tujue: tomegalovirus, potentially lethal infections for transplant recipients. Cord

HAVANA www.bostonbruinsteamstore.com/adidas-jake-debrusk-jersey  , March 18 (Xinhua) -- The Cuban women's basketball team is training hard for the world championship to be held from Sept. 27 to Oct. 5 in Turkey, local sports authorities said on Tuesday.

Cuba coach Alberto Zabala said Group C, which also includes Australia, Belarus and South Korea, will be "difficult" for Cuban players.

Australia is ranked second in the world after the United States, while Belarus finished fifth in 2013 Eurobasket and South Korean was second in the Asian tournament.

The Cuban team, which has already begun training and is getting ready to play against China in April, has its goal to reach Turkey in good shape so it will also play friendly matches with Belarus and Turkey, the coach said.

Cuba has not participated in the championship since 2006 when it finished 11th and qualified for the second round as third of Group D.

The Cuban team managed to enter the world championship after the surprising first place in the pre-world championship played in September 2013 in Xalapa, Mexico, where Canada and Brazil also qualified for Turkey.

With this victory, Cuba climbed up to position 14 of the world ranking with 136 points.

Zabala admitted that the world championship will be a tougher tournament, so he has strengthened training trying to overcome the slight disadvantage of the Cuban team.

"We are seeking to improve effectiveness in shooting baskets, both by increasing the number of shots in each training session, with or without marking, so that the ladies will adapt to play under pressure," he explained.

Zabala said the advantages of the Cuban team include "excellent physical training and a solid defense, which is able to cover all the zones, to do personal marking and press the other team."

The best performance of the Cuban team was in Malaysia 1990, when they won bronze medal.

The 2014 world championship will be played in the Turkish cities of Istanbul and Ankara and 16 teams in four groups will participate.

Group A includes Spain, the Czech Republic, Brazil and Japan. Group B includes France, Turkey, Canada and Mozambique, while Group D includes the United States, Serbia, China and Angola.

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QUITO， Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerilla group are satisfied with their first meeting here Saturday， which aimed to lead to formal peace negotiations.

""Today we had a fruitful meeting with the ELN delegation in Ecuador，""

Colombian delegation head Juan Camilo Restrepo posted on Twitter. ""We hope to make progress to open negotiations soon.""

On its part， the ELN expressed its satisfaction on Twitter after the Saturday's session during which ""logistical and technical aspects were worked on， an important progress for the (upcoming) meeting.""

The talks' objective is to finalize a date for the opening of formal dialogue to end the armed conflict between the Colombian government and the guerrilla group.

The beginning of formal talks is subject to the release of former congressman Odin Sanchez， who was held captive by the ELN last April. Delays in his release have already delayed talks twice previously.

A peace agreement with the ELN would finish peacemaking in

Colombia， which has suffered an armed conflict for more than half a

century.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has signed a final peace accord last November with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)， Colombia's largest rebel group.

The ELN， which took up arms in 1964， has around 1，500 fighters， according to government figures.

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Cord blood contains almost 10 times as many blood-producing cells so less is needed for a successful transplant. Transplant recipients are less likely to reject a cord blood stem cell transplant than a bone marrow transplant. Cord blood may eventually be used to treat a wider variety of auto-immune and degenerative diseases than is currently being done. Cord blood is donated in advance for anyone who might need it in the future. All routine testing is completed and the unit is stored frozen, ready to use. Confirmatory HLA typing and any special testing required is usually completed within 5 days. There is no need to take time to locate a possible volunteer and then determine whether he or she is still willing and able to donate. Cord blood is also less likely to transmit certain common viruses like Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus, potentially lethal infections for transplant recipients. Cord blood transplantation exposes the patient to one of the rare genetic disorders of the immune system or blood. The quantity of stem cells for transplantation is less than that in peripheral blood or bone marrow. This problem is greater for adults and adolescents as they need comparatively more quantity of stem cells for transplant. The stem cells found in umbilical-cord blood have the ability to turn into red or white blood cells or blood-clotting cells. Stem cells have been shown to grow new blood vessels around narrowed or damaged arteries in the limbs and restore impaired blood flow. Cord blood is also less likely to transmit certain common viruses, like Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and cytomegalovirus, potentially lethal infections for transplant recipients. Cord blood stem cells have a lower risk of graft versus host disease when compared to bone marrow transplants therefore allowing for a greater range of finding a donorrecipient. Umbilical cord blood stem cells can be used in transplants to treat a variety of pediatric disorders including leukemia, sickle cell disease, and metabolic disorders. Cord blood has been used in the treatment of more than 80 different diseases so far. The most common disease category has been leukemia. Cord blood stem cells are younger, they have better proliferative properties - they are able to regenerate more and faste.