Concept explainers
To review:
The decision of the federal government to allocate $79 million (about 40 cents per adult) for a public cord blood collection and storage network is wise or not.
Introduction:
After the birth of the baby, the mother’s body expels the umbilical cord and the placenta from her body, which is then cut out by a health professional. After birth and loss of physical connection with the mother, the baby starts surviving on its own. These discarded portions contain some amount of cord blood (about 50 milliliters), which along with the other blood components is rich in immature stem cells. These stem cells have the capability to divide and produce immature blood cells, which can further form platelets, RBCs (red blood cells), and WBCs (white blood cells).
There are many people who get diagnosed with a type of stem cell cancer that is acute leukemia in the bone marrow. The person diagnosed with this needs to be treated with the help of chemotherapy and radiations for killing the cells of cancer, this is then followed by bone marrow transplantation.
Explanation of Solution
The decision taken by the federal government, who allocated $79 million (about 40 cents per adult) for a public cord blood collection and storage network, is a very good decision. This is because there are many people who are diagnosed with acute leukemia and need to have a bone marrow transplant to get fully cured of this cancer.
Three antigens HLA-B, (human leukocyte antigen-B), HLA-A, and HLA-DR, each having two forms, are involved in a good bone marrow transplantation between the recipient (patient) and the donor. An ideal match for the patient would be having all the same six forms matching to the donor, that is, a 6/6 match. Thus, this seems to be highly difficult and only about 10% of the patients are able to find out their compatible donors.
Due to this reason, the cord blood has become so important because the stem cells in the cord blood are immature, so the transplant of cord blood would lead to fewer transfusion reactions. Transfusion reactions are the ones where the patient's immune system rejects the blood of the donor. Thus, less or even no transfusion reaction would enable a match of 5/6 or 4/6 to be sufficient for transplantation of the bone marrow between the donor and the patient.
Further, keeping all this in mind having a public cord blood collection would be really beneficial as here, people can be able to find their perfect donor from a large pool of cord blood collection. However, if this public cord blood collection is not present, then the patient might have to struggle a lot for a compatible donor or can even end up getting no compatible donor at all.
Therefore, a child born to a healthy family may or may not need its cord blood, but if this child's cord blood is donated into a public cord collection, then anyone going through problems like leukemia can easily access it. Hence, the decision of the federal government for a public cord blood collection was a very good decision.
Want to see more full solutions like this?
Chapter 7 Solutions
EBK HUMAN BIOLOGY
- What are Clathrin coated vesicles and what is their function?arrow_forwardHow is a protein destined for the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER), imported into the ER? Be concise.arrow_forwardFind out about the organisations and the movements aimed at the conservation of our natural resources. Eg Chipko movement and Greenpeace. Make a project report on such an organisation.arrow_forward
- What are biofertilizers and mention the significancearrow_forwardPCBs and River Otters: Otters in Washington State’s Green-Duwamish River have high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in their livers. PCBs can bind to the estrogen receptors in animals and disrupt the endocrine system of these otters. The PCBs seem to increase the estrogen to androgen ratio, skewing the ratio toward too much estrogen. How would increased estrogen affect the river otter population? Based on your reading of the materials in this unit, what factors can affect fertility in humans? Explain how each of the factors affecting human fertility that you described can disrupt the human endocrine system to affect reproduction.arrow_forwardOther than oil and alcohol, are there other liquids you could compare to water (that are liquid at room temperature)? How is water unique compared to these other liquids? What follow-up experiment would you like to do, and how would you relate it to your life?arrow_forward
- Selection of Traits What adaptations do scavengers have for locating and feeding on prey? What adaptations do predators have for capturing and consuming prey?arrow_forwardCompetition Between Species What natural processes limit populations from growing too large? What are some resources organisms can compete over in their natural habitat?arrow_forwardSpecies Interactions Explain how predators, prey and scavengers interact. Explain whether predators and scavengers are necessary or beneficial for an ecosystem.arrow_forward
- magine that you are conducting research on fruit type and seed dispersal. You submitted a paper to a peer-reviewed journal that addresses the factors that impact fruit type and seed dispersal mechanisms in plants of Central America. The editor of the journal communicates that your paper may be published if you make ‘minor revisions’ to the document. Describe two characteristics that you would expect in seeds that are dispersed by the wind. Contrast this with what you would expect for seeds that are gathered, buried or eaten by animals, and explain why they are different. (Editor’s note: Providing this information in your discussion will help readers to consider the significance of the research).arrow_forwardWhat is the difference between Uniporters, Symporters and Antiporters? Which of these are examples of active transport?arrow_forwardWhat are coupled transporters?arrow_forward
- Understanding Health Insurance: A Guide to Billin...Health & NutritionISBN:9781337679480Author:GREENPublisher:CengageHuman Heredity: Principles and Issues (MindTap Co...BiologyISBN:9781305251052Author:Michael CummingsPublisher:Cengage Learning