title: Does mesenchymal stem cell population in umbilical cord blood vary at different gestational periods?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify and quantitatively determine Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the umbilical cord blood (UCB) of neonates born at different gestational periods.
  
  
  METHODS
  UCB was collected at birth in neonates of three different gestational groups. The mononuclear cells (MNCs) were phenotypically analyzed by flow cytometer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The yield of total MNCs did not differ much with gestation; the average values were 22.6 ± 6.48 × 106 cells/ml. The MSCs were significantly higher in the lower gestation group. These were 0.0219 ± 0.012 %, 0.0044 ± 0.003 % and 0.0022 ± 0.003 % in 28 to 31 wk, 32 to 35 wk and >36 wk, respectively (P = 0.00). There was a significant inverse correlation between the gestational age and the presence of MSCs with a correlation co-efficient of -0.54 (P = 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MSCs population was significantly higher in infants born at lesser gestation than those born at term gestation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029, India.
authors.forename: Ashish
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Nitin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mathur
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeevashankar
authors.forename: Asok
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mukhopadhyay
authors.forename: Ramesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Agarwal
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Deorari
authors.forename: V K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Paul
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000166:cytology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D007744:Obstetric Labor Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D013223:Statistics as Topic