title: Superwoman

text: A 1947 "Superman" #45 (March–April 1947) comic revisits the theme in a story titled "Lois Lane, Superwoman!" in which a pair of fraudulent magicians cast a "spell" on Lane, making her believe she has superpowers. Circumstances force Superman to play along with the ruse temporarily by using super-speed to invisibly intervene in Lane's adventures to support the illusion. She briefly sports a costume modeled on Superman's before the spell is broken. A story from "Action Comics" has Lois actually gaining superpowers from one of Lex Luthor's inventions and launching a short-lived career as "Superwoman".


title: Superwoman

text: Later stories sporadically feature tales in which Lois gains superpowers and functioned as a "Superwoman" of sorts, but all of these are, like the 1951 tale, temporary. The powers always wear off by the end of the story. A typical example of this is "The Turnabout Powers" from "Superman Family" #207 (May–June 1981) where the Earth-Two Lois Lane gains powers from her husband (the Earth-Two Superman) through the unexpected effect of an exotic extraterrestrial plant Superman brings into their home. The plant's death reverses the effect. Another example is the "Batman/Superman: World's Finest" mini-series where Mr. Mxyzptlk briefly transforms Lois into a "Superwoman" with costume and powers.


title: Superwoman

text: At the end of "All-Star Superman" #2 Lois Lane is presented with a formula called "Exo-Genes" created by Superman that allows her to have his powers for 24 hours, and she becomes Superwoman. During her adventures with her new Kryptonian powers, she is wooed by two superhumans named "Samson" and "Atlas", and she is captured by a time-Ultrasphinx. Her powers fade away at the end of the day. Her costume seems to be exactly the same as that of the Anti-Matter Universe's Superwoman, but in Superman's colors. Both outfits were designed by Frank Quitely.


title: Superwoman

text: In other pre-Crisis imaginary stories—set outside the main DC continuity within an alternate history or hypothetical future—Lois Lane gains superpowers. In one of these, Sam Lane is a scientist and astrophysicist. He discovers that Earth's sun will go nova and obliterate the solar system. Sam and his wife Ella place their infant daughter Lois in a starship and send her to Krypton within a "power beam" that enables FTL travel and permanently modifies the baby's molecular biology. This gives Lois super powers after she reaches her adopted world. Once there, adopted and raised as "Kandi Khan", Lois becomes a zookeeper's daughter in Kryptonville. Like Superman in mainstream DC continuity, Kandi/Lois establishes a superhero career, and like Lois and Superman in the mainstream continuity, Supermaid and Kal-El fall for one another. Like Superman in the mainstream DC continuity, Supermaid was also vulnerable to fragments of her perished homeworld ("Earthite", in this version of events).


title: Superwoman

text: Another imaginary story has Clark Kent and Lois exchange places so that she is from Krypton and Kent is an ordinary human, inquisitive about whether or not Lois Lane was Krypton Girl's secret identity.


title: Superwoman

text: In 2016, Lois again became Superwoman in the DC Rebirth initiative and appeared as Superwoman in the comic book series "Superwoman". The series marks the first ongoing comic book series featuring the Superwoman character. In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, Lois and Lana gained superpowers due to the solar energy explosion caused by the death of the New 52 Superman. This results in both Lois and Lana becoming Superwoman with Lois possessing all of Superman's powers, while Lana has the ability to absorb solar energy and release it in other forms. Lois was later seemingly killed, in a similar fashion to the New 52 Superman, while fighting a female Bizzaro.


title: Superwoman

text: A woman from the distant planet of Staryl, Luma Lynai wins the heart of Superman. Just as Superman derives his powers from a yellow sun, Luma derived her gifts of super-strength and flight from an orange sun. Their romance does not last, as Luma becomes deathly ill under the rays of a yellow sun, and Superman cannot leave Earth undefended. She physically resembles an adult Kara Zor-El, with a similar costume, except instead of being blue-and-red with a pentagonal S shield, Luma's costume is white-and-green with a circular S emblem.


title: Superwoman

text: Superwoman is the name of several fictional characters who are supervillains appearing in stories published by DC Comics. All are evil or corrupted alternate-universe counterparts of Wonder Woman. Superwoman first appeared in "Justice League of America" #29 (August 1964) alongside the rest of the Crime Syndicate of America.


title: Superwoman

text: In 1964, an evil counterpart of Wonder Woman from a parallel universe named "Superwoman" was introduced. This Superwoman was a member of the Crime Syndicate of America, a villainous counterpart of the Justice League of America from the parallel world of "Earth-Three" (vs. the Justice League's world of "Earth-One"). Superwoman, like Wonder Woman, was an Amazon, and possessed similar powers of super-strength and flight. Unlike most/all other versions, her golden lasso could change shape into any form she desired, including a giant winged serpent. The Crime Syndicate first came to Earth-1 to battle the Justice League when, after near capture, they felt they needed a real challenge to their powers.


title: Superwoman

text: Superwoman is defeated by Wonder Woman on Earth-1 when each deploy their lassos with Wonder Woman’s proving itself the superior of the two. However each Crime Syndicate member has a fail-safe that transports themselves and the victorious Justice League member to Earth-3. Another battle ensues and this time Wonder Woman falls victim to Superwoman’s lasso. The Crime Syndicate puts the Justice League into a trance on Earth-1 while they prepare to battle the Justice Society of America on Earth-2, an Earth that will provide a neutral location for a final battle.


title: Superwoman

text: Superwoman is again defeated by the host Earth's heroine, this time Black Canary who is able to use Superwoman’s strength against her and encircles her with her own lasso. Another fail-safe transports them to Earth-3 where Black Canary and the rest of the Justice Society are imprisoned. Superwoman and Wonder Woman have a final showdown on Earth-2 where neither has a home Earth advantage. Superwoman yanks Wonder Woman’s lasso from her and proceeds to hurl both ropes at her rival, ensuring Wonder Woman won’t be able to make a move against her, but is surprised when the ropes sail high, realizing it takes more super-strength to control both lassos. Wonder Woman, having anticipated this, “let” her lasso be taken and then relies on her super-swiftness to put Superwoman out of commission before she can recover from her surprise. The Crime Syndicate, having all been defeated, are imprisoned between Earth-1 and Earth-2 by Green Lantern in a green bubble.


title: Superwoman

text: The Crime Syndicate were freed by the time travelling villain Per Degaton after he was caught up in a time-storm, discovered their bubble, and freed them. They tried to get him, but he revealed he had made sure he and his Time Machine would vibrate at a different speed to them, meaning they could not touch him. They helped him change history and conquer Earth-2 by stealing nuclear missiles from the Cuban Missile Crisis of Earth Prime, and when the Syndicate betrays him they are sent to 1982 of Earth-1, as he had made sure this would happen when they touched him. They materialized on the JLA's satellite headquarters and defeated the heroes. The JSA were imprisoned in their prison, but the combined powers of Starman and Doctor Fate got them out. They helped him again when the JLA tried to restore history, though were planning to betray him. When Degaton was defeated this timeline was erased and the Syndicate was re-imprisoned.


title: Superwoman

text: In the Pre-"Crisis" DCU any Amazon seen without her nonremovable indestructible bracelets was in fact driven mad. Superwoman was never seen with bracelets and this was part of her look to show she was, in fact, an evil aging Amazon (she also had a streak of grey hair).


title: Superwoman

text: On the original Pre-Crisis Earth-Three, Superwoman and Lois Lane are two separate people, with Lois working as a reporter for the Daily Star just like Earth-Two and even having a short-lived romance with Captain Comet when he came to her universe while chasing the Secret Society of Super-Villains across multiple realities.


title: Superwoman

text: The Pre-"Crisis" version of Superwoman was killed, along with the rest of the CSA, when they were trying to save Earth-Three from being destroyed by the Anti-Monitor's antimatter wave.


title: Superwoman

text: During the "Convergence" storyline, Superwoman was on death row after an accidental death happened to the Earth-Three version of Bruno Mannheim during the attack on Earth-Three's Metropolis. Due to the Rogue Hunter's interference, the Crime Syndicate failed to rescue Superwoman from death row as the electric chair was activated. She however later got better and fought her Justice League 1,000,000 counterpart.


title: Superwoman

text: In Post-"Crisis" continuity, as established in the 2000 graphic novel "" by Grant Morrison, Superwoman (and the rest of the Crime Syndicate) comes from a parallel world similar to Earth, but located in an antimatter universe (also home to the planet Qward).


title: Superwoman

text: Superwoman continues to make occasional appearances as a member of the Crime Syndicate, most recently appearing in storylines in the "Justice League" and "Superman" comics. Unlike her pre-"Crisis" counterpart, her magic lasso doesn't change shape but releases the inhibitions of anyone tied to it (just as Wonder Woman's compels victims to tell the truth). Bizarrely she also possesses heat vision, as Superman and Ultraman do, although there is no explanation for this.


title: Superwoman

text: Taking the alias Lois Lane, Superwoman is an Amazon by birth, and has risen through the ranks to become the chief editor of the "Daily Planet" in what she calls "Patriarch's World". This disguise resembles Wonder Woman's secret identity of Diana Prince. At the "Planet", Superwoman is shown to upset her colleagues; the antimatter-Cat Grant refers to Superwoman as "Queen Bitch", and negatively alludes to her "friendship" with the antimatter Jimmy Olsen. In her later appearances, it is stated that prior to taking on Lois Lane's identity, Superwoman was born on Damnation Island, presumably the Antimatter counterpart to Themyscira (or "Paradise Island"). It is mentioned that she had murdered all of her fellow Amazons, and upon meeting Donna Troy, she becomes ecstatic over the prospect of being able to murder another one of her kind for the first time in years. The Antimatter Universe's version of Superwoman is the first version of the character to combine Diana of Themyscira and Lois Lane.


title: Superwoman

text: Jimmy Olsen is the only civilian who knows of Superwoman's secret identity. A compliant sexual deviant, he does what she tells him in exchange for the favor of watching when she changes her outfit and receiving pieces of it for his "disguise kit". He is so besotted that he ignores her gibes and insults, even when she tauntingly refers to him as, "Superwoman's Snitch, Jimmy Olsen", and prints it in the "Planet".


title: Superwoman

text: Also in the "Earth 2" story, her lover Ultraman hates Superwoman's frigidity towards him. Meanwhile, she is carrying on a torrid affair with Owlman, and they sneak trysts whenever they feel Ultraman is not watching. However, from his floating fortress (the antimatter counterpart to the Fortress of Solitude), Ultraman doesn't hesitate to fire warning bursts of heat vision towards them whenever he catches them together.


title: Superwoman

text: In "52" Week 52, a recreation of Earth-3 was shown as a part of the new Multiverse. In the depiction were characters that are altered versions of the original Justice Society of America, including Wonder Woman. The character is not identified in "52", but later in "Countdown to Final Crisis", which identifies her as Superwoman of the "Crime Society of America", on an alternative world which is a reversed version of Earth-2. Based on comments by Grant Morrison, this alternate universe is not the pre-Crisis Earth-Three, making this a new character unrelated to previous versions. Grant Morrison also suggests that the Earth-3 and Antimatter Superwomen both exist post-"52". Like the antimatter iteration of the character, she is indeed both a Lois Lane and Wonder Woman counterpart, despite possessing Kryptonian abilities such as heat vision. In "Countdown", she is recruited into the Monarch's army but has her eyes gouged out by Red Robin (Jason Todd) of New Earth, who may or may not have been carrying Kryptonite.


title: Superwoman

text: Following DC's 2011 reboot event, "The New 52", characters from Earth-3 are again revised. Beginning in 2013 comics, Superwoman, once again the alternate version of both Lois Lane and Wonder Woman, is one of the members of the Crime Syndicate to arrive from Earth-3 at the conclusion of the "Trinity War" event. During the "Forever Evil" storyline, Superwoman and Owlman raid Arkham Asylum where they end up capturing Nightwing. During the Crime Syndicate's broadcast, Superwoman reveals Nightwing's identity on the broadcast. While Grid looks over the biographies of the other Syndicate members, he finds that while data on the other members are there, Superwoman's were deleted, leaving her true past and identity still a total mystery. She is also pregnant, and engaging in affairs with both Owlman and Ultraman. It was finally revealed that Superwoman is in a relationship with the crazed Alexander Luthor of Earth-3, who uses the power of the lightning and goes by the name Mazahs. She betrays Ultraman, revealing she and Luthor are carrying a child who is prophesied to bring an end to the world. After Mazahs is killed by the Luthor of the main universe, Superwoman is placed in captivity. Immune to Wonder Woman's lasso of truth, Wonder Woman attempts traditional interrogation of her counterpart about the entity that destroyed their world, but Superwoman does not reveal any information. Just then, she ends up announcing "The baby. It kicked".


title: Superwoman

text: During the "Darkseid War" storyline, Superwoman is freed from A.R.G.U.S. custody by the Justice League in order to help the Justice League deal with the Anti-Monitor. During the battle with the New Gods, Superwoman starts to give birth. Right after she gave birth to her son, on order from Owlman, Superwoman used her child to absorb the Omega Sanction from Lex Luthor. While boasting of her child's strength, Superwoman was disintegrated by Grail who took the baby. The baby was subsequently used by Grail as a host to resurrect her father, Darkseid, who had been slain by the Anti-Monitor.


title: Superwoman

text: Following the reboot of the multiverse after "", a new Earth-3 and Superwoman are created. Unlike most incarnations, this Superwoman is an alternate version of Donna Troy. She is the second daughter of Queen Hippolyta of Themyscira, also known as Demon's Island; her older sister Diana was apparently killed by their mother for weakness. Donna was trained from birth to be merciless in combat and anticipate any strategy her enemy may use.


title: Superwoman

text: In 1945, a man named Steve Trevor came to Devil's Island, seeking Amazons to act as soldiers in a war that his side was losing. Donna fell in love with him but refused to leave her home, so Steve took her hostage and demanded that Hippolyta provide warriors for his cause or he would kill Donna. Much to his shock, Hippolyta simply told Donna to save herself, which she did, stabbing Steve in the stomach. Hippolyta explained that this was Donna's final lesson, words and emotion could be potent weapons which she would need to master. The Amazons had anticipated the rise of metahumans in Man's World and Donna was sent out to infiltrate and gain control over them. She plans to one day return home at the head of an army of metahumans, kill her mother and take the throne.


title: Superwoman

text: Donna became the ambassador to the United States of America from Themyscira and she exerts considerable influence over the American government by sexually dominating President Oliver Queen.


title: Superwoman

text: When the Starro Collective invades Earth, Owlman develops a strategy to kill the "queen" Starro by sending Emerald Knight into its brain, as the energy from his power battery is extremely painful to it. Emerald Knight fails and the queen responds with a powerful psychic attack on the attacking metahumans, turning their emotional vulnerabilities against them. Superwoman is able to resist the attack and single-handedly kills the queen as it begs for mercy.


title: Superwoman

text: In "Superman" #349 ("The Turnabout Trap!"), Superman returns from an interstellar mission to find that everyone on Earth is of the opposite sex. Among them are Penny White (a female Perry White), Jenny Olsen (a female Jimmy Olsen), Louis Lane (a male Lois Lane), Batwoman (a female Batman, rather than the actual character), Wonder Warrior (a male Wonder Woman; DC Comics could not use the name Wonder Man at the time because Marvel Comics holds the trademark), Black Condor (a male Black Canary), Superlad (a male Supergirl), and Superwoman (his female counterpart) herself. Believing he crossed into a parallel universe, Superman flies back to space to find a dimensional portal but is blocked by an invisible barrier. He notices the parallelism fails when he sees Superwoman and Clara Kent (Superwoman's presumed secret identity) are two separate people.


title: Superwoman

text: When he confronts Superwoman he discovers that he is regarded as a super-villain in this gender-reversed world, which leads to a battle with Superwoman, Superlad, and Wonder Warrior. They manage to trap Superman with Wonder Warrior on guard, but he manages to escape and takes Wonder Warrior's magic lasso with him. Superman figures out that his foe Mr. Mxyzptlk is behind this gender-reversed world. This was partly due to the discrepancy of Clara Kent and Superwoman being different people. However, Mxyzptlk's biggest mistake was being too vain to give himself a reverse-gender counterpart in Superwoman's rogues gallery in The Daily Planet morgue; all of Superwoman's foes were reverse-gender counterparts to Superman's foes (Leslie Luthor (Lex Luthor), Bizaress (Bizarro) and the Toywoman (Toyman)) - except for Mxyzptlk. Superman discovers as well that he was never in a parallel universe, but rather on Earth, which Mxyzptlk had altered with his magic. After using Wonder Warrior's magic lasso to make Mxyzptlk say his name backwards and thus returning him to his native dimension, the effects of Mxyzptlk's magic (including the existence of Superwoman) vanish, returning the Earth to normal. Upon his return to his Clark Kent identity, he is startled to discover there is still a Louis Lane, but he turns out to be Lois Lane's cousin.


title: Superwoman

text: Later stories, including "Countdown" and "The Multiversity" would revisit the concept of a gender-reversed Superman known as Superwoman, and designated those stories as taking place on Earth-11 of the DC Multiverse.


title: Superwoman

text: A new Superwoman named Laurel, apparently a female version of Superman from a parallel Earth (now identified as Earth-11), appeared for the first time in "Superman/Batman" #23-#24. In Earth 11's alternate universe, much like in the one featured in "The Turnabout Trap!", reversed-gender characters exist relative to that resident on New Earth: there is a Batwoman (female Batman), Superlad (male Supergirl), and a female Darkseid known as the "Dark Queen". It is notable that in pre-Crisis continuity, "Laurel Kent" was the name of a 30th-century descendant of Superman who occasionally appeared in stories featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, and was replaced in continuity by Laurel Gand.


title: Superwoman

text: In December 2007, Superwoman and Batwoman were featured in "Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Superwoman/Batwoman" #1. It features Earth-11 as part of the new DC Multiverse and presents a male version of Wonder Woman called Wonder Man, who originates from a society of male Amazons. It also depicts that world's version of "Amazons Attack!".


title: Superwoman

text: "The Multiversity Guidebook", released as part of "The Multiversity" showed new versions of the characters from Earth-11, more closely resembling New Earth after the Flashpoint event, with equivalent costumes to their New Earth counterparts, indicating their world had also been affected by the Flashpoint storyline, though the exact nature of those changes is unrevealed. The Aquawoman of Earth-11 would become a member of Justice League Incarnate, a team which formed as a result of the Multiversity event. She would go on to help Superwoman of Earth-11 as well as a number of other Superman counterparts to escape from a being called Prophecy, who was attempting to drain their powers in order to fight an unknown future threat. Together with Aquawoman, Superman, The New Super-Man of China, and the Justice League Incarnate, Prophecy was defeated, and Superwoman and the other Superman counterparts would return to their worlds and times.


title: Superwoman

text: Another version of Superwoman, this one a heroic character, came about in the form of Kristin Wells, who was created by Superman comic writer Elliot S! Maggin. Wells first appeared in Maggin's Superman novel "Miracle Monday", but he later introduced her in the pages of "DC Comics Presents" as Superwoman. The character Wells is a 29th-century descendant of Jimmy Olsen. Wells time travels to the 20th century, where the technology she had brought from the future gives her superpowers. It is this iteration of the character which appears briefly in "" which creates a continuity problem in that she had already revealed Jimmy Olsen's final fate: to become a great editor like Perry White.


title: Superwoman

text: Obsessed Superman fan Dana Dearden dated Jimmy Olsen to get close to Superman, and when that didn't work she stole mystic artifacts which granted her the strength of Hercules, the speed (and flight) of Hermes, the thunderbolts of Zeus, and the sight of Heimdall. Dana donned a green-and-purple uniform, with "Superwoman" written down the leggings, and called herself Superwoman, and tried to get Superman to fall in love with her. He rejected her advances, and Jimmy called her "Obsession". She vanished attempting to help Superman rescue people from a burning ship.


title: Superwoman

text: When Superman was split into his Red and Blue energy forms, Superwoman returned hoping that one of the Supermen would return her feelings, but Maxima intervened, and used her telepathy to convince Superwoman that she would destroy Superman with her love.


title: Superwoman

text: The telepathic illusion wore off and she would try to win Superman over again, this time in a red-and-blue costume very similar to his, and claimed to be his wife in response to a recent photograph of Superman wearing a wedding ring. During a subsequent attack of humans using the DMN drug—which turned the users into violent demons until the "high" was over—Superman convinced her to help him stop the DMN users, arguing that, if she truly loved him, she would help him do his duty rather than attack him for potentially picking someone else over her. She died trying to protect him from one of the DMN users when it almost struck him in the back while he was distracted since she knew he was vulnerable to magic.


title: Superwoman

text: Lucy Lane first appeared as Superwoman in "Supergirl" (vol. 5) #35 (January 2009), her costume a nod to that of the Bronze Age Superwoman Kristin Wells and containing a containment field that simulated Kryptonian powers. However, Lucy's identity was not revealed until near the story arc's end. During her tenure as Superwoman, she was blackmailed by her father, General Sam Lane, into performing acts of villainy such as murdering Agent Liberty, who had been spying on General Lane and Lex Luthor. This resulted in her being the focus of the "Supergirl" Faces of Evil issue.


title: Superwoman

text: Lucy Lane later attacks Reactron, which tipped off readers that Superwoman was not Kryptonian, since the villain's Gold Kryptonite power source had no effect on her. Supergirl unmasks Superwoman, and accidentally kills her by rupturing the containment field of her suit, causing Lucy's body to contort and explode.


title: Superwoman

text: In the Supergirl annual Lucy is brought back to life by the suit as it steals the life of another person. The suit is then revealed to be a magical creation of Mirabai of the Forlorn, ally of Sam Lane, who mystically infused in it the genetic abilities of several alien races of Kryptonian might: when Supergirl ruptured it, the backlash permanently altered Lucy Lane into being a composite alien being of human appearance herself, with inherent Kryptonian abilities. This Superwoman was last seen as a prisoner after Sam Lane's machinations during the "War of the Supermen" storyline came to an end, though it was hinted she would escape at some point in the future. The launch of The New 52 however ended that storyline.


title: Superwoman

text: When Superman died, Lana Lang and Lois Lane both absorbed energy released from his body and the two women developed superhuman powers. Lana gained the power to convert solar radiation into various forms of electromagnetic energy, while Lois developed powers similar to Superman's. Both Lana and Lois became Superwoman. After Lois' death, Lana became the sole Superwoman.


title: Superwoman

text: During Superman Reborn, it was revealed that the powers Lois and Lana received were the leftover energy from the New-52 Superman. The Post-Crisis Superman took that energy into himself to become an amalgam leaving Lana seemingly powerless and confused. Some energy remained within her suit which was later found to be Red Kryptonite radiation.


title: Superwoman

text: Various comic stories, pre- and post-"Crisis", offer glimpses of possible futures assuming that one of the various incarnations of Supergirl would eventually change her codename to Superwoman upon reaching adulthood. One example is "The Superman Family" #200 (April 1980) in which all the stories are set in the then-near future 1999 or 2000 (the timeframe is cited only as "the turn of the century") with the characters aged appropriately, including an older Linda Danvers (Kara Zor-El) who divides her time between her career as Superwoman and serving as governor of Florida.


title: Superwoman

text: Alternatively, some stories assume one of Superman's female descendants would assume the name "Superwoman", like his daughter Kara and great-granddaughter Lara from the Elseworlds series, "".


title: Kiera Hogan

text: Kiera Hogan (born September 16, 1994) is an American professional wrestler currently working for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). She is best known for her time in Impact Wrestling, where she is a former two-time Impact Knockouts Tag Team Champion (with Tasha Steelz). Hogan has also worked in Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU), where she is a former WSU Spirit Champion.


title: Kiera Hogan

text: Hogan began her career wrestling throughout Atlanta in 2015. She defeated Owen Knight to win the WWA4 Intergender Championship on April 16, 2015. She became a regular throughout the Georgia independent wrestling scene, competing for promotions such as Atlanta Wrestling Entertainment and the All-Star Wrestling Network. In November 2015, she began working for the Organization Of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA) in North Carolina. In 2016, Hogan began working throughout the United States, competing for promotions such as Booker T's Reality of Wrestling in Houston and Shine Wrestling in Florida. On February 11, 2017, she captured the WSU Spirit Championship at the WSU 10th Anniversary Show in Vorhees, New Jersey. On June 16, 2018, Hogan lost the WSU Spirit title against Jordynne Grace.


title: Kiera Hogan

text: On August 17, 2017, it was reported that Impact Wrestling (then known as Global Force Wrestling) had signed Hogan to a contract. On the February 1, 2018, episode of "Impact!", Hogan made her Impact Wrestling debut by defeating the Knockouts Champion Laurel Van Ness in a non-title match. She received a championship match on the following episode of "Impact!" where she fought in a losing effort. Hogan made her pay-per-view debut at Redemption, when she unsuccessfully challenged Taya Valkyrie. Hogan received a rematch against Valkyrie on the May 3, 2018, episode of "Impact!", when she won by disqualification after being attacked by Tessa Blanchard during the match. Followed that incident, Hogan faced Blanchard on the May 17 episode of "Impact!", when she lost. After the match, Blanchard attacked her until Madison Rayne made the save. On the June 14 episode of "Impact!" Hogan unsuccessfully challenged Blanchard once again in a No Disqualification match. On October 4 episode of "Impact!", Hogan lost to Su Yung. After the match, Yung and Allie brawled. Hogan saved Allie from Yung, only to be put inside a coffin by Yung. At Bound for Glory, Allie rescued Hogan from the Undead Realm.


title: Kiera Hogan

text: On the May 3, 2019 edition of "Impact", Hogan faced Rosemary in a grudge match stemming from a confrontation weeks prior; she was defeated via disqualification when Su Yung's undead bridesmaids entered and attacked Rosemary. Hogan began turning heel when she refused to help Rosemary against the bridesmaids, and she cemented herself as a villainess in a backstage interview on the following week, when she claimed that she wasn't getting anywhere trying to be friends with everyone, and accused Jordynne Grace of taking advantage of her. On the May 17 edition of "Impact", Hogan eliminated Grace and Scarlett Bordeaux in a Knockouts Battle Royal, only to be eliminated herself by Blanchard. Following the battle royal, she began a feud with Grace, with Grace getting the upper hand on multiple occasions.


title: Kiera Hogan

text: On the May 19, 2020 episode of "Impact!", Hogan approached Impact's newest knockout Tasha Steelz and offered her to join forces with her, which Steelz agreed to. The new formed duo, now known as Fire 'N Flava, won their first match as a tag team on the June 2 episode of "Impact!", where they defeated Kylie Rae and Susie. Hogan and Steelz quickly entered into a feud with Havok and Nevaeh, which led into a no disqualification match on the August 11 episode of "Impact!", where Hogan and Steelz were victorious, ending their feud with Havok and Nevaeh in the process. On January 16, 2021, at Hard to Kill, Hogan and Steelz defeated Havok and Nevaeh to become the new Knockouts Tag Team Champions. At Rebellion, they lost the titles to Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering, ending their reign at 99 days. At Under Siege, Hogan and Steelz regained the titles from Grace and Ellering, thus becoming two-time champions. On the Slammiversary pre-show, they lost the titles to Decay (Havok and Rosemary).


title: Kiera Hogan

text: On July 18, she announced her departure from the company. On the August 5 episode of "Impact!", Savannah Evans attacked Hogan as Steelz only watched, thus disbanding Fire 'N Flava. The following week on "Impact!", she was abducted by Su Yung and Kimber Lee, this was used to write her off television.


title: Kiera Hogan

text: Hogan made her debut of Women of Wrestling (WOW) during their taping in October 2018, under the name Fire. On WOW's first episode to premier on AXS TV on January 18, 2019, Fire had her first match on WOW, where she unsuccessfully challenged Abilene Maverick. Through the second season on AXS TV, Fire teamed with Adrenaline in the tag team tournament for the vacant WOW Tag Team Championship in which they won in the second-season finale on AXS TV on May 16, which aired on tape delay on November 23.


title: Kiera Hogan

text: Hogan made her AEW debut on August 11, 2021 against Hikaru Shida on where she lost. On September 6, Hogan picked up her first win for the company on "AEW Dark Elevation" facing Blair Onyx. On September 28, on "AEW Dark" Excalibur noted that Hogan had signed to the company which Hogan later revealed was true. On April 13 2022, on "Dynamite" Hogan became a part of The Baddies stable which includes her, Red Velvet and Jade Cargill. On the November 23, 2022 episode of Dynamite, Cargill dismissed Hogan from The baddies.


title: Kiera Hogan

text: On July 20, 2019, Hogan announced that she is in a relationship with fellow professional wrestler Diamante.


title: Hollaback Girl

text: "Hollaback Girl" is a song by American singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani from her debut solo studio album, "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." (2004). It is a hip-hop song that draws influence from 1980s hip-hop and dance music. The song was written by Stefani, Pharrell Williams, and Chad Hugo, with the latter two handling production as the Neptunes. The song was released as the album's third single on March 22, 2005, and was one of the year's most popular songs, peaking inside the top 10 of the majority of the charts it entered. It reached number one in Australia and the United States, where it became the first digital download to sell one million copies.


title: Hollaback Girl

text: "Hollaback Girl" received several award nominations, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Record of the Year at the 48th Grammy Awards; however, it lost in both categories. The song divided pop music critics, with some praising its minimalistic production and others declaring it embarrassing. The men's magazine "Maxim" named it as the "Most Annoying Song Ever". In the United States, the song topped the "Billboard" Hot 100 for four weeks it was ranked at number two on the Year-End Hot 100. The single topped the charts in Australia and reached the top-ten in several other countries, including Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It has since been certified five-times Platinum in United States by the RIAA, and in Australia by the ARIA.


title: Hollaback Girl

text: A music video with Stefani as a cheerleader at a California high school was released on March 21, 2005, and was directed by Paul Hunter. The video received four nominations at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, and ultimately won for Best Choreography. Stefani has performed "Hollaback Girl" on numerous occasions, including on all three of her concert tours, and on several televised appearances.


title: Hollaback Girl

text: As part of Gwen Stefani's vision of creating "a silly dance record", she had worked with the Neptunes (Pharrell and Chad Hugo) during the early stages of writing songs. However, a case of writer's block resulted in reportedly uninspired collaborations. As the album neared completion, Stefani regained her confidence and booked another session with the Neptunes. Stefani flew to New York City to meet up with Pharrell, and after finishing two songs within a week, Stefani ended the session early and prepared to return home. A few minutes later, Pharrell called her back into the studio to write another song. Stefani said, "I was tired. I wanted to go home, but he was like, 'Don't leave yet. When she returned to the studio, Pharrell began to play Stefani his first solo album, and she became envious. Excited by his material, she decided to write another song with Pharrell, despite her opinion that the album already contained far too many tracks.


title: Hollaback Girl

text: To search for inspiration, Stefani and Pharrell had a lengthy discussion in which Stefani said that she had yet to write a song about her intentions for pursuing a solo career. She remarked how the album was missing an "attitude song", and she recalled a derogatory comment that grunge musician Courtney Love had made about her in an interview with "Seventeen" magazine: "Being famous is just like being in high school. But I'm not interested in being the cheerleader. I'm not interested in being Gwen Stefani. She's the cheerleader, and I'm out in the smoker shed." Stefani responded to Love's comments in the March 2005 issue of "NME": "Y'know someone one time called me a cheerleader, negatively, and I've never been a cheerleader. So I was, like, 'OK, fuck you. You want me to be a cheerleader? Well, I will be one then. And I'll rule the whole world, just you watch me. The song uses the lyric and a melodic interpolation, of "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen, referencing the common usage of the song at sporting events, aimed at losing opponents, with Stefani's antagonistic stance likely aimed at Love.


title: Hollaback Girl

text: Stefani believed that some No Doubt fans would be upset with her solo effort, commenting, "[They] were probably like, 'Why is she doing this record? She's going to ruin everything'." She revealed that she too did not know why she was recording a solo album. For the remainder of the evening, Stefani and Pharrell incorporated this inspiration into the lyrics that eventually became "Hollaback Girl". The two decided that Stefani did not have to have an answer for her intentions and that the choices she made were based on what she felt was wrong or right. On its creation, Stefani said, "To me, it is the freshest attitude song I've heard in so long." Pharrell was pleased with the song, commenting, "Gwen is like the girl in high school who just had her own style."


title: Hollaback Girl

text: Because Stefani never disclosed the song title's meaning, reviewers came up with various interpretations. In a satirical, line-by-line analysis of the song's lyrics, "OC Weekly" critic Greg Stacy humorously speculated that "Gwen is apparently the captain of the cheerleader squad; she is the girl who 'hollas' the chants, not one of the girls who simply 'hollas' them back". The most commonly accepted meaning is that a "hollaback girl" responds positively to the "catcalls" or hollers of men, but it might mean to Stefani that she would rather take the initiative and "step it up". In March 2021, it was revealed that a comment made by British supermodel Naomi Campbell served as inspiration for the chorus. In an appearance on Campbell's YouTube talk show "No Filter", Pharrell stated that she had responded to someone trying to speak, "I'm sorry, I have a name. I ain't no Holla Back girl", the latter phrase apparently referencing the Fabolous song "Young'n (Holla Back)"; Pharrell was inspired by the overheard conversation and incorporated the lyric into the chorus of "Hollaback Girl".


title: Hollaback Girl

text: "Hollaback Girl" is a hip-hop song that draws influence from 1980s hip-hop and dance music. It is a moderately fast song (with a tempo of 110 beats per minute) and it is played in the key of D minor. Like the majority of pop music, it is set in common time. The main chord pattern of the song alternates between B major and D minor triads. Most of the harmonic content of the song revolves around a two-chord alternation which music theorists may regard as an L (leading tone) transformation, in which the root of the major chord is lowered by a half-step to form a second inversion minor chord on the third scale degree, a slight tonicization of B major, but resolving back to D minor by having the same A, a perfect fourth down from D. This stepwise motion between B and A highlights this chord change. The song is in verse-chorus form with a bridge before the fourth and last chorus. The song features sparse instrumentation, primarily a minimal beat produced by drum machine. A guitar plays the song's riff, a six-note pattern as Stefani repeats "this my shit" during the chorus, and a brass section joins during the second chorus. In part because of its cheerleading motif, it drew comparisons to Toni Basil's 1982 song "Mickey".


title: Hollaback Girl

text: "Hollaback Girl" received mixed reviews from music critics. Yahoo! Music's Jennifer Nine described it as a "stomping, stripped-back" track, and Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted that it had the "thumping, minimal beats" of the Neptunes. Richard Smirke of Playlouder called it "a trademark Neptunes hip-hop stomp." In his review of "Love. Angel. Music. Baby.", Rob Sheffield of "Rolling Stone" gave the song a positive review, writing that "Stefani's gum-snapping sass brings out the beast in her beatmasters, especially the Neptunes in 'Hollaback Girl'." "Blender" listed it as the 11th best song of 2005, and the song tied with Damian Marley's "Welcome to Jamrock" for number five on the 2005 Pazz & Jop, a survey of several hundred music critics conducted by Robert Christgau.


title: Hollaback Girl

text: On the other hand, Jason Damas, in a review for "PopMatters", felt that the song sounds "almost exactly like Dizzee Rascal", and added, "Lyrically, this is where Gwen sinks the lowest here, especially on a breakdown where she repeats, 'This shit is bananas / B-A-N-A-N-A-S!' several times". Eric Greenwood of Drawer B called the song "moronic and embarrassingly tuneless," while also writing "I'd quote the lyrics, but they're so bad, I almost feel sorry for her. A 35-year-old woman singing about pom-poms and 'talking shit' in high school betrays such a delusional self-image that it's hard not to be taken aback. And on top of that, the Neptunes' beats are clunky and the production is senselessly bombastic." Nick Sylvester of "Pitchfork" also criticized the track, referring to it as a "Queen pastiche [...] which has about as much club potential as a 13-year old with a milk moustache and his dad's ID". However, despite this initial negative review, Pitchfork would later place the track at number 35 on its list of the Top 50 Singles of 2005, and at number 180 on its list of the Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s. "Maxim" was unimpressed with the song, and in its October 2005 issue, published a list of the "20 Most Annoying Songs Ever" with "Hollaback Girl" in first place. Cat Conway of "Drowned in Sound" gave the song a negative review, saying "Hollaback Girl" sees Gwen Stefani getting a big lick off , delivering vocals that sound like she needs a Sudafed."


title: Hollaback Girl

text: "Hollaback Girl" entered the "Billboard" Hot 100 at number 82 on the issue dated April 2, 2005, and within six weeks of its release, it had reached the top of the chart, becoming Stefani's first and only US number one. It ended the nine-week run of 50 Cent's "Candy Shop" featuring Olivia, and maintained the number-one position for four consecutive weeks. "Hollaback Girl" ranked second on the 2005 Hot 100 year-end chart. The song held the record for most US radio airplays in one week, with 9,582 plays, and maintained this record for over a year before Shakira and Wyclef Jean's "Hips Don't Lie" overtook the position. "Hollaback Girl" peaked at number one on the "Billboard" Pop 100 chart for eight weeks and at number 15 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. The song was a crossover success, and reached number four on the Rhythmic Top 40 and number eight on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.


title: Hollaback Girl

text: "Hollaback Girl" was noted for having a large number of digital downloads, becoming the first single to sell more digital downloads than CDs. In October 2005, "Hollaback Girl" was the first single to ever sell one million digital downloads and later went on to sell a total of 1.2 million downloads. It was certified five-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It was later re-certified platinum, for the same sales, due to the change of the RIAA certification criteria for singles. On the year-end list for Hot Digital Songs in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" topped the chart.


title: Hollaback Girl

text: "Hollaback Girl" was successful in Canada, where the song debuted and peaked at number 12 on the Canadian Singles Chart. However, Graham Henderson, president of the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), later argued that based on Canada's population relative to the US, the single should have sold around 120,000 copies and that the comparatively lower sales of 25,000 were a sign that the Canadian copyright law should be tightened to discourage non-commercial peer-to-peer file sharing. Columnist Michael Geist disputed the comparison, arguing that the Canadian online music market was still developing. The song was released in Australia on May 23, 2005, debuting at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart, and in Europe on June 6, 2005, reaching number five on the European Hot 100 Singles. In the United Kingdom, "Hollaback Girl" was released on the same day, but it did not perform as well as Stefani's previous releases. The song's predecessors, "What You Waiting For?" and "Rich Girl", had both reached number four, while "Hollaback Girl" debuted at number eight and remained at the same position the following week. Although its UK success was limited, it remained in the top 40 for an additional 11 weeks. The single was largely successful across Europe, reaching the top five in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Ireland, and the top 10 in Belgium, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.


title: Hollaback Girl

text: The music video for "Hollaback Girl" was directed by Paul Hunter and filmed in the Van Nuys and Reseda neighborhoods of Los Angeles, California. It opens with a scene of Stefani taking a picture of her four Harajuku Girls, when a crowd of students appears. Stefani and the Harajuku Girls then drive down Sherman Way past Magnolia Science Academy to Birmingham High School in a 1961 Chevrolet Impala, accompanied by the crowd. Stefani and the group cause a commotion when they disrupt a football game by walking onto the field and when they go to a 99 Cents Only Store and throw cereal and other food products down an aisle. Throughout the video, there are intercut sequences of choreographed dancing filmed in a sound stage, intended to represent Stefani's imagination. Stefani and the Harajuku Girls are outfitted in cheerleading uniforms, accompanied by several Californian spirit groups: the Orange Crush All Stars, a cheerleading squad from Orange County; a marching band from Fountain Valley High School in Fountain Valley; a pep flag team named the Carson High School Flaggies from Carson; and a drill team from Stephen M. White Middle School in Carson. To visualize the song's bridge, the Harajuku Girls spell the word "bananas" with cue cards. The video ends with a close-up frame of Stefani with her arms in the air.


title: Hollaback Girl

text: The Chevy Impala convertible from the video includes a painting by artist J. Martin. The design includes Stefani as seen on the album cover of "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." with the words "Hollaback Girl" in calligraphy. The car was, eventually, sold on eBay. Pharrell, one of the song's co-producers, makes a cameo appearance. The complete version of "Hollaback Girl" featured in the music video was released commercially through CD singles and digital downloads. Some include remixes by Diplo and former No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal.


title: Hollaback Girl

text: The video debuted on March 21, 2005, and proved successful on video chart programs. It debuted on MTV's "TRL" on March 31 at number 10 and remained on the program for a total of 50 days, becoming what "Rolling Stone" called "a staple of MTV's "TRL"". The video reached the top of the chart and was retired at number four on June 23, becoming Stefani's first video to retire. VH1 listed the video at number five on its Top 40 Videos of 2005, and at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, the video received four nominations, but only won the award for Best Choreography. Stefani did not attend the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, prompting rumors that she was protesting her lack of nominations the previous year, her multiple losses to Kelly Clarkson, and her not having been asked to perform. Stefani denied the rumors, responding, "the only reason I am not attending the MTV Video Music Awards is because I will be recording and spending time with my family."


title: Hollaback Girl

text: Stefani has performed "Hollaback Girl" on several occasions, including on two of her concert tours, in addition to several appearances on TV shows. During the majority of the 2005 Harajuku Lovers Tour, Stefani sang the single as an encore performance, where she wore a drumming costume and encouraged the audience to sing along with her. However, in earlier shows, before the single's success, she sang it before tracks "Serious" and "Bubble Pop Electric". During The Sweet Escape Tour, she performed the song in the middle of the show wearing sparkly red shorts and an argyle jacket atop a L.A.M.B. black and white shirt. She also sported a belt buckle featuring the "G" motif frequently used in "The Sweet Escape".


title: Hollaback Girl

text: When Stefani agreed to be a judge on season 7 of the NBC music competition "The Voice", she sang the track in May 2014 alongside Pharrell, who would also be appearing on the show as a judge. For the rendition, Stefani wore a black jumpsuit in contrast to Pharrell, who wore a Mickey Mouse-sweater and jeans. The performance prompted the song to enter the "Billboard" Pop Digital Songs component chart, where it re-entered at number thirty-four. On the May 4, 2016, episode of "The Late Late Show with James Corden", Stefani sang a snippet of the song alongside James Corden in his show's segment "Carpool Karaoke". In addition to Stefani and Corden, actor George Clooney and actress Julia Roberts sang along; when the song concluded, Clooney stated "this [bleep]'s bananas". More recently, the single was included on her 2016 concert series This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour. On November 27, 2019, Stefani performed "Hollaback Girl", alongside "What You Waitin’ For" and "Rich Girl", in a medley on "The Voice" in season 17 to commemorate "Love. Angel. Music. Baby."s 15th anniversary.


title: Hollaback Girl

text: Diplo made a remix for the track after M.I.A. turned down an offer to produce one. Tony Kanal, fellow No Doubt member, also produced a remix titled the Dancehollaback Remix. The track features reggae singer Elan Atias, whose debut album Kanal produced. It appears as a single on iTunes, on the CD single for "Cool", and on the bonus CD of the deluxe edition of "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." Stefani later requested to contribute vocals on "I Wanna Yell" from Atias's debut album "Together as One", and was featured on his song "Allnighter".


title: Hollaback Girl

text: Rumoredly, Weird Al had plans to do with his new album Straight Outta Lynwood in 2006, called "Holodeck Girl", but it never came to fruition. Later that year, Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship recorded a parody of the song titled ""Hollaback Boy"". Stefani also performed a "countrified version" of "Hollaback Girl" part of a skit on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" where Fallon portrayed the character Buck Pinto promoting a fictitious album "Gwen's Gone Country".


title: Hollaback Girl

text: In the United States, A snippet of the song focusing on bananas in a Kroger television commercial in 2021 about food quality and banana freshness.


title: The Hook

text: The Hook, or The Hookman, is an urban legend about a killer with a pirate-like hook for a hand attacking a couple in a parked car.


title: The Hook

text: In many versions of the story, the killer is typically portrayed as a faceless, silhouetted old man wearing a raincoat and rain hat that conceals most of his features, especially his face.


title: The Hook

text: The story is thought to date from at least the mid-1950s, and gained significant attention when it was reprinted in the advice column "Dear Abby" in 1960. It has since become a morality archetype in popular culture, and has been referenced in various horror films.


title: The Hook

text: The basic premise involves a young couple cuddling in a car with the radio playing. Suddenly, a news bulletin reports that a serial killer with a hook has just escaped from a nearby institution. For varying reasons, they decide to leave quickly. In the end, once they get back to the woman's house, the killer's hook is either found hanging from the door handle or embedded into the door itself. Different variations include a scraping sound on the car door. Some versions start the same way, but have the couple spotting the killer, warning others, and then narrowly escaping with the killer holding onto the car's roof. In another version, the woman sees a shadowy figure watching the couple from nearby. The man leaves to confront the figure, who then suddenly disappears. Thinking that his date just imagined it, the man returns to the car only to see that the woman has been brutally murdered with a hook.


title: The Hook

text: In an alternate version, the couple drive through an unknown part of the country late at night and stop in the middle of the woods, because either the man has to urinate, or the car breaks down and the man leaves for help. While waiting for him to return, the woman turns on the radio and hears the report of an escaped mental patient. She is then disturbed many times by a thumping on the roof of the car. She eventually exits and sees the escaped patient sitting on the roof, banging the man's severed head on it. Another variation has the woman seeing the man's butchered body suspended upside down from a tree with his fingernails scraping against the roof. In another version of this variation, he's hanging right side up and either his blood is dripping on the roof or his feet are scraping against the roof. In other versions, the man does return to the car only to see his date brutally murdered with a hook embedded in her. Other tales have the woman leaving the car when her date doesn't come back, only to see his mutilated body (either on the car's roof, nailed on a tree, or just a few short steps away). As she starts to panic, she runs into the maniac and is also killed. In another variation of the story, the woman is discovered by police. While being escorted to safety, she is warned not to look behind her. When she does so, she sees the grisly aftermath of the man's murder.


title: The Hook

text: A similar legend recounts that a young couple are heading back from a great date when their car breaks down (either from running out of fuel or a malfunction). The man then decides to head off on foot to find someone to help with the problem while the woman stays behind in the car. She then falls asleep while waiting and wakes up to see a hideous person looking at her through the window. Luckily, the car is locked, so the person can't get inside. But to the woman's horror, the person raises both of his arms to reveal that they are holding her date's severed head in one hand and the car keys in the other. The fate of the woman is never revealed.


title: The Hook

text: The origins of the Hook legend are not entirely known, though, according to folklorist and historian Jan Harold Brunvand, the story began to circulate some time in the 1950s in the United States. According to Brunvand in "The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings", the story had become widespread amongst American teenagers by 1959, and continued to expand into the 1960s. Snopes writer David Mikkelson has speculated that the legend might have roots in real-life lovers' lane murders, such as the 1946 Texarkana Moonlight Murders.


title: The Hook

text: The first known publication of the story occurred on November 8, 1960, when a reader letter telling the story was reprinted in "Dear Abby", a popular advice column:


title: The Hook

text: Dear Abby: If you are interested in teenagers, you will print this story. I don't know whether it's true or not, but it doesn't matter because it served its purpose for me: A fellow and his date pulled into their favorite "lovers lane" to listen to the radio and do a little necking. The music was interrupted by an announcer who said there was an escaped convict in the area who had served time for rape and robbery. He was described as having a hook instead of a right hand. The couple become frightened and drove away. When the boy took his girl home, he went around to open the car door for her. Then he saw—a hook on the door handle! I will never park to make out as long as I live. I hope this does the same for other kids. —Jeanette


title: The Hook

text: Literary scholar Christopher Pittard traces the plot dynamics of the legend to Victorian literature, particularly the 1913 horror novel "The Lodger" by Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes. Though the two narratives have little in common, he notes that both are built upon a "threefold relationship of crime, dirt, and chance... Such a reading also implies a reconsideration of the historical trajectory of the urban legend, usually read as a product of postmodernist consumer culture."


title: The Hook

text: Folklorists have interpreted the long history of this legend in many ways. Alan Dundes's Freudian interpretation explains the hook as a phallic symbol and its amputation as a symbolic castration.


title: The Hook

text: Swedish folklorist Bengt af Klintberg describes the story as an example of "a conflict between representatives of normal people who follow the rules of society and those who are not normal, who deviate and threaten the normal group."


title: The Hook

text: American folklorist Bill Ellis interpreted the maniac in "The Hook" as a moral custodian who interrupts the sexual experimentation of the young couple. He sees the Hookman's disability as "his own lack of sexuality" and "the threat of the Hookman is not the normal sex drive of teenagers, but the abnormal drive of some adults to keep them apart."


title: The Hook

text: A version of the story by author Alvin Schwartz appears in the 1981 collection of short horror stories for children "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark".


title: The Hook

text: In film, the Hook legend has occasionally appeared: in a 1947 film "Dick Tracy's Dilemma". fictional Detective Dick Tracy pursues a murderous killer with a hook for a hand; the killer with a hook theme has also appeared in comedies; In "Meatballs" (1979), Bill Murray's character retells the Hook legend to campers around a campfire. In "Shrek the Halls" (2007), Gingy tells an alternate version of this legend to his girlfriend Suzy in his flashback. The story has, however, most often been depicted and referenced in horror films. Its prevalence, according to film scholar Mark Kermode, is most reflected in the slasher film, functioning as a morality archetype on youth sexuality. "He Knows You're Alone" (1980) opens with a film within a film scene in which a young couple are attacked by a killer while in a parked car. The slasher film "Final Exam" opens with a scene in which a couple are attacked in a parked car, and later, a student is murdered in a university locker room with a hook. "Campfire Tales" (1997), an anthology horror film, opens with a segment retelling the Hook legend, set in the 1950s. "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (1997) features a killer stalking teenagers with a hook; at the beginning of the film, the central characters recount the Hook legend around a campfire. The "Candyman" films of the '90s, as well as its 2021 Jordan Peele update, is centered around this legend as well. "Lovers Lane" (1999), is a slasher film featuring a killer who murders teenagers at a lovers' lane with a hook.


title: The Hook

text: The story has also appeared in various television programs; "The Pest House" (1998), the fourteenth episode of season 2 of the TV series "Millennium", opens with a murder similar to that of the urban legend. Season 1, episode 7 of the TV show "Supernatural" features a hookman as the villain. It is the first story in the first episode of "Mostly True Stories?: Urban Legends Revealed". The Canadian animated anthology series "Freaky Stories" (1997) has a segment in its first season based on the Hook, set in the 1950s. The story is referenced in “The Slumber Party” episode of "Designing Women".


title: The Hook

text: A parody of the Hookman is used in "SpongeBob SquarePants", season 2, episode 16: ""Graveyard Shift"" in which Squidward, in an attempt to scare SpongeBob out of his wits while they are working at night, tells a made-up horror story of the ""Hash-Slinging Slasher"" – a dark, faceless figure donning a raincoat who has a rusty, old spatula in place of a hand.


title: The Hook

text: The Hookman is also used as a plot device in season 3, episode 5 of "Community": ”Horror Fiction in Seven Easy Steps”.


title: The Hook

text: The story has also received a resurgence in popularity on the internet following a retelling of it on 4chan that became an internet meme, due to it being written in broken English with several humorous errors, most notably its abrupt ending where the entire twist ending is rendered simply as the phrase "Man door hand hook car door" which has since become what this version of the story is referred to as.


title: Traton

text: Traton SE, known as the Traton Group (formerly Volkswagen Truck & Bus AG), is a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group and one of the world's largest commercial vehicle manufacturers, with its MAN, Scania, Navistar, and Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus brands. The company also has digital services branded as RIO. In 2020, the group sold around 190,200 vehicles. The range of products includes light-, medium-, and heavy-duty trucks, as well as vans and buses. As of December 31, 2020, Traton employed around 82,600 people in its commercial vehicle brands.


title: Traton

text: In 1979, Volkswagen AG held a 67% share in Chrysler Motors do Brasil Ltda., a Brazilian commercial vehicle manufacturer. In 1980, Volkswagen acquired the remaining shares in Chrysler, renamed the company Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus Ltda., and assigned it to the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles division.


title: Traton

text: In 2000 Volkswagen contributed 3 billion German marks to Swedish Scania AB, controlling 34% of the voting rights and holding 18.7% of the share capital. In 2006, MAN SE presented Volkswagen and the other Scania shareholders with a takeover offer in the amount of 9.6 billion euros. A few days later, Volkswagen rejected the offer, and broached the subject of a potential truck alliance for the first time.


title: Traton

text: In October 2006, Volkswagen AG announced that it had acquired 15% of MAN SE, but did not intend to take over. On October 12, 2006, MAN SE increased its takeover bid to Scania by 400 million euros, bringing it to a total of 10 billion euros. At the same time, it bought additional shares, giving it control of about 14% of Scania AB. After the partners also rejected the revised offer, MAN withdrew the offer in January 2007, and began talks about a possible alliance between the three companies. To further consolidate this alliance, Volkswagen acquired another 14.9% of MAN. Shortly afterwards, Volkswagen announced that it now held 35.3% of the Scania voting rights. Volkswagen acquired a further 30.62% of the voting rights from the Swedish Investor AB and the Wallenberg foundations in March 2008. Volkswagen had already controlled this share in the past by means of an agreement with the existing shareholders.


title: Traton

text: In December 2008, Volkswagen AG sold the Brazilian subsidiary Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus Ltda. to MAN SE for 1.2 billion euros. The company was incorporated into MAN Latin America Ltda. under a new name, selling the majority of its heavy trucks and buses under the Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus brand, alongside MAN Truck and Bus products. Volkswagen acquired further MAN SE shares at the beginning of May 2011 and was obliged to submit a takeover offer, which it did at the end of the same month. Volkswagen held the majority of voting rights at 55.9% at the end of the acceptance period. As part of further share purchases, Volkswagen announced voting rights of 75.03% on June 6, 2012. Due to the resulting statutory blocking minority of 25%, Volkswagen was given sole control of MAN SE. On April 16, 2013, Volkswagen AG applied for “Truck & Bus GmbH” to be entered into the commercial register of the city of Wolfsburg. On forming this new subsidiary, Volkswagen transferred the shares it held in MAN SE, with which Truck & Bus GmbH signed a control and profit transfer agreement on June 6, 2013. Volkswagen AG held more than 89% of the Scania AB voting rights as a result of the shares in Scania held by its subsidiary, MAN.


title: Traton

text: In February 2014, Volkswagen issued a voluntary public takeover bid to the remaining shareholders of Scania. At the end of the acceptance period in June 2014, Volkswagen held 99.57% of the voting rights. Following the squeeze-out under Swedish law, Volkswagen AG became the holder of 82.63% of the voting rights directly and another 17.37% via MAN SE.


title: Traton

text: At the beginning of July 2015, the shareholders' meeting of Truck & Bus GmbH decided to rename it Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH, a company based in Braunschweig. Andreas Renschler, at that time responsible for the commercial vehicles on the board of management of Volkswagen AG, became CEO. Martin Winterkorn was appointed as chairman of the supervisory board. The shares Volkswagen held in Scania were transferred to the renamed holding company. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles remained part of Volkswagen AG.


title: Traton

text: In 2016, Volkswagen Truck & Bus acquired a 16.6% stake in U.S. commercial vehicle maker Navistar International Corporation. Both companies entered into a strategic technology and supply cooperation initiative and established a purchasing joint venture.


title: Traton

text: On June 20, 2018, Volkswagen Truck & Bus was announced as being renamed Traton, effective from the third quarter of 2018.


title: Traton

text: On June 26, 2018, Volkswagen Truck & Bus GmbH was transformed into a German stock corporation ("Aktiengesellschaft"), becoming Volkswagen Truck & Bus AG.


title: Traton

text: In August 2018, Volkswagen Truck & Bus was renamed Traton AG. The company used this new name at the IAA 2018 press conference with the tagline "Transforming Transportation". Followed by the transformation into a European company ("Societas Europaea" or SE) in December 2018, the company was renamed Traton SE. The name stands for TRAnsformation, TRAnsportation, TRAdition, TONnage and always “ON”.


title: Traton

text: On June 28, 2019, Traton was listed at the Frankfurt and Stockholm stock exchange. The placement price for the dual listing was set at 27.00 euros per share. About 57,500,000 ordinary bearer shares from Volkswagen AG's holdings were placed with investors, 11.5% of Traton's share capital. Volkswagen raised 1.55 billion euros.


title: Traton

text: In 2018, Volkswagen Truck & Bus and Hino Motors announced a wide-ranging strategic partnership for activities including procurement, technologies, and logistics. In November 2019, they established a procurement joint venture called Hino and Traton Global Procurement, with 51% of it owned by Traton and 49% by Hino.


title: Traton

text: In February 2020, Traton announced that it intended to absorb MAN SE by merging to simplify Traton's overall structure. As a result of the merger, MAN Truck & Bus SE, Scania AB, and Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus were to become wholly owned direct subsidiaries of Traton. The merging of the MAN company into Traton was completed in August 2021.


title: Traton

text: In September 2020, Traton formed a partnership with TuSimple, a self-driving trucking technology company, to co-develop level-4 autonomous trucks by equipping Traton's Scania trucks with automated vehicle technology. As part of this new partnership, Traton has invested in TuSimple.


title: Traton

text: On May 18, 2022, Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus announced it was changing its corporate name to Volkswagen Truck and Bus, one of its parent's former names.


title: Traton

text: According to the company, teams of MAN and Scania engineers will jointly develop the core components of the powertrain. The management of the cross-brand project groups will be taken over by one of the two companies. Scania is responsible for large engines with 13-liter capacity, whereas MAN is in charge of smaller units with 5- to 9-liter engines. The breakdown for exhaust systems and gearboxes is similar.


title: Traton

text: Traton forms the Commercial Vehicles Business Area of the Volkswagen Group, which owns a 89.7% majority shareholding. The Commercial Vehicles Business Area formerly included the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand, but following changes in the management structure of the Volkswagen Group, the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand was reallocated to the Passenger Cars Business Area from 1 January 2019.


title: Traton

text: Scania AB, MAN Truck & Bus SE, Volkswagen Truck & Bus and Navistar International Corporation are all wholly owned subsidiaries of Traton, which also holds 25% + 1 share of Sinotruk.


title: Traton

text: MAN Truck & Bus has medium- and heavy-duty trucks for long-haul and distribution transport, as well as for construction sites and special applications. In addition to urban, intercity, and touring coaches of the MAN and Neoplan brands, the TGE light transporter completes the range of models on offer. In 2020, MAN sold 81,673 vehicles, including 76,333 trucks and 5,340 buses. In 2020, sales revenue of the MAN Truck & Bus operating unit was 9.659 billion euros.


title: Traton

text: Scania AB makes trucks for long-distance and distribution traffic, construction sites, and special areas, including autonomous trucks for enclosed areas. City and intercity buses, and coaches complete the product portfolio. In 2020, the brand sold 72,085 vehicles – 66,899 trucks and 5,186 buses.


title: Traton

text: Volkswagen Truck & Bus specializes in developing markets. It has light-, medium-, and heavy-duty trucks for long-distance and distribution transport, construction sites, and special areas. City and intercity buses and coaches are also available. In 2020, it sold a total of 36,974 vehicles.


title: Traton

text: Navistar produces heavy trucks under the International brand, and buses under the IC Bus brand. On July 1, 2021, Navistar became a wholly owned subsidiary of Traton SE, and therefore part of the Traton Group.


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, originally released in Japan as is a platform-adventure video game developed by Konami for the PC Engine's Super CD-ROM² System directed by Toru Hagihara. Part of the "Castlevania" series, protagonist Richter Belmont goes to save his lover Annette, who was abducted by Dracula. It was first released exclusively in Japan on October 29, 1993. A direct sequel, "", was released worldwide in 1997.


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: The game was remade for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as "" in 1995, and the PlayStation Portable as "" in 2007. In 2008, the original game was released for the Wii's Virtual Console service in Japan and for the North American and PAL regions in 2010. In 2018, the game was included along with "Symphony of the Night" within the "Castlevania Requiem" collection for the PlayStation 4. The title is also playable on the TurboGrafx-16 Mini. In 2021, Limited Run Games announced an English release for the TurboDuo.


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: The objective is to guide the primary player character Richter Belmont through nine stages, with four alternate routes, as he searches for his kidnapped beloved Annette and ultimately confronts Dracula in his castle. Richter makes use of a whip as his main weapon and one of six sub-weapons: an axe, a dagger, holy water, a grimoire, a pocket watch, and a cross. While exploring the castle, Richter can rescue four maidens, including his distant relative Maria Renard who then becomes a playable character. She attacks using her doves and one of six sub-weapons: a white tiger kitten, dragon whelp, baby phoenix, turtle, egg or musical notes. She is more agile, can do a double jump, and can do twice the amount of damage that Richter does in each normal attack because the doves she shoots out return to her and therefore can do a second hit of damage on the way back, but she takes much more damage each time she is hit.


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: "Rondo of Blood" incorporates elements from the earlier "Castlevania" games which typically featured linear gameplay and a member of the Belmont clan as the protagonist, and the later entries which emphasized untimed exploration of the environment. "Rondo of Blood" makes use of untimed stages with a clear beginning, but more than one ending to some levels; this then affects the subsequent environment, monsters, and boss monster that the player character encounters at the end of the level. Items such as money, hearts, and food can be found scattered throughout the areas. "Rondo of Blood" also features the Item Crash ability reused in subsequent "Castlevania" titles, which allows a sub-weapon to be used in a super attack. Its direct sequel, "", reuses many of the monsters.


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: Taking place in 1792, "Rondo of Blood" is set in the fictional universe of the "Castlevania" series. The story centers around the eternal conflict between the vampire hunters of the Belmont Clan and the immortal vampire Dracula, who has once again been resurrected. The protagonist is 19-year-old Richter Belmont (Jin Horikawa / David Vincent), heir to the whip "Vampire Killer" and Simon Belmont's direct descendant. He comes to the castle after his beloved Annette (Atsuko Honda / Jessica Straus) is kidnapped by Dracula's servant, Shaft, as bait for a trap. Richter makes his way through Dracula's castle, defeating his minions, including the spirit of Death, a headless knight, and a minotaur, all of whom attempt to stop Richter. Along the way, Richter can free various women kidnapped by Dracula's servants to feed him, including his distant relative Maria Renard (Yōko Teppōzuka / Michelle Ruff), an orphaned 12-year-old who insists on joining him; Terra (Hiromi Murata / Karen Strassman), a nun who mistakes him for a manifestation of God; Iris (Akie Yasuda / Karen Strassman), the daughter of the village doctor; and finally Annette. After vanquishing Shaft (or Annette, who has been turned into a vampire, if he fails to rescue her in time, though this is only in the PSP version, not the original release), Richter confronts Dracula (Hiroya Ishimaru / Patrick Seitz) and defeats him before exposing him to sunlight, causing him to vanish. Dracula's castle then collapses into the sea as Richter escapes on horseback.


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: "Rondo of Blood" is the tenth installment of the "Castlevania" video game series (hence the Japanese title). Produced by Konami, "Rondo of Blood" originally saw only a Japanese release on the PC Engine on October 29, 1993. Later, a port was released on the Wii for the Japanese Virtual Console on April 22, 2008; as an import, it became available in North America on March 15, 2010 and in the PAL region (Europe and Australia) on March 19, 2010.


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: "Rondo of Blood" makes use of Red Book Audio along with the onboard soundchip, allowing for better musical quality. Akira Souji, Keizo Nakamura, Tomoko Sano, and Mikio Saito composed the soundtrack of "Rondo of Blood". The songs from "Rondo of Blood", "Overture", "Beginning" and "Opus 13", appeared on for the 2006 Nintendo DS game "".


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: Konami Style published the two-disk soundtrack of the remake of the game, "Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles", on November 8, 2007. The songs "Vampire Killer", "Beginning", "Cemetery", and "Divine Bloodlines" were rearranged; it also included a bonus track of an English-language version of "Nocturne" from "Symphony of the Night". Within "The Dracula X Chronicles" is an option which enables players to choose songs from "Rondo of Blood" and "Symphony of the Night" to play in the background. These songs are found in the form of records hidden within the game.


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: Castlevania: Dracula X was developed for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. While the plot is similar to "Rondo of Blood" and it uses many of that game's graphics, it features all-new levels and altered gameplay elements instead of being a straight port due to the limitations of the cartridge format and PC Engine exclusivity obligations. It was released on July 21, 1995 in Japan, in September 1995 in the US, February 22, 1996 in Europe, and on June 22, 1996 in Australia. The game was also released as a Wii U Virtual Console download in Japan on April 23, 2014, in North America on October 2, 2014 and the PAL regions on November 13, 2014. It was released again for New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console download in North America on December 29, 2016, and in Europe and Australia on January 26, 2017.


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: The game was also re-released as a part of the Castlevania Advance Collection on September 23, 2021 for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows. It was bundled alongside Game Boy Advance games "", "", and "".


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles is a 2.5D remake of "Rondo of Blood" for the PlayStation Portable. It includes the original PC Engine game (with both Japanese and English voices) and a port of its sequel, "Symphony of the Night", available as an unlockable secret embedded within the base game. "Symphony of the Night" now includes the option to play as Maria (by using a secret name code after beating the game as Alucard), as well as redone scripts, sound effects, new voice acting and the option to play with the original Japanese voices, which is unchanged in this port. Gameplay in "The Dracula X Chronicles" remains largely unchanged from "Rondo of Blood". However, a Boss Rush mode was added, and completing it three times unlocks the mini-game "Peke".


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: It was released in North America on October 23, 2007, in Japan on November 8, 2007, in Europe on February 15, 2008 and in Australia & New Zealand on April 9, 2008. In 2008, the North American edition was re-released as part of the "Greatest Hits" label while the Japanese edition was re-released on July 15, 2010 under the "Best Selection" label. The game was added to the PlayStation Network in Europe in June 2014, as a PSP-only release (the game is already compatible with the PS Vita).


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: "Rondo of Blood" is included within the "Castlevania Requiem" compilation for PlayStation 4 along with its sequel, "Symphony of the Night". Both titles are based on the retranslated versions featured in "The Dracula X Chronicles", though only the 2D sprite-based version of "Rondo of Blood" is included. The bonus mini-game "Peke" can be played by inputting the Konami Code in the Main Menu.


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: Reception of the PC Engine's "Rondo of Blood" was positive. "Electronic Gaming Monthly" stated that it "can easily be the best CD title yet", and argued that the only negative aspect is that it would not be released in the USA. They later awarded the game Best Japanese Action Game of 1994. "GamePro" commented, "Declaring "Dracula X" to be the greatest "Castlevania" of all time would be a slap at "Castlevania IV" for the SNES, but earmarking "X" as one of the ten best side-scrollers of all time is a no-brainer." "IGN" awarded the Wii port its "Editors' Choice" and described it as enjoyable and "worth the wait". Corbie Dillard of "Nintendo Life" praised the level design, soundtrack, graphics, and level difficulty.


title: Castlevania: Rondo of Blood

text: Following the release of the final season of the original "Castlevania" animated series on May 13, 2021, that was based on "", Netflix announced a follow-up series that is to be set in France during the French Revolution in 1792 with Richter Belmont and Maria Renard in the lead roles. At 2022's Netflix's Geeked Week virtual event, it was announced that the series is titled "Castlevania: Nocturne" alongside a teaser trailer featuring Richter.


title: Lord Protector

text: Lord Protector (plural: "Lords Protector") was a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometimes used to refer to holders of other temporary posts; for example, a regent acting for the absent monarch.


title: Lord Protector

text: The title of "The Lord Protector" was originally used by royal princes or other nobles exercising a role as protector and defensor of the realm, while sitting also in a council of government, usually when the English monarch was still a minor or otherwise unable to rule. It differs from a continental regency because of the separation of powers.


title: Lord Protector

text: The Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland was the title of the head of state and Head of government during the Commonwealth (often called the Interregnum), following the first period when a Council of State held executive power. The title was held by Oliver Cromwell (December 1653 – September 1658) and subsequently his son and designated successor Richard Cromwell (September 1658 – May 1659) during what is now known as The Protectorate.


title: Lord Protector

text: The replacement constitution of 1657, the Humble Petition and Advice, gave "His Highness the Lord Protector" the power to nominate his successor. Cromwell chose his eldest surviving son, the politically inexperienced Richard. That was a nonrepresentative and de facto dynastic mode of succession, with royal connotations in both styles awarded, (even a double invocation 16 December 1653 – 3 September 1658 "By the Grace of God and Republic Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland") and many other monarchic prerogatives, such as that of awarding knighthoods.


title: Lord Protector

text: Richard Cromwell, who succeeded after his father's death in September 1658, held the position for only eight months before he resigned in May 1659. He was followed by the second period of Commonwealth rule until the Restoration of the exiled heir to the Stuart throne, Charles II, in May 1660.


title: Lord Protector

text: Since the Restoration the title has not been used in either of the above manners. George, Prince of Wales, appointed to the regency in 1811, was referred to as "His Royal Highness the Prince Regent". George exercised the powers of the monarchy, just as Lords Protector had, but the title's republican associations had rendered it distasteful.


title: Lord Protector

text: 'Lord Protector' has also been used as a rendering of the Latin "Advocatus" in the sense of a temporal Lord (such as a Monarch) who acted as the protector of the mainly secular interests of a part of the church; compare the French title of "vidame".


title: Lord Protector

text: In "The Last Man" by Mary Shelley, Britain becomes a republic with its elected head of state styled as Lord Protector. The title is held by Lord Raymond, and Ryland.


title: Lord Protector

text: In "The New Statesman" finale episode "The Irresistible Rise of Alan B'Stard", after B'Stard's New Patriotic Party wins a landslide majority in a special general election called over British membership of the European Economic Community but with himself not having contested a seat, he briefly considered adopting the title of Lord Protector before being permitted to serve as an extra-parliamentary Prime Minister.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood in order to replicate inside of a patient and to produce additional normal blood cells. It may be autologous (the patient's own stem cells are used), allogeneic (the stem cells come from a donor) or syngeneic (from an identical twin).


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: It is most often performed for patients with certain cancers of the blood or bone marrow, such as multiple myeloma or leukemia. In these cases, the recipient's immune system is usually destroyed with radiation or chemotherapy before the transplantation. Infection and graft-versus-host disease are major complications of allogeneic HSCT.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: HSCT remains a dangerous procedure with many possible complications; it is reserved for patients with life-threatening diseases. As survival following the procedure has increased, its use has expanded beyond cancer to autoimmune diseases and hereditary skeletal dysplasias, notably malignant infantile osteopetrosis and mucopolysaccharidosis.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: Many recipients of HSCTs are multiple myeloma or leukemia patients who would not benefit from prolonged treatment with, or are already resistant to, chemotherapy. Candidates for HSCTs include pediatric cases where the patient has an inborn defect such as severe combined immunodeficiency or congenital neutropenia with defective stem cells, and also children or adults with aplastic anemia who have lost their stem cells after birth. Other conditions treated with stem cell transplants include sickle-cell disease, myelodysplastic syndrome, neuroblastoma, lymphoma, Ewing's sarcoma, desmoplastic small round cell tumor, chronic granulomatous disease, Hodgkin's disease and Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome. More recently non-myeloablative, so-called mini transplant (microtransplantation) procedures, have been developed that require smaller doses of preparative chemotherapy and radiation therapy. This has allowed HSCT to be conducted in the elderly and other patients who would otherwise be considered too weak to withstand a conventional treatment regimen.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: In 2006, 50,417 first HSCTs were recorded worldwide, according to a global survey of 1,327 centers in 71 countries conducted by the Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Of these, 28,901 (57%) were autologous and 21,516 (43%) were allogeneic (11,928 from family donors and 9,588 from unrelated donors). The main indications for transplant were lymphoproliferative disorders (55%) and leukemias (34%), and many took place in either Europe (48%) or the Americas (36%).


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: The Worldwide Network for Blood and Marrow Transplantation reported the millionth transplant to have been undertaken in December 2012.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: In 2014, according to the World Marrow Donor Association, stem-cell products provided for unrelated transplantation worldwide had increased to 20,604 (4,149 bone-marrow donations, 12,506 peripheral blood stem-cell donations, and 3,949 cord-blood units).


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: Autologous HSCT requires the extraction (apheresis) of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from the patient and storage of the harvested cells in a freezer. The patient is then treated with high-dose chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy with the intention of eradicating the patient's malignant cell population at the cost of partial or complete bone marrow ablation (destruction of patient's bone marrow's ability to grow new blood cells). The patient's own stored stem cells are then transfused into his/her bloodstream, where they replace destroyed tissue and resume the patient's normal blood-cell production. Autologous transplants have the advantage of lower risk of infection during the immune-compromised portion of the treatment, since the recovery of immune function is rapid. Also, the incidence of patients experiencing rejection is very rare (and graft-versus-host disease impossible) due to the donor and recipient being the same individual. These advantages have established autologous HSCT as one of the standard second-line treatments for such diseases as lymphoma.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: For other cancers such as acute myeloid leukemia, though, the reduced mortality of the autogenous relative to allogeneic HSCT may be outweighed by an increased likelihood of cancer relapse and related mortality, so the allogeneic treatment may be preferred for those conditions.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: Researchers have conducted small studies using nonmyeloablative HSCT as a possible treatment for type I (insulin dependent) diabetes in children and adults. Results have been promising, but , speculating whether these experiments will lead to effective treatments for diabetes is premature.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: Allogeneic HSCT involves two people – the (healthy) donor and the (patient) recipient. Allogeneic HSC donors must have a tissue (human leukocyte antigen, HLA) type that matches the recipient. Matching is performed on the basis of variability at three or more loci of the HLA gene, and a perfect match at these loci is preferred. Even if a good match exists at these critical alleles, the recipient will require immunosuppressive medications to mitigate graft-versus-host disease. Allogeneic transplant donors may be related (usually a closely HLA-matched sibling), syngeneic (a monozygotic or identical twin of the patient – necessarily extremely rare since few patients have an identical twin, but offering a source of perfectly HLA-matched stem cells) or unrelated (donor who is not related and found to have very close degree of HLA matching). Unrelated donors may be found through a registry of bone-marrow donors, such as the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) in the U.S. People who would like to be tested for a specific family member or friend without joining any of the bone-marrow registry data banks may contact a private HLA testing laboratory and be tested with a blood test or mouth swab to see if they are a potential match. A "savior sibling" may be intentionally selected by preimplantation genetic diagnosis to match a child both regarding HLA type and being free of any obvious inheritable disorder. Allogeneic transplants are also performed using umbilical cord blood as the source of stem cells. In general, by transfusing healthy stem cells to the recipient's bloodstream to reform a healthy immune system, allogeneic HSCTs appear to improve chances for cure or long-term remission once the immediate transplant-related complications are resolved.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: A compatible donor is found by doing additional HLA testing from the blood of potential donors. The HLA genes fall in two categories (types I and II). In general, mismatches of the type-I genes (i.e. "HLA-A, HLA-B", or "HLA-C") increase the risk of graft rejection. A mismatch of an HLA type II gene (i.e. "HLA-DR" or" HLA-DQB1") increases the risk of graft-versus-host disease. In addition, a genetic mismatch as small as a single DNA base pair is significant, so perfect matches require knowledge of the exact DNA sequence of these genes for both donor and recipient. Leading transplant centers currently perform testing for all five of these HLA genes before declaring that a donor and recipient are HLA-identical.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: Race and ethnicity are known to play a major role in donor recruitment drives, as members of the same ethnic group are more likely to have matching genes, including the genes for HLA.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: , at least two commercialized allogeneic cell therapies have been developed, Prochymal and Cartistem.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: To limit the risks of transplanted stem-cell rejection or of severe graft-versus-host disease in allogeneic HSCT, the donor should preferably have the same HLA-typing as the recipient. About 25 to 30% of allogeneic HSCT recipients have an HLA-identical sibling. Even so-called "perfect matches" may have mismatched minor alleles that contribute to graft-versus-host disease.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: In the case of a bone-marrow transplant, the HSCs are removed from a large bone of the donor, typically the pelvis, through a large needle that reaches the center of the bone. The technique is referred to as a bone-marrow harvest and is performed under local or general anesthesia.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: Peripheral blood stem cells are now the most common source of stem cells for HSCT. They are collected from the blood through a process known as apheresis. The donor's blood is withdrawn through a sterile needle in one arm and passed through a machine that removes white blood cells. The red blood cells are returned to the donor. The peripheral stem cell yield is boosted with daily subcutaneous injections of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, serving to mobilize stem cells from the donor's bone marrow into the peripheral circulation.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: Extracting stem cells from amniotic fluid is possible for both autologous and heterologous uses at the time of childbirth.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: Umbilical cord blood is obtained when a mother donates her infant's umbilical cord and placenta after birth. Cord blood has a higher concentration of HSCs than is normally found in adult blood, but the small quantity of blood obtained from an umbilical cord (typically about 50 ml) makes it more suitable for transplantation into small children than into adults. Newer techniques using "ex vivo" expansion of cord blood units or the use of two cord blood units from different donors allow cord blood transplants to be used in adults.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: Cord blood can be harvested from the umbilical cord of a child being born after preimplantation genetic diagnosis for HLA matching (see PGD for HLA matching) to donate to an ill sibling requiring HSCT.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: Unlike other organs, bone-marrow cells can be frozen (cryopreserved) for prolonged periods without damaging too many cells. This is a necessity with autologous HSCs because the cells must be harvested from the recipient months in advance of the transplant treatment. In the case of allogeneic transplants, fresh HSCs are preferred to avoid cell loss that might occur during the freezing and thawing process. Allogeneic cord blood is stored frozen at a cord blood bank because it is only obtainable at the time of childbirth. To cryopreserve HSCs, a preservative, dimethyl sulfoxide, must be added, and the cells must be cooled very slowly in a controlled-rate freezer to prevent osmotic cellular injury during ice-crystal formation. HSCs may be stored for years in a cryofreezer, which typically uses liquid nitrogen.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: The chemotherapy or irradiation given immediately prior to a transplant is called the conditioning regimen, the purpose of which is to help eradicate the patient's disease prior to the infusion of HSCs and to suppress immune reactions. The bone marrow can be ablated (destroyed) with dose-levels that cause minimal injury to other tissues. In allogeneic transplants, a combination of cyclophosphamide with total body irradiation is conventionally employed. This treatment also has an immunosuppressive effect that prevents rejection of the HSCs by the recipient's immune system. The post-transplant prognosis often includes acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease that may be life-threatening. In certain leukemias, though, this can coincide with protection against cancer relapse owing to the graft-versus-tumor effect. Autologous transplants may also use similar conditioning regimens, but many other chemotherapy combinations can be used depending on the type of disease.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: A newer treatment approach, nonmyeloablative allogeneic transplantation, also termed reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC), uses doses of chemotherapy and radiation too low to eradicate all the bone-marrow cells of the recipient. Instead, nonmyeloablative transplants run lower risks of serious infections and transplant-related mortality while relying upon the graft versus tumor effect to resist the inherent increased risk of cancer relapse. Also significantly, while requiring high doses of immunosuppressive agents in the early stages of treatment, these doses are less than for conventional transplants. This leads to a state of mixed chimerism early after transplant where both recipient and donor HSC coexist in the bone marrow space.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: Decreasing doses of immunosuppressive therapy then allow donor T-cells to eradicate the remaining recipient HSCs and to induce the graft-versus-tumor effect. This effect is often accompanied by mild graft-versus-host disease, the appearance of which is often a surrogate marker for the emergence of the desirable graft versus tumor effect, and also serves as a signal to establish an appropriate dosage level for sustained treatment with low levels of immunosuppressive agents.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: Because of their gentler conditioning regimens, these transplants are associated with a lower risk of transplant-related mortality, so allow patients who are considered too high-risk for conventional allogeneic HSCT to undergo potentially curative therapy for their disease. The optimal conditioning strategy for each disease and recipient has not been fully established, but RIC can be used in elderly patients unfit for myeloablative regimens, for whom a higher risk of cancer relapse may be acceptable.


title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

text: After several weeks of growth in the bone marrow, expansion of HSCs and their progeny is sufficient to normalize the blood cell counts and reinitiate the immune system. The offspring of donor-derived HSCs have been documented to populate many different organs of the recipient, including the heart, liver, and muscle, and these cells had been suggested to have the abilities of regenerating injured tissue in these organs. However, recent research has shown that such lineage infidelity does not occur as a normal phenomenon.