Plasma growth factors are proteins found in tissues and are responsible for the repair of damaged tissue, in diseases such as tendinopathies, meniscal lesions or corneal and vascular ulcers, or alopecia, among others. Plasma growth factors: what are they? Within what is known as Regenerative Medicine, growth factors are proteins of extraordinary diffusion through the … Read more
Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein hormone that regulates the formation of red blood cells. Erythropoietin allows more red blood cell mass to be concentrated, so the muscles receive more oxygen. This delays the onset of fatigue, something that has been used throughout history by elite athletes who are prone to doping. However, it has been … Read more
Hematopoietic precursor transplantation, better known as bone marrow transplantation, is the treatment by which a patient’s bone marrow is destroyed and replaced with new hematopoietic precursors. It is usually performed in patients with cancer or congenital blood or bone marrow disease. The goal is to remove diseased or defective cells and introduce stem cells that … Read more
Hematopoietic precursor transplantation or bone marrow transplantation is not without some risks or complications for the person with hematologic deficiencies or diseases, but there are hardly any risks for the donor. Advances in hematology have meant that complications for the recipient have been minimized and the success rate is higher. Hematology experts therefore encourage the … Read more
What is a bone marrow puncture? A spinal tap, or bone marrow puncture, consists of the introduction of a fine needle, with a trocar, into the bone marrow cavity, performing an aspirate to extract the blood-forming (hematopoietic) tissue. Figure 1 shows the main operations involved in this process. The medullary puncture is usually done in … Read more
The ABO system, the first known blood grouping system, was discovered in 1901. Its name derives from the three groups that are identified: those of antigen A, antigen B, and O without antigens. How do we get our blood type? Blood type is inherited in the genes, just as it is with all other physical … Read more
Myeloproliferative Neoplasms are a group of three diseases: Essential Thrombocythemia, Polycythemia Vera and Primary Myelofibrosis, which have similar characteristics. These are chronic diseases characterized by an excess production of red blood cells (red cells), white blood cells (leukocytes) and platelets (cell fragments essential for coagulation) that originate in a blood stem cell located in the … Read more
Anemia is one of the most frequent consultations we clinical hematologists have and it has many causes. Hematologists assess the intensity of anemia according to a hematological value called hemoglobin, unlike what many patients think, which is through the number of red blood cells, and we look at the hemoglobin, which to define anemia must … Read more
What is leukemia? Leukemia is a cancer of the blood (white blood cells). It occurs when healthy blood cells, which form in the bone marrow, change and grow out of control. These blood cells circulate through the lymphatic system and bloodstream. The abnormal white blood cells replace healthy blood cells and make it difficult for … Read more
Bone marrow is the tissue inside the flat bones (sternum, femur, iliac crest…). It contains what we call hematopoietic stem cells, which are the ones that give rise to the three types of mature cells that we see in the peripheral blood: leukocytes or white blood cells, red blood cells or red cells and platelets … Read more