Estimated fetal weight percentile as a tool to predict collection of cord blood units with higher cellular content: implications for prenatal selection of cord blood donors.

Background: The need for high-cellular-content cord blood units (CBUs) for allogenic transplantation is evident to improve clinical outcomes. In our environment and with current donation programs, very few collected units meet suggested clinical thresholds, making collection programs highly inefficient. To increase the clinical conversion rate, we have assessed factors influencing the cellular content of the cord blood collection and established the estimated fetal weight percentile (EFWp) as a tool to predict which deliveries will obtain higher cellular counts.

Involvement of stanniocalcins in the deregulation of glycaemia in obese mice and type 2 diabetic patients.

Stanniocalcins are expressed in the pancreas tissue, and it was suggested a direct correlation between circulating insulin and STC2 concentrations in human. Here, we show a significant correlation between STC1 and both glycaemia and glycosylated haemoglobin among DM2 patients, while DM2 patients who present the greatest glycosylated haemoglobin values exhibited the lowest STC2 expression. However, treatment of patients with antiglycaemic drugs does not significantly modify the expression of both STCs.

Long-term mTOR inhibitors administration evokes altered calcium homeostasis and platelet dysfunction in kidney transplant patients.

The use of the mammal target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors has been consolidated as the therapy of election for preventing graft rejection in kidney transplant patients, despite their immunosuppressive activity is less strong than anti-calcineurin agents like tacrolimus and cyclosporine A. Furthermore, as mTOR is widely expressed, rapamycin (a macrolide antibiotic produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus) is recommended in patients presenting neoplasia due to its antiproliferative actions. Hence, we have investigated whether rapamycin presents side effects in the physiology of other cell types different from leucocytes, such as platelets.