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Objective: To describe and compare the characteristics of women with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) and their pregnancy outcomes according to the presence of placenta praevia and a prior caesarean section. Design: Prospective population‐based study. Setting: All 176 maternity hospitals of eight French regions. Population: Two hundred and forty‐nine women with PAS, from a source population of 520 114 deliveries. Methods: Women with PAS were classified into two risk‐profile groups, with or without the high‐risk combination of placenta praevia (or an anterior low‐lying placenta) and at least one prior caesarean. These two groups were described and compared. Main outcome measures: Population‐based incidence of PAS, characteristics of women, pregnancies, deliveries and pregnancy outcomes. Results: The PAS population‐based incidence was 4.8/10 000 (95% CI 4.2–5.4/10 000). After exclusion of women lost to follow up from the analysis, the group with placenta praevia and a prior caesarean included 115 (48%) women and the group without this combination included 127 (52%). In the group with both factors, PAS was more often suspected antenatally (77% versus 17%; P < 0.001) and more often percreta (38% versus 5%; P < 0.001). This group also had more hysterectomies (53% versus 21%, P < 0.001) and higher rates of blood product transfusions, maternal complications, preterm births and neonatal intensive care unit admissions. Sensitivity analysis showed similar results after exclusion of women who delivered vaginally. Conclusion: More than half the cases of PAS occurred in women without the combination of placenta praevia and a prior caesarean delivery, and these women had better maternal and neonatal outcomes. We cannot completely rule out that some of the women who delivered vaginally had placental retention rather than PAS; however, we found similar results among women who delivered by caesarean. Half the women with PAS do not have both placenta praevia and a prior caesarean delivery, and they have better maternal outcomes. Half the women with PAS do not have both placenta praevia and a prior caesarean delivery, and they have better maternal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary. Multidrug resistance protein (MRP) activity was investigated in 44 newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients using a functional assay based on efflux of carboxy-2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein, an anionic dye handled by both MRP1 and MRP2. Elevated MRP transport was detected in 29% of cases, but was not significantly correlated with sex, age, white blood cell count at diagnosis or karyotype. In contrast, it was associated with secondary AML (P = 0·002), CD34 positivity (P = 0·041) and P-glycoprotein activity (P = 0·01). There was a lower rate of complete remission in MRP-positive patients versus MRP-negative patients (23% versus 81%; P = 0·001); overall survival was also better for MRP-negative patients (P = 0·004). These data indicate a probable role for MRP activity in the clinical outcome of AML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the conference paper "Pregnancies with fetal and neonatal alloimmunization thrombocytopenia (FNAIT) in HPA-1 system: towards a less invasive management" by J. Y. Muller and colleagues is presented.

Objective: To describe and compare the characteristics of women with placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) and their pregnancy outcomes according to the presence of placenta praevia and a prior caesarean section., Design: Prospective population-based study., Setting: All 176 maternity hospitals of eight French regions., Population: Two hundred and forty-nine women with PAS, from a source population of 520 114 deliveries., Methods: Women with PAS were classified into two risk-profile groups, with or without the high-risk combination of placenta praevia (or an anterior low-lying placenta) and at least one prior caesarean. These two groups were described and compared., Main Outcome Measures: Population-based incidence of PAS, characteristics of women, pregnancies, deliveries and pregnancy outcomes., Results: The PAS population-based incidence was 4.8/10 000 (95% CI 4.2-5.4/10 000). After exclusion of women lost to follow up from the analysis, the group with placenta praevia and a prior caesarean included 115 (48%) women and the group without this combination included 127 (52%). In the group with both factors, PAS was more often suspected antenatally (77% versus 17%; P < 0.001) and more often percreta (38% versus 5%; P < 0.001). This group also had more hysterectomies (53% versus 21%, P < 0.001) and higher rates of blood product transfusions, maternal complications, preterm births and neonatal intensive care unit admissions. Sensitivity analysis showed similar results after exclusion of women who delivered vaginally., Conclusion: More than half the cases of PAS occurred in women without the combination of placenta praevia and a prior caesarean delivery, and these women had better maternal and neonatal outcomes. We cannot completely rule out that some of the women who delivered vaginally had placental retention rather than PAS; however, we found similar results among women who delivered by caesarean., Tweetable Abstract: Half the women with PAS do not have both placenta praevia and a prior caesarean delivery, and they have better maternal outcomes., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: To evaluate formative evaluation, a pedagogic method that sensitizes mothers to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), as a new way to improve prevention of SIDS., Methods: Prospective and randomized study. Mothers in a test group (n = 148) received an educative questionnaire about SIDS during maternity stay. Three months later, we evaluated, by a telephonic interview, their scores of knowledge and observance of the recommendations in comparison with a control group (n = 144)., Results: Mothers' scores at the educative questionnaire was 5.12 (1.52) [mean(standard deviation)]. The scores performed 3 months later were better in test group for knowledge [7.64 (1.56) vs. 7.16 (1.61), p < 0.01] and for observance [8.28 (1.51) vs. 7.62 (1.72), p < 0.001]. Logistic regression analysis confirmed the benefits in test group regarding knowledge of SIDS risk factors [ORa = 1.69 (1.02-2.77), p < 0.05], of the advice to avoid overheating infants [ORa = 2.50 (1.43-4.38), p < 0.01] and of the risks of bed sharing [ORa = 2.7 (1.6-4.5), p < 0.001]. There was a significant association between non-compliance with the sleeping position recommendation and unemployment (p < 0.01) and absence of postsecondary school education (p < 0.01)., Conclusion: Formative evaluation using an educative questionnaire could improve maternal awareness on SIDS risk factors and their compliance with recommendations about SIDS prevention., (© 2011 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica © 2011 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.)

Biofilms are known to be responsible for chronic peritoneal dialysis (PD)-related infections. Such infections are still frequent among patients in PD. The aim of this study was to develop a new approach in the prevention of chronic PD-related infection by regular injection of specific formulations containing detachment-promoting agents. A biofilm reactor system reproducing PD-like operating conditions was developed. A first set of experiments allowed the assessment of the anti-biofilm efficacy of various formulations. Then, experiments were performed for a longer duration and selected formulations were tested and compared with taurolidine. Biofilm removal was quantified by calculating the percentage of coverage reduction compared with an untreated control. A regular weekly treatment led to a 97% reduction of the surface coverage although a daily treatment with taurolidine still left 48% of the biomass on the surface. Such treatment is recommended to reduce the frequencies of chronic PD-related infections.

Blind deep venous puncture is an invasive procedure with risks of serious complications compromising the availability of veins for future punctures or endangering the patient's life. We designed a new hand-held pulsed Doppler probe for coaxial guidance of the puncture needle and a dedicated pulsed Doppler device displaying the depth of the measurement volume. We used this technique prospectively in two independent centers (the nephrology department and the intensive care unit) involving senior as well as junior staff members. Either the non-Doppler or the Doppler method were randomly selected for subclavian vein catheterization in 100 patients and for internal jugular vein catheterization in 30 patients. The success rate on the first attempt was 86.2% for the non-Doppler method versus 96.8% for the Doppler method (p = 0.03). The failure rate of the non-Doppler method used by junior staff members was 9.2%, reduced to 1.5% (p = 0.05) by secondary use of the Doppler method and/or help from a senior staff member (rescue procedure). Pulsed Doppler guidance reduced significantly the failure rate of venous punctures especially when used by seniors or by juniors after a training period.

To evaluate middle molecule (MM) accumulation in relation with patients' well-being, plasma MM were analyzed in 115 uremic patients by using the two-step chromatographic technique described by Fürst et al. Unexpectedly, most of the patients exhibited small or undetectable subpeaks 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d. However, patients on regular dialysis treatment tend to present higher MM concentrations when a complication, such as infection, hyperparathyroidism, symptomatic neuropathy, or intercurrent disease occurs and peak 7d was very prominent after radio-contrast media administration. No correlation was found between plasma MM and small molecule accumulation (urea, creatinine, and uric acid) or residual renal function or hematocrit. An unexpected correlation was found between some MM fractions and serum PTH. These results indicate that MM do not accumulate in plasma only as a result of impaired renal function. This suggests considerable variations in their generation rates may be due to unknown misleading artifacts, PTH breakdown products, or other factors.