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Around the blood, there are many superstitions. People say that the blood of young people able to rejuvenate the elderly. They say even that was stored at temperatures below -25 ° C or platelets, which are stored for 5 days, stirring constantly (such storage conditions are set by technical regulations in force in the Russian Federation) by blood transfusion fresh blood is more preferable than the old plasma, which is three years. In other countries, advanced technologies allow you to store the blood until 42 days prior to transfusion.
Check such statements was not easy. So far, more than 40 scientific studies have been done that could not give a clear answer to the question whether the new blood better inventory from the store.
It took a long and large-scale study to evaluate the credibility of a sufficient degree, as a foreign blood affects survival of the recipient, depending on the type of blood. An international team led by researchers from McMaster University (Canada), 31 497 patients in six hospitals in four countries - and has shown that a transfusion of fresh blood did not increase the survival rate of patients, compared with blood from the repository.
"It was a moot point, but our research has finally put an end to the dispute, whether the blood of the stock could actually be more dangerous, and fresh blood is better, - said Nancy Heddle, lead author of the research and Professor Emeritus of the School of Medicine Michael DeGroot at University McMaster. - The study provides strong evidence that fresh blood does not improve the patient's chances, and this should reassure doctors who think differently. "
The professor also added that such a result would be good news for the millions of donors around the world. Their blood after long-term storage in the refrigerator is not inferior to the quality of fresh hot blood.
Now, nothing prevents use even more sophisticated methods of blood storage. In the presence of glycerol and other substances RBCs may be stored indefinitely at -20 to -197 ° C for storage at -197 ° C using a metal container with liquid nitrogen, which is immersed in the containers of blood. Blood, the former in the freezing, successfully used for transfusion.
Conducted research in Australia, Canada, Israel and the United States showed that the old blood is even safer than fresh. After a blood transfusion from a repository mortality was 8.7%, and transfusion of fresh blood - 9.1%. There was no any statistically significant differences according to the type of blood, diagnosis, hospital, or the country, according to the results of the study.
The scientific work is published October 24, 2016 in the New England Journal of Medicine Journal (doi: 10.1056 / NEJMoa1609014).
Thus, the myth of the benefits of fresh blood to the blood from the store can be regarded as finally dethroned. At least in those countries where strictly observed sterility in the collection, control of the donor's health, the conditions of transportation and storage of blood.
If the first myth about the advantage of fresh blood debunked, what about the second? Is the blood of young people able to rejuvenate and restore vitality to old men?
Scientific experiments show that an infusion of fresh blood really helps to rejuvenate muscle tissue and internal organs. For example, in 2010 at Harvard University conducted on mice experience: old young individuals transfused blood. It was found that older mice after blood-forming hematopoietic stem cells began to behave as young: they have become better function more in proportion to differentiate into other types of blood cells. The rejuvenating effect of young blood donors acted on the stem cells of muscle tissue. Scientific work in Nature published on 14 October 2010.
Another experiment was conducted at Stanford University under the leadership of Thomas Rando in 2005. There aged mice, which poured blood younger, regenerated liver tissue and returned erstwhile elasticity of muscles.
Similar anti-aging effects of transfusion of blood found in young mice after several subsequent experiments. Said Harvard group identified a blood plasma protein that can have an important influence on the observed effects of rejuvenation. This GDF11 (growth differentiation factor 11) whose levels decrease with age. Several studies have confirmed its anti-aging effect on the body, and several others - not confirmed. The study of this issue continues. There is a high probability that GDF11 - is not the only anti-aging factor.
By the way, used blood doping in sports. Unscrupulous coaches pumped the physical characteristics of the athletes before competition.
This method is prohibited by IOC and WADA. He equated reception prohibited pharmacological preparations. But it is quite difficult to detect, because the athlete pours his own blood. The essence of the method is to increase the blood concentration of the athlete's red blood cells. This is done in two ways: either by drawing blood from the athlete at the time when it is increased erythrocyte (and subsequent transfusion this qualitative blood instead of the normal blood), or simply increasing the amount of blood in the body of the athlete (preliminary intake normal blood and its subsequent introduction). In the second case, excess plasma water excreted by the kidneys, and the content of red blood cells increases. This significantly improves the results of the athlete during aerobic exercise.
On the scientific experiments on the transfusion of young donors elderly is not known (although two years ago planned such experiments on Alzheimer's disease). At the same time, the introduction of anti-aging effect GDF11 confirmed in mice. Perhaps the most influential citizens of the Earth even have access to GDF11 reserves. Why not use all the achievements of modern science and medicine, if possible?
As is known, to reveal the latest scientific findings to the general public is not always wise, it is not carefully calculated all the possible consequences and prepared the ground for them.
But even on the basis of scientific evidence can be open to develop a technique to rejuvenate the body's own. To do this, carry out their own young blood sampling in a reasonable amount. When blood sampling its natural regeneration occurs in the body, so that the harm to health it can not be held. Further, young blood should be placed in storage at a temperature of -197 ° C, and then used in the event of old age.