Cord Blood News Volume 3.18 | May 12 2011

Asthma-Associated Polymorphisms in 17q21 Influence Cord Blood ORMDL3 and GSDMA Gene Expression and IL-17 Secretion
Researchers investigated the relation between polymorphisms and mRNA expression of 17q21 locus genes and their influence on T-cell subsets in cord blood. [J Allergy Clin Immunol]

Adalimumab Levels Detected in Cord Blood and Infants Exposed in Utero, Researchers Report
Adalimumab, a drug often prescribed for women with Crohn’s disease, actively crosses the placenta during the final trimester of pregnancy and remains in a newborn’s bloodstream for at least three months, researchers have found. [Press release from ScienceDaily discussing research presented at Digestive Disease Week 2011]

Study Reveals Origins of a Cancer Affecting the Blood And Bone Marrow
A new study sheds light on the origins of myeloid leukemia, a type of blood cancer that affects children and adults. The researchers discovered that novel mutations in an intracellular communication pathway called Notch led to the cancer, pointing to a potential new target for treating this disease. [Press release from the NYU Cancer Institute discussing online prepublication in Nature]

Low Vitamin D At Birth Raises Lung Infection Risk Six Fold
Researchers, having already suspected that low vitamin D is closely linked to RSV vulnerability, set out to measure vitamin D levels in the cord blood of 156 newborn babies. [Press release from Medical News today discussing online prepublication in Pediatrics] 

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A Novel Tumour-Suppressor Function for the Notch Pathway in Myeloid Leukaemia
Here researchers identify novel somatic-inactivating Notch pathway mutations in a fraction of patients with chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML). [Nature]

Efficient Generation of Hematopoietic Precursors and Progenitors From Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines
The data add to the cumulating evidence for the existence of an in vitro derived precursor to the hematopoietic stem cell with limited engrafting ability in transplanted mice, but with multipotent hematopoietic potential. [Stem Cells]

An Overview of the Progress on Double Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation
Herein a brief overview of the clinical experience on double umbilical cord blood transplantation and the underlying biology is presented. [Haematologica]

Optimal Conditions for Lentiviral Transduction of Engrafting Human CD34+ Cells
In summary, 24h prestimulation followed by single 24-h lentiviral transduction in serum-free media with SCF, FLT3 ligand and thrombopoietin yields high transduction efficiency to engrafting human CD34+ cells, and is applicable in human clinical gene therapy trials. [Gene Ther]

Cord Blood Vitamin D Deficiency is Associated With Respiratory Syncytial Virus Bronchiolitis
The objective of this study was to determine the association between plasma vitamin D concentrations at birth and the subsequent risk of RSV LRTI. [Pediatrics]

Human CD34+ CD133+ Hematopoietic Stem Cells Cultured with Growth Factors Including Angptl5 Efficiently Engraft Adult NOD-SCID Il2rγ−/− (NSG) Mice
Here, researchers expanded cord blood CD34+ CD133+ cells in a defined medium containing angiopoietin like 5 and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 and evaluated the cells for stem cell activity in NOD-SCID Il2rg−/− (NSG) mice by multi-lineage engraftment, long term reconstitution, limiting dilution and serial reconstitution. [PLoS ONE]

Effects of CXCR1 and CXCR2 Inhibition on Expansion and Differentiation of Umbilical Cord Blood CD133+ Cells into Megakaryocyte Progenitor Cells
In the present study, researchers investigated the effects of CXCR1 and/or CXCR2 inhibition on expansion and differentiation of umbilical cord blood CD133+ cells into megakaryocytic progenitors. [Cytokine]
 
Clinical Analysis of the Treatment of Spinocerebellar Ataxia and Multiple System Atrophy-Cerebellar Type with Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stromal Cells
The aims of this study were to observe the safety and effectiveness of umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells in the treatment of spinocerebellar ataxia and multiple system atrophy-cerebellar type. [Cytotherapy]

Terminal Maturation of Megakaryocytes and Platelet Production by Hematopoietic Stem Cells Irradiated with Heavy-Ion Beams
This study examined the terminal maturation of megakaryocytes and platelet production derived from hematopoietic stem cells irradiated with heavy-ion beams. [Radiat Res]

Enhanced Neogenic Potential of Panc-1 Cells Supplemented with Human Umbilical Cord Blood Serum—An Alternative to FCS
In the present study researchers investigated the effects of human umbilical cord blood serum and fetal calf serum (FCS) on the proliferation (viability, proliferative) and its differentiation potential (DTZ staining, immunofluroscence) to generate islet like cellular aggregates using the human derived Panc-1 cell lines. [Tissue Cell]