Age-restricted functional and developmental differences of neonatal platelets.

Background: Developmental ontogeny of neonatal thrombopoiesis retains characteristics that are distinct from adults although molecular mechanisms remain unestablished.

Methods: We applied multiparameter quantitative platelet responses with integrated ribosome profiling/transcriptomic studies to better define gene/pathway perturbations regulating the neonatal-to-adult transition. A bioinformatics pipeline was developed to identify stable, neonatal-restricted platelet biomarkers for clinical application.

Maternal Heart Failure.

Heart failure (HF) remains the most common major cardiovascular complication arising in pregnancy and the postpartum period. Mothers who develop HF have been shown to experience an increased risk of death as well as a variety of adverse cardiac and obstetric outcomes. Recent studies have demonstrated that the risk to neonates is significant, with increased risks in perinatal morbidity and mortality, low Apgar scores, and prolonged neonatal intensive care unit stays.

Shear-Induced Platelet Activation is Sensitive to Age and Calcium Availability: A Comparison of Adult and Cord Blood.

Introduction: Antiplatelet therapy for neonates and infants is often extrapolated from the adult experience, based on limited observation of agonist-induced neonatal platelet hypoactivity and poor understanding of flow shear-mediated platelet activation. Therefore, thrombotic events due to device-associated disturbed flow are inadequately mitigated in critically ill neonates with indwelling umbilical catheters and infants receiving cardiovascular implants.

Methods: Whole blood (WB), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and gel-filtered platelets (GFP) were prepared from umbilical cord and adult blood, and exposed to biochemical agonists or pathological shear stress of 70 dyne/cm.

Risk Factors and Timing of Acute Myocardial Infarction Associated With Pregnancy: Insights From the National Inpatient Sample.

Background Pregnancy increases the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The purpose of this study was to examine timing and risk factors for AMI in pregnancy and poor outcome. Methods and Results National Inpatient Sample (2003-2015) was screened in pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum.

Postpartum Cardiovascular Outcomes Among Women With Heart Disease from A Nationwide Study.

There is limited data on postpartum maternal postpartum major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) among women with heart disease (HD) in the US. Therefore, we aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors of MACCE in the US. The Nationwide Readmissions Databases (2010 to 2014) were screened for patients with and without HD undergoing delivery.

Neonatal and Maternal Outcomes in Pregnant Women With Cardiac Disease.

Background Pregnant women with underlying heart disease ( HD ) are at increased risk for adverse maternal, obstetric, and neonatal outcomes. Methods and Results Inpatient maternal delivery admissions and linked neonatal stays for women with cardiomyopathy, adult congenital HD, pulmonary hypertension ( PH ), and valvular HD were explored utilizing the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (New York), January 1, 2000, through December 31, 2014, with the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). Maternal major adverse cardiac events, neonatal adverse clinical events ( NACE ), and obstetric complications were recorded.

Anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor targeting of CD19 + acute myeloid leukemia.

Aberrant expression of CD19 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is commonly associated with t(8;21)(q22;q22), although AML cases lacking this translocation occasionally express CD19. Mixed-phenotype acute leukemia also frequently expresses CD19. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology is a major breakthrough for cancer treatment, with the recent approval of CD19-directed CAR (CD19CAR) for treating B-cell malignancies.

Pregnant women with heart disease: Placental characteristics and their association with fetal adverse events.

Background: Pregnant women with heart disease (HD) have higher rates of adverse fetal outcomes. We describe placental pathologic characteristics and their association with fetal events.

Methods: In pregnant women, known HD were categorized into: (1) cardiomyopathy (CM) or (2) other HD (congenital, coronary, arrhythmia, or valvular).

Identification of a potent small molecule capable of regulating polyploidization, megakaryocyte maturation, and platelet production.

Background: Megakaryocytic cell maturation involves polyploidization, and megakaryocyte (MK) ploidy correlates with their maturation and platelet production. Retardation of MK maturation is closely associated with poor MK engraftment after cord blood transplantation and neonatal thrombocytopenia. Despite the high prevalence of thrombocytopenia in a range of setting that affect infants to adults, there are still very limited modalities of treatment.

Usefulness of two clinical chorioamnionitis definitions in predicting neonatal infectious outcomes: a systematic review.

Objective: To assess the usefulness of two definitions of acute clinical chorioamnionitis (ACCA) in predicting risk of neonatal infectious outcomes (NIO) and mortality, the first definition requiring maternal fever alone (Fever), and the second requiring ≥ 1 Gibbs criterion besides fever (Fever + 1).

Study Design: PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched from January 1, 1979 to April 9, 2013. Twelve studies were reviewed (of 316 articles identified): three studies with term patients, four with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) patients, and five mixed studies with mixed gestational ages and/or membrane status (intact and/or ruptured).

Direct Conversion of Cord Blood CD34+ Cells Into Neural Stem Cells by OCT4.

Unlabelled: : Cellular reprogramming or conversion is a promising strategy to generate desired stem cell types from somatic cells. Neural stem cells (NSCs) have the potential to regenerate central nervous system tissue and repair damage in response to injury. However, NSCs are difficult to isolate from human tissues and expand in sufficient quantities for therapy.

Enhancing bone marrow regeneration by SALL4 protein.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are widely used in transplantation therapy to treat a variety of blood diseases. The success of hematopoietic recovery is of high importance and closely related to the patient's morbidity and mortality after Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We have previously shown that SALL4 is a potent stimulator for the expansion of human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in vitro.

High-resolution imaging diagnosis of human fetal membrane by three-dimensional optical coherence tomography.

Microscopic chorionic pseudocyst (MCP) arising in the chorion leave of the human fetal membrane (FM) is a clinical precursor for preeclampsia which may progress to fatal medical conditions (e.g., abortion) if left untreated.

Association of smoking with wound complications after cesarean delivery.

Objective: To determine whether smoking is an independent risk factor for wound dehiscence after cesarean delivery.

Methods: In this case-control study, medical records were reviewed for all patients with wound dehiscence after cesarean delivery during a 7-month period. Wound dehiscence was defined as separation of wound edges requiring treatment.

SALL4 is a robust stimulator for the expansion of hematopoietic stem cells.

HSCs are rare cells that have the unique ability to self-renew and differentiate into cells of all hematopoietic lineages. The lack of donors and current inability to rapidly and efficiently expand HSCs are roadblocks in the development of successful cell therapies. Thus, the challenge of ex vivo human HSC expansion remains a fertile and critically important area of investigation.

Soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) and endogenous secretory RAGE (esRAGE) in amniotic fluid: modulation by infection and inflammation.

Objective: The receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) has been proposed to participate in the innate and adaptive immune responses. RAGE can induce production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, as well as neutrophil chemotaxis in a manner that may be suppressed or stimulated by soluble, truncated forms of RAGE including the soluble form of RAGE (sRAGE) and endogenous secretory RAGE (esRAGE). The objective of this study was to determine whether intra-amniotic infection/inflammation (IAI) is associated with changes in the amniotic fluid concentration of sRAGE and esRAGE.

Idiopathic nodular glomerulosclerosis is a distinct clinicopathologic entity linked to hypertension and smoking.

Idiopathic nodular glomerulosclerosis (ING) is an enigmatic condition that resembles nodular diabetic glomerulosclerosis but occurs in nondiabetic patients. We reviewed clinicopathologic features, immunohistochemical profiles, and outcomes in 23 patients with ING diagnosed from among 5,073 native renal biopsy samples (0.45%) at Columbia University from January 1996 to March 2001.