Antioxidant Preconditioning Improves the Paracrine Responsiveness of Mouse Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Diabetic Wound Fluid.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising therapeutic tool for the treatment of nonhealing diabetic wounds. The pathological nature of the niche microenvironment limits the use of autologous cell therapy in diabetic patients. Prolonged exposure of endogenous MSCs to a pathological microenvironment in vivo reduces their ability to respond to environmental cues.

Can support and education for smoking cessation and reduction be provided effectively by midwives within primary maternity care?

Objective: To test the hypothesis that appropriate interventions delivered by midwives within usual primary maternity care, can assist women to stop or reduce the amount they smoke and facilitate longer duration of breast feeding.

Design, Setting And Participants: In a cluster randomised trial of smoking education and breast-feeding interventions in the lower North Island, New Zealand, midwives were stratified by locality and randomly allocated into a control group and three intervention groups. The control group provided usual care.

Smoking cessation in New Zealand: education and resources for use by midwives for women who smoke during pregnancy.

This study describes the development and evaluation of education programmes and associated resource materials to support smoking cessation and reduction, and breastfeeding promotion strategies for pregnant women who smoke, during usual primary maternity care by midwives. Education programmes and resource materials were developed by midwives and researchers as part of a cluster randomized trial of Midwifery Education for Women who Smoke (the MEWS study). Development included a cohort study, advice from lactation consultants and smoking cessation counsellors (including Ma-ori professionals), and early consultation with midwives who would be delivering the programmes.

Late antenatal carriage of group B Streptococcus by New Zealand women.

Objectives: To determine in New Zealand women the prevalence of group B Streptococcus (GBS) carriage late in pregnancy and to identify GBS colonisation risk factors, antibiotic susceptibility and serotype distribution.

Design: Prospective, observational study.

Setting: Community and hospital antenatal clinics in Wellington and Auckland during 1998-1999.