does your employer understand this and can you change your hours to better fit your new schedule? If necessary, is there the possibility of working part time?
Can you afford not to work?
Look...
Source: Cord Blood News - October 2, 2017 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: pregnancy Source Type: blogs
Ever wonder where the idea of blue for boys and pink for girls came from?
According to history it wasn’t always that way; it was a gradual process that was shaped over time. Let’s take a look!
Centuries ago, before blue for boys and pink for girls became the norm, both boys and girls were dressed in white. This was due to practicality, since it was easy to bleach dirty clothes.
Jo B. Paoletti, a professor at the University of Maryland who focuses on gender roles, found “that our adoption of gender-specific colors was a gradual process.”
In the middle of the 19th century, pastel colors were becoming more common for children to wear. “In 1918, a trade publication stated that it was p...
Source: Cord Blood News - September 25, 2017 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: babies Source Type: blogs
How long can cord blood be stored?
This common question comes up often when researching cord blood banking. Why do some banks only offer, 18, 20 or 25 years when other banks offer lifetime banking?
Here’s what we know:
Cord blood is rich in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). These cord blood stem cells produce the cellular ingredients necessary for the blood and the immune system and are crucial for transplants.
When stem cells are stored they are done so in a cryopreserved frozen state. The questions remains “how long can the stem and progenitor cells be maintained in frozen form and still be viable when they are thawed?”
“The key to cord blood banki...
Source: Cord Blood News - September 18, 2017 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: Cord Blood stem cells Source Type: blogs
Public vs. Private Cord Blood Banking
Deciding between public and private cord blood banking can be a difficult decision. Detailed below is some information that should help you and your family decide which type of bank is best for your needs.
ACCESS
Public: With public banks, you are limited to delivery at hospitals that handle public cord blood donation. Not every U.S. hospital offers public banking due to funding limitations.
Private: Through private banking you can give birth at any location, using the company’s collection kit, and a medical courier will come to the hospital, pick up your baby’s cord blood/tissue and bring it to their lab.
RETREIVAL
...
Source: Cord Blood News - September 11, 2017 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: Cord Blood pregnancy Source Type: blogs
Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping
Doctor appointments, Google searches, and a growing list of questions. Does this sound familiar? As time goes on, your little bun in the oven is getting closer and closer to their due date, and the more time that goes by, the longer your list gets. What delayed cord clamping? Why do it? And can I still bank my baby’s cord blood & tissue if I choose to do it?
What is it?
The umbilical cord is the lifeline between mother and baby. Through the umbilical cord, the baby receives all the oxygen, nutrients, and blood the baby needs to grow and develop. Typically the umbilical cord is clamped shortly after birth (usual...
Source: Cord Blood News - August 7, 2017 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: Cord Blood pregnancy delayed cord clamping Source Type: blogs
5 Misconceptions about Cord Blood Banking
When it comes to life-saving medical decisions, most people want to hear just the facts. And it’s no different when it comes to cord blood banking. Unfortunately, when you do a simple Google search on cord blood banking, you get a lot of information that may or may not be factual about the process and possibilities of cord blood banking, influencing your decisions with unreliable data. Here’s 5 Cord Blood Misconceptions debunked!
Myth #1: Treating diseases with cord blood is still in the experimental phase.
Fact: Not anymore. The first cord blood transplant was performed in 1988. Since then, 30,000 cord blood st...
Source: Cord Blood News - August 1, 2017 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: Cord Blood private cord blood bank Source Type: blogs
Hopeful Cord Blood Treatment for Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.
Our central nervous system is covered in myelin, a “fatty white substance” that surrounds and protects the nerve fibers that are responsible for transmitting information to the brain, spinal cord, and the rest of the body. Multiple sclerosis attacks and destroys the myelin and as these nerve cells deteriorate, symptoms of MS such as “numbness, loss of vision, fatigue and tremors” start to occur.
There are different phases or “courses” of MS most oft...
Source: Cord Blood News - July 24, 2017 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Maze Cord Blood Tags: Cord Blood medical research stem cells multiple sclerosis Source Type: blogs
