Do you know what the building blocks of our blood and immune system are? Stem cells. These stem cells have the potential to grow into different types of cells in order to repair cell damage in the associated tissues and organs. For this reason, stem cells are considered a major component in the modern regenerative medicine.

Stem cells are found in various parts of human body like bone marrow, blood, embryos, muscle, hair follicles, fetal tissue, baby teeth and fat. But not all stem cells can be used in clinical procedures. Umbilical cord blood is the richest source of stem cells that can be effectively used in therapeutic applications.

These stem cells are collected from the umbilical cord blood right after a baby is born. The cord blood is collected once the umbilical cord is clamped and cut. The blood is then processed to derive stem cells and preserved, so it remains intact for years. The process is completely safe and poses no harm to the mother and the new born.

After the cord blood stem cells are preserved successfully, the parents of the baby can use the stem cells, if the baby needs any transplant anytime in the future. Apart from that, if any of the family members needs a transplant, the family can easily claim the stored stem cell for the procedure.

Why Storing Cord Blood Should Be Considered?

Cord blood stem cells can treat more than 80 diseases and disorders. Once preserved, you can claim the stem cells for the treatment of any family members. Your elder child can also be treated with the stem cells of your younger child.

Moreover, stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood are immature. Like new born cells, they don’t know how to attack any foreign body. For this reason, using umbilical cord blood is always a safer option.

With umbilical cord blood, you don’t need to wait or look for a suitable matching donor. On the contrary, with bone marrow or peripheral blood, you need to wait for an unrelated matching donor. The reason being, cord blood stem cells are less likely to reject the transplant.

What Diseases and Disorders Can Be Treated With Umbilical Cord Blood?

Latest studies have shown that conditions like autism and cerebral palsy can be treated with cord blood stem cells. A 2017 study demonstrated that children with autism showed significant improvements in the first six months of the procedure. So, it’s proved that the symptoms of both these disorders can be treated with stem cells.

Studies showed that patients with cancer shows better results if they are treated with their own cord blood stem cells. Some study also show that umbilical cord blood stem cells work wonderfully on cancers that are not genetically derived.

Apart from cancer, there are other conditions like heart failure, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries, stroke, diabetes that can be treated with umbilical cord blood. While the above-mentioned treatments are concerned, bone marrow is still the first choice for doctors and patients. The main reason is, in most of the cases umbilical cord blood is not preserved.

There have been hundreds of clinical trials and many have shown successful results. If you store your baby’s cord blood, you would be able to use them if situation demands.

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Stem cells have been the reason for so many successful clinical trials for decades. It has not only been proven effective for more than 80 diseases and disorders, but it has also been responsible for various miraculous stories. Lucy Hinchion has such an inspiring story. She is the youngest child in medical history, who has received her own umbilical cord blood to stop or delay the occurrence of Type 1 diabetes. And she was just 20 months old, when the procedure was conducted on her.

How Does Type 1 Diabetes Occur in Children?

The occurrence of Type 1 diabetes begins with autoantibodies. These are proteins that are made by the immune system of our body. If the protein is present in anyone blood, it suggests that the beta cells in the pancreas that help produce insulin, are affected. The entire process might lead to an autoimmune attack. Some of these autoantibodies can be traced during the blood months while some are found years before the diabetes occurs.

Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of stem cells but at the same time it’s the most difficult to collect. It can only be collected after child birth from the umbilical cord of the new born. For this reason, parents need to contact a private cord blood bank to store the umbilical cord blood immediately after birth. Even a one day’s delay cannot be considered.

The procedure is entire safe both for the mother and the child. Once the cord blood is collected, it needs to go through a clinical process to isolate the stem cells from the immune cells. These stem cells are unique in nature. They have the potential to repair and replace damaged tissues and organs. And once stored, these stem cells can be utilized in any transplant of any family member.

Lucy’s mother, Sonya Hinchion also hoped that once they store Lucy’s umbilical cord blood, they would be able to safe Lucy’s elder sister, Ava’s life, who was suffering from Type 1 diabetes since four years of age. However, little did she know that Lucy would require those stem cells more than anyone else. After testing, Sonya found out that Lucy was positive for two antibodies and that posed her at high risk of developing the condition more than anyone. Sonya recalled, “After testing positive for two antibodies herself, Lucy became at high risk of developing the condition.”

Regarding the transplant, Sonya confirmed that it was a pretty simple and straightforward procedure. She said, “You’re putting all your eggs in one basket but without doing this trial and without putting yourself out there, we’re never going to learn. The other risk is, she develops diabetes and you’ll kick yourself for not trying.” Professor Maria Craig, the head of the CORD study, follows Lucy every 3 to 6 months and would keep up the follow up session for the next 3 years.

Over 100 Australian children, who have a history of Type 1 diabetes in their family, are being screened by the Cord Reinfusion in Diabetes (CORD) study currently. According to a report, “More than 100 Australian children with a family history of Type 1 diabetes are currently being screened in the Cord Reinfusion in Diabetes (CORD) study, conducted through the hospital’s Kids Research Institute and funded by cord blood bank Cell Care Australia.”

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The confirmation of pregnancy for women can arouse mixed responses in them as it is the most awaited news for some and a threatening one for others. Both categories of women anxiously wait before the result appears on the pregnancy test kit. Mayo clinic states that results from the home pregnancy kits are 99% accurate. However, the lower percentile of the results is inaccurate and can disappoint or overwhelm the anxious women with happiness with their incorrect results. What makes these kits go wrong when they are claimed to be extremely accurate in ruling out pregnancy?

Early Miscarriage

You may have tested with a positive pregnancy result. However, you get your period following the test. This may be an early miscarriage. According to health experts, the majority of 70% of the conceptions are miscarriages. Most of the women do not even realize that they are pregnant and the period they got is nothing but the debris of a miscarriage. However, for those who await pregnancy, this can be devastating.

Fertility Medications Can Be Blamed

To understand this, one may need to understand the simple concept behind the test kit. The placenta releases a hormone called Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) once the egg is implanted in the uterus. The amount of this hormone released multiplies within days and results are more accurate once the HCG is found in the urine.

If you are too enthusiastic about taking a pregnancy test quickly after taking the fertility pills containing the pregnancy hormone HCG, it may lead to an incorrect positive. Those who are on fertility drugs are often suggested by medical professionals to wait for a while before checking it on a strip.

Residual HCG Post a Miscarriage or a Delivery

Four to six weeks is normally the threshold before which the HCG still exists in the body after delivery or a miscarriage. Seldom, it happens that a placenta is left in the body to produce the HCG. Till the placenta cells grow in the uterus, the test can lead to a positive result.

Test Sits Too Long

If you follow the instructions of a standard pregnancy test, it will seek your attention in the stipulated time frame. If you make the test sit for a long time before going through the results, the urine on the strip evaporates to appear as two lines instead of one. But it is actually one and the result is negative. In such cases, go for another test immediately and look out for the result in the stipulated time frame.

Expired Kit

There is a possibility that the kit you are using to check pregnancy may be past its expiry date. The chemical that reads the HCG may fade away with time leading to an incorrect result. Check the expiry date of the kit before you purchase it to increase the accuracy level.

It is always suggested by the healthcare experts to visit a doctor as soon as you get a positive result on the home pregnancy kit to doubly confirm the same via a check-up. A blood test will be performed to investigate the HCG in your body and it cannot fool you. It may be an agreeable fact that you wait anxiously to know that you are pregnant, but a little patience can get you accurate results.

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According to Medical News Today, “Strokes occur due to problems with the blood supply to the brain: either the blood supply is blocked or a blood vessel within the brain ruptures, causing brain tissue to die. A stroke is a medical emergency, and treatment must be sought as quickly as possible.”

Strokes can be of three types, namely, a) Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs); b) Ischemic strokes; and c) Hemorrhagic strokes.

Currently, the only US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved treatment for strokes involves the tissue plasminogen activator or tPA. Basically, these are used to dissolve the blood clots that are formed in the event of a stroke when the arteries are blocked preventing adequate flow of blood to the brain. It is essential that the tPA is provided to patients within 3 to 4 hours after the stroke happens in order for it to be effective. If a patient cannot reach the hospital in time for the tPA to be administered then more often than not it could result in lasting damage.

However, a recent article titled ‘3K3A–activated protein C stimulates post-ischemic neuronal repair by human neural stem cells in mice’ stated the possibility of the damage being cured. The article stated that a team based at the University of Southern California (USA) conducted a research using a mixture of one-two punch stem cells along with a protein that assists cells in converting into brain cells known as neurons.

Author Kevin McCormack, in his article regarding the research, stated, “First, the researchers induced a stroke in mice and then transplanted human neural stem cells alongside the damaged brain tissue. They then added a dose of the protein 3K3A-APC or a placebo. They found that mice treated with 3K3A-APC had 16 times more human stem-cell derived neurons than the mice treated with the placebo. Those neurons weren’t just sitting around doing nothing.”

In order to ensure that the improvement witnessed in the mice was solely due to the 3K3A-ACP cell that had been transplanted into them, the researchers killed the neurons that they had produced with the help of a toxin. The result was that the mice were reverted to their previous state and could not be differentiated from other untreated mice.

Other studies have also been conducted which have conclusively proved that when stroke victims were injected with stem cells gathered from borrowed bone marrows, they displayed a marked improvement from their previous state and were also able to regain some amount of bodily movements.

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To start with, let us first understand what is ‘delayed cord clamping’.

According to the International Childbirth Education Association, “Delayed cord clamping is a birth practice where the umbilical cord is not clamped or cut until after pulsations have ceased, or until after the placenta is delivered.”

Now you may ask why this procedure is necessary and how does it impact your baby. At the time of birth, your baby’s body contains two-thirds of the blood whilst the placenta contains about one-third of the blood. Studies have revealed that a delay in the clamping of the umbilical cord can provide newborns approximately 30% more of the foetal-placental blood volume. Thus, delaying the cord clamping will give your baby a healthy blood volume.

Let Us Look At Some More Benefits That Delayed Cord Clamping Can Offer:

• The extra blood that delayed cord clamping provides to your baby can prevent anemia. Since breast milk does not provide sufficient amounts of iron which is important not only for preventing anemia but also for your baby’s brain development, the blood received from delayed clamping can deliver the extra iron content needed by your baby’s body.
• Delayed cord clamping allows your baby to incorporate an increased amount of stem cells into their body as the production of stem cells is highest at the time of birth. Stem cells are a core part of the body’s anatomy. They have the potential to repair and cure any type of internal injuries or illnesses.
• Some studies have shown that the extra time taken to detach the umbilical cord can give your baby a neurodevelopmental boost in later life.
• As mentioned before, delayed cord clamping increases the baby’s blood volume which in turn promotes a healthy neonatal cardiopulmonary transition.
• In the cases of babies who are born prematurely, delayed cord clamping can allow them to have stabilized blood pressure in the days succeeding the birth.

Although delayed cord clamping has several benefits, the ideal time for cord clamping is a topic of much debate. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists “Several systematic reviews have suggested that clamping the umbilical cord in all births should be delayed for at least 30–60 seconds, with the infant maintained at or below the level of the placenta because of the associated neonatal benefits, including increased blood volume, reduced need for blood transfusion, decreased incidence of intracranial hemorrhage in preterm infants, and lower frequency of iron deficiency anemia in term infants. Evidence exists to support delayed umbilical cord clamping in preterm infants, when feasible. The single most important clinical benefit for preterm infants is the possibility for a nearly 50% reduction in intraventricular hemorrhage. However, currently, the evidence is insufficient to confirm or refute the potential for benefits from delayed umbilical cord clamping in term infants, especially in settings with rich resources.”

Delayed cord clamping is a common practice amongst most doctors and has no effect on the process of cord blood collection since the cord blood is collected only after the cord has completely stopped pulsating. So if you are an expecting parent and have opted for cord blood banking, you can speak to Cordlife expert today!

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Recently, close friends Jayesh and Simran delivered a second baby boy, Kiann. Like responsible parents, they believed in their child’s healthy future and went for private cord blood banking in spite of having preserved the umbilical cord for their firstborn a few years ago. In just 3 months’ time, their newborn was diagnosed with osteoporosis. This is possibly a condition where Kiann’s bone formation could be at risk and may lead to a fatality. The couple were optimistic because they were told that stem cell transplantation could actually save their newborn’s life.

In the rarest of cases, when Kiann’s stem cells were taken for testing, the parents found out that Kiann’s cord blood cells contained the same genetic deficiency that caused his disorder. Jayesh and Simran were distraught. But there was light at the end of the tunnel.  Precedence suggested that doctors could explore using donor cells from a close match. In order to treat a genetic disorder known as Fanconi’s anaemia, the first successful sibling-to-sibling cord-blood stem-cell transplant was performed in 1988.

There was hope yet for Kiann. Since Jayesh and Simran had opted to invest in storing their firstborn’s cord blood cells a few years ago, the doctors on testing that sample were able to get a reasonably compatible match. The doctors chose to go ahead with the stem cell transplantation and Kiann is now well on his way to recovery.

So the question that most parents spend a lot of time on is whether there is a need to store the cord blood and tissue for each individual child? In Jayesh and Simran’s case, the fact that they preserved the cord blood cells for both their children actually helped to save the life of their second born child.

According to the Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation, “Two full siblings have a 25% chance of being a perfect match, a 50% chance of being a half match, and a 25% chance of not matching at all.” However, Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, Program Director of the division of Paediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation at Duke University Medical Center and one of the earliest to perform an unrelated cord-blood transplant in the U.S says, “One of the wonderful things about cord blood banking is that unlike bone marrow, you don’t always need a perfect match in order for it to work.”

Apart from the medical point of view of why one must consider storing the cord blood and tissue for both children, there is an additional take from a parenting perspective. By opting to bank the cord blood and tissue of a single child, most parents forget that it may lead to a regrettable situation where they may realize that they had made an unequal key medical decision.

Storing the stem cells of each child individually will allow you and your children access to a greater number of stem cells through which their future disorders and diseases can be cured. Dr. Jordan Perlow, MD, a maternal-foetal specialist in Phoenix, post attending medical conferences and having examined and analyzed findings about advances in stem-cell treatments now urges his patients to privately cord blood bank if they can meet the expense of it because he’s confident that it might save their child’s life or the life of another family member.

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Blood sugar or blood glucose is a test that measures the amount of glucose, which is a type of sugar, in your blood. This glucose is considered to be the core source of energy for the body and can be found in foods that are rich in carbohydrates. The cells in your body depend on the energy produced by the glucose to function throughout the day. You have often heard that when sugar levels fall, people tend to feel tired and also suffer from bouts of dizziness. However, an increase in the blood sugar level can also have a negative impact on your nerves, kidneys, eyes and blood vessels.

The Blood Sugar Levels For An Adult Are As Follows:

An increase of blood sugar can cause diabetes. The cells within the body depend on insulin, which is a hormone created in the pancreas, to use the glucose. Diabetes can cause the insulin to stop performing its function thus leading to a rise in the blood glucose levels in the body. If these levels remain high over a period of time they can eventually cause damage to various organs of the body.

One of the major causes of diabetes is an unhealthy diet. Eating High Glycemic Index Foods Glycemic Index (GI) is described as the “calculation of how fast a type of food consumed by us is turned into energy, i.e. into glucose.” This ‘High GI foods’ are those that easily release glucose into the body. Some of the foods that fall in to this category are pastries, carbonated drinks, white bread, white potatoes, candies and ready-to-eat foods.

A negative consequence of this improper diet and increasing blood sugar levels is the weakening of the stem cells. The essential function of stem cells is to repair, renew and replace. They have the ability to locate injury sites within the body and repair the damaged tissues. They can also renew themselves through the process of mitosis and increase the stem cell count of the body. After differentiating via mitosis, a stem cell can also replace another body cell by imitating the functions of that cell. However, diabetes and an unhealthy diet can prevent stem cells from carrying out these tasks.

Providing proper nutrition to your body is important in order to ensure the health of your stem cells. Therefore, maintaining a balanced diet will not only prevent your blood glucose levels from fluctuating but will also allow the stem cells to perform properly.

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