Studies: Stored Blood Lacks Nitric Oxide

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science Writer, Medicine & Health / Research

Red Cross worker Nelson Wilson, right, prepares a volunteer blood donor prior to the Oakland Raiders-New Orleans Saints preseason game in Oakland, Calif. in this Sept. 1, 2005 file photo. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

(AP) -- Much of the stored blood given to millions of people every year may lack a component vital for it to deliver oxygen to the tissues. Nitric oxide, which helps keep blood vessels open, begins breaking down as soon as blood goes into storage, two research teams report in separate studies in this week's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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