• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.83-88
• /
• 2003

The number of umbilical cord blood transplantation is increasing worldwide as it has expanded the ability of the transplantaion community to meet the growing needs of their patients. Clinical data over the last decade show promising results in transplantation using both related as well as unrelated cord bloods. Cord blood banks are essential for the clinical use for transplantation and are now established around the world with the major efforts to standardize banking in collection, processing and distribution of cord blood for providing the highest quality stem cells for the patients. In Korea, Medipost, Histostem and some regional cord blood banks were established some years ago and collected thousands of cord blood for public but it had some limitations and was not expanded as the cord blood transplantation was not covered by medical insurance. Recently with the change in the policy of medical insurance to cover the cord blood transplantation, several venture companies are showing great interests in cord blood banking and trying to establish private cord blood banks in Korea. This review article discusses the current status of cord blood transplantaion and also the clincial use of stem cells from cord blood.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.13-23
• /
• 2009

Purpose: There is increasing necessity of using cord blood cell worldwide. In order to improve the effectiveness of cord blood's usage in Korea, the study of knowledge and attitude regarding cord blood is needed. Method: As descriptive correlation study, data was collected from 212 early postpartum women who stored or donated cord blood from 2007 April to July. Data was analyzed using $X^2$-test, t-test, ANOVA, and logistic regression. Result: Total score of knowledge and attitude of early postpartum women who donated cord blood was higher than who stored. According to the source of education and the source of influence toward decision of using cord blood, early postpartum women who educated or influenced by mass media showed difference in attitude. Job status and income, and attitude of cord blood were the predictor of cord blood donation. Conclusion: Attitude regard to cord blood affect to usage of cord blood, and the attitude and knowledge of cord blood in early postpartum women who donated it higher than who stored.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.31 no.8
• /
• pp.1263-1269
• /
• 1998

The maintenance of adequate folate levels in the umbilical cord blood is esential for supplying tissue requirements of fetal growth. However, there is data on folate levels in the cord blood of Korean infant. The present investigation was undertaken to determine folate levels in cord blood and aassess relationships between folate levels and pregnancy outcomes. Dietary and supplementary folate intake was obtained from thirty subjects who were in the third trimester fo pregancy . The umbilical cord blood was drawn at delivery and pregnancy outcomes for the subjects were collected from their medical records. Erythrocyte and plasma folate levels in the cord blood were analyzed. The subjects were divided into two groups ; high folate (HF, $\geq$654ng/ml) and low folate (LF, <654ng/ml) groups according to erythrocyte folate levels in cord blood. Dietary folate intake and the amount of supplemental folates were not significantly different between the two experimental groups. However, infant birth weight (3540$\pm$295g) and placental weight(910$\pm$85g) for the HF group were significantly higher(p=0.0041 and p=0.109, respectively) than those for the LF group, which were 3127 $\pm$419g and 823$\pm$80g , respectively. Although it was not significant, the gestational weight gain for the HF group was 2.8kg higher than that for the LF group. Thus, the erythrocyte folate level in the cord blood was significantly related to infant birth weight and placental weight. These results confirm that a high erythrocyte folate level in the umbilical cord blood promotes both fetal and placental growth and improves gestational weight gain as well.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
• /
• v.50 no.4
• /
• pp.187-195
• /
• 2007

The cord blood serves as a vehicle for the transportation of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. In the past, the human cord blood has generally been discarded after birth. However, numerous studies have described the regenerative ability of the cord blood cells in various incurable diseases. The umbilical cord blood (UCB)-derived stem cells are obtained through non-invasive methods that are not harmful to both the mother and the fetus. Furthermore, the cord blood stem cells are more immature than the adult stem cells and expand readily in vitro. The mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the capacity to differentiate in vitro into various mesodermal (bone, cartilage, tendon, muscle, and adipose), endodermal (hepatocyte), and ectodermal (neurons) tissues. This review describes the immunological properties of the human UCB-MSCs to assess their potential usefulness in the allogeneic transplantation for the regenerative medicine.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• v.33 no.8
• /
• pp.840-847
• /
• 2000

This study was out to evaluate the folate nutritional status of Korean pregnant women and to investigate the relationship between serum folate levels of maternal-umbilical cord blood and pregnancy outcomes. Folate intakes of the pregnants was estimated by dietary folate intakes obtained from semiquantitative frequency questionnaire and supplementary folate intakes. The serum folate levels in both maternal blood and umbilical cord of 29 pregnant women at delivery and 13 nonpregnant controls were measured by redioimmunoassay. The total folate intakes(dietary and supplementary)of the pregnant women was 465. 4$\mu\textrm{g}$/d which was 93% of the Korean RDA for folate. Maternal mean serum folate levels of the pregnants was 6.1$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml, significantly lower than that of nonpregnant women(8.9ng/ml). Mean serumfolate level of umbilical cord blood was 14.2ng/ml, which was 2.3 folds higher than that of maternal blood. This finding indicates that the uptake of folate in the fetus may be due to an active placental transport mechanism. Maternal serum folate level correlated positively with that of umbilical cord blood, showing that folate concentration of umbilical cord blood is affected by maternal status. There was no significant correlation between the serum folate levels in maternal-umbilical cord blood and the pregnancy outcomes.(Korean J Nutrition 33(8) : 840-847, 2000)

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
• /
• v.3 no.4
• /
• pp.565-573
• /
• 1998

Iron deficiency anemia in pregnant women has been of great concern because of its negative effects on the outcomes of pregnancy. Much of evidence has shown that there are associations between pregnancy outcomes and maternal iron status. Maternal iron status might affect pregnancy outcomes through the iron status of the cord blood. In this study, we divided 91 subjects into two groups : the anemic and the normal groups. The groups were classified according to their hemoglobin(Hb) and hematocrit(Hct) values of the maternal blood in the third trimester of the pregnancies. We determined the parameters for the iron status of the cord blood and then analyzed the correlations between these parameters and the pregnancy outcomes. Mothers in the anemic group had a significantly higher parity number and a lower dietary score as well as a shorter duration of iron supplements consumed compared to those in the normal group. Maternal Hb values in the third trimester had positive correlations with the infant's head and chest circumferences, and the Hct values related positively to the infant's chest circumferences. On the other hand, Hb concentrations of the cord blood had positive correlations with the infant's height and head and chest circumferences. The Hct values of the cord blood had positive correlations with gestational periods and the cord lengths. These results suggest that the maternal iron status might influence fetal development through the iron status of the cord blood.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.63-66
• /
• 1977

Motor vehicles are the major source of environmental air pollution through the combustion of lead-containing gasolines. People who live in the areas with heavy traffic usually have the higher blood lead levels. This study was to investigate the lead level between the maternal blood and their infants cord blood. Immediatly after Placental delivary, the sampls of cord blood and maternal venous blood were obtained randomly from 14 infants whose mothers had spent their entire pregnancy in Seoul. Lead concentration was determined by the dithizone method. The results obtained were summarized as follows: 1. Hemoglobin, Hct and RBC were significantly higher in cord blood than in the maternal blood, by 36%, 54.9%, 36.9% respectively. 2. MCV in cord blood was higher than that in maternal blood by 13.8%. But MCH and MCHC were lower than those in maternal blood, by 9.7%, 3.3% respectively. The differences were statistically significant. 3. Lead concentration of cord blood $(23.93\;{\mu}g%)$ was higher than that in maternal blood $(21.93\;{\mu}%)$ by 9.1%.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.66-71
• /
• 1997

To investigate the effect of several factors on serum lipids in maternal and infants umbilical cord blood, 111 cases of newborn infants and women delivered of a child who had delivered at hospital located in Chung-Ju city from Feb. 1, 1996 to Aug. 31, 1996 were studied. The gestational ages of cases were 37 to 42 weeks and the average maternal ages were 28.1$\pm$4.25 years old without any other medical or obstetric problems. No relationships between maternal consumption of coffee and maternal serum lipid levels were observed. However, serum total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels in infants'umbilical cord were significantly increased in proportion to increasing maternal consumption of coffee. The other factors such as alcohol drinking habits and residency affected maternal serum lipid levels and not serum lipid levels in infants' umbilical cord. Delivery frequency showed very little or no effects on serum lipid levels in both maternal blood and infant's umbilical cord blood. In conclusion, maternal consumption of coffee significantly correlated with increasement of serum lipid levels in infants'umbilical cord.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.289-295
• /
• 2002

This study was conducted to quantify of micronucleus frequencies in human umbilical cord blood by supravital staining method with acridine orange, and to find some factors that affected on micronucleus frequncies in humans. In this study, we used umbilical cord blood of new born infants that have sufficient reticulocytes compared with adult peripheral blood. The cord bloods were taken after childbirth from 60 normal infants in industrial and coastal region in Korea. The total of 3 ${mu}ell$ cord blood was applied to slide coated with acridine orange, and micronuclei were observed under fluorescent microscopy. Demographic factors and independent variables were collected from mothers by questionnaire. The frequencies of micronuclei in umbilical cord blood of new born infants were 0-5 per 2,000 reticulocytes by supravital staining method, and mean value and standard deviation were 1.75$\pm$0.97. There were no significant difference by the regions, smoking habits of father or mother. However, age of mother showed significant positive correlation with frequencies of micronuclei (p<0.05). Smoking at home by fathers also was found as a significant variable by muliple regression analysis. Therefore, further studies would be needed for genotoxicological evaluation of new born infants by microneuli test using supravital staining method.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.33 no.7
• /
• pp.981-986
• /
• 2009

The application of a cryogenic storage system is growing fast in different kinds of fields including to keep umbilical cord blood. Umbilical cord blood stem plays an important role in the treatment of a blood and immune system related genetic diseases, cancers and blood disorders. This study gives the optimal cryogenic system for cord blood banking. Three-dimensional models are employed and finite element method is used to do structure analyses of all designed models. The results shows model 3 have a good structure properties, and model 4 shows the best structure property as its maximum is 92.9 MPa. The other is too dangerous or infeasible to support load condition that allowed by STS 304. The results can be used in the design of these kinds of systems to obtain good predictions of trends over a wide range of design alternatives and operating conditions.