BackgroundHuman amniotic fluid stem (hAFS) cells have become an attractive stem cell source for medical therapy due to both their ability to propagate as stem cells and the lack of ethical debate that comes with the use of embryonic stem cells. Although techniques to derive stem cells from amniotic fluid are available, the techniques have limitations for clinical uses, including a requirement of long periods of time for stem cell production, population heterogeneity and xeno-contamination from using animal antibody-coated magnetic beads. Herein we describe a novel isolation method that fits for hAFS derivation for cell-based therapy.Methods and ResultsWith our method, single hAFS cells generate colonies in a primary culture of amniotic fluid cells. Individual hAFS colonies are then expanded by subculturing in order to make a clonal hAFS cell line. This method allows derivation of a substantial amount of a pure stem cell population within a short period of time. Indeed, 108 cells from a clonal hAFS line can be derived in two weeks using our method, while previous techniques require two months. The resultant hAFS cells show a 2-5 times greater proliferative ability than with previous techniques and a population doubling time of 0.8 days. The hAFS cells exhibit typical hAFS cell characteristics including the ability to differentiate into adipogenic-, osteogenic- and neurogenic lineages, expression of specific stem cell markers including Oct4, SSEA4, CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105 and CD133, and maintenance of a normal karyotype over long culture periods.ConclusionsWe have created a novel hAFS cell derivation method that can produce a vast amount of high quality stem cells within a short period of time. Our technique makes possibility for providing autogenic fetal stem cells and allogeneic cells for future cell-based therapy.

Following a prenatal diagnosis of a non-lethal anomaly, both the nature and the intensity of the psychological distress experienced by pregnant women change throughout the remainder of their pregnancy. Throughout the remainder of their pregnancy, these women should be offered effective psychological support that accounts for each of the distinct psychological response stages identified in this study.

A case of severe twin-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) which developed at menstrual age of 17 weeks underwent a fetoscopic laser ablation of the anastomosing vessels. The vascular equator of the anastomoses was noticed to be deviated due to marginal cord insertion of the recipient fetus. The procedure was accomplished uneventfully. However, the recipient fetus died 6 h after the procedure. After the pregnancy was terminated, the donor was found to be counterintuitively plethoric, and the recipient was pale. Similar appearances were noted on the placental territories of each fetus. This is consistent with reverse TTTS. Dye injection study and microscopic examination revealed a residual deep vein-vein anastomosis. This subchorionic vascular connection is still a challenge to coagulate with current placental surgery techniques. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first confirmed case of reverse TTTS as a cause of fetal loss following laser photocoagulation. This report also discusses the technical considerations in the complicated case of in utero placental surgery for TTTS.

<b><i>Background:</i></b> A low-fidelity fetoscopic surgical simulator (FSS) for training of selective fetoscopic laser photocoagulation (SFLP) was developed. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> To evaluate and compare training satisfaction with an FSS and with a conventional box trainer (BT). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The BT consisted of a cleaned human placenta attached to the inside of a plastic storage box with a watertight lock cover and an ultrasound-transparent rubber skin. The FSS consisted of the replica of a monochorionic twin placenta attached to the inside of a spherically shaped, ultrasound-transparent phantom. Tap water was used as an ultrasound conduction agent. Evaluation of the mannequin trainings was conducted on 8 junior maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) attending physicians and 22 MFM fellows. Training satisfaction was scored from 0 to 10 on 8 different domains. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The mean satisfaction score (±SD) with the FSS was higher than with the BT in all domains (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05). The fellows’ training satisfaction with the BT was greater than that of the attending physicians in 4 domains: tactile feedback, demonstration of chorionic vessels, feedback on performance, and overall value as learning aid (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> As evaluated by a small group of trainees, our FSS is superior to the BT in mannequin training of SFLP. However, the BT may be more useful for trainees with limited clinical experience.

Objective: To investigate the effect of volume of water intake on the length of time before the bladder is sufficiently full prior to undergoing transabdominal ultrasound. Methods: Ninety-three patients scheduled for transabdominal ultrasound were enrolled between November 2007 and April 2008 and randomly allocated to 3 study groups by volume of water intake: 300, 400, and 500 mL. The total waiting time was recorded when the bladder was sufficiently full to undergo transabdominal ultrasound. The final bladder volume was measured using three-dimensional ultrasound. Results: Mean waiting times were 68.65 ± 30.12 min, 64.2 ± 26.18 min, and 54.38 ± 12.75 min for patients ingesting 300, 400, and 500 mL of water, respectively (P = 0.060). The final bladder volumes for the 3 groups were not statistically different (263.06 ± 99.21 mL, 275.37 ± 113.05 ml, and 316.17 ± 101.31 mL; P = 0.113). Conclusion: Differences in the volume of water ingested in the range of 300-500 mL did not affect the waiting time before undergoing transabdominal ultrasound.

Aim: To investigate the factors influencing decisions concerning prenatal diagnosis (PND) and termination of pregnancy for β-thalassemia in Thai pregnant women. Methods: A total of 142 Thai Buddhist pregnant women waiting for PND were asked to undertake semistructured interviews regarding their reasons for PND and their decisions and reasoning concerning pregnancy if the fetus was found to be affected. The interviews were analyzed using a thematic content approach. Results: Thai pregnant women accepted PND for three reasons: to know whether their pregnancies were affected, to confirm that their pregnancies were unaffected and to terminate if their pregnancies were affected. Three decisions identified among the women were to terminate the pregnancy, to continue the pregnancy and undecided. The interview analysis identified five themes and nine sub-themes affecting pregnancy-related decision-making: (i) quality of life (suffering or no disability); (ii) burden (difficulty or acceptability); (iii) sense of motherhood (the best way for the child or I cannot hurt my child); (iv) significant others (support to terminate, support to continue or support to wait for the test result) and (v) conflict in deciding. Conclusion: An acceptance of PND in Thai pregnant women was not always associated with pregnancy termination. Multiple factors influenced the decision to terminate, but not their religious affiliation.

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