Singapore Cord Blood Bank services, but retain ownership over the use of their cord blood. Cord blood is the blood that circulates through the umbilical cord from the foetus to the placenta. After delivery, the placenta is almost always thrown away. Yet this humble umbilical cord has become a life saving and precious commodity, because cord blood is rich in blood stem cells. Blood stem cells are young or immature cells that can transform into other forms of essential blood cell types (pluripotent), such as red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. The use of blood stem cells has emerged as a potentially
Confraternities of the Cord great ecclesiastical orders. The main object and duty of these societies were, above all, the practice of piety and works of charity. There are various confraternities of the Cord, whose members wear a cord as insignia just as members of other confraternities wear a scapular. There are in the Church three archconfraternities and one confraternity the members of which wear a cord or cincture. "(This is also known as the "Archconfraternity of the Black Leather Belt of Saint Monica, Saint Augustine and Saint Nicholas of Tolentine".)" The oldest and most celebrated of these Confraternities of the Cord is probably the