European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 14, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Put Bur health Page giving blood Post Gulf War shortage begins to ease by David Tarrant staff writer company commander capt. Michelle Dunham saw red wednesday morning. It was t anger however but Pride As Many in her unit the 184th ordnance co responded to an emergency Appeal by the army for blood donations. Some 115 troops from the Munster depot in Central Germany rolled up their sleeves and bared their arms to help Shore up depleted blood supplies at the . Army blood Bank various incentives helped bring out Many donors including time off for soldiers from Dunham s 184th Ord co and other units attached to the Munster installation the 545th Ord co the 6th military police co and he det 72nd Ord in. The idea seemed to catch fire with the troops judging from the Long line of soldiers wailing up to an hour at the Munster recreation Center just to have their arms poked with Needles and a pint of blood drawn from their arms. A it s been a great reaction. We a said wed give them the Day off and they lined right up Quot Dunham said. With blood supplies at the military s blood Bank approaching serious lows blood drives Are being conducted throughout Germany at installations such As the Munster depot located about 10 Miles East of Frankfurt. Outside of Germany military hospitals Are collecting blood As usual but officials know of no formal blood drives. Blood supplies typically drop during the Christmas holidays but this year the shortages Are aggravated by the fact that service members and civilians who were deployed to operation desert shield or desert storm Are deferred from donating blood because of a rare parasite borne disease that 22 veterans of the War brought Back with them. The . Army Europe blood Bank run by the 655th medical co at Lan Stuhl army regional medical Center Germany reported recently that supplies could dip to 100 units by mid january. The blood Bank generally maintains Between 250 and.300 pints at any Given Tome for use by All the services in the . European come. So far the january blood drives appear More encouraging to blood Bank officials than the results in december. About 130 units were donated at Sembach a Jan. 7. The next Day at Munster More than 25 percent of the Community of about 650 troops showed up As potential donors. About 50 were rejected however for various medical reasons. Sgt. Richard Mumpower who helped organize the drive at Munster said that in addition to the incentives a which included a three Day weekend pass to the platoon with the Best turnout a the Community had worked hard to publicize the blood drive. Quot we posted fliers All Over the Community and dropped fliers in shopping bags. We also told everybody that if you re not Mission essential you can get the Day off if you donate Quot Mumpower said. Quot we had formation this morning and then we marched them right Over  first in line was sgt. 1 St class Terry Overturf operations sergeant for the 545th Ord co who showed up to donate blood after pulling a 24-hour shift. Overturf said he s been giving blood Ever since he joined the army 17 years ago. Quot when i first came in the army there was a traffic Accident involving someone from our base. They got us up in the Middle of the night to give blood. That feeling of helping to save someone a life was just awesome Quot Overturf said As he sat in a chair sipping Coffee after donating a pint. Sitting beside him was another Long time donor chief warrant officer Charles Chizek special weapons technician for the 545th Ord co. A i got my gallon today a Quot said Chizek proudly displaying his red Cross donor card. Quot it took my whole military career Quot said the 17-year-Veteran. On the other hand sgt. Larry Reynolds of the 545th was trying to remain Calm while donating his first pint of blood. Although it took two tries to get the Needle in his Arm Reynolds called the experience Quot easy. I want to give regularly  spec. Warren Stewart of the 184th said the offer of time off to soldiers who donated blood got his attention. He also figured his platoon stood a Chance to get the honors for the Best turnout. A i think everybody in our platoon except for one person showed up. And that person Don t like  spec. Tony Matthews was responding to Competition of another kind a with his Mother. Matthews who said his Mother first took him to donate blood when he was 16, said he has already donated Over two Gallons of blood. His Mother however is proving hard to overtake he said. Quot she s donated almost four Gallons by  sgt. Richard Mumpower above spec. Tonya Edwards of the 655th medical co at Linda Tull takes blood from sgt. Larry Reynolds of the 545th Ord co during blood drive at Munster depot. Below Chi. Donald Cole left of the 184th Ord co at Munster has blood taken from his Finger by sgt. Willie january a combat Lifesaver. Where to give several blood drives Are scheduled in january today a Miessau army depot recreation Center Jan. 21mannheim Coleman Barracks location to be announced Jan. 22 Kaiserslautern Vogel Weh recreation Center a blood drive scheduled for Darmstadt on wednesday has been cancelled. Outside of Germany anyone wanting to donate blood should Contact the lab or the department of pathology at the nearest military Hospital air Force hospitals at Raf Lakenheath and Raf upper Heyford in England collect blood in their labs from time to time As it s needed As do air Force hospitals at Torreon a and Rota a spam said maj. Donald fipps. The joint blood program officer Lor  european come in Italy Navy hospitals at Sigo Nolla and Naples have periodic blood drives he said is Davd dlr clues to High blood pressure among Blacks by Warren e. Leary the new York times re is Aiu i if is s i us it ing Why american Blacks have such alarming rate s of High blood Possino arc finding new evidence that hypertension May lie a symptom of Dill Eisot under Lomg conditions arid not one disease Overall Blacks in the i idled slates have twice the Rale of High blood pies Sirn of whiles and live to seven tunes he rate of severe by cite Sion rut they also have Mush higher Rales of elevated blood pressure than Blacks m Alnea this leads most scientists to believe that environmental Maelois like diet sires and smoking play a Large role in tag Gemig the Eon Dilion in Blanks who May have a genetic Vine ability of it whatever the precipitating events and the Steps that can in taken to ameliorate them Lesea rehers said it is important in know what happens to cause Anil sustain damaging fluid pressures m blood vessels the heart and Olshef organs and there is increasing evidence that mechanism  insult in hypertension May vary Between groups Dolindo by lace sex and National origin As Well As within those groups data gamed about any group could be helpful in explaining hype Itenson in others research groups around the country have recently uncovered intriguing clues about physiological responses in Blacks that could be la Clors in increasing tile risk of High Blond presume a scientists Al the University of Maryland at College Park Lound that blood vessels in Blacks who were Given a stress lest stayed constricted 10 times longer than those of Whites because of a hormone associated with tie skin pigment Melanin a California investigators said Dan analysis of Blacks in Barbados indicated that Whoso with maternal african heritage had higher Normal blood pressures than those with non african maternal genes More evidence of an influential genetic Factor for hypertension in Western hemisphere Blacks a a Tost that measures How sodium crosses the outer membrane of red blood Colls Lound that Young Blacks wifi mild hypertension retained More of the Mineral in their Colls than their contemporaries with Normal blood pressure. Harvard researchers fount in addition those with excess sodium were less efficient using insulin to metabolize sugars suggesting a possible association Between hypertension and diabetes the researchers said there have Long Boon differing views on whether genetics of environmental influences play the most important role m tie increased risk of High blood pressure in Blacks Quot we Don t yet know the real causes of hypertension and we should look a physiological mechanisms As Well As genetics said or Elijah Saunders the Foad of the hypertension division Al the University of Maryland medical school in Baltimore Quot ii is doubtful that any one of these physiological mechanisms people Are studying will account Lor All the excessive hypertension seen in Blacks Quot he said. Quot it s not going to be like a sickle cell problem which is caused by one genetic defect bul a multiplicity of things genetic and environmental Quot or Robert f Murray or professor of paediatric Medicine and genetics at Howard University College of Medicine said hypertension was really a symptom a very general physical response to something else being amiss in the body i Ike High blood sugar it can occur in different people Lor varying masons to said the value of these studios that find Rte for Irene mechanisms or influences involving hypertension in Blacks is that they help to distinguish subgroups who May respond to different external tac Tois that trigger choir disease 1 Murray said whatever the genetic component of hypertension in Blacks it is not a dominant one where one gone itself is the Only cause of disease there has to tie an environmental Factor Tor the disease to express itself hypertension May Lorn out to be a number of diseases under the same name Murray Aid much like cancer or diabetes researchers know for instance that the net effect of a Moers uncontrolled cell growth r an tie  in individuals by Many different things irn lading carcinogens diet and yen ties scientists looking fur tie bonuses of cancer or diabetes  recognized the different forms of the disease s Murray need the same May prom True to  in Blacks tie  14 the stars and stripes tuesday january i4i i9g2 the stars and stripes Page 15