Do foetal transplant studies continue to be justified in Huntington’s disease?

Early CNS transplantation studies used foetal derived cell products to provide a foundation of evidence for functional recovery in preclinical studies and early clinical trials. However, it was soon recognised that the practical limitations of foetal tissue make it unsuitable for widespread clinical use. Considerable effort has since been directed towards producing target cell phenotypes from pluripotent stem cells (PSC) instead, and there now exist several publications detailing the differentiation and characterisation of PSC derived products relevant for transplantation in Huntington’s disease (HD). In light of this progress, we ask if foetal tissue transplantation continues to be justified in HD research. We argue that (i) the extent to which accurately differentiated target cells can presently be produced from PSCs is still unclear, currently making them undesirable for studying wider CNS transplantation issues; (ii) foetal derived cells remain a valuable tool in pre-clinical research for advancing our understanding of which products produce functional striatal grafts and as a reference to further improve PSC derived products; and (iii) until PSC derived products are ready for human trials, it is important to continue using foetal cells to gather clinical evidence that transplantation is a viable option in HD and to use this opportunity to optimise practical parameters (such as trial design, clinical practices, and delivery strategies) to pave the way for future PSC derived products.

Congenital infection of SARS-CoV-2 with intrauterine foetal death: a clinicopathological study with molecular analysis

Observations of vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection from mother to foetus have recently been described in the literature. However, the consequences of such transmission, whether foetal or neonatal, are poorly understood. From a case of in utero foetal death at 24 +2 weeks of gestation that occurred seven days after the diagnosis of symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in the mother, we isolated the incriminating virus by immunochemistry and molecular techniques in several foetal tissues, with a variant analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. Moreover, the foetal demise could be explained by the presence of placental histological lesions, such as histiocytic intervillositis and trophoblastic necrosis, in addition to foetal tissue damage. We observed mild foetal growth retardation and visceral damage to the liver, causing hepatocellular damage and haemosiderosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature of foetal demise secondary to maternal-foetal transmission of SARS-CoV-2 with a congenital infection and a pathological description of placental and foetal tissue damage. SARS-CoV-2 was identified in both specimens by three independent techniques (immunochemistry, RT-qPCR and RT-dPCR). Furthermore, the incriminating variant has been identified.

A review on gestational trophoblastic disease

Molar pregnancy occurs when the fertilization of the egg by the sperm goes wrong and leads to the growth of abnormal cells or clusters of water filled sacs inside the womb. This condition is one of a group of conditions known as gestational trophoblastic tumours (GTTs). Molar pregnancies used to be called hydatidiform mole but now most people call them molar pregnancies. Molar pregnancies are rare but they are the most common type of gestational trophoblastic tumour. In the UK, about 1 in 590 pregnancies is a molar pregnancy. In Asian women, molar pregnancies are about twice as common as in Caucasian women. Most molar pregnancies are benign. They can spread beyond the womb in some women, but are still curable. Molar pregnancies can either be complete or partial. In case of complete mole, no parts of foetal tissue are formed. In case of partial mole there may be some foetal tissue in the womb, alongside the molar tissue. By measuring the levels of ?hCG in blood and urine in high dilution helps to diagnose a molar pregnancy; an ultrasound scan can also diagnose many women with molar pregnancy. The molar tissue needs to be surgically removed. Afterwards, in around 10 to 15 out of 100 women, some molar tissue remains in the deeper tissues of the womb or other parts of the body. This is called a persistent gestational tumour. Invasive mole, choriocarcinoma, and placental site trophoblastic tumor (PSTT) termed as “gestational trophoblastic neoplasia” (GTN), which can progress, invade, metastasize, and lead to death if left untreated.These women need to have chemotherapy completely get rid of the abnormal cells.Bangladesh Med J. 2015 Jan; 44 (1): 51-56