« Les biomatériaux inhibiteurs de l'adhérence et de la prolifération bactérienne : un enjeu pour la prévention des infections sur matériel prothétique »

Bacterial infections on implanted prosthetic materials represent one of the major problems of public health and one of the first causes of nosocomial infections. Infections on implanted devices are extremely resistant to antibiotics as well as to host defences and frequently persist until the removal of the implant which remains the standard therapy. In order to prevent infection, several strategies are proposed and/or developed; amongst them heparin or antibiotic impregnations were extensively studied and gave interesting results nevertheless the most promising solutions consists in synthesizing and/or grafting bioactive polymers able to inhibit bacterial adhesion.     

Noninvasive fetal RHD genotyping from maternal plasma: Use of a new developed Free DNA Fetal Kit RhD

Fetal RHD genotyping from maternal plasma was performed by real-time PCR amplification of exons 7 and 10 of the RHD gene and the amplified products were detected either with SYBR Green I dye according to our previously published method [Mol Diagn 8 (2004) 23–31] or with hydrolysis probes in a new Free DNA Fetal Kit RhD^®. Plasma specimen from 300 RhD-negative pregnant women (between 10 to 34 weeks of gestation) were analysed and validation of the results was ascertained either by RHD genotyping on amniotic cells or by blood typing of the neonate at birth. We found 100% concordant results when comparing the two methods. Two false-positive but no false-negative results were found. Thus, the sensitivity of the assay was 100% and the specificity superior than 99%. These data confirm the accuracy of fetal RHD genotyping on maternal plasma using the Free DNA Fetal Kit RhD^®, thus allowing to propose non invasive PCR-based fetal RHD genotyping for all RhD-negative pregnant women and to restrict the use of anti-D immunoglobulins only to those bearing an RhD-positive fetus.