Yasmin Abdullah is a Family Nurse Practitioner, La Rabida Children's Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA.
MCN Am J Matern Child Nurs. 2011 Nov-Dec;36(6):344-50; quiz 351-2. doi: 10.1097/NMC.0b013e31822db253.
Although the use of embryonic stem cells to treat disease has caused much controversy, one type of stem cell treatment has slowly and steadily shown promise but has not engendered negative ethical media attention: the use of umbilical stem cells. Umbilical cord blood (UCB) contains stem cells that have already successfully treated a variety of diseases, including leukemias, lymphomas, hemoglobinopathies, immunodeficiencies, and disorders of metabolism; ongoing research continues to explore additional diseases for potential treatment. Cord blood can be stored in private banks or public banks. Private cord blood banks save cord blood for use by the family only, at a cost. Public cord blood banks accept donations and the cord blood is then used for the general public and/or research. A review of the literature finds that public banking is the preferred recommendation over private unless there is a known family member with a disease that can currently be treated with cord blood. This article discusses cord blood banking options as well as the ethical issues and barriers facing both healthcare providers and patients when dealing with cord blood banking.
虽然胚胎干细胞在疾病治疗中的应用引起了很多争议，但是一种干细胞治疗方法已经缓慢而稳定地显示出了希望，而且没有引起负面的伦理媒体关注：使用脐带干细胞。脐带血（UCB）中含有已经成功治疗多种疾病的干细胞，包括白血病、淋巴瘤、血红蛋白病、免疫缺陷和代谢紊乱；正在进行的研究继续探索潜在的治疗方法。脐带血可以存储在私人银行或公共银行中。私人脐带血库只为家庭使用脐带血保存，这需要付费。公共脐带血库接受捐赠，然后将脐带血用于公众和/或研究。对文献的回顾发现，除非有已知的家庭成员患有目前可以用脐带血治疗的疾病，否则公共库是首选，而不是私人库。本文讨论了脐带血库的选择，以及医疗保健提供者和患者在处理脐带血库时面临的伦理问题和障碍。
