In umbilical cord

Transplacental transfer of lead in humans has been demonstrated in a number of studies, and lead has been identified in umbilical cord blood. In the work of Bellinger et al. (1987a), the mean lead concentration in umbilical cord blood from a sample size of 11,000 women was 6.6 3.2 pg/dL. In a study of 236 pregnant women in Glasgow, Scotland, the geometric mean PbB levels were 14 pg/dL for... 

Lead concentrations in maternal and umbilical cord blood have been reported by Greek researchers for 50 parturient women at delivery. Twenty-five of the women lived in industrial areas with high air pollution, and twenty-five lived in agricultural areas with low air pollution. The mean lead concentrations (expressed as mean standard deviation) for the women living in areas with high air pollution were 37.2 4.7 pg/L in maternal blood and 20 3.4 pg/L in umbilical cord blood (correlation coefficient, r = 0.57). The mean lead concentrations for the women living in areas with low air pollution were 20.5 5.6 pg/L in maternal blood and 12.9 3.6 pg/L in umbilical cord blood (correlation coefficient, r = 0.70). The authors conclude that the placenta demonstrates a dynamic protective function that is amplified when maternal PbB levels are raised (Vasilios et al. 1997). 

Concentrations of lead in umbilical cord blood of two groups of women giving birth in a Boston Hospital in 1980 and 1990 have also been reported. Mean lead concentration of umbilical cord blood was 6.56 3.19 pg/dL forthe 1980 group and 1.19 1.32 pg/dL forthe 1990 group (Hu etal. 1996). 

Reddy, R.K., et al. A mixed population of immature and mature leucocytes in umbilical cord blood results in areduced expression and function of CR3 (CD1 lb/CD18), Clin. Exp. Immunol., 114, 462, 1998. 

Kang CS, Lee JH, Kim SK, Lee KT, Lee IS, Park PS, Yun SH, Kannan K, Yoo YW, Ha JY, Lee SW (2010) Polybrominated diphenyl ethers and synthetic musks in umbilical cord Serum, maternal serum, and breast milk from Seoul, South Korea. Chemosphere 80 116-122... 

Steroids have been measured by GC-MS in umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid, and infancy urine of affected infants, and almost no steroids are found [73]. Only traces of progesterone metabolites were detected. Serum samples from women carrying an LAH fetus have normal concentrations of progesterone metabolites, formed pla-centally, since this organ produces the hormone independently of the StAR protein mechanism. 

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells that contribute to the regeneration of mesenchymal tissues such as bone, cartilage, muscle, ligament, tendon, adipose and marrow stroma [394517], [656539]. MSCs represent an important cellular component of the BM microenvironment [656703] and can be easily isolated from the adult BM stroma, where they represent a rare population of the cells (estimated at 0.001 to 0.01% of the nucleated cells, 10-fold less abundant than HSCs) [658632], [658640]. MSCs have also been found in umbilical cord blood, but not peripheral blood [658631]. Once isolated, MSCs can be expanded in culture through many generations, producing billions of MSCs for cellular therapy [656543]. 

Strannegard, I-L., Svennerholm, L., and Strannegard, O., Essential fatty acids in serum lecithin of children with atopic dermatitis and in umbilical cord serum of infants with high or low IgE levels, Int. Arch. Allergy Appl. Immunol., 82, 422, 1987. 

Chromium may be transferred to fetuses through the placenta and to infants via breast milk. Elevated levels of chromium have been reported in umbilical cord blood, placentae, and breast milk of women working in a dichromate(VI) manufacturing facility (Shmitova 1980). As noted elsewhere in the profile, the reliability of this study is suspect because the levels of chromium in the blood and urine of the control women were much higher than background levels. Measurement of the chromium content in 255... 

Houlihan J, et al. (2005) Body burden - the pollution in newborns a benchmark investigation of industrial chemicals, pollutants and pesticides in umbilical cord blood. Environmental Working Group, http //archive.ewg.org/reports/bodyburden2/execsumm.php. Cited 28 January 2009. 

TTV can be transmitted by blood products and through common parenteral routes (560, 563, 564) as well as by haemodialysis. (554, 556) TTV could also be detected in umbilical cord blood, so that a neonatal (in utero) transmission is to be considered. (558) The likelihood of enteric transmission has been shown by the finding of TTV DNA in breast milk, saliva, duodenal fluid, bile juice and faeces. There is a higher viral load in saliva than in the corresponding serum. (555,566) TTV displays ubiquitous diffusion in human tissue and is able to invade the central nervous system. (562) A high virus load has been demonstrated in patients with HCV-associated HHC. (568) Although TTV has been found in patients with a broad range of liver diseases, current... 

Polyclonal increases in serum immunoglobulins are the normal response to infections. IgG response predominates in autoimmune responses IgA in skin, gut, respiratory, and renal infections and IgM in primary viral infections and bloodstream parasites, such as malaria. Chronic bacterial infections may cause an increase in serum levels of all immunoglobulins. In such cases, estimations of the individual immunoglobulins seldom provide more information than protein electrophoresis. They are of value, however, in the differential diagnosis of liver disease and of intrauterine infections. In primary biliary cirrhosis, the IgM level is greatly increased in chronic active hepatitis, IgG and sometimes IgM are increased and in portal cirrhosis, IgA and sometimes IgG are increased. In intrauterine infections, production of IgM by the fetus increases, and the IgM level in umbilical cord blood is increased. Estimations of IgE are used in the management of asthma and other allergic conditions, especially in children. 

Embryonic development of hematopoietic tissue occurs in the yolk sac mesenchyme, with fetal transition occurring in the liver and spleen. Very immature hematopoietic cells can also appear in umbilical cord blood, but not many are evident in the peripheral blood of adults. The ultimate location of immature hematopoietic cells is in the bone marrow. The average adult has approximately 1.7 L of bone marrow, which provides an optimal environment for the development and proliferation of hematopoietic cells. 

Although researchers did not find any difference between fish consumption levels and total PCBs in umbilical cord serum, it was established that fish eaters had marked elevations of the most heavily chlorinated PCB homologues. In particular, levels of hepta- to nonachlorobiphenyls were greater in fish eaters than non-fish eaters (Stewart et al. 1999). Another study examined PCB concentrations in nine... 

Gluckman, P. D., Johnson-Barrett, J. J., Butler, J. H., Edgar, B. W.. and Gunn, T. R., Studies of insulin-like growth foctor-I and -H by specific radioligand assays in umbilical cord blood. CUn. Endocrinol. (Chford) 19, 405-413 (1983). 

Harada, M., H. Akagi, T. Tsuda, T. Kizaki, and H. Ohno. 1999. Methylmercury level in umbilical cords from patients with congenital Minamata disease. Sci. Total Environ. 234(l-3) 59-62. 

There appears to have been no need to control for PCB exposure in the Seychelles, because PCB body burdens in that population are exceptionally low. In contrast to North America and Europe, where these contaminants are routinely detected in serum samples, 28 samples obtained from Seychelles study children showed no detectable eoncentrations of any PCB congeners. In the Faroe study, prenatal PCB exposure was measured in umbilical cord tissue rather than cord blood or maternal blood or milk, as in most previous studies, and specimens were... 

The important 3y8-hydroxy-A steroids in umbilical cord blood and infant urine are also mainly present as sulfates (E2, E4, Ml, R6, S20) only very small portions of DHA and 16 -OH-DHA, for instance, have been found free in blood (S21). Because of the importance of sulfate conjugation, special care must be taken, if enzyme hydrolysis is used alone, to ensure the presence of the specific sulfatases required. For instance, at least one steroid present in infant urine is diconjugated and cannot be completely hydrolyzed by the enzymes in the crop fluid of... 

The action of the sulfatases in the Helix pomatia enzyme is insufficient to achieve complete hydrolysis at least of the 3/8-hydroxy-A steroids in umbilical cord blood and infant urine, and a further stage involving a solvolytic procedure (B40) is essential (S9, Sll). 

A situation similar to that for urine applies for the assay of the 3 -hydroxy-A° steroids in umbilical cord blood. The amount of blood... 

For the assay of estriol, estrone, and estradiol in umbilical cord blood (A3, D8, II, M3, R17) and in infant urine (DIO) methods designed for adult material have been used, and there appears to be no reason to doubt the validity of the results obtained. In all cases the methods depended upon column chromatography for separation, with various modifications of the Kober reaction or fluorimetry, for assay. 

In infant urine and also in umbilical cord blood, the 17 epimer of androstenediol predominates approximately 9 times over its 17y8 counterpart whereas in adults the 17,S epimer is dominant (Sll). The reason for this is not readily apparent. One possibility is that both epimers are produced and Ifia-hydroxylase selectively acts on 17)3-androstenediol producing androstenetriol. The authors have recently found that such a selective hydroxylation does take place during the in vitro incubation of fetal liver slices. The effect may bo enhanced in utero by the placenta... 

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