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Aim: A tissue-engineered periodontal ligament (PDL) around implants would represent an important new therapeutic tool to replace lost teeth. The PDL is the key to tooth anchoring; it connects tooth root and alveolar bone, and it sustains bone formation. Materials and Methods: Cells were isolated from PDL and cultured in a bioreactor on titanium pins. After the formation of multiple cellular layers, pins were implanted in enlarged dental alveolae. Main Outcome Measures: Cell-covered implants integrated without adverse effects, and induced bone in their vicinity. Results: A histological examination of a dog model revealed that cells were arranged in a typical ligament-like fashion. In human patients, product safety was ascertained for 6-60 months. Probing and motility assessments suggested that the implants were well integrated with mechanical properties similar to those of teeth. Radiographs demonstrated the regeneration of deficient alveolar bone, the development of a lamina dura adjacent to a mineral-devoid space around the implant and implant migration in an intact bone structure. Conclusions: New tissue consistent with PDL developed on the surface of dental implants after implantation. This proof-of-principal investigation demonstrates the application of ligament-anchored implants, which have potential advantages over osseointegrated oral implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. We developed a completely closed system based on gravity separation without centrifugation steps for separation of whole blood. With this new system we compared quality and stability of the processed blood components (PRC and plasma) with respect to classical preparation. Furthermore the cost-effectiveness of this hollow fibre system was evaluated. Study Design and Methods. Whole blood collections of 15 regular blood donors were used for component preparation using the U shaped hollow fibre filter device. Results were compared to 15 whole blood preparations using centrifugation. The following parameters were evaluated: total hemoglobin, leukocyte counts, the serum concentration of total protein, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and potassium. Furthermore ATIII, vWF and F VIII were analyzed at different timepoints. Results. packed red cells: the data directly after separation and after 42 days of storage are in line with the guidelines of the council of Europe. Plasma. all plasma quality data are in line with the guidelines of the council of Europe for quality assurance of plasma, except for a low protein amount (factor 0.75). Conclusion. Separation of whole blood on a clinical scale in this new closed system is feasible, however the plasma protein content must be optimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PROBLEM: The mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) between maternal and fetal lymphocytes as well as between adult children and their parents is imbalanced in bidirectional mixed lymphocyte cultures. The present investigation was aimed at examining which type of T cells has primary responsibility for this phenomenon. METHODS: Two-way mixed lymphocyte cultures between lymphocytes of five female and five male adults and five male and five female newborns against lymphocytes of their parents were performed. Unrelated adults served as the controls. Before and after 72 hr incubation the mixed leukocytes cultures (MLCs)were sorted by flow cytometry according to the surface markers CD4 and CD69 or CD8 and CD69. The single cell populations within the four resulting fractions were discriminated by fluoresence in situ hybridization (FiSH) using xy-DNA probes. RESULTS: Before incubation the share of CD8+ CD69+ cells in the MLCs between mothers and their newborn infants was significantly shifted toward the newborn cells (P < 0.01). After 72 hr incubation the CD8+CD69+ ratio in the MLCs between mother and newborn cells and between adult children (male as well female) and their parents showed a significant shift of the CD8+ CD69+ cells toward the children's direction. All other MLCs showed a balanced cell population for all investigated cell types, both before and after incubation. CONCLUSION: The imbalanced MLR between maternal and fetal lymphocytes and lymphocytes of adult children against their parents is mediated by a specific imbalance of the activation of CD8+ but not of CD4+T cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate whether packed red cells (PRCs) prepared from autologous cord blood-packed red cells (AC-PRCs) could be used as an alternative for homologous-packed red cells (H-PRCs), we developed a system to collect and prepare AC-PRCs and determined standard storage parameters during 35 days of storage in extended storage medium (Sag-mannitol). We collected and fractionated cord blood from 390 newborns. The amount and quality of the AC-PRCs were analysed. The bacterial contamination rate was 1·84%. Twelve AC-PRCs were stored for 35 days, and standard laboratory parameters were measured at day 1 and day 35. The initial laboratory parameters of the AC-PRCs were similar to the parameters of the H-PRCs. After 35 days, the AC-PRCs displayed an increased haemolysis rate compared to H-PRCs (1·1 versus 0·2%) and also a significant decreased adenosine triphosphate value (1·2 versus 2·3 µmol L−1). Haemoglobin, haematocrit and pH were comparable in both groups. AC-PRCs meet the quality criteria for H-PRCs after 35 days. Utilizing a closed collection system for cord blood and an extended storage medium will increase safety and quality and facilitate the routine transfusion of autologous red cells derived from cord blood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the article "Immune Reactivity Between Mother and Fetus Is Independent of MHC Haplotype," by U. Koelsch, C. Weber, C. Ritter, A. Viehbahn and T. Brune is presented.

Azelaic acid, sometimes found during analysis of Guthrie card blood samples, may be derived from the printing ink used to mark the spotting area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To develop a model for increasing the coverage of kangaroo mother care (KMC), which involved ≥8 h of skin-to-skin contact per day and exclusive breastfeeding, for small babies with birth weight < 2000 g in South Ethiopia., Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted between June 2017 and January 2019 at four hospitals and their catchment areas. Iterative cycles of implementation, program learning and evaluation were used to optimise KMC implementation models. The study explored the community-facility continuum of care and assessed the proportion of neonates with a birth weight less than 2000 g receiving effective KMC., Results: Three KMC implementation models were tested with Model 2 being the final version. This model included enhanced identification of home births, improved referral linkages, immediate skin-to-skin care initiation in facilities and early contact after discharge. These improvements resulted in 86% coverage of effective facility-based KMC initiation for eligible babies. The coverage was 81.5% at discharge and 57.5% 7 days after discharge. The mean age of babies at KMC initiation was 8.2 days (SD = 5.7)., Conclusion: The study found that the KMC implementation model was feasible and can lead to substantial population-level KMC coverage for small babies., (© 2023 World Health Organization; licensed by Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Acta Paediatrica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation Acta Paediatrica.)

We report a nosocomial outbreak with group B streptococci (GBS) in a level two neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden, in 2014. There were five very preterm infants with severe late-onset septicaemia, and 10 further infants were colonised. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing genetic characterisation showed that one GBS strain was the cause: serotype Ia, sequence type 23, clonal complex 23. The NICU environment cultures revealed GBS reservoirs on surfaces near sick and colonised patients. We identified workflows and guidelines that could increase the risks of nosocomial infections. Conclusion: This nosocomial GBS outbreak among preterm infants demonstrates that GBS can be harboured in the NICU environment., (©2018 Foundation Acta Paediatrica. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

We report on a novel LMNA mutation (p.R471G) in a proband affected by a syndrome comprising partial lipodystrophy, insulin-resistant diabetes, acanthosis nigricans, liver steatosis, muscle weakness, and contractures. This phenotype has features of both types 1 and 2 familial partial lipodystrophy. The sister and father of the proband had the same mutation. The sister was more mildly affected and the father was apparently unaffected, demonstrating variable expressivity and reduced penetrance for this mutation., ((c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Problem: In pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia or hemolytisis elevated liver enzymes, low platelets (HELLP) syndrome, an increase of fetal DNA in the maternal serum indicates an increased lysis of fetal cells. Whether this cytolysis is the cause or the result of an increased specific cytotoxicity against the fetal cells is not yet known., Methods: Ten mothers after healthy pregnancy, eight mothers after pregnancy complicated by prematurity (GA < 37 weeks), and eight mothers with pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia or HELLP syndrome and their male children were enrolled in the study. Fetally derived DNA in the maternal serum and the specific anti-fetal cytotoxicity of the maternal lymphocytes were measured., Results: Detection of fetal DNA in maternal serum was significantly associated with pre-eclampsia/HELLP syndrome but not with anti-fetal cytotoxicity of the maternal lymphocytes., Conclusion: The cytolysis of fetal cells in mothers after pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia/HELLP syndrome is neither the reason for nor the result of an increased specific anti-fetal cytotoxicity.

Problem: The fetal immune response against the mother and the father is specifically altered. Up to now it is unclear whether the immune response between adult children and their parents is also specifically altered., Methods: Seven female and seven male adults and five male and five female newborns and all their parents were enrolled in the study. Cyotoxicity, apoptosis and proliferation properties of the parents' lymphocytes were measured against those of their children and vice versa using two-way mixed lymphocyte cultures (MLCs)., Results: The immune response of adult children against both their parents is reproducibly decreased compared with that of both parents against their children in cytotoxicity, apoptosis and proliferation, independent of sex or age., Conclusion: The cellular immune response of children is decreased against both their parents but not vice versa independent of pregnancy, age, or HLA or HY antigens. This might be acquired during pregnancy or genetically determined.