A strategy of splitting individual high volume cord blood units into two half subunits prior to processing increases the recovery of cells and facilitates ex vivo expansion of the infused haematopoietic progenitor cells in adults.

This study was designed to maximize the recovery of the desirable cell populations contained in the cord blood (CB) freezing bag, in order to optimize donor selection for adolescents and adults. To evaluate this hypothesis, high volume CB units (CBUs) were categorized into three volume collection groups (120-139, 140-159 and >or=160 ml) and were randomly split before volume reduction into two half low volume CBUs; (a) and (b). Using the SEPAX Cell Processing System, all CBUs were standardized to 26 ml. In 128 high volume split CBUs, the WBC, mononuclear cell and CD34+ cell recoveries were significantly higher (P

[SHBG serum level in women with endometriosis before, during and after long-term danazol therapy]. / SHBG-Serumspiegel bein Frauen mit Endometriose vor, während und nach Danazol-Langzeittherapie.

Ten patients with endometriosis, aged from 21 to 37 years, were treated with danazol at a dosage level of 200 mg three times daily for 6 months. Three blood samples were drawn 60 min apart for evaluation of the sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), before danazol administration (4th day of the cycle), during the last two weeks of the six-month therapy and three months after the cessation of treatment (4th day of the cycle). In contrast to that, SHBG levels were also evaluated in ten normal women, aged 21-37 years (4th day of the cycle). It was found that: a) SHGB values were significantly higher in patients with endometriosis than in the control group (p < 0.01), b) danazol resulted in significant decrease of SHBG levels (p < 0.001), c) there was no correlation between SHBG levels before and during danazol administration, and d) SHBG levels were significantly lower three months after the cessation of danazol than before the administration of the medication (p < 0.05), while these levels were not significantly different, compared with those of normal women. Our results support the view, that SHBG production disturbances might interfere with the possible pathogenetic mechanisms of infertility observed in endometriosis.