title: Association of stress-related perinatal factors and cord blood unit hematopoietic progenitors is dependent on delivery mode.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Perinatal characteristics, variably utilized in cord blood (CB) selection for banking, affect CB hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs). The association between perinatal stress factors and CB unit HPCs was evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Umbilical arterial (UA) pH, absolute and relative birth weight (BW) and placental weight (PW), and PW/BW ratio of 167 healthy, full-term infants were compared with CB unit prefreeze total nucleated cells (TNCs), total CD34+ (TCD34+) cells, and total colony-forming unit (CFU-TOT) number. Cesarean section (C-section, n = 104) and vaginal delivery subgroups were also analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  UA pH (median, 7.28; range, 7.04-7.40) correlated with CB unit CFU-TOT number (n = 166; r = -0.32, p < 0.0001), TCD34+ cells (r = -0.31, p < 0.0001), and TNCs (r = -0.29, p = 0.0002). Similarly, BW, PW, and PW/BW ratio correlated with HPCs. In multiple linear regression analysis, CFU-TOT number was predicted by collected CB TNCs and UA pH in vaginal deliveries (R(2) = 0.53), in contrast with TNCs, PW, and BW in C-sections (R(2) = 0.37). TCD34+ cells were predicted by adding UA pH (vaginal deliveries, R(2) = 0.75) or PW (C-sections, R(2) = 0.36) to collected CB TNCs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stress-related perinatal factors, particularly UA pH, are associated with CB unit HPCs and may improve unit selection. Multiple linear regression models may prove useful for predicting HPCs. Mode of delivery affects model choice; UA pH has a strong effect on HPCs in vaginal deliveries.
authors.affiliation: Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. sari.juutistenaho@veripalvelu.fi
authors.forename: Sari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Juutistenaho
authors.forename: Mikko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eskola
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sainio
authors.forename: Kari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aranko
authors.forename: Riitta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kekomäki
mesh_terms: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D001724:Birth Weight; D001771:Blood Banks; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D005387:Finland; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34