Thursday, 18 October 2012

Gamma Globulin medical wonders



Human blood is an essential body fluid that carries oxygen and other important nutrients to all the body cells. It is also responsible for flushing out of carbon dioxide, ammonia, and other waste products from the human body. This fluid contributes almost 7-8% of human body weight and plays a vital role in maintaining a constant body temperature. It also helps the immune system in defense against the various attacks to diseases from external sources. Human Blood is a highly specialized tissue composed of more than 4,000 different kinds of components.  Four of the most important Blood Products are red cells, white cells, platelets, and plasma.  All these Human Blood Products helps in maintain the human life cycle and fight against various diseases and ailments.
Gamma Globulin is also one of such Human Blood Products that is produced in the liver, while some are made by the immune system. They are a class of globulins, identified by their position after serum protein electrophoresis is done, which is a laboratory test that examines specific proteins in the blood called globulins. The most significant gamma globulins are immunoglobulins or Igs, more commonly known as antibodies. However, some Igs are not gamma globulins, and some gamma globulins are not Igs.
Gamma Globulin is also one of the types of globulins that are produced without any previous infection, vaccination, other foreign antigen exposure in the liver of humans. These antibodies can activate the classical complement pathway leading to lysis of enveloped virus particles long before the adaptive immune response is activated. They are very beneficial when produced in the human body for fighting against all the viruses and diseases.
Generally all humans produce these Human Blood Products irrespective of location or gender. But sometimes there is an excess production of these substances in the human blood which at times can be harmful to the human body. An excess production of Gamma Globulin in human serum is known as ‘Hypergammaglobulinemia’. Also, sometimes there is scarcity of production in the body due this deficiency is known as ‘Hypogammaglobulinemia’. Either it is in excess or deficient human body is prone to a disease called "gammopathy".
However, these substances can be extracted from healthy donors and can be utilized for preparing medications and therapies that can come useful to patients that are suffering from diseases like gammopathy, or any other chronic disease. Gamma Globulin injections are usually given to temporarily boost a patient's immunity against various diseases and also are given along with blood transfusions and intravenous drug use, to pass along Hepatitis C to the patients. These injections are most commonly used on patients having been exposed to hepatitis A or measles, or to make a kidney donor and recipient compatible regardless of blood type of tissue match. These Injections are also used to boost immunity in patients who are unable to produce gamma globulins naturally in their body because of an immune deficiency, such as X-linked agammaglobulinemia and hyper IgM syndrome. Such injections are less common in modern medical practice than they were previously used as they are now replaced by the use of hepatitis A vaccine instead.
Gamma globulin infusions are also used to treat some immunological diseases, such as idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP), a disease in which the platelets are being attacked by antibodies, leading to seriously low platelet counts. It appears that they cause the spleen to ignore the antibody tagged platelets, thus allowing them to survive and function properly.
Irrespective of its type and quantity these Human Blood Products are working wonders in medical world by helping in development of various medications, therapies and vaccines to help save many human lives around the globe.
Learn more about Human Blood Products by visiting at http://www.accessbiologicals.com

Donor requirements for donating plasma



Plasma is the liquid part of human blood that constitutes 90% of water and proteins. This substance is responsible in binding all the blood components together and distribution of various substances in the human body. It makes up to 10% - 12% of the blood and contains substances like nutrients, clotting agents, albumin (it is a major protein of human blood) etc.
This substance not only work wonders in the human body alone, but also can be useful in developing various therapies, vaccines and medication to treat the patients that are suffering from chronic diseases by extracting it from human body. This substance is stored in frozen state when taken out from the human body and is used for making medicines for treating patients.
There are various Plasma Donation Center set up in the United States where people can go for Donating Plasma. These Plasma Donation Centers use specially designed equipment that separates this substance from the blood and then returns the rest of the blood to the donor. The actual procedure takes about one hour, but the entire donation process generally lasts an hour and a half from start to finish. All healthy fit adults can donate this live saving substance either for money or as for a human cause. These Plasma Donation Centers also pay to the donors for donation from their body, so it can be a safer way to earn money for people who are looking to make some extra dollars. However there are some exceptions for the donors who are Donating Plasma at these centers.
Here are few of the donor requirements that these Plasma Donation Centers look for:
·         Donors must be most preferably males, as females are weak when compared to men.
·         Donors must be at least 16 years of age or above. Parental permission is required for 16 year young donors.
·         Donors must weigh at least 110 pounds. Also, the body weight determines the quantity you can donate, so more the body weight the more one can donate. However, those with a high level of fats in their blood will not be accepted as a donor.
·         Donors must have an adequate blood iron level.
·         Donors must have clear medical records. Prior to your donation, a complete medical history will be taken along with physical examination of blood and other sugar levels of the body.
·         People suffering from asthma, diabetes, AIDS, hepatitis, jaundice or leukemia cannot be accepted as donors.
·         Persons who have undergone a surgical procedure of any kind are not applicable for donating plasma, as there should be a waiting period after surgery before one can do any such donation. Prior to which they are not accepted for donations.
·         Patients who have active illness, even a cold or flu, cannot donate until they are completely well.
·         Donors must give donations for every 28 days of the prior one. There must be minimum gap of such time in each donation.
However, donating plasma is somewhat like donating scalp hair to make natural wigs. Plasma, like hair, is part of your body that will grow back without repercussion. Though donating of this substance can result in little of dizziness and weakness to the donors. It is recommended to take huge intake of liquids o juices before and after the donation.
Certainly, you should not lightly make a decision to become a donor. Check whether you are healthy enough and have rich and sufficient diet intake before donating. Also ask yourself if any of the ethical concerns about donating plasma trouble you. If you can balance the benefits and the drawback both, then go donate it!
Learn more about Plasma Donation Center by visiting at http://www.accessbiologicals.com

Tuesday, 2 October 2012

Deficiency of Human Serum Albumin in the body



Human Serum Albumin is the most abundant protein in human blood plasma. It is produced in the liver of human body and constitutes about half of the Human Serum protein. Human Serum contains dissolved protein like albumin in it for proper flow of blood in the body. It is responsible to carry out vital substances in the human body like hormones, fatty acids, and other essential compounds, buffers pH, and to maintain the osmotic pressure, and other major functions of human body.

In humans, Human Serum Albumin is the most abundant plasma protein, accounting for 55–60% of the measured serum protein. It consists of a single polypeptide chain of 585 amino acids with a molecular weight of 66 500 Da. Albumin synthesis takes place only in the liver of human body and it is not stored by the liver but is secreted into the portal circulation as soon as it is manufactured.

In healthy young adults, the rate of synthesis is 194 (sd 37) mg per day, or about 12–25 gm of albumin per day. The rate of synthesis rate varies with nutritional and disease states. The liver can increase albumin synthesis to only 2–2.7 times normal because most of the liver’s synthetic machinery is already devoted to albumin at rest. However, there are some conditions where the production of the substance is lowered and as of this less synthesis the human body is affected by many diseases.

Albumin deficiency is termed as ‘Hypoalbuminemia’. It is a condition of abnormally low level of the protein albumin in the blood of human body. The normal range for albumin is 3.5 to 4.5 mg/dL in one single human. If your albumin level is less than 3.5 mg/dL, it is considered low and deficient. Many potential causes of low albumin can be at work, including malnutrition, liver disease, kidney disease or a stress response etc.

Sometimes, Human Serum Albumin levels are estimated low in the human body because albumin is being lost from the body as of many other reasons. This majorly happens if you suffer from a kidney disease such as nephrotic syndrome. In this, tiny blood vessels in the kidneys called as glomeruli are damaged and allow albumin to leak out into the urine resulting its loss from the body. Albumin can also be lost from the body due to mal absorption syndromes such as protein losing enteropathy, inflammatory bowel disease or lymphoma, in which protein is lost in the stool.

However, in the bloodstream, the Human Serum Albumin transports bilirubin, fatty acids, metals, ions, hormones and drugs and if it’s content is low, it can affect how the medications work on the human body. Low albumin levels can also cause edema, or swelling of the tissues of the human body. Other symptoms include muscle weakness, fatigue, cramps and poor appetite. In hospitalized patients, a low serum albumin level is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality.


Treatment of Hypoalbuminemia or the deficiency of Human Serum Albumin can be treated by estimating the actual cause of the albumin deficiency and thus by providing proper medications made from the substitutes along with the adequate dietary intake of protein and calories to the patients. Human albumin is often used to replace lost fluid and help restore blood volume in trauma, burns and surgery patients. There are many medications developed recently to replace the deficiency of all such blood components in the human body, by getting the substances from healthy humans and preserving them in clinical conditions for future use of it for such lacking patients. All such substances prove to be life saving for the ailing and deficient persons.

Learn more about such Biological products by visiting at http://www.accessbiologicals.com

Monday, 1 October 2012

Medical usage of Plasma Products



Biological products like all the other drugs are widely used in the treatment of various diseases in humans. Biological products are generally derived from living creatures like human, animal, or microorganism and are complex in structure, and thus are usually not fully characterized in nature. There are many such Biological Products that come to be very useful for developing various medications when they are extracted from the human body and can be used for the cure of various ailments.

Human plasma is also of such product that is present in the human blood. It is a combination of various proteins and other substances which are very crucial for the smooth running of human bodies. This is the liquid part of the blood and majorly responsible for the smooth flow of blood throughout the body. When it is extracted, its proteins and other beneficial substances are used as the development of medical products made to replace body fluids, antibodies and clotting factors in the human body. This is a lifesaving resource that benefits thousands of people every day.

Some of the medical uses of human plasma and products made from it:

·         Plasma Products are used in surgery and the treatment of wounds to facilitate fast healing.
·         Plasma Products are used in the treatment of immunological disorders, such as congenital and acquired primary immune deficiency as well as many other diseases that affects healthy people due to some change in the body’s immune system.
·         Since it is the liquid part of blood with all the clotting factors included in it, people with clotting factor deficiencies can receive replacement clotting factors harvested from such products.
·         Patients who overdose on their blood thinning medication can also benefit from a plasma transfusion to offset the effects of such high medication dosages.
·         People who undergo terrible medical conditions also receive this product to help prevent the development of medical complications in future.
·         It is used to replace lost fluids and other blood proteins in burn victims. As the body tries to recover from the effects of burns, and as the skin loses its ability to restore body fluids, the body transfers blood fluids out of circulation and into the skin tissues for its fast recovery. Plasma products help in replacing the lost body fluids and also in restore.
·         One important protein obtained from it is albumin that is also very useful in creating medicines. This product can be given to surgical patients or accident victims in the case of major blood loss.
·         Patients can also receive extra protein from plasma transfusions.
·         This also has specific antibodies that can be helpful in fighting off conditions like cirrhosis or emphysema.
·         Such products are also used in many clinical researches for creating vaccines, therapies and medications to fight against various life taking chronic diseases like HIV, tumors and cancer etc.

When blood plasma is collected from donors, it is immediately frozen to keep its properties fresh. It stays frozen at the clinic where it was collected, and is stored and transported frozen. When it arrives at the location where it is to be administered to a patient, it is thawed out completely. Frozen plasma can be stored up to 10 years, making it an extremely stable blood product, and it can also be packaged in dried form for reconstitution, a technique which was developed for military applications.

All the Biological products and plasma products are very useful in saving lives of many people around the world. Every individual must understand its importance and should give donation of such substances that can save life of their fellow beings without causing any harm to them.

Learn more about such Biological products by visiting at http://www.accessbiologicals.com