September 22,2007
Jack reports that he feels stronger, experiences fewer arhythmias and less fatigue.
Our 50th class reunion was so delightful. I was so looking forward to it, but Jack was really up for it and praying for strength and good health. His prayers were answered. He was up way past his bedtime three days in a row, with minimal daytime napping. We are still sharing anecdotes and memories and laughs. We couldn't get enough of each other. I thought about starting a class reunion blog, as it was so major an event for me. It's so awesome to live this long and see how beautiful people turn out. A full catastrophe life (a term borrowed from Jon Kabot-Zinn) makes people really shine in their golden years. A day of golf, an initial informal social, a Mass celebrated by a classmate priest, a dinner with program, a brunch cruise on the Mississippi weren't enough ... we gathered Monday for a farewell breakfast.
I will try to get the photos and the other data on the blog, soon. My excuse= I'm staining the deck and some other tasks which woulda-shouda-coulda been done in Spring.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
9-4-07
Cell Processing Lab
The cell lab will take the pheresis product and evaluate the cells in the product. This is done with a cell count, viability (what percentage is alive vs. dead), and by phenotype.
The phenotype tells us what kinds of cells are in the product (lymphocyte, monocyte, granulocyte, etc.) All cells have antigens on their surface. There are hundreds of different antigens that can characterize a cell type. Any given cell will have numerous antigens to tell us what kind of cell it is, what level of maturity it is at, if it is activated, and other information. CD34 cells are stem cells, which means they are partially programmed but are still immature enough to be "pushed" in different directions to mature into a variety of cell types. Cells that express the CD34 antigen are in extremely low percentages in the general circulation. The Neupogen you were given tells the bone marrow to push these cells out into the circulation before they are mature. A blood sample was taken on the two days prior to pheresis so we could monitor how your system was responding to the Neupogen. The pheresis collects all the white cells including the CD34+ cells. The processing we do selects only the CD34+ cells to give back directly to the heart muscle. The antigens on the surface of the cells are proteins; antibodies are made to each individual protein and then chemically linked to a fluorescent tag. The cells are incubated with different antibodies and then looked at on a machine called a flowcytometer. The flowcytometer forces the cells in single file through a flow cell, a laser beam "hits" each cell as it passed though the flow cell and the different fluorescent tags emit light at various wavelengths which is collected by the computer. We can then look at the results and calculate the number of CD34+ cells we have and the purity of those cells in the products. This same technology is used to purify the CD34+ cells from the pheresis product; this is done on the Isolex Machine. The antibody to the CD34 antigen is attached to a metal bead (very tiny beads, dozens of beads can attach to one cells), instead of a fluorescent tag. The pheresis product is incubated with the beads. The bead-cell combination is then exposed to a strong magnet. This "pulls out" the CD34+ cells only and all other cells are washed away. The bead-cell complex is then incubated with a reagent that detaches the bead and washed the cells into a separate bag. We take the selected cells and evaluate them fo1' purity, viability, and sterility before preparing the syringes that go to the cardiologist for injection. - Ruth Siebenlist
The cell lab will take the pheresis product and evaluate the cells in the product. This is done with a cell count, viability (what percentage is alive vs. dead), and by phenotype.
The phenotype tells us what kinds of cells are in the product (lymphocyte, monocyte, granulocyte, etc.) All cells have antigens on their surface. There are hundreds of different antigens that can characterize a cell type. Any given cell will have numerous antigens to tell us what kind of cell it is, what level of maturity it is at, if it is activated, and other information. CD34 cells are stem cells, which means they are partially programmed but are still immature enough to be "pushed" in different directions to mature into a variety of cell types. Cells that express the CD34 antigen are in extremely low percentages in the general circulation. The Neupogen you were given tells the bone marrow to push these cells out into the circulation before they are mature. A blood sample was taken on the two days prior to pheresis so we could monitor how your system was responding to the Neupogen. The pheresis collects all the white cells including the CD34+ cells. The processing we do selects only the CD34+ cells to give back directly to the heart muscle. The antigens on the surface of the cells are proteins; antibodies are made to each individual protein and then chemically linked to a fluorescent tag. The cells are incubated with different antibodies and then looked at on a machine called a flowcytometer. The flowcytometer forces the cells in single file through a flow cell, a laser beam "hits" each cell as it passed though the flow cell and the different fluorescent tags emit light at various wavelengths which is collected by the computer. We can then look at the results and calculate the number of CD34+ cells we have and the purity of those cells in the products. This same technology is used to purify the CD34+ cells from the pheresis product; this is done on the Isolex Machine. The antibody to the CD34 antigen is attached to a metal bead (very tiny beads, dozens of beads can attach to one cells), instead of a fluorescent tag. The pheresis product is incubated with the beads. The bead-cell combination is then exposed to a strong magnet. This "pulls out" the CD34+ cells only and all other cells are washed away. The bead-cell complex is then incubated with a reagent that detaches the bead and washed the cells into a separate bag. We take the selected cells and evaluate them fo1' purity, viability, and sterility before preparing the syringes that go to the cardiologist for injection. - Ruth Siebenlist
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