India Blood Bank

Blood donations may one day be a thing of the past thanks to the creation of the first functional red blood cells grown in the lab. The cells were grown from human embryonic stem cells (ESCs).

“You wouldn’t have to worry about shortages because you could create as many as you want,” says Robert Lanza, chief scientist at Advanced Cell Technology, the company that grew the red blood cells in Worcester, Massachusetts.

The breakthrough raises the prospect of mass-producing supplies of the “universal donor” blood type O-negative, which is prized because it can be safely transfused into any patient, whatever their blood group. This type of blood is in short supply - around 8% of Caucasians have it, and just 0.3% of Asians.

Making blood from a few ESC lines instead of obtaining it from countless donors may also help to stop the spread of disease, as it is easier to ensure such artficial blood is free of pathogens such as HIV and the viruses that cause hepatitis.

To create the red blood cells, Lanza and his collaborators at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and at the University of Illinois in Chicago exposed cultures of human ESCs to a sequence of nutrients and growth factors. This turned them first into haemangioblasts, which are precursors to blood cells, and then into mature red blood cells.

The white blood cells have a rather short life cycle, living from a few days to a few weeks. A drop of blood can contain anywhere from 7,000 to 25,000 white blood cells at a time. If an invading infection fights back and persists, that number will significantly increase.

A consistently high number of white blood cells is a symptom of Leukemia, a cancer of the blood. A Leukemia patient may have as many as 50,000 white blood cells in a single drop of blood.

White blood cells (leukocytes) are an important part of the body’s defense against infectious organisms and foreign substances. To defend the body adequately, a sufficient number of white blood cells must receive a message that an infectious organism or foreign substance has invaded the body, get to where they are needed, and then kill and digest the harmful organism or substance (see Biology of the Immune System: Cells and see Biology of the Immune System: Lymphatic System: Helping Defend Against Infection

Your blood group will be A, B, AB, or O. If you have “A” “B” or “O” blood group, you have antibodies in your blood plasma that destroy some of the other blood groups. If you have group “A” blood, you cannot receive blood that is group “B” and vice versa. If you have “O” blood, your body will create antibodies to fight “A” or “B” blood. If you have group “AB” blood however, your body will not create antibodies for any of the other blood groups.

Most of us are aware of our blood groups, which we inherit from our parents. We also know that blood transfusion is possible between two people if their blood groups are similar. But what determines our blood groups ? This is done by a protein complex called antigens on the surface of the red blood cells. These antigens are complex chemical substances found on the surface of red blood cells are different for each blood group. The two most important blood group systems in transfusion work are the ABO and Rhesus (Rh) systems.

Within the ABO system people can be one of four types - 0, A, B or AB, whilst in the Rh system they can be either Rh positive or Rh negative. Each system is inherited independently of the other. Thus, there are eight main blood groups.

Your Rh status will be listed as negative (-) or positive (+). If you have Rh- blood, your body may form antibodies against Rh+ blood and destroy it. In order for this to happen, you must first be exposed to Rh+ blood (i.e., through a blood transfusion or carrying an Rh+ fetus). This can be a problem if you have antibodies against Rh+ blood and are pregnant with an Rh+ fetus. However, there is medication that can prevent this reaction from occurring if it is given immediately after you are exposed to Rh+ blood.

Blood is a public resource and should not be restricted. Blood is made up of red blood corpuscles, white blood corpuscles and platelets suspended in yellow fluid called plasma.. Blood carries oxygen water and food to all cells of the body.

The amount of blood content in human body is 76 /kg body weight in males and 66 ml / kg body weight in females. Out of the total quantity of blood only 50 ml / kg of body weight is in circulation. The quantity is sufficient for performing normal routine work, hence men have 26 ml/ kg and women have 16 ml / kg of blood in circulation system as surplus or factor of safety. From this surplus it has been scientifically established that if one slowly parts with 8 ml / kg no harm is done to the body mechanism in any way. Anybody having a body weight of 45 kg can donate 45 X8 =360 ml. In India not more than 350 ml of blood is collected from a donor. The liquid part of the donated blood is made up automatically within 2 days and the cells are completely replenished in 2 days. Still one is allowed to donate blood once in 3 months. For reparation of the donated blood, no additional nutritious food, rest or any medicine is required. Normal diet is sufficient to make up of the donated blood.

India’s blood requirement is about six million units per year. Blood banks are able to collect only about three million units per year. Patients actually die because the right kind of blood does not reach them in time. The heavy shortfall in supply encourages racketeering (unethical institutions/people sell blood that is not properly tested) in blood and blood products. It also encourages blood donation for money, encouraging ‘professional’ donor ship. Professional donors come from weaker sections of the society and are rarely in ideal health for blood donation and do it only for commercial reasons. The risk of infection is also high in blood collected from professional donors.

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Blood is donated by volunteers who are screened and “accepted” to give blood. Blood can also be taken and stored for one’s own future use, or be donated by a relative. Most often, a person’s own blood is taken and stored in advance of surgery where a transfusion may be needed. This, of course, can only be done in cases where the need is anticipated. Relatives may also donate blood for direct use by a patient, although this is not typically considered any safer than blood from a volunteer.

1) PROFESSIONAL DONORS They sell their blood, which is of very poor quality and can transmit very dangerous diseases to the recipient. It is illegal to take blood from any professional donor.

(2) REPLACEMENT DONATION Healthy relatives and friends of the patient give their blood, of any group, to the blood bank. In exchange, the required number of units in the required blood group is given.

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(3) VOLUNTARY DONATION Here a donor donates blood voluntarily. The blood can be used for any patient even without divulging the identity of the donor. This is the best type of blood donation where a motivated human being gives blood in an act of selfless service.

The screening process includes questions about overall health and about any risk factors for disease. Blood is only taken from donors who are designated as healthy enough to do so. The donated blood is tested to determine type (A, B, AB, or O) and screened for the presence of the hepatitis virus (B and C), HIV, HTLV (human T-lymphotropic viruses), West Nile virus, and Treponema pallidum (the bacteria which causes syphilis).

Blood is essential for good health because the body depends on a steady supply of fuel and oxygen to reach its billions of cells. Even the heart couldn’t survive without blood flowing through the vessels that bring nourishment to its muscular walls. Blood also carries carbon dioxide and other waste materials to the lungs, kidneys, and digestive system; from there they are removed from the body.

We can not live without blood. And that the blood in our bodies is pumped by the heart through a network of arteries and veins. But beyond those blood basics, what do you know about that red stuff beneath your skin?

Without blood, we couldn’t keep warm or cool off, we couldn’t fight infections, and we couldn’t get rid of our own waste products.

So how exactly does blood do these things? How is it made, and what’s in it? How does blood clot? It’s time to learn a little about the mysterious, life-sustaining fluid called blood.

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Experiments with blood transfusions, the transfer of blood or blood components into a person’s blood stream, have been carried out for hundreds of years. Many patients have died and it was not until 1901, when the Austrian Karl Landsteiner discovered human blood groups, that blood transfusions became safer.

Mixing blood from two individuals can lead to blood clumping or agglutination. The clumped red cells can crack and cause toxic reactions. This can have fatal consequences. Karl Landsteiner discovered that blood clumping was an immunological reaction which occurs when the receiver of a blood transfusion has antibodies against the donor blood cells.

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A certain set of standard tests are performed in the laboratory once blood is donated, including, but not limited to, the following:

* typing: ABO group (blood type)
* Rh typing (positive or negative antigen)
* screening for any unexpected red blood cell antibodies that may cause problems in the recipient
* screening for current or past infections, including the following:
o hepatitis viruses B and C
o human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
o human T-lymphotrophic viruses (HTLV) I and II
o syphilis
* Irradiation to blood cells is performed to disable any T-lymphocytes present in the donated blood. (T-lymphocytes can cause a reaction when transfused, but can also cause what is called “graft-versus-host” problems with repeated exposure to foreign cells.)
* “Leukocyte-reduced blood” has been filtered to remove the white blood cells which contain antibodies that can cause fevers in the recipient of the transfusion. (These antibodies, with repeated transfusions, may also increase a recipient’s risk of reactions to subsequent transfusions.)

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If you want to save any one life please give the blood to donate. Donation of blood is a sign of kindness and care for the fellow human beings. There is no gift more valuable than a Gift of Blood, as it is actually a Gift of Life for the person who receives it. Indiabloodbank.com is an online edge for bringing mutually giving blood donors and patients who needs blood in India.

You can go to the nearest government approved blood centre, which is based on voluntary non/remunerated blood donation and make your significant contribution to saving life of a patient by donating blood. Your contribution is extremely valuable to us.