Cord blood IgE levels in the United Arab Emirates

Cord blood IgE was assayed in 164 newborn babies from the United Arab Emirates. The serum IgE levels ranged between ≤0.1–13.5 kU/1 with a geometric mean of 0.28 kU/1. The cord blood IgE in the 89 babies without immediate family history of allergy was ≤0.1–3.2 kU/1 with a geometric mean of 0.25 kUA and 1.13 kU/1 as the 90th percentile. An influence of prenatal sensitization to helminth antigens on cord blood IgE level was not likely. The data are similar to cord blood IgE values reported in other populations. This indicates that ethnic differences do not influence cord blood IgE levels and that previously published studies on the predictive value of cord blood IgE determination in Caucasians are relevant also for other populations.     

Cord blood from collection to expansion : Feasibility in a regional blood bank

This article reviews the various aspect of the experimental phase proceeding the establishment of an umbilical cord blood (UCB) bank within a regular blood bank, a situation totally different from that of de novo establishing a cord blood bank having human and financial resources. An ethically approved two-year study has been conducted to determine the technical feasibility, and the practical problems that might be encountered such as public compliance, the additional workload, introduction of new activities ranging from collection and processing to progenitor expansion, infectious disease testing, development of a quality control system, record keeping and documentation, development of specific procedures and definitions of requirements. The cost benefit aspect, which will ultimately depend on the frequency of units release, was not considered in this study.     

Cord blood cytokines and chemokines and development of allergic disease

Exposure to ubiquitous allergens early in life, even before birth, may influence the incidence of allergic diseases later in life. During pregnancy, the fetomaternal interface is surrounded by high levels of T-helper (Th)2-like cytokines, possibly favouring the development of Th2-like immune responses in the offspring. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between cord blood (CB) IgE antibodies, Th1- and Th2-like cytokines and chemokines, maternal allergy and development of allergic disease during the first 2 yr of life in the offspring. The CB cytokine and chemokine levels from children of 20 allergic and 36 non-allergic women were determined by a multiplexed Luminex assay and ELISA. Total CB and maternal IgE antibody concentrations were quantified using ImmunoCAP technology. The maternal IgE levels during and after pregnancy correlated with CB IgE and Th2-associated macrophage-derived chemokine [MDC (CCL22)] levels. Development of allergic disease and sensitization was associated with increased CB IgE and MDC (CCL22) levels, as well as high ratios of MDC (CCL22) to Th1-associated interferon-γ inducible protein 10 [IP-10 (CXCL10)] and interferon-γ inducible T-cell α-chemoattractant [I-TAC (CXCL11) (n = 7 allergic vs. n = 25 non-allergic)]. The correlations between maternal IgE and CB IgE and MDC (CCL22) levels possibly indicate that the maternal immunity can affect the Th1/Th2 profile in the neonate. Development of allergic disease is associated with a more marked Th2-like deviation already at birth, shown as increased levels of CB IgE and MDC (CCL22) and higher ratios of MDC (CCL22) to IP-10 (CXCL10) and I-TAC (CXCL11).     

Cord blood erythropoietin in the presence and absence of labor in normal infants

To evaluate erythropoietin (Ep) levels in normal labor and cesarean section we studied the cord serum of 111 term pregnancies, divided into three groups: (i) those born by normal vaginal delivery (n = 69); (ii) those delivered vaginally from mothers who were smokers (n = 20); and (iii) those delivered by elective cesarean section (n = 22). The three groups did not differ in maternal age, gestational age, birthweight, infant sex and Apgar scores. No correlation was found between Ep and hematocrit in all three groups of normal terms studied. Although not statistically significant the lower mean Ep value observed in cesarean section compared with the values obtained from normal deliveries could suggest that the process of labor may be a cause of these differences.     

Cord blood transplant in childhood ALL

BACKGROUND: Optimal therapy for high risk and relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains uncertain. Wider availability of cord blood from related and unrelated donors has prompted studies of its use for hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). PROCEDURE: We evaluated 26 consecutive cord blood transplants (CBT) for ALL performed at our center from 1996 to 2002 on studies using consistent conditioning therapy and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. Median patient age was 8.5 years (range, 0.5-24 year). Cord blood (CB) was from unrelated donors in 25/26 cases. Median CB nucleated cell dose was 3.26e7/kg (range, 0.8-12.9). RESULTS: With median follow-up of 548 days, 16/26 patients (62%) are event-free survivors. Acute GVHD developed in 14/24 evaluable patients, reaching grade III-IV in 7 patients. Chronic GVHD occurred in 10/22 evaluable patients. Multivariate analysis showed higher total nucleated cell dose per kilogram to be the strongest predictor of event-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that CBT can effectively treat ALL in children with high risk features and following relapse.     

Cord blood and maternal total eosinophil counts in relation to infant allergy

The predictive value of raised cord blood (CB) total eosinophil counts (TEC) with regard to atopic sensitisation was studied prospectively for 1 year in 53 Black, 52 White and 57 Mixed full-term newborns. The maternal TEC, in relation to the stress of labour, were also studied. Ethnic differences in the CB TEC were shown between the Black/White (p = 0.03) and the White/Mixed (p = 0.05) groups. The newborns sex, anatopic family history (aFH) and the method of birth had no influence on the CB TEC in any ethnic group. There were no unequivocal differences in CB TEC between those newborns who became atopic during infancy and those who did not in any of the ethnic groups, although in the Black infants, there was a marginal trend towards significance (p = 0.05). Raised CB TEC values do not, therefore, seem to be an inherited factor in terms of a predisposition for atopic disease.     

Cord blood transplant: Current and future issues

Cord blood as the source of hematopoietic stem cells has several advantages over bone marrow cells for transplant purpose. It is readily available, and causes no physical harm or inconveniences to the donor in the processing of harvesting cells. Waiting time between initiating the search and the time to transplant from an unrelated donor is much shorter with cord blood than with unrelated donor bone marrow. The incidence of graft-versus-host diseases is much less. Because of these advantages, cord blood has been increasingly used as the source of stem cells. As of this writing, more than 200 cord blood transplants have been done in patients with hematological malignancies, solid tumors, hematological diseases, immunodeficiency syndromes, and metabolic diseases. One of the limitations inherent in the cord blood is its limited number of hematopoietic stem cells. Thus it has been primarily used for pediatric patients, though more recently, adult patients also have been transplanted with cord blood as people have become more experienced in harvesting cord blood thus yielding a large number of stem cells in a given specimen. Efforts have been made to amplify stem cellsin vitro following harvesting cord blood stem cells, so that adult recipients also would routinely benefit from this resource. Cord blood lymphocytes are functionally “naive”, do not generate vigorous mixed lymphocyte culture reactivities. The low incidence of graft-versus-host disease in the recipients of cord blood is due to this particular property. It is highly desirable that the world wide cord blood registry, similar to the international bone marrow registry would be instituted, but there are logistic, ethical and financial problems that need to be resolved. Cord blood is one of the best stem cell sources, and its application is quite wide.     

Cord blood IgE levels are influenced by gestational age but do not predict allergic manifestations in infants

The predictive value of cord blood IgE (clgE) for atopy and related disorders was investigated. Samples were collected from 792 infants delivered consecutively at the National University Hospital in Reykjavik in 1987. The concentration of IgE, but not that of IgA, was found to increase with increasing gestational age at birth. There was no correlation between IgE and IgA levels in individual samples. At the age of 18–23 months 180 of these children were studied for manifestations of allergy and related disorders. Included were all available infants with detectable (≥ 23 kU/L) clgE. However, infants born by Cesarean section or with IgA exceeding 10 mg/L were excluded because of potential contamination with maternal blood. The clinical evaluation was made without knowledge of the IgE levels. Sixty-six of the 180 participants (36.6%) were judged to have had definite allergic manifestations. However, no striking correlation was found between allergic symptoms and cIgE levels in this study, nor did high levels of IgE add significantly to the predictive value of family history. Children with atopic features had more frequently been affected by otitis media. Unexpectedly, infants with intermediate cIgE levels (0.2–0.6 kU/L) were significantly less affected by otitis media than children with unmeasurable (< 0.2 kU/L) or high (≥ 0.7 kU/L) cIgE levels. It is concluded that cord blood IgE can not be used to predict allergic manifestations in children under the age of 2 years.     

Cord blood lipoprotein profile after magnesium sulphate treatment in pre-eclamptic patients

Aim: To determine lipoprotein metabolism alterations in magnesium-exposed neonates of women with pre-eclampsia. Methods: The study group comprised seven singleton neonates of women with pre-eclampsia at term and treated with magnesium sulphate. Controls were 26 neonates of uncomplicated pregnancies of term delivery. Total serum magnesium concentrations were analysed by the photometric colour method. Total serum cholesterol, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were determined by enzymatic colour methods, while apoprotein (apo) A-I and apo B values were measured by immunoturbidimetry. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were calculated by Friedewald's formula. Very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, total cholesterol/ HDL-C, apo B/apo A-I, LDL-C/apo B, LDL-C/HDL-C, and HDL-C/apo A-I ratios were determined by calculation. Results: Magnesium levels of magnesium-exposed neonates were found to be 1.6 times higher than those of controls. Magnesium-exposed neonates had lower serum apo A-I levels, and they had higher apo B/apo A-I and HDL-C/apo A-I ratios when compared to controls.

Conclusion: The lipoprotein profile became more atherogenic in magnesium-exposed neonates as it may be a potential risk factor of cardiovascular heart disease.     

妊娠期高血压综合征对其新生儿脐血脂联素水平的影响及其与血脂的关系

目的 探讨妊娠高血压综合征(PIH)对PIH新生儿脐血脂联素水平的影响及其与血脂之间的关系.方法 将PIH孕妇所生新生儿60例分为妊娠期高血压组(23例)、子痫前期轻度组(22例)、子痫前期重度组(15例);取本院健康母亲所生新生儿40例为健康对照组.均采用放射免疫分析法(RIA)测定各组新生儿脐血脂联素水平,全自动生化分析仪测定其脐血血脂6项,并分析脂联素与血脂6项的相关性.结果 1.PIH孕妇所生新生儿脐血脂联素水平低于健康对照组,且随PIH程度的加重呈进行性下降,组间比较有显著性差异(Pa＜0.05).2.PIH孕妇所生新生儿脐血三酰甘油(TG)、总胆固醇(TC)、低密度脂蛋白(LDL)水平均高于健康对照组,且随母亲PIH程度的加重呈进行性升高,但组间比较无显著性差异(F=0.270,0.687,0.474 Pa＞0.05);高密度脂蛋白(HDL)、载脂蛋白A(apoA)水平均低于健康对照组,随母亲PIH程度的加重呈进行性的下降,但组间比较无显著性差异(F＝1.773、1.831 Pa＞0.05);脂蛋白(LPA)组间比较无显著性差异(F＝1.490 P＞0.05).3.PIH孕妇所生新生儿脐血脂联素水平与TG、TC、HDL、 LDL、apoA、LPA水平均无相关性(r＝-0.072,-0.089,0.053,-0.043,0.051,0.081 Pa＞0.05).结论 PIH时宫内的不良环境使胎儿内分泌代谢、脂代谢发生改变,且随母亲PIH程度的加重而加重,推测PIH母亲所生新生儿以后可能发生冠心病、动脉粥样硬化的危险性较健康儿童增加.     

Cord serum adiponectin is positively related to postnatal body mass index gain

Background: The roles of adiponectin and leptin in the early stages of life are poorly understood. We previously studied longitudinal changes in these adipocytokines from birth to 12 months of age. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the correlation between cord serum adipocytokine levels and postnatal growth by 3 years of age. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to obtain the general physical measurements of 3‐year‐olds from 56 healthy newborn infants born at a gestational age of 35 weeks or more; 45 valid responses were obtained. The correlations between variables, including cord serum adipocytokine levels at birth and general physical measurements at 3 years, were investigated. Results: Body mass index (BMI) Z‐score gain from birth to 3 years was negatively correlated with birthweight SD scores (β=?0.395, P= 0.019) and gestational age (β=?0.557, P= 0.016), and positively correlated with cord serum adiponectin levels (β= 0.253, P= 0.043). BMI Z‐score gain from birth to 6 months was negatively correlated with only birthweight SD score (β=?0.442, P= 0.017). Cord serum leptin levels were not a significant predictor of BMI Z‐scores gain in our subjects. BMI Z‐scores at 6 months, 12 months, and 3 years of age were not related to cord serum adiponectin or leptin levels. Conclusions: Birthweight SD score, gestational age, and cord serum adiponectin levels are significant predictors of BMI Z‐score gain from birth to 3 years of age in Japanese infants.     

Post‐transplant EBV‐related lymphoproliferative disorder complicating umbilical cord blood transplantation in patients of adrenoleukodystrophy

EBV‐associated post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a well‐recognized complication following solid organ transplantation and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) using bone marrow or peripheral blood as stem cell sources, but rarely reported in umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT). We report two cases in unrelated UCBT setting and added the following new information to the literature: (i) EBV‐related PTLD can be presented late in recipients of unrelated UCBT; (ii) in contrast to reported literatures that PTLD is a serious complication with unfavorable outcome, especially in monomorphic form, our cases showed that the clinical course may be relatively benign if treatment is initiated promptly. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2009; 53:1329–1331. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

非血缘脐带血移植治疗白细胞黏附分子缺陷1型1例随访4年报告

白细胞黏附分子缺陷1型(LAD-1)是由于ITGB2基因变异引起白细胞黏附过程中不同步骤受损导致的一种原发免疫缺陷病,主要表现为反复感染、脐带脱落延迟、伤口愈合延迟及白细胞显著增高。异基因造血干细胞移植是LAD-1的治愈手段。患儿男,生后1个月以反复高热起病,伴肺炎及肠炎,白细胞总数显著增高,以中性粒细胞增高为主,ITGB2基因纯合变异,诊断为LAD-1。生后6.5个月成功行脐带血移植后感染好转,白细胞恢复正常。脐带血移植治疗LAD-1安全有效。     

新生儿脐血脂联素水平及与其他相关激素间关系研究

目的探讨新生儿脐血脂联素水平及与脐血瘦素、胰岛素、甲状腺激素、生长激素间的关系。方法采用放射免疫法检测78例正常足月新生儿脐血脂联素、瘦素、胰岛素、甲状腺激素、生长激素水平,所有新生儿分为小于胎龄儿(SGA)13例、适于胎龄儿(AGA)53例、大于胎龄儿(LGA)12例,并计算体重指数=体重(kg)/身长2(cm2)评估新生儿营养状态。结果新生儿脐血脂联素水平为(24.58±4.26)μg/ml,与体重指数呈正相关(r=0.367,P<0.05);SGA组脐血脂联素为(19.95±4.70)μg/ml,AGA组(24.81±4.15)μg/ml,LGA组(26.57±4.29)μg/ml,3者间差异显著(F=8.871,P<0.05);新生儿不同性别、分娩方式间脂联素水平差异无显著性(t=1.314,0.713,P均>0.05);脐血脂联素与瘦素、胰岛素、FT3、FT4呈正相关(r=0.298~0.453,P均<0.05);与TSH呈负相关(r=-0.487,P<0.05);与生长激素、TT3、TT4无相关性(r=0.072、0.182、0.211,P>0.05)。结论新生儿脐血脂联素水平为(24.58±4.26)μg/ml,在一定程度上反映了胎儿的营养状态,它可能与瘦素、胰岛素、甲状腺激素一起共同调节胎儿的生长发育,它们可以作为评估胎儿体重与生长发育的临床指标。     

Cord blood transplantation in a young child with pyruvate kinase deficiency

Unrelated cord blood transplantation (CBT) was performed for the treatment of pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency in a female pediatric patient at the age of 1 year 7 months, who had been in severe and frequent transfusion‐dependent hemolytic anemia, despite red blood cell (RBC) PK activity 5.52 IU/gHb. pyruvate kinase‐liver and RBC (PK‐LR) had a compound heterozygous mutation located on exon 8: c.1044G > T/c.1076G > A (K348N/R359H). Hemoglobin and RBC PK corrected to 13.5 g/dL and 9.00 IU/gHb, respectively, with gene correction at 6 months after CBT. CBT should be considered as an option for useful treatment in children with severe PK deficiency in the absence of HLA identical sibling with normal RBC PK activity.