Evaluation of factors affecting total nucleated cells in umbilical cord blood collected for the Calabria cord blood bank

BACKGROUND

Total nucleated cell (TNC) count is the most important biological feature to consider in assessing the quality of umbilical cord blood (UCB) for haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation. Certain obstetric factors have been reported to increase TNC count in UCB units collected for transplantation. The aim of our study was to analyze how various maternal, neonatal and obstetric factors affected TNC count in the UCBs we collected for our cord blood bank in southern Italy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We performed a retrospective analysis of 634 medical records of UCBs collected by Calabria Cord Blood Bank (CCBB), between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2016. We analyzed various maternal, neonatal and obstetric variables factors and related this factor with the characteristic of TNC.

RESULTS

We found that the average number of TNCs was significantly greater in vaginal delivery than in caesarean delivery. We also found that TNCs were higher in the 40th week of pregnancy and when Apgar 1' scores were ≤ 9. The effect of a newborn's gender was less evident on TNC count.

CONCLUSIONS

Knowledge of factors predictive of a higher TNC count would help cord blood banks more efficiently identify donors likely to yield high-quality UCBs for transplantation.

The Use of a High-Tech Knee Pad for Reduction of the Postoperative Effusion after Total Knee Arthroplasty

Purpose  After total knee arthroplasty (TKA), pain and swelling, especially in older and less cooperative patients, can limit the retrieval of a good range of motion and muscle tone and consequently the achievement of an optimal function outcome. A high-tech knee pad made of metal fibers emitting infrared energy was used in a group of patients undergoing TKA to assess its efficacy in the postoperative period with respect to a group with a placebo.

Methods  Twelve patients used knee pads after surgery for 3 weeks and were evaluated using visual analog scale (VAS), Knee Society Rating Score, Cincinnati Knee Rating Score, and painkillers at specific timings.

Results  At 3 weeks, all scores improved in a significant manner in the treated group compared with the placebo group. At 2 months after surgery, VAS was better in the study group than the control group, whereas other parameters were similar. However, the use of rescue drugs was less in the study group than in the placebo group.

Conclusion  A high-tech knee pad may contribute to a faster recovery within the first week after a knee replacement, limiting the use of painkillers and allowing a quick functional recovery by the control of pain and postoperative effusion.

Level of Evidence  Level II, randomized prospective study with small sample size.

Micronutrient profiles in HIV-1-infected heterosexual adults

There is compelling evidence that micronutrients can profoundly affect immunity. We surveyed vitamin supplement use and circulating concentrations of 22 nutrients and glutathione in 64 HIV-1 seropositive men and women and 33 seronegative controls participating in a study of heterosexual HIV-1 transmission. We assayed antioxidants (vitamins A, C, and E; total carotenes), vitamins B6 and B12, folate, thiamin, niacin, biotin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, free and total choline and carnitine, biopterin, inositol, copper, zinc, selenium, and magnesium. HIV-infected patients had lower mean circulating concentrations of magnesium (p < 0.0001), total carotenes (p = 0.009), total choline (p = 0.002), and glutathione (p = 0.045), and higher concentrations of niacin (p < 0.0001) than controls. Fifty-nine percent of HIV+ patients had low concentrations of magnesium, compared with 9% of controls (p < 0.0001). These abnormal concentrations were unrelated to stage of disease. Participants who took vitamin supplements had consistently fewer low concentrations of antioxidants, across HIV infection status and disease stage strata (p = 0.0006). Nevertheless, 29% of the HIV+ patients taking supplemental vitamins had subnormal levels of one or more antioxidants. The frequent occurrence of abnormal micronutrient nutriture, as found in these HIV+ subjects, may contribute to disease pathogenesis. The low magnesium concentrations may be particularly relevant to HIV-related symptoms of fatigue, lethargy, and impaired mentation.

Psychological distress, drug and alcohol use as correlates of condom use in HIV-serodiscordant heterosexual couples

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between psychological distress, alcohol, drug and condom use in HIV-serodiscordant heterosexual couples.

METHODS

Structured interviews were conducted to collect demographic information, detailed data on psychological distress, drug and alcohol use and sexual behavior.

RESULTS

Analyses were based on 106 pairs of sexually active discordant couples. Significant differences among heterosexual condom users and non-users varied according to gender and HIV serostatus. Affect domains of interpersonal sensitivity and hostility were significant, as were the variables of regular drug or alcohol use and combining sex with drugs or alcohol. Employment was strongly associated with condom use in HIV-negative women whose regular sexual partners were HIV-positive men.

CONCLUSION

The risk of vaginal sex without condoms in HIV-serodiscordant heterosexual couples may be reduced by specific psychological counseling and attention to drug and alcohol use as risk factors. Further research on the effect of employment of HIV-negative women is required.

[Ciprofloxacin in the treatment of bronchopulmonary infections]

Ciprofloxacin was given orally in dosages of 250 mg or 500 mg every 12 hours for a period of 8-13 days. Most patients had chronic bronchitis in the acute stage. The favourable results achieved and the complete absence of side effects show that ciprofloxacin is a useful drug in the treatment of respiratory tract infections.

[Apical granulomas and apical root cysts of inflammatory origin. A statistical study on 328 cases observed at the Ambulatory Services of Odontostomatology of the Ospedale Martini, via Tofane 71, Turin]

328 cases of chronic tooth lesions (apical granulomas and bone cysts) were examined in the Dental Surgery of the Martini Hospital in Turin and many received a later check-up. The complete series was statistically analysed in terms of lesion frequency in the different areas of the dental arch, lesion diameters and the chances of successful surgical intervention.

[Bilateral bifid mandibular canal. Presentation of a case]

Following the fortuitous finding of a bilateral bifid mandibular canal, suspected on the basis of orthopanoramic X-ray examination, CT of the mandibular region was carried out. As a result of this investigation, a bifid conformation of the mandibular canal was unequivocably evidenced.

[Bronchoreactivity induced by physical exercise and methacholine in children with rhinitis and allergic asthma. A comparative study]

Bronchial provocation tests (TBP) allow to detect airways hyperreactivity in asthmatics. Twenty asthmatic children and sixteen rhinitics underwent a standard methacholine challenge and a free running exercise test on two separate days. Metacholine challenge pointed out bronchial hyperreactivity in 90% of the asthmatics. An exercise induced bronchospasm occurred in 70% of them. TPB resulted positive also in 18% of the rhinitics. Our study confirms diagnostic usefulness of the TBP and a good correlation between both tests.

Role of brain cholinergic system in the antihypertensive effect of clonidine in different models of rat hypertension

Acetylcholine in the central nervous system appears to be involved in some aspects of hypertension. Clonidine and methyldopa may inhibit acetylcholine (Ach) release in several brain areas. The present study was therefore designed to determine whether a depletion of brain Ach could modify the antihypertensive effect of clonidine in freely moving spontaneously hypertensive (SHR), Grollman hypertensive (GHR) and DOCA-salt hypertensive (DHR) rats. Intravenous injection of clonidine (15, 30 and 75 micrograms/kg) reduced mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) in all hypertensive animals. The hypotensive effect was more marked in SHR than in DHR and GHR. The effect was also reproducible when the drug dose was repeated 3 h later in rats pretreated with saline (5 microliters) in the lateral cerebral ventricle (i.c.v.). When clonidine administration was repeated in hypertensive animals 3 h after i.c.v. hemicholinium-3 (20 micrograms/5 microliters), the decrease in MAP and HR was significantly reduced compared with that observed in the same animals after the first injection. The data suggest that the antihypertensive effect of clonidine depends partially upon the integrity of central cholinergic neurons.

Increased cardiovascular responsiveness to GABAergic stimulation in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats

Cerebral glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) activity in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats showed a significant increase in the mesencephalon and a significant decrease in the cerebral cortex and in the cerebellum, compared to that observed in mononephrectomized normotensive animals. Intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of muscimol (0.5, 1 and 2 micrograms), a GABA receptor agonist, produced a dose-dependent decrease in heart rate (HR), significantly greater in freely moving hypertensive animals than in normotensive controls. Muscimol also reduced mean arterial pressure (MAP). The hypotensive effect induced by muscimol (2 micrograms) was significantly higher in hypertensive animals. Ethanolamine-O-sulphate (5, 10, 20 and 40 microM), an inhibitor of GABA breakdown, determined a decrease in MAP and in HR greater in hypertensive than in normotensive rats. Intraperitoneal injection of valproic acid (50-100 mg/Kg/die) for 6 weeks significantly reduced the development of DOCA-salt hypertension in rats. The anti-hypertensive effect became significant during the 4th week and was dose-dependent. DOCA-salt animals, daily treated with 50 mg/Kg of valproic acid, showed an increased pressor response to intravenous injection of phenylephrine (0.1, 0.5 and 1 microgram/Kg). Data strongly support an impairment of cerebral GABA control of blood pressure and heart rate in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats.