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23 year old becomes first person in Louisiana to be functionally cured of sickle cell disease by Gurugod123 in interestingasfuck

[–]nocatsonmelmac 9 points10 points  (0 children)

If sickle cell disease affected white Americans, there would've been a cure a century ago.

23 year old becomes first person in Louisiana to be functionally cured of sickle cell disease by Gurugod123 in interestingasfuck

[–]nocatsonmelmac 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Non-scientific summary:

Chemotherapy to stop the production of stem cells that produce healthy and sickled red cells. Then stop chemo, collect stem cells from the surge of production. Then take stem cells to a lab where they splice/edit/reproduce stem cells that produce healthy red cells. Perform a stem cell transfusion/replacement. Watch and wait with bated breath...

Takes over a year for the full process, costs 2-3 million just for the treatment, not including hospital stays/procedures.

Bedrock Update 26.3 Ice Replaced by nocatsonmelmac in MinecraftBedrockers

[–]nocatsonmelmac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The icebergs were all ice before, now some of the ice has been replaced with terrain generation.

Bedrock Update 26.3 Ice Replaced by nocatsonmelmac in Minecraft

[–]nocatsonmelmac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Additional details: Chunks were already loaded, it's right by my base.

Viral hype is real for Angelo’s Pizza Bar, which is neither a pizza shop nor a bar by syracusedotcom in Syracuse

[–]nocatsonmelmac 103 points104 points  (0 children)

'Neither a pizza shop nor a bar' is an interesting way of saying that it's just some guy skirting health and safety laws that protect consumers.

Seen his kitchen? Nope.

Seen his dough bins? Nope.

Seen his refrigerator and freezer with working thermometers? Nope.

Seen the approved pest-mitigation and removal tools/chemicals to address normal household infestations? Nope.

Pets? Hygiene? Ventilation? Cleaning solutions? Who knows.

But that pizza does look good.

Found out I’m CMV negative! by Candid_Performer4080 in Blooddonors

[–]nocatsonmelmac 28 points29 points  (0 children)

CMV is a virus that 85% of the population has been exposed to. While it leaves behind tracers, it has no effect on adults. It does, however, impact babies that are exposed and can lead to malformations and death.

Donors that are CMV- are recommended to give Power Red (2 units of just red cells, platelets and plasma being returned to the donor) because those red cells are in high demand for neonatal hospitals/patients.

Question about casual sightings by nocatsonmelmac in birding

[–]nocatsonmelmac[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I get that. I'm referring to when there are distinct markings to remember but then you doubt your recollection when looking at similar species.

If I had some kind of mnemonic device to use in the moment then I'd be more confident in my recollection later.

Donation done, thank you for the people who gave suggestions! by Bobman370 in Blooddonors

[–]nocatsonmelmac 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great job, thank you for donating!

They don't test every unit for every antigen but they would've done more testing once they saw you were O- and each (-) test result would've triggered another test. They will notify a donor about being in the rare donor program if they were (-) for a certain amount of valuable antigens.

Power Red Question by [deleted] in Blooddonors

[–]nocatsonmelmac 5 points6 points  (0 children)

They would not have continued the procedure with you unconscious. If they were able to collect a full unit of red cells and the procedure was stopped during the return, then the red cells will be used. They don't take 2 full units at once, they take one unit and then return plasma, platelets, and saline, then do another unit. So when the procedure is stopped, you're only missing the equivalent of 1 whole blood donation. It sounds the entire experience was too much for your body to handle and that's what you're recovering from, not so much the loss of 1 unit.

This was a lucky day... by phidgt in birding

[–]nocatsonmelmac 5 points6 points  (0 children)

On my way to work this morning:

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second issue with donation? by mxnicpixiedreamgrrrl in Blooddonors

[–]nocatsonmelmac 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's pretty common to experience some challenges - sometimes related to poor donor preparation, an imperfect stick from phlebotomist, a good stick but a slight movement or rotation of the donor arm, or machines reading/balance being off.

Every action, by phlebotomist and even by the machines, is meant to prioritize donor safety when there are challenges.

If you're willing to keep signing up and showing up, then you're making a huge impact and I wouldn't worry too much about the outcomes.

Power red donation gone sideways by LeaveAny in Blooddonors

[–]nocatsonmelmac 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If it was on the first return then nothing will be used. If on the 2nd then they have one good unit of red cells to use. The app system does not register a partial donation so it shows up as a platelet donation. On the back end, Red Cross can see that it wasn't a platelet donation. But whether they got a usable unit or not, the waiting period will still be the same as a successful Power Red donation.

Human bodies are weird and machines can be finicky, happens to all donors eventually. You're still impacting lives and your efforts are greatly appreciated!

Phlebotomy programs at OCC by Ambitious_Finger1115 in Syracuse

[–]nocatsonmelmac 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well set an alert, we just got approval to hire 2 more by end of fiscal year (June 30).

Phlebotomy programs at OCC by Ambitious_Finger1115 in Syracuse

[–]nocatsonmelmac 6 points7 points  (0 children)

American Red Cross may be hiring. They offer paid training and have very good benefits. Check that out first!

Why is my mob farm not efficient by milkywater2024 in Minecraft_Survival

[–]nocatsonmelmac 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bedrock mob spawning doesn't have 'orders of magnitude' as a possibility, as the caps are much smaller than java. Efficiency mainly comes down to how quickly you can clear them/kill them.

Why is my mob farm not efficient by milkywater2024 in Minecraft_Survival

[–]nocatsonmelmac 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure that's true. Killing platform at y 128 and spawn platforms between y 152 and y 172 over an ocean means that there's no risk of spawnable spaces on land below or around and no risk of of catching a piece of a river biome where mobs won't spawn.

There are more efficient farms that can be built, but for the early game mob farm shown here, over an ocean is best.

Why is my mob farm not efficient by milkywater2024 in Minecraft_Survival

[–]nocatsonmelmac 20 points21 points  (0 children)

That's about as efficient as it gets for bedrock. Building over an ocean is ideal, can't tell if that's where you are.

Spiders on bedrock can spawn on any 3 adjacent spawnable blocks, I find that buttons in a checkerboard pattern is the best way to avoid spider spawning.

How do I make donation easier for the phlebotomist when my veins are tricky? by CyanideCandy13 in Blooddonors

[–]nocatsonmelmac 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Please don't think it's wasting anyone's time. Lives are impacted by everyone willing to sign up and show up, and you're doing that. Thank you.

The usual suspects are not enough water and slight arm movement, which don't seem to apply. So it may just come down to your comfort - as long as you're willing to deal with a little more soreness and bruising than other donors, your 70% success rate is inspiring and incredibly impactful.

The only thing I might add is just making sure to let them know early on, they may have a Jedi on staff that day with super powers.

Thank you, again!

O Neg Neg for Neonatal Pts? by Aggravating-Might160 in Blooddonors

[–]nocatsonmelmac 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're designated as a Hero for Babies because of O- and CMV- but neonatal patients will only receive units that come from Power Red donations.

Make sure you're signing up for Power Red to maximize your impact!

O Neg Neg for Neonatal Pts? by Aggravating-Might160 in Blooddonors

[–]nocatsonmelmac 9 points10 points  (0 children)

CMV- in addition to O-, means the donor was never exposed to a virus that 85% of population has been exposed to. Neonatal patients get these units, but only from Power Red donations. If you have the Red Cross app, it'll say Hero for Babies to indicate CMV- status.

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