Hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT) are used in a clinical setting to treat many disorders including, leukemia, lymphoma, aplastic anemia, and multiple myeloma. HSCT work by replacing damaged or infective bone marrow. The new stem cells travel to the bone marrow and can produce new, healthy cells. This can mean a new beginning or a second chance at life for many people receiving HSCT. While there can be several benefits of receiving a HSCT, there are serious complications to consider. Complications include thrombolytic events, infections, hepatic sinusoidal occlusive syndrome (formerly known as veno-occlusive disease and will be abbreviated in this paper as VOD/SOS), renal failure, graft-verse-host-disease, possible relapse and …show more content…
Although some of these factors cannot be modified, awareness of risk factors and careful assessments of these patients can help decreases severity of VOD/SOS. Diagnosis Currently, there are three methods to diagnose VOD/SOS. The gold standard is through a histological liver biopsy (Sosa, 2014). However, there are many risks for the procedure, most patients are immunocompromised and thrombocytopenic post-transplant, therefore a biopsy may not be the safest method of treatment. According to Sosa (2014), criteria for diagnoses are usually based on the Seattle criteria, developed by McDonald in 1984 and the Baltimore criteria, developed by Jones in 1987. These criteria have been used for clinical practice and research for over three decades. McDonald et al. developed the Seattle criteria and diagnosed VOD/SOS based on the two or more of these conditions occurring within 20 days post-transplant: serum bilirubin greater than 2 mg/dL, enlarged liver or right upper quadrant pain and sudden weight gain of 2% or more from baseline, jaundice or ascites. Jones et al. (1987), using the Baltimore method, characterized VOD/SOS as serum bilirubin > 2 mg/dL within 21 days post-transplant, 2 more of the following: hepatomegaly, ascites and 5% or greater weight gain. Sosa (2014), suggests that “an accurate diagnosis can
Stem cell research has been quite a controversial topic since its origin in the 1960s by Gopal Das and Joseph Altman. Of course, anything that uses a human embryo would be. Stem cell research could open a vast number of new doors for modern science, it could let us test new drugs, one of which could be the unfound cure for AIDS or Alzheimer’s disease. However, this branch of science comes at a high price, the price of a human life that is only five to six days
What causes this disease is, after the transplant is complete the cells, of the transplanted bone marrow or stem cell, start attacking the recipient’s body. GVHD has a wide range of how dangerous it can be to the patient’s life, it can range from mild, where it is easily treatable, to life threatening, where there is no stopping the donor cells from attacking the recipient’s body. A biopsy on an affected organ can determine diagnoses of GVHD grade from I (mildest) to IV (most severe). To prevent GVHD, a couple of days before the transplant multiple drugs are prescribed to the patient: cyclosporine and methotrexate, tacrolimus and methotrexate, tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil, or prograf and sirolimus. These drugs are to lower the immune system from attacking the donor’s cells. The outlooks of a patient after the transplant is determined on how severe GVHD is and how closely match the bone marrow tissue or cell was. There have been some cases where GVHD caused damage to the liver, lungs, digestive tract and other organs. However, if this does happen or the patient start developing symptoms of GVHD, there are treatments. But the treatments does not always guarantee that the transplant will treat the original disease that was meant for the bone marrow tissue or cell transplant.
Abortion, gay marriage, and illegal immigration are all hot button topics currently being faced by Americans. As ardently as each side defends their stance on a controversial issue, an opposing side fights with equal diligence for the beliefs they feel should be valued by our nation. Perhaps nowhere is this battle more heated than in the fight over stem cell research. While supporters of this new field of science tout it’s potential to cure everything from blindness to paralysis, those against stem cell science liken the procedures used by scientists to murder. It is my intention to bring to light the positive benefits of stem cell research as well as counter the claims used by many Pro-life groups who believe the scientists driving this
Allogeneic HSCT (hematopoietic stem cell transplantation) has been a path-breaking discovery in the field of hemato-oncology, proven to be a cure for many diseases like red-cell disorders and inborn errors. Technical and supportive care has resulted in survival rates that exceed 70% within the first two years after HSCT. However, long-term survivors carry a high burden of morbidity, including infections, treatment related organ toxicities, musculoskeletal disorders, endocrinopathies and immunological complications like Graft-versus-Host-Disease (GVHD). These usually affect multiple organs and tissues, and exhibit a variable clinical course, but in any case there should be an early recognition and the treatment has to be one of an aggressive
Due to the potential therapeutic uses and the potential profit from stem cells, there has been an increased interest in stem cell research. While some progress has been made, we do not know nearly enough about how stem cells work to use them for the treatment of human diseases. However, there are researchers that claim that they have developed the technology to apply stem cells to the treatment of aging and diseases. Websites such as www.youngeryounger.com and www.medra.com state that they have created a miraculous medical cure, known as cellular therapy, which can treat just about any problem.
The society has evolved over the decades. Medical advances, greater technologies, better understanding of the world around us, the sky is the limit! The progression of a society is astounding from where it was just twenty years ago. One is able to do things that the forefathers would have never dreamed! Science has discovered ways to travel to the moon and back, reach some of the deepest depths of the oceans and discover new species, and drive hybrid cars. The achievements of today’s society have reached a new high; however, with great achievement comes great questions of ethics.
When one thinks of fatal diseases, what comes to mind? Cancer? Organ failure? Brain damage? All of those things and more could be a thing of the past with the incredible potential of stem cell research. Stem cells are like blank cells that can take the form of other kinds of cells. This gives them the ability to heal damaged areas, or grow replacement tissue for tissue that has been diseased. Stem cells can come from several different places, some of which cause lots of controversy and ethical debate. Because of this, stem cell research is not federally funded by the United States government. But, stem cell research has tons of potential and should get more attention for the greater good of our future.
For a bone marrow transplant to work at it’s best you need to be a match with the person, which is usually a relative, who is donating the bone marrow, however some people do a bone marrow transplant with only 50% compatibility rate, but may result in GVHD/Graft Versus Host Disease. This means that the person is not a perfect match, also mostly known as a mismatch. You will need to have anti-rejection shots to prevent it getting worse. There is no set time when it can happen, as some happen shortly after, while others don’t have it for months after the transplant. It causes diarrhea, rashes and liver complications. It can be severe and could be life threatening. If it’s mild GVHD it’s completely a bad thing, as it removes any leftover
The use of stem cells has been highly controversial over the last few years, first it is important understand what they are and how they are used. A stem cell is a special cell that has no true function yet. Although all of the genes within a human stem cell can also become other types of cells.To get these cells from embryos we would have to kill it. Also, to get embryonic stem cells means doing an abortion. This has created a very hot topic, one side is in favor of their use, and the other side is very against it. Stem cells come at a high price, but is this price worth the people that can be helped by stem cells? This is the question that many people have been asking lately.
Stem cell research is surrounded by controversy, relating to the morality of the use of stem cells for medical procedures. This is often associated most strongly with embryonic stem cells, due to the fact that in order to harvest embryonic stem cells the formation of an embryo is necessary. Commonly it is argued that, since that embryo could have potentially became a human that it is unethical to destroy them for research. It is important to note that stem cell research in its very nature is unique from any other medical research, this is because stem cells are essentially blank slates of human cells, undifferentiated, meaning that these cells have potential to become
Embryonic stem cell research is a highly controversial topic in today's society, this kind of stem cell commits to regenerate any type of tissue. Unfortunately, Embryonic Stem Cell Research has a dark side. To obtain these cells will kill the embryo automatically. In other words, the acquirement of the Human Embryonic Stem Cell includes performing an abortion. To obtain these cells, it would kill the embryo. This has created controversy since abortion is such a divisive topic. Politicians are uneasy to take sides. The Human Embryonic Stem Cell issue is today's Pandora's Box due to all the unwittingly chaos that it can bring to our lives. By having this new option available in the medical world,
The eight transiently chimeric patients resumed endogenous hematopoiesis and were maintained on low-dose tacrolimus monotherapy. Despite donor specific hyposensitivity in mixed lymphocytic reaction (MLR) and cytotoxic mediated lympholysis (CML) assays, transiently chimeric patients showed subclinical rejection on protocol renal biopsy, making IS withdrawal an unnecessary risk . This approach is different from the MGH group which concluded that durable chimerism is not necessary for IS withdrawal and transiently chimeric patients may also be weaned off IS(98). Two NU transiently chimeric subjects developed late (> 4 years post-transplant) acute rejection due to non-compliance with IS. GVHD was observed in two patients. Of these two, one patient developed grade 1-2 acute gastrointestinal GVHD which was controlled with steroids but the patient continued to have mild chronic GVHD. The second patient was diagnosed with combined gastrointestinal GVHD/CMV colitis. He presented late after onset of symptoms to a nontransplant hospital. He was given a presumptive diagnosis of colonic GVHD and started on high dose corticosteroids. He
The process is the transfers of stem cells from one person to another to help re build broken or damaged bone marrow and reproduce blood cells. Stem cells are often used more commonly because it is easier to collect stem cells from the blood rather than bone marrow, this also allows for a larger volume of stem cells. Considering that this is no simple process, there are many risks that come along with it but there is not anything major. Some risks include potential pain and infection and risks associated with anesthesia. This is a very complicated process and not just any stranger who is a match would volunteer to go through with this week long
Thomas Pynchon complexities of the characters in Entrophy, leaves the reader in a state of confusion. The reader attention is caught by the lack of understanding of the physics and how it relates back to the story, which requires the reader to constantly, reread passages, refer to previous passage to make the connection between the passages, as well as outside research to gain a full concept of Castillo theories. However, the prevailing potential of Pynchon’s story of the lease breaking party and the dynamic relations of Castillo and crew is more than capable of enticing the reader to continue the story in hopes of gaining clarity of this extremely complex storyline. Personally, I immersed myself into this unique work of art, however I initially
This paper will be discussing the history of stem cells. There are many different ways to collect stem cells. Stem cells can be used for either right or wrong reasons. People can either use them to cure or to cause harm. Most people use stem cells to cure fatal illnesses. The one researcher that put stem cells out in the science world so people could understand it better was Leroy Stevens. His first encounter with stem cells was with a mouse that had a teratoma.