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umbilical cord

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.03 sec.
umbilical cord (ŭmbĭl`ĭkəl), cordlike structure about 22 in. (56 cm) long in the pregnant human female, extending from the abdominal wall of the fetus to the placenta placenta (pləsĕn`tə) or afterbirth, organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy.
..... Click the link for more information. . Its chief function is to carry nourishment and oxygen from the placenta to the fetus and return waste products to the placenta from the fetus. It consists of a continuation of the membrane covering the fetus and encloses a mucoid jelly through which one vein carries oxygenated blood and two arteries carry unoxygenated blood. After birth, the cord is clamped off and cut. It is sometimes abnormal in length and may break prematurely or form loops or knots, which may asphyxiate the fetus. The stump of the cord that is left attached to the infant withers and drops off, leaving the scar known as the navel.

Because umbilical cord blood is especially rich in stem cells stem cells, unspecialized human or animal cells that can produce mature specialized body cells and at the same time replicate themselves. Embryonic stem cells are derived from a blastocyst (the blastula typical of placental mammals; see embryo ), which is very young
..... Click the link for more information.  (cells that give rise to red blood cells and lymphocytes) some parents choose to save it in private cord blood banks in case of future need as a transplant alternative to bone marrow, but in many diseases treated with stem cells such autologous transplants are contraindicated. Studies have shown that people not related to the donor (genetically mismatched) can benefit from transplants of umbilical cord blood in combating leukemia leukemia (l
..... Click the link for more information.  and other cancers. Cord blood has also been used to repair heart and other tissue defects in children with certain metabolic disorders.

umbilical cord
the long flexible tubelike structure connecting a fetus with the placenta: it provides a means of metabolic interchange with the mother


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in a deal that likely will make the Los Angeles-based umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company the fourth largest of its type in the country.
Acquisition roundup by Crowe, Deborah / Los Angeles Business Journal
A South Korean woman paralyzed for 20 years is walking again after scientists say they repaired her damaged spinal cord using stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood," reported the French AFP wire service on November 28.
Pro-life stem-cell therapy by The New American
In two studies comparing treatments for adults with leukemia, scientists find that a transplant of umbilical cord blood offers a viable option for people who don't have a well-matched bone marrow donor.
Umbilical bounty: cord blood shows value against leukemia by Seppa, N. / Science News
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