Browsing by Author "Pope, Belinda"
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Item Effect of Maternal Iron Status on the Number of CD34+ Stem Cells Harvested from Umbilical Cord Blood(2014-07-14) Grant, Ross; Hokin, Bevan; Pope, BelindaBackground
Hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) from umbilical cord blood (UCB) are an alternative source of stem cells. However an adequate number of HPCs must be harvested from each UCB sample to make therapeutic applications possible. This study investigated the impact of selected maternal indices (in particular iron status) on the number of CD34+ cells collected in the UCB.
Study Design and Methods
Blood samples were collected from 91 matched mother and umbilical cord pairs and analyzed for full blood count, iron status, and C-reactive protein. Viable CD34 enumeration was performed on the cord blood samples.
Results
Low CD34+ cell counts were associated with higher maternal serum ferritin (SF), older mothers, lower UCB white blood cell count (WCC), lower UCB nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs), and lower birthweight. Maternal SF correlated with maternal variables of iron status and RBC indices, newborn weight, placental weight, and NRBCs/100 WCC.
Conclusion
This study indicates that lower numbers of CD34+ cells are more likely to occur when collected from mothers with higher SF. This finding suggests that maternal SF and associated iron status play a significant, but as yet undefined, role in the generation of CD34+ cells in UCB.
Item Effect of Umbilical Cord Blood Prefreeze Variables on Postthaw Viability(2015-03-11) Grant, Ross; Hokin, Bevan; Pope, BelindaBackground
Assessment of the overall postthaw (PT) viability of an umbilical cord blood (UCB) unit is an important criterion for determining the quality of the unit for transplantation. Overall PT viability is a measure of cellular damage that can occur to the UCB during collection, storage, processing, freezing, and thawing.
Study Design and Methods
This study investigated factors measured before freezing of the UCB that could affect overall PT viability of the stem cell unit from 257 collected cord blood samples. The analysis included hematologic variables, cord blood collection characteristics, and stem cell separation and preservation factors.
Results
Each of the variables, postprocess (PP) neutrophils (%), PP hematocrit, overall PP viability (%), freeze rate (°C/min), and time from collection to freezing (hr) were shown to contribute to overall PT viability. Each UCB sample was given a calculated “viability prediction” (VP) score based on the influence or impact of each of these variables. This score was compared to the measured PT viability. Variables with a low VP score had correspondingly low PT viability, indicating more overall damage to the cells. The results showed that the higher the VP score, the higher the PT viability.
Conclusion
These findings provide a framework for identifying those units that are most likely to have a high overall PT viability and hence an increased likelihood of successful engraftment of the CB-sourced stem cells. The VP score could aid in the selection of a donor cord blood unit for transplantation.
Item Postprandial Oxidative Stress is Increased After a Phytonutrient-Poor Food But Not After a Kilojoule-Matched Phytonutrient-Rich Food(2014-05-01) Bilgin, Ayse; Morris, Margaret J.; Pope, Belinda; Guest, Jade; Tung, Chin; Grant, Ross; Khor, AmandaResearch indicates that energy-dense foods increase inflammation and oxidative activity, thereby contributing to the development of vascular disease. However, it is not clear whether the high kilojoule load alone, irrespective of the nutritional content of the ingested food, produces the postprandial oxidative and inflammatory activity. This study investigated the hypothesis that ingestion of a high-fat, high-sugar, phytonutrient-reduced food (ice cream) would increase oxidative and inflammatory activity greater than a kilojoule-equivalent meal of a phytonutrient-rich whole food (avocado).
The individual contributions of the fat/protein and sugar components of the ice cream meal to postprandial inflammation and oxidative stress were also quantified. Using a randomized, crossover design, 11 healthy participants ingested 4 test meals: ice cream, avocado, the fat/protein component in ice cream, and the sugar equivalent component in ice cream. Plasma glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and inflammatory and oxidative stress markers were measured at baseline and 1, 2, and 4 hours (t1, t2, t4) after ingestion. Lipid peroxidation was increased at 2 hours after eating fat/protein (t0-t2, P < .05) and sugar (t1-t2, P < .05; t1-t4, P < .05). Antioxidant capacity was decreased at 4 hours after eating ice cream (t0-t4, P < .01) and sugar (t0-t4, P < .01).
Ingestion of a kilojoule-equivalent avocado meal did not produce any changes in either inflammatory or oxidative stress markers. These data indicate that the ingestion of a phytonutrient-poor food and its individual fat/protein or sugar components increase plasma oxidative activity. This is not observed after ingestion of a kilojoule-equivalent phytonutrient-rich food.