Comparison of hematopoietic progenitor cells in human umbilical cord blood collected from neonatal infants who are small and appropriate for gestational age.
BACKGROUND
Cord blood has been used for transplantation. The purpose of this study was to compare numbers of hematopoietic progenitors in cord blood collected from neonatal infants who are small for their gestational age and those who are normal.


METHODS
Sixteen pregnant women diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction were prospectively identified. Cord blood was collected at delivery. Fourteen cord blood samples were obtained from gestational age-matched, appropriately grown newborns. In vitro assays for hematopoietic progenitors were performed and results of the two compared. Comparisons were also made with numbers of hematopoietic progenitor cells previously found by this laboratory in samples collected with the possibility of use for transplantation.


RESULTS
Gestational age, the women's pregnancy and delivery histories, maternal risk factors for intrauterine growth restriction, maternal age, delivery method, umbilical cord blood gases, and 5-minute Apgar scores were similar in the two groups. Newborns who were small for their gestational age had significantly lower birth weights and longer stays in the neonatal intensive care unit with no evidence for viral infections in the immediate neonatal period. The mean number of progenitors per collection of cord blood in the small newborns was about half that per collection from appropriately grown newborns, but in most cases, these differences were not significant in the two groups, and many numbers in the small newborns fell within the range associated with successfully engrafting cord blood collections.


CONCLUSIONS
Hematopoietic progenitor cells in the small newborns may be adequate for transplantation purposes in many cases. Their possible use in this context should, however, involve careful consideration of the numbers of progenitors collected as well as of possible viral or other contamination.
Hiett
A K
AK
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, USA.
Britton
K A
KA
Hague
N L
NL
Brown
H L
HL
Stehman
F B
FB
Broxmeyer
H E
HE
D002452:Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy