Birth weight and characteristics of endothelial and smooth muscle cell cultures from human umbilical cord vessels.

Background: Low birth weight has been related to an increased risk for developing high blood pressure in adult life. The molecular and cellular analysis of umbilical cord artery and vein may provide information about the early vascular characteristics of an individual. We have assessed several phenotype characteristics of the four vascular cell types derived from human umbilical cords of newborns with different birth weight.

Procedure to consistently obtain endothelial and smooth muscle cell cultures from umbilical cord vessels.

The prenatal history of an individual can be responsible to some extent for the occurrence of several diseases later in life. Thus, low birth weight has been related to an increased risk of developing hypertension or type 2 diabetes. The molecular and cellular basis of this increased risk could be found in body fluids and cell types that can be obtained just after birth.

First-year blood pressure increase steepest in low birthweight newborns.

Aim: The present research has been undertaken prospectively to study the impact of birthweight and growth pattern on blood pressure changes from birth through the first year of life.

Methods: Parents of newborns born at term (gestational age > 37 weeks) after uncomplicated pregnancies and in the absence of perinatal illness were randomly invited to allow their children to participate in the study. One hundred and forty-nine (84 male and 65 female) newborns were included in the present analysis.