Non-Invasive Prenatal Fetal Blood Group Genotype and Its Application in the Management of Hemolytic Disease of Fetus and Newborn: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Hemolytic disease of fetus and newborn (HDFN) imposes great healthcare burden being associated with maternal alloimmunization against parental-inherited fetal red blood cell antigens causing fetal anemia or death. Noninvasive prenatal analysis (NIPT) provides safe fetal RHD genotyping for early identification of risk pregnancies and proper management guidance. We aimed to conduct systematic review and meta-analysis on NIPT's beneficial application, in conjunction with quantitative maternal alloantibody analysis, for early diagnosis of pregnancies at risk. Search for relevant articles was done in; PubMed/Medline, Scopus, and Ovid (January 2006April 2020), including only English-written articles reporting reference tests and accuracy data. Nineteen eligible studies were critically appraised. NIPT was estimated highly sensitive/specific for fetal RHD genotyping beyond 11-week gestation. Amplifications from ≥2 exons are optimum to increase accuracy. NIPT permits cost-effectiveness, precious resources sparing, and low emotional stress. Knowledge of parental ethnicity is important for correct NIPT result interpretations and quantitative screening. Cut-off titer ≥8-up-to-32 is relevant for anti-D alloantibodies, while, lower titer is for anti-K. Alloimmunization is influenced by maternal RHD status, gravida status, and history of adverse obstetrics. In conclusion, NIPT allows evidence-based provision of routine anti-D immunoprophylaxis and estimates potential fetal risks for guiding further interventions. Future large-scale studies investigating NIPT's non-RHD genotyping within different ethnic groups and in presence of clinically significant alloantibodies are needed.     

Bone mineral density changes after parathyroidectomy are dependent on biochemical profile

Background

Bone mineral density (BMD) has been found to improve after parathyroidectomy (PTX) in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. There are few data on the effect of PTX on BMD in normocalcemic and normohormonal primary hyperparathyroidism.

Could a national oral health promotion program improve the oral hygiene of persons attending special care establishments in France? Evaluation of a pilot program

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an oral health promotion intervention implemented in special care establishments by dentists trained online. Twenty‐six dentists intervening in 27 French special care establishments undertook a standardised oral health promotion intervention, including a conference presentation for care staff and hands‐on toothbrushing workshops. Oral hygiene status of the residents was performed at baseline and at 6 months, and were compared using the McNemar test. Mixed logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with an improvement of dental plaque removal. The oral health intervention was completed by 890 residents: 445 children, 373 adults and 72 elderly adults. At baseline, dental plaque was observed for 79.8% of the 797 dentate residents. Among the 691 dentate residents included in the final analysis, dental plaque removal was improved for 34%. Improvement in dental plaque removal was recorded more often for the group of 13 to 20‐year‐old residents (OR = 1.97; 95% CI = 1.15–3.38). The results indicate that this programme failed to significantly improve the dental plaque removal of the residents. More research is needed to understand the limiting factors of such interventions.     

Nationwide Qualitative Study of Practice Leader Perspectives on What It Takes to Transform into a Patient-Centered Medical Home

BackgroundDespite widespread adoption of patient-centered medical home (PCMH), little is known about why practices pursue PCMH and what is needed to undergo transformation.ObjectiveExamine reasons practices obtained and maintained PCMH recognition and what resources were needed.DesignQualitative study of practice leader perspectives on PCMH transformation, based on a random sample of primary care practices engaged in PCMH transformation, stratified by US region, practice size, PCMH recognition history, and practice use of Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS®) PCMH survey.Participants105 practice leaders from 294 sampled practices (36% response rate).ApproachContent analysis of interviews with practice leaders to identify themes.ResultsMost practice leaders had local control of PCMH transformation decisions, even if practices adopted quality initiatives under the direction of an organization or network. Financial incentives, being in a statewide effort, and the intrinsic desire to improve care or experiences were the most common reasons practice leaders decided to obtain PCMH recognition and pursue associated care delivery changes. Leadership support and direction were highlighted as essential throughout PCMH transformation. Practice leaders reported needing specialized staff knowledge and significant resources to meet PCMH requirements, including staff knowledgeable about how to implement PCMH changes, track and monitor improvements, and navigate implementation of simultaneous changes, and staff with specific quality improvement (QI) expertise related to evaluating changes and scaling-up programs.ConclusionPCMH efforts necessitated support and assistance to frontline, on-site practice leaders leading care delivery changes. Such change efforts should include financial incentives (e.g., direct payment or additional reimbursement), leadership direction and support, and internal or external staff with experience with the PCMH application process, implementation changes, and QI expertise in monitoring process and outcome data. Policies that recognize and meet the needs of on-site practice leaders will better promote primary care practice transformation and move practices further toward their PCMH transformation goals.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s11606-020-06052-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.KEY WORDS: practice transformation, quality improvement, leadership, primary care     

Amniotic Membrane Transplant for Bullous Keratopathy: Confocal Microscopy & Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography

Purpose: To assess amniotic membrane retention after amniotic membrane transplant in bullous keratopathy patients and whether there were any corneal structural changes that may hinder further penetrating keratoplasty

Methods: A retrospective study including 22 patients who have undergone amniotic membrane transplant from 1 Jan 1998 till 30 Jun 2016. Confocal microscopy and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (ASOCT) were performed to assess the retention of amniotic membrane and to detect any corneal structural changes. The comparison was made with 5 controls who had bullous keratopathy awaiting endothelial keratoplasty.

Results: Patients had a mean follow-up of 61 ± 33.7 months. Pain reduction was significant (p < .001) although it did not significantly correlate with the regularity of the superficial, intermediate or basal epithelial layers, nor with the retention of the amniotic membrane. No long-term structural changes that may hinder future penetrating keratoplasty were detected.

Conclusion: This procedure is a safe and effective long-term treatment for symptomatic bullous keratopathy patients.     

The peopling of Greenland: further insights from the analysis of genetic diversity using autosomal and X-chromosomal markers

The peopling of Greenland has a complex history shaped by population migrations, isolation and genetic drift. The Greenlanders present a genetic heritage with components of European and Inuit groups; previous studies using uniparentally inherited markers in Greenlanders have reported evidence of a sex-biased, admixed genetic background. This work further explores the genetics of the Greenlanders by analysing autosomal and X-chromosomal data to obtain deeper insights into the factors that shaped the genetic diversity in Greenlanders. Fourteen Greenlandic subsamples from multiple geographical settlements were compared to assess the level of genetic substructure in the Greenlandic population. The results showed low levels of genetic diversity in all sets of the genetic markers studied, together with an increased number of X-chromosomal loci in linkage disequilibrium in relation to the Danish population. In the broader context of worldwide populations, Greenlanders are remarkably different from most populations, but they are genetically closer to some Inuit groups from Alaska. Admixture analyses identified an Inuit component in the Greenlandic population of approximately 80%. The sub-populations of Ammassalik and Nanortalik are the least diverse, presenting the lowest levels of European admixture. Isolation-by-distance analyses showed that only 16% of the genetic substructure of Greenlanders is most likely to be explained by geographic barriers. We suggest that genetic drift and a differentiated settlement history around the island explain most of the genetic substructure of the population in Greenland.