The red cell alloantibody, anti-U, is uncommon but is a recognised cause of haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn. We describe six pregnancies complicated by the presence of maternal anti-U, and review nine other well-documented cases. In these 15 cases severe haemolytic disease occurred only with titres of 2 1/512, and titres as high as 1/4000 were not necessarily associated with significant haemolysis. We recommend that an anti-U titre of 2 1/128 or more at 2 17 weeks of gestation is an indication for assessment of haemolysis in the fetus. Amniocentesis is the preferred initial investigation.
Recent advances in large scale production have made induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) differentiated into cardiomyocytes feasible for use in drug discovery and safety pharmacology screening efforts. Recently developed partial or fully optical assays have suffered from either low bandwidth, or low throughput. We have developed a new high-throughput cardiac excitability assay suitable for use in multiwell assay plates using photodynamic genetically encoded actuators to control cellular membrane potential and ''molecular wire''-based fluorescent voltage sensors for high-bandwidth membrane potential monitoring. Here we present data from iPSC cardiomyoctyes (CDI icells) showing nicely resolved spontaneous activity. When known modifiers of the cardiac action potential are introduced, such as the hERG-blocking compound E-4031, the expected dose-dependent lengthening of the AP is seen, as well at higher concentrations secondary depolarizations, reminiscent of early after depolarizations (EADs) are evident. When an optogenetic actuator is introduced, the cells respond accordingly to short pacing light pulses.
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