The umbilical cord is a helical and tubular blood conduit connecting the foetus to the placenta. The umbilical cord achieves its final form by the 12th week of gestation and normally contains two arteries and a single vein, all embedded in Wharton's jelly. The structure of the umbilical cord receives only a cursory glance during many obstetric ultrasound examinations: with imaging limited to do...

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplantation is being used as an alternative source of haematopoietic stem cells for bone marrow reconstitution. Umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplantation is being used as an alternative source of haematopoietic stem cells for bone marrow reconstitution. Separation and processing of UCB samples in large numbers for storage in cord blood banks ideally needs to be p...

OBJECTIVE To determine the influence of presence of caffeine in umbilical cord blood on apnea occurrence. METHODS A prospective cohort study with preterm newborns with birth weight lower than 2,000 g was undertaken. Exclusion criteria were: mothers who received opioids; mechanical ventilation during the first 4 days of life; cerebral and major cardiac malformations; perinatal asphyxia; severe...

Urate, the final oxidation product of purine metabolism, is excreted into urine in humans. Clinically, increased serum urate levels are indicative of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). However, how urate is handled in the placenta is still largely unknown. In this study, we compared maternal serum urate levels with those of umbilical cord blood and investigated urate transport mechanisms in ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Umbilical cord haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for primary immunodeficiencies is examined with other developments in treatment. Cord blood biology is reviewed, and advantages and disadvantages of umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation for primary immunodeficiencies discussed. Clinical outcome data and future developments are reviewed. RECENT FINDINGS Cord bl...

The present investigation explored the in vitro culture, isolation and characterization of hair follicle cell differentiation from umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Flow cytometry was used to obtain MSCs from the isolation and purification of human umbilical cord blood MSCs. Culture suspension of hair follicle organ was centrifuged and the supernatant used in the culture mediu...