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Expert Opin Biol Ther 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

e Chair of Urology, Department of Regenerative Medicine, Collegium Medicum , Nicolaus Copernicus University , Bydgoszcz , Poland ;

Introduction: In reconstructive urology, autologous tissues such as intestinal segments, skin, and oral mucosa are used. Due to their limitations, reconstructive urologists are waiting for a novel material, which would be suitable for urinary tract wall replacement. Human amniotic membrane (AM) is a naturally derived biomaterial with a capacity to support reepithelization and inhibit scar formation. Read More

Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2018 Dec 6. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Vascular Biology Research Centre, Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George's University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London SW17 0RE, United Kingdom.

Background: A minimum data set, known as a core outcome set, should standardise outcome selection, collection, and reporting across future twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome research.

Methods: An international steering group including healthcare professionals, researchers, and patients, guided the development of this core outcome set. Potential core outcomes, identified through a comprehensive literature review, were entered into a three round Delphi survey. Read More

Sci Rep 2018 Dec 5;8(1):17668. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Pediatric General and Thoracic Surgery, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

The etiology of pulmonary vascular abnormalities in CDH is incompletely understood. Studies have demonstrated improvement in pulmonary vasculature with prenatal therapy in animal models. We hypothesize that prenatal sildenafil may attenuate defective pulmonary vascular development via modulation of vSMC phenotype from undifferentiated, proliferative phenotype to differentiated, contractile phenotype. Read More

J Pediatr Surg 2018 Nov 5. Epub 2018 Nov 5.

Department of Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Electronic address:

Purpose: Transamniotic stem cell therapy (TRASCET) with select mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been shown to induce partial or complete skin coverage of spina bifida in rodents. Clinical translation of this emerging therapy hinges on its efficacy in larger animal models. We sought to study TRASCET in a model requiring intra-amniotic injections 60 times larger than those performed in the rat. Read More

J Bone Miner Res 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Faculty of Medicine - Endocrinology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada.

Vitamin D receptor (VDR) null fetuses have normal serum minerals, PTH, skeletal morphology and mineralization, but increased serum calcitriol, placental calcium transport, and placental expression of Pthrp, Trpv6, and (as reported in this study) Pdia3. We examined Cyp27b1 null fetal mice, which do not make calcitriol, to determine if loss of calcitriol has the same consequences as loss of VDR. Cyp27b1 null and WT females were mated to Cyp27b1 males, which generated Cyp27b1 null and Cyp27b1 fetuses from Cyp27b1 null mothers, and Cyp27b1 and WT fetuses from WT mothers. Read More

Hum Cell 2018 Dec 1. Epub 2018 Dec 1.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35, Shinanomachi Shinjyukuku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.

Adult wound healing can result in fibrotic scarring (FS) characterized by excess expression of myofibroblasts and increased type I/type III collagen expression. In contrast, fetal wound healing results in complete regeneration without FS, and the mechanism remains unclear. Amniotic fluid cells could contribute to scar-free wound healing, but the effects of human amniotic fluid cells are not well characterized. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;1885:287-294

Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.

Amniotic fluid, the fetal-protective liquid that fills the amniotic sac, represents a rich source of biomarkers. The diagnostic utility of amniotic fluid relies on the highly abundant maternal and fetal nucleic acid and proteomic content, which allows for the simultaneous determination of mother and fetal health status. Extracellular vesicles (ECVs) that are released by all cells and found in amniotic fluid could be harnessed to provide substantial clinically actionable data. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;1885:171-186

Lineagen, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.

Chromosomal Microarray analysis offers an objective high resolution view of copy number changes in the genome that contribute to genomic disorders in various clinical setting such as postnatal, prenatal, and oncology. Here, we describe a fast and reliable method of using chromosomal microarray analysis in detection of genomic imbalances that may be associated with congenital malformations in a prenatal setting. Results can be obtained in 4-5 days using direct amniotic fluid (AF) or chorionic villus samples (CVS). Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;1885:161-170

Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) is a method to determine the copy number of up to 60 genomic DNA sequences in a single multiplex PCR based reaction.MLPA probes consist of two oligonucleotides that can hybridize next to each other on a certain DNA sequence of interest, where they are ligated. All ligated probes are subsequently amplified by PCR using a single set of primers. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;1885:139-160

Prenatal Centre, Ragnitz Hospital, Graz, Austria.

Autosomal chromosome aneuploid pregnancies that survive to term, namely, trisomies 13, 18, and 21, account for 89% of chromosome abnormalities with a severe phenotype identified in prenatal samples. They are traditionally detected by full karyotype analysis of cultured cells. The average reporting time for a prenatal karyotype analysis is approximately 14 days, and in recent years, there has been increasing demand for more rapid prenatal results with respect to the common chromosome aneuploidies, to relieve maternal anxiety and facilitate options in pregnancy. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;1885:117-127

Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.

When biopsying a fetal tissue like chorionic villi or amniotic fluid, there is a chance of getting some maternal material that could contaminate the fetal specimen and might lead to a misdiagnosis. Thus, all prenatal samples should be subjected to testing for maternal cell contamination. This is done using quantitative fluorescent PCR (QF-PCR) of short tandem repeat (STR) markers. Read More

Methods Mol Biol 2019 ;1885:105-116

Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.

A prenatal noninvasive genetic screening test that yields a positive result typically warrants further direct assessment of fetal DNA following an invasive procedure. The precious nature of these invasively acquired samples, combined with the time sensitive nature with which results should be reported, demands that the methodologies used for analysis be quick, efficient, and dependable.Prenatal diagnosis has been performed using DNA extracted from amniotic fluid and chorionic villi for several decades, and more recently methodologies have been developed to extract cell free fetal DNA from amniotic fluid. Read More

Oman J Ophthalmol 2018 Sep-Dec;11(3):291-293

Department of Anatomic pathology, Hospital Provincial de Castellón, Castellón de la Plana, Castellón, Spain.

We describe a case of a man with neurotrophic keratitis of unknown ethiology, who developed a massive stromal melting during treatment of a persistent epithelial defect. A tectonic keratoplasty combined with amniotic membrane grafting was made. Host cornea specimen was analyzed, and Sphingomonas paucimobilis was isolated. Read More

Curr Res Transl Med 2018 Nov 29. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Department of Surgery. School of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.

We propose that the circulatory impairments produced, in both portal hypertension and liver cirrhosis, to a certain degree resemble those characterizing prenatal life in the fetus. In fact, the left-right circulatory syndrome is common in cirrhotic patients and in the fetus. Thus, in patients with portal hypertension and chronic liver failure, the re-expression of a blood circulation comparable to fetal circulation is associated with the development of similar amniotic functions, i. Read More

J Pediatr Surg 2018 Dec 2;53(12):2404-2408. Epub 2018 Sep 2.

Sunrise Children's Hospital, Las Vegas, NV.

Purpose: We describe our series of giant omphalocele patients treated with a serial taping method for gradual reduction of the abdominal contents and early fascial closure.

Methods: Between 2010 and 2017 we cared for ten newborns with giant omphaloceles. The average gestational age was 35. Read More

Tissue Eng Part A 2018 Dec 1. Epub 2018 Dec 1.

University Hospital Düsseldorf, Department of Ophthalmology , Moorenstrasse 5 , Düsseldorf, Germany , 40225 ;

Conjunctival repair is a crucial part of ocular surface reconstruction. Due to limitations of currently used substitute tissues, there is a need for the development of new scaffolds of consistent quality for conjunctival reconstruction. This study explored the biocompatibility and surgical usability of plastic compressed collagen (PCC) as an alternative conjunctival substitute. Read More

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2018 Dec 2:1-161. Epub 2018 Dec 2.

a Department of Neuroscience , Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry , School of Medicine , University of Naples "Federico II" , Naples , Italy.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of antenatal intervention for the treatment of congenital lower urinary tract obstruction (LUTO) in improving perinatal survival and postnatal renal function.

Methods: Electronic databases were searched from their inception until May 2018. Selection criteria included randomized controlled trials and controlled nonrandomized observational studies including fetuses with ultrasound evidence of LUTO evaluating antenatal intervention for improving perinatal outcomes. Read More

PLoS One 2018 5;13(12):e0207298. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University, School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United states of America.

We aimed to test the hypothesis that determinants of the perinatal clinical exposome related to the underlying etiology of premature birth (PTB) impact differently on select neonatal outcomes. We conducted a prospective longitudinal study of 377 singleton preterm neonates [gestational age (GA) at birth: 23-34 weeks] separated into three distinct contemporaneous newborn cohorts: i) spontaneous PTB in the setting of intra-amniotic infection/inflammation (yes-IAI, n = 116); ii) spontaneous PTB in the absence of IAI (no-IAI, n = 130), and iii) iatrogenic PTB for preeclampsia (iPTB-PE, n = 131). Newborns (n = 372) were followed until death or discharge. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2018 1;2018:5351010. Epub 2018 Nov 1.

Department of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Adigrat University, Adigrat, Ethiopia.

Perinatal asphyxia is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in neonates. Perinatal asphyxia occurs in association with maternal, fetal, and maternofetal factors. However, the magnitude and associated factors of perinatal asphyxia are not well studied in Tigray, Ethiopia. Read More

Rev Prat 2016 Sep;66(7):721-726

Service d'anesthésie, Hôpital femme-mère-enfant, CHU de Lyon, Bron, France.

International and French maternal mortality. Maternal mortality, defined as the death of a woman during pregnancy and 42 days following delivery, remains a major challenge to health systems worldwide and a known indicator of development. As did the Millennium Development Goal 5, France health ministry targeted a reduction in maternal mortality ratio. Read More

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2018 Dec 4:1-191. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

a Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics , CIC Hôpital Mère-Enfant , Nantes , France.

Introduction: The incidence of fetal goiters is reported to be around 1 per 40 000 births. The risk of complications is first of all obstetric, directly related to goiter size, but it may also affect longer term fetal and child development, depending on whether the goiter is due to hypo- or hyperthyroidism. Management is multidisciplinary, but not yet consensual and not always optimal by either endocrinologists or obstetricians. Read More

Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep 2019 Mar 20;13:38-40. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.

Purpose: We describe a rare case of a complex choristoma appearing as a salmon-patch lesion in the nasal conjunctiva. While benign, complex choristomas are grossly indistinguishable from malignant lesions, and an excisional biopsy is warranted to confirm the diagnosis.

Observations: A 31-year-old man presented with an elevated glistening pink mass on the conjunctiva. Read More

JAAD Case Rep 2018 Nov 14;4(10):1059-1061. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.

Stem Cells Int 2018 28;2018:9502451. Epub 2018 Oct 28.

Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology, AUVA Research Center, Donaueschingenstraße 13, 1200 Vienna, Austria.

The human amniotic membrane (hAM) has been used for tissue regeneration for over a century. (), cells of the hAM are exposed to low oxygen tension (1-4% oxygen), while the hAM is usually cultured in atmospheric, meaning high, oxygen tension (20% oxygen). We tested the influence of oxygen tensions on mitochondrial and inflammatory parameters of human amniotic mesenchymal stromal cells (hAMSCs). Read More

Cytotherapy 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Institute of Science and Engineering, Bioengineering, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey; Faculty of Engineering, Chemical Engineering Department, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address:

Background: Several methods to cultivate limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs) in vitro with the support of feeder layers and different growth medium formulations have been established for several years. The initial green medium consists of various ingredients that exhibit a non-optimal level of biosafety, therefore, different modifications have been made to suit it to safe clinical applications. However, the question of which formulation is the most appropriate remains to be answered. Read More

Int J Cardiol 2019 Jan 16;275:136-144. Epub 2018 Oct 16.

Dept. Cardiac Thoracic, Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, Italy. Electronic address:

Introduction: We investigated the effects of human amniotic fluid stem cells (hAFS) and rat adipose tissue stromal vascular fraction GFP-positive cells (rSVC-GFP) in a model of cardio-renal syndrome type II (CRSII).

Methods And Results: RHF was induced by monocrotaline (MCT) in 28 Sprague-Dawley rats. Three weeks later, four million hAFS or rSVC-GFP cells were injected via tail vein. Read More

Cornea 2018 Nov 27. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Department of Pathology, Vision Research Foundation, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India.

Purpose: To describe a rare case of conjunctival colloid milium.

Methods: Case report.

Results: We report a 45-year-old woman with a history of a slow-growing, painless mass extending from the medial canthal region to the inferior fornix and the inferior bulbar conjunctiva associated with redness. Read More

BJU Int 2018 Nov 30. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27101, USA.

Objective: To determine the long-term therapeutic effect among three types of human cell types on erectile function recovery in a rodent model of dual neurovascular injured erectile dysfunction (NVED).

Materials And Methods: A dual NVED model was established in athymic rats by crushing the bilateral cavernous nerves and ligations of the bilateral internal pudendal nerve-vessel bundles. At the time of defect creation, three different types of human cell populations (2. Read More

Sud Med Ekspert 2018 ;61(6):48-51

Department of Forensic Medicine, S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy, Ministry of Defense of the Russia, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, 194044.

The authors report two cases of extended amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) associated with the birth-giving process with the analysis of their causes and the discussion of the possible pathways through which the amniotic fluid penetrates into maternal blood. A rare cause of amniotic fluid embolism due to the rupture of placental membranes as a result of submembranous hemorrhage is described. The changes in the lungs associated with extended AFE are apparent in the presence of macroscopic emboli formed from the particles of the amniotic fluid. Read More

Cell Transplant 2018 Nov 30:963689718815850. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

1 Department of Nephrology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.

Amniotic fluid-derived stem cells (AFSCs), which exhibit both embryonic and mesenchymal stem cell characteristics, have been shown to mitigate the degree of renal interstitial fibrosis. The aim of the present study was to determine whether transplantation of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)-modified AFSCs is more useful than transplantation of unmodified AFSCs for the treatment of renal interstitial fibrosis. Mice were randomly assigned to a sham-operation group (sham), a unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-saline solution group (UUO), an AFSC transplantation group (AFSC) and a GDNF-modified AFSC transplantation group (GDNF-AFSC) and sacrificed at days 3 and 7 post-surgery (six in each group). Read More

Tokai J Exp Clin Med 2018 Dec 20;43(4):132-138. Epub 2018 Dec 20.

Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Ansari Nagar, New Delhi-110029, India:

Objective: Autologous cultured explants of human oral mucosal epithelial cells (OMEC) are a potential therapeutic modality in patients of bilateral ocular surface disease (OSD) with incapacitating dry eye. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) has been found to upregulate the mucin production in conjunctival goblet cells in vitro. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of MMF on mucin expression in primary cultures of OMEC. Read More

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2018 Nov 28:1-181. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

b Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Brigham and Women's Hospital , Harvard Medical School , Boston , USA.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to assess the incidence of oligohydramnios at term and evaluate whether mode of delivery in patients with oligohydramnios influences perinatal outcomes in China.

Methods: A cross sectional survey of all deliveries in 39 hospitals in China from 1 January to 31 December, 2011 was evaluated for mode of delivery and perinatal outcomes in women with oligohydramnios compared to those without known oligohydramnios after excluding preterm births, polyhydramnios, and oligohydramnios secondary to premature rupture of membranes.

Results: Oligohydramnios complicated 3954 (4. Read More

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2018 Nov 28:1-141. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

b Department of Basic Sciences , Faculty of Veterinary Medicine , University of Tabriz , Tabriz , Iran.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of magnesium sulfate in the prevention of fetal growth restriction due to the impaired uterine blood supply in the rat model.

Methods: The total number of 24 female rats were used in this study. They were mated overnight and randomly divided into control and treatment groups. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2018 Nov 27;19(12). Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe 650-0017, Japan.

Early diagnosis and treatment of infants with symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may improve neurological outcomes. For this reason, prenatal detection of newborns at high risk for congenital CMV infection is important. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for CMV DNA in the amniotic fluid is the gold standard for the diagnosis of intrauterine CMV infection; however, amniocentesis is an invasive procedure. Read More

J Cell Biochem 2018 Nov 28. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Institute of Biochemistry, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Human amniotic fluid-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AF-MSCs) may be a valuable source for cell therapy and regenerative medicine. In this study, the potential of DNA methyltransferases (DNMT) inhibitors Decitabine, Zebularine, RG108 alone or combined with Zebularine and p53 inhibitor Pifithrin-α to induce cardiomyogenic differentiation of AF-MSCs was investigated. Differentiation into cardiomyocyte-like cells initiation was indicated with all agents by changes in the cell phenotype, upregulation of the relative expression of the main cardiac genes (NKX2-5, TNNT2, MYH6, and DES) as well as of cardiac ion channels genes (sodium, calcium, and potassium) as determined by reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and the increase in Connexin43 levels as detected from Western blot and immunofluorescence data. Read More

Physiol Res 2018 Nov;67(Supplementum 3):S421-S429

Institute of Dental Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, Institute of Endocrinology, Prague, Czech Republic.

Taste is important for food intake. The fetus first experiences taste through amniotic fluid, and later via mother's milk. Early human experience with taste has a key importance for later acceptance of food. Read More

Trials 2018 Nov 27;19(1):657. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.

Background: Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is the most common liver disorder specific to pregnancy and presents with maternal pruritus, raised concentrations of serum bile acids and abnormal liver function tests. ICP is associated with increased rates of spontaneous and iatrogenic preterm labour, fetal hypoxia, meconium-stained amniotic fluid and intrauterine death. Some clinicians treat ICP with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) to improve maternal pruritus and biochemical abnormalities. Read More

Tsitol Genet 2016 Jul-Aug;50(4):74-8

Complex chromosomal rearrangements are rarely observed prenatally. Genetic counceling of CCR carriers is complicated, especially in cases of de novo origin of the rearrangement. Here we present a new case of a de novo CCR involving four chromosomes observed in amniotic fluid cells of the fetus at 17 weeks of gestation. Read More

Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi 2018 Nov;98(43):3532-3535

Beijing Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100026 China.

To explore the chromosomal analysis for fetuses with nasal bone absence or hypoplasia. This was a retrospective study on 29 pregnancies nasal bone absence or hypoplasia which underwent prenatal diagnosis, including chorionic villi (CV), amniotic fluid or cordocentesis.The indication of the procedures and results were evaluated. Read More

Cells Tissues Organs 2018 Nov 27:1-23. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

Institute of Anatomy and Embryology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.

Existence and biomedical relevance of the neurenteric canal, a transient midline structure during early neurulation in the human embryo, have been controversially discussed for more than a century by embryologists and clinicians alike. In this study, the authors address the long-standing enigma by high-resolution histology and three-dimensional reconstruction using new and historic histological sections of 5 human 17- to 21-day-old embryos and of 2 marmoset monkey embryos of the species Callithrix jacchus at corresponding stages. The neurenteric canal presents itself as the classical vertical connection between the amniotic cavity and the yolk sac cavity and is lined (a) craniolaterally by a horseshoe-shaped "hinge of involuting notochordal cells" within Hensen's node and (b) caudally by the receding primitive streak epiblast dorsally and by notochordal plate epithelium ventrally, the latter of which covered the (longitudinal) notochordal canal on its ventral side at the preceding stage. Read More

Am J Obstet Gynecol 2018 Nov 24. Epub 2018 Nov 24.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.

Am J Orthop (Belle Mead NJ) 2018 Oct;47(10)

Orlando Health Orthopedic Institute, Sports Medicine Division, 1222 S. Orange Ave., 5th Floor, Mailpoint 131, Orlando, FL 32806, USA. Email:

Improvements in ultrasound technology have increased the popularity and use of ultrasound as a diagnostic and therapeutic modality for many soccer-related musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries. As a dynamic imaging modality, ultrasound offers increased accuracy and efficacy with minimally invasive procedures, such as guided injections, percutaneous tenotomy, and regenerative therapies, in the clinical setting. Emerging evidence indicates that regenerative therapies, such as platelet-rich-plasma (PRP), mesenchymal stem cells, and amniotic products, are a promising treatment for many MSK injuries and are gaining popularity among professional athletes. Read More

Genet Test Mol Biomarkers 2018 Nov 27. Epub 2018 Nov 27.

1 Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University , Zhengzhou, PR China .

Background: Human amniotic membrane-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAM-MSCs) are considered a new and favorable source of stem cells for cell replacement-based therapy. Some microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to participate in the regulation of immune responses. Our aim was to investigate the effects of miR-21 on the biological characteristics, immunoregulatory properties, and potential mechanisms of hAM-MSCs. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2018 Nov 14;11:CD012505. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group, Department of Women's and Children's Health, The University of Liverpool, First Floor, Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust, Crown Street, Liverpool, UK, L8 7SS.

Background: Preterm birth (PTB) is a major factor contributing to global rates of neonatal death and to longer-term health problems for surviving infants. Both the World Health Organization and the United Nations consider prevention of PTB as central to improving health care for pregnant women and newborn babies. Current preventative clinical strategies show varied efficacy in different populations of pregnant women, frustrating women and health providers alike, while researchers call for better understanding of the underlying mechanisms that lead to PTB. Read More

PLoS One 2018 26;13(11):e0207920. Epub 2018 Nov 26.

Department of Information Management, Hunan Province Maternal and Children Health Care Hospital, Changsha, Hunan, China.

Background: The control of maternal deaths continues to be a significant public health issue and commands an enormous amount of attention, especially under the future family planning policy. Here, we describe the epidemiology and trends of maternal deaths in Hunan province, and give several policy implications.

Methods: Maternal deaths in Hunan province between 2009 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. Read More

Circ J 2018 ;82(12):3112

Surg Technol Int 2018 Nov 23;34. Epub 2018 Nov 23.

Strategic Initiatives, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital, Northwell Health, New York, New York, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio.

Introduction: Placental and amniotic membrane-based tissues have gained widespread popularity for their ability to promote healing and tissue regeneration and have manifested multiple applications in wound care, burn treatment, and management of various ocular conditions. Recently, there have been multiple studies that investigated the nonoperative uses of placental tissue-based products in orthopaedic sports injuries. However, there is a relative paucity of studies that have attempted to evaluate their adjuvant operative uses. Read More

Int Ophthalmol 2018 Nov 22. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Department of Ophthalmology, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, 34098, Istanbul, Turkey.

Purpose: To describe a modified non-traumatic amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) technique and evaluating its efficiency for the ocular surface injury after chemical burn were aimed.

Methods: Twenty eyes of 20 patients (F: 6, M: 14) with acute chemical burn for whom modified non-traumatic AMT was utilized were evaluated retrospectively. In this technique, amniotic membrane (AM) was fixated onto a symblepharon ring with continuous suturing. Read More

Clin Sports Med 2019 Jan;38(1):45-59

Department of Orthopedic surgery, Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill-Cornell Medical School, 535 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021, USA.

In orthopedic sports medicine, amniotic-derived products have demonstrated promising preclinical and early clinical results for the treatment of tendon/ligament injuries, cartilage defects, and osteoarthritis. The amniotic membrane is a metabolically active tissue that has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifibrotic, and epithelialization-promoting features that make it uniquely suited for several clinical applications. Although the existing clinical literature is limited, there are several ongoing clinical trials aiming to elucidate the specific applications and benefits of these products. Read More

Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi 2018 Aug 25;34(4):384. Epub 2018 Aug 25.

School of Forensic Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China.

Objectives: To study the epidemiological and pathological features of sudden death （SD） in Yunnan Province and to provide scientific evidence for prevention and forensic identification of sudden death.

Methods: Totally 363 SD cases were collected from the autopsies between 2009 and 2017 in the Forensic Centre of Kunming Medical University. The related factors such as etiology, age, inducing factor, time interval between the onset of disease and death, morbidity season and pathological change were retrospectively analysed. Read More