Haemophilia, or hemophilia, is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This results in people bleeding for a longer time after an injury, easy bruising, and an increased risk of bleeding inside joints or the brain. Those with a mild case of the disease may have symptoms only after an accident or during surgery. Bleeding into a joint can result in permanent damage while bleeding in the brain can result in long term headaches, seizures, or an altered level of consciousness.
Haemophilia A is a blood clotting disorder caused by a genetic deficiency in clotting factor VIII, thereby resulting in significant susceptibility to bleeding, both internally and externally. This condition occurs almost exclusively in males born to carrier mothers due to X-linked recessive inheritance. Nevertheless, rare isolated cases do emerge from de novo (spontaneous) mutations.
Haemophilia B, also spelled hemophilia B, is a blood clotting disorder causing easy bruising and bleeding due to an inherited mutation of the gene for factor IX, and resulting in a deficiency of factor IX. It is less common than factor VIII deficiency.
Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most common hereditary blood-clotting disorder in humans. An acquired form can sometimes result from other medical conditions. It arises from a deficiency in the quality or quantity of von Willebrand factor (VWF), a multimeric protein that is required for platelet adhesion. It is known to affect several breeds of dogs as well as humans. The three forms of VWD are hereditary, acquired, and pseudo or platelet type. The three types of hereditary VWD are VWD type 1, VWD type 2, and VWD type 3. Type 2 contains various subtypes. Platelet type VWD is also an inherited condition.
Kappa Alpha Theta (ΚΑΘ), commonly referred to simply as Theta, is an international women’s fraternity founded on January 27, 1870, at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. It was the first Greek-letter fraternity established for women. The organization has 147 chapters at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The organization was the first women's fraternity to establish a chapter in Canada. Theta's total living initiated membership, as of 2020, was more than 250,000. There are more than 200 alumnae chapters and circles worldwide.
Desmopressin, sold under the trade name DDAVP among others, is a medication used to treat diabetes insipidus, bedwetting, hemophilia A, von Willebrand disease, and high blood urea levels. In hemophilia A and von Willebrand disease, it should only be used for mild to moderate cases. It may be given in the nose, by injection into a vein, by mouth, or under the tongue.
Factor IX, also known as Christmas factor, is one of the serine proteases involved in coagulation; it belongs to peptidase family S1. Deficiency of this protein causes haemophilia B.
The tainted blood disaster, or the tainted blood scandal, was a Canadian public health crisis in the 1980s in which thousands of people were exposed to HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products. It became apparent that inadequately-screened blood, often coming from high-risk populations, was entering the system through blood transfusions. It is now considered to be the largest single (preventable) public health disaster in the history of Canada.
Prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC), also known as factor IX complex, sold under the brand name Kcentra among others, is a combination medication made up of blood clotting factors II, IX, and X(3-factor PCC) or, when also containing factor VII as does Kcentra, 4-factor PCC. It is used to treat and prevent bleeding in hemophilia B if pure factor IX is not available. It may also be used for reversal of warfarin therapy. It is given by slow injection into a vein. Another product, activated prothrombin complex concentrate or FEIBA, may be used for acquired hemophilia.
Factor VIII is a medication used to treat and prevent bleeding in people with hemophilia A and other causes of low factor VIII. Certain preparations may also be used in those with von Willebrand's disease. It is given by slow injection into a vein.
Durhane Wong-Rieger is a Chinese-born, American-raised, Canadian with a Ph.D. in psychology. She is best known for her role as an advocate of patients who contracted diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C from tainted blood transfusions, in particular from the Health Management Associates scandal.
The Space Tourism Society is a California 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1996 by John Spencer, a former member of the board of directors of the National Space Society, with the goal of promoting space tourism.
Anne Lagacé Dowson is a Canadian radio journalist.
A fraternity or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in the Western concept developed in the Christian context, notably with the religious orders in the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages. The concept was eventually further extended with medieval confraternities and guilds. In the early modern era, these were followed by fraternal orders such as Freemasons, the Rosicrucian Society of England, and Odd Fellows, along with gentlemen's clubs, student fraternities, and fraternal service organizations. Members are occasionally referred to as a brother or – usually in a religious context – frater or friar.
The Documentary Organization of Canada (DOC) is a non-profit organization representing the interests of independent documentary filmmakers in Canada. Founded as the Canadian Independent Film Caucus (CIFC) in the 1980s Canada.
The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with hemophilia and other genetic bleeding disorders. It educates people with bleeding disorders and lobbies for improved medical treatment. 75% of people in the world with bleeding disorders do not know it and do not receive care.
Joe Rosenthal was a Canadian artist. He travelled and sketched in the Northwest Territories, Mexico, Cuba, England, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and the Ontario Society of Artists.
In North America, fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student but continues thereafter for life. Some accept graduate students as well. Individual fraternities and sororities vary in organization and purpose, but most share five common elements:
- Secrecy
- Single-sex membership
- Selection of new members based on a two-part vetting and probationary process known as rushing and pledging
- Ownership and occupancy of a residential property where undergraduate members live
- A set of complex identification symbols that may include Greek letters, armorial achievements, ciphers, badges, grips, hand signs, passwords, flowers, and colors
Canadian Plasma Resources (CPR) is a private, for-profit bio-pharmaceutical company and a licensed blood establishment based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was founded in 2012 and specializes in the collection of source plasma for further manufacturing and contract-manufacturing of plasma-based bio-pharmaceuticals with operations in Saskatoon (Saskatchewan), Moncton, Calgary, Edmonton (Alberta), Winnipeg (Manitoba) and administrative office in Oakville, Ontario. CPR is one of the only four establishments in Canada that are licensed to collect plasma. The others are Canadian Blood Services (CBS), Hema-Quebec and Cangene, now owned by ProMetic Life Sciences Inc.
Emicizumab, sold under the brand name Hemlibra, is a humanized bispecific monoclonal antibody for the treatment of haemophilia A, developed by Genentech and Chugai. A Phase I clinical trial found that it was well tolerated by healthy subjects.
