The Stigma and Infertility-Related Stress of Chinese Infertile Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the stigma status of infertile women in China and to determine the influencing factors. METHODS: 366 infertile women from the gynecological and reproductive departments of two tertiary hospitals completed socio-demographic questionnaires, the Infertility Stigma Scale (ISS) and the Mandarin Fertility Problem Inventory (M-FPI). RESULTS: The scores of stigma and infertility-related stress in infertile women were (52.51 ± 17.74) and (150.03 ± 17.51), respectively. Multiple regression analysis found that location of residence, regarding children as the most important thing in life, talking to others about infertility and infertility-related stress were the main influencing factors of stigma in infertile women, which explained 17.3% of the total variance. CONCLUSIONS: In the current study, the level of stigma in women with infertility was at the middle range. Location of residence, regarding children as the most important thing in life, whether to talk with others about infertility and infertility-related stress were the four main influencing factors of stigma.

Effect of the Caregivers-to-Caregivers Training Programme on informed caregivers of persons with mental disorders: A pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Many people with mental disorders are cared for by informed caregivers, but they usually have limited care-related training and lack caregiving capacity and support networks. In order to provide professional training and social support for informed caregivers, we designed the Caregivers-to-Caregivers Training Programme (C2C) and performed a pilot study to assess its effect. METHODS: Caregivers of persons with mental disorders who participated in the C2C were asked to participate in a quasi-experimental study to assess their knowledge and skills development, self-care ability, trainer engagement, and training content. A total of 800 participants completed self-designed evaluation questionnaires and two open-ended questions to gather suggestions and feedback. Assessments were carried out at pretest (baseline), post-test, and at 2-month follow-up. Results were analyzed using one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and pairwise comparison method. RESULTS: At post-test, 667 assessments were considered valid and 515 were deemed valid at 2-month follow-up. One-way repeated-measures ANOVA showed that the main effect of the scores on knowledge and skills development and self-care ability from baseline to 2-month follow-up was significant (p < .001). Results of pairwise comparison method showed that the scores on each item of knowledge and skills development and self-care ability at post-test and at 2-month follow up were higher than those at baseline (p < .001). The scores on items of trainer engagement and training content were all above average (4/5). The open-ended questions resulted in 678 comments indicating that participants gained significant support from other caregivers and healthcare professionals in the alliance and wanted more and continuously updated material. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that C2C effectively improved the development of caregivers' knowledge, skills, and their self-care ability. Available social support for caregivers was better than average, including professional support and peer support.

Factors associated with postpartum women's knowledge, attitude and practice regarding human milk banks and milk donation: A cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Breast milk is the optimal method of human nutrition, and donor human milk is often needed to reduce the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis and septicemia in preterm infants and improve their survival rate. Donor human milk is recommended as the first alternative when mothers' milk is not available. The establishment of human milk banks is of great significance to promote the breastfeeding of preterm infants. However, there are insufficient studies on human milk banks and milk donation in China. OBJECTIVES: (1) To investigate postpartum women's knowledge, attitude and practice regarding human milk banks and milk donation and to analyze the influencing factors. (2) To explore reasons why postpartum women reject milk donation and donor milk. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from February 2019 to July 2019 at two hospitals in Wuhan, a large city in central China. PARTICIPANTS: Mothers who returned to hospital for postpartum follow-up within six months participated in this survey (N = 1078). METHODS: Questionnaires were used to obtain sociodemographic data and to determine participants' knowledge, attitude and practice regarding human milk banks and milk donation. FINDINGS: Of the respondents, 216 (20%) had prior knowledge of human milk banks and milk donation. For the sub-domain of knowledge, the item with the highest correct response rate was the benefit of breast milk, and the item with the lowest correct rate was the acceptance of donor human milk. For the sub-domain of attitude, 811(75.3%) of participants held a supportive attitude for the establishment of human milk banks, and 877(81.3%) were supportive of donating breast milk while 412 (38.3%) were supportive of accepting donor human milk. For the sub-domain of practice, the practice of milk donation was not optimistic as participants lacked interest in donating breast milk and spreading knowledge of breast milk banks, and only 28.3% of participants indicated that they would donate breast milk continuously. Participants' age, educational background, weight of the newborn and having prior knowledge of human milk banks were factors that could positively predict their knowledge, attitude and practice associated with human milk banks and milk donation; medication usage during pregnancy or lactation was a factor negatively predicting their knowledge about human milk banks and milk donation. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that a majority of postpartum women are supportive of human milk banks and more willing to donate breast milk than receive donor milk. Lack of knowledge about human milk banks and safety concerns are the main factors hindering postpartum women from donating or accepting donor milk. Findings suggest that it is important to enhance public awareness regarding human milk banks as potential resources for life-saving therapy for preterm infants.This information should be disseminated during the early stage of the establishment of human milk banks. Moreover, health education of pregnant women should include the importance of human milk as well as the alternative and safety of donor milk from milk banks, especially for promoting the health of preterm infants and infants who are unable to receive mothers' breastmilk.

Expression of Human Lactoferrin cDNA in Insect Cells.

A transfer plasmid p8hLFc harboring human lactoferrin cDNA was constructed and co-transfected with Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus ( AcNPV BacPAK6 ) DNA into Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf) cells. The recombinant virus AcNPV-hLFc was identified and purified three times by dot hybridization and plaques screening. The expression of human lactoferrin cDNA in insect cells was detected by Western blotting. The expression level of lactoferrin is about 2% of insect cellular total soluble proteins, and an amount of 9.5 mg/L lactoferrin is secreted into culture medium. Recombinant lactoferrin purified with affinity chromatography comigrates with human milk lactoferrin on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. In addition, the ration of A value at ultraviolet A(280)/A(465) shows that the recombinant protein possesses iron-binding capacity.

High Expression in Insect Cells of A Functional Chimeric Antibody with Specificity for HBsAg.

We have constructed a double-recombinant virus BacHL4.2 containing both the chimeric heavy- and light-chain cDNAs from monoclonal antibody of the HBsAg gene. Both murine-human chimeric antibody heavy- and light-chain were expressed in Sf9 cells infected with a double-recombinant virus BacHL4.2 or co-infected with separate heavy- and light-chain recombinant viruses. In both cases, expressed products were correctly assembled into normal H(2)L(2) immunoglobulin monomers. ELISA and functional immunoblot assay showed that the recombinant chimeric antibody exhibited a specificity for HBsAg similar to that of the parental murine monoclonal antibody OH3.

Separate Expression and Characterization of the Heavy- and the Light-chain of A HBsAg Specific Murine-human Chimeric Antibody in Insect Cells.

Both the heavy- and light-chain of a murine-human chimeric antibody with specificity for hepatitis B virus surface antigen have been expressed separately in a baculovirus expression system. The heavy- and light-chain variable region (VH and VL) genes encoding the marine-monoclonal antibody OH3 were combined with human gamma3 and kappa constant region genes to construct the murine-human chimeric genes, respectively. The transfer vectors containing the chimeric genes were cotransfected into Sf9 cells with linearized virus DNA and recombinant viruses were isolated by dot hybridization, PCR and Southern blot analysis. The chimeric heavy- and light-chain was expressed respectively in the recombinant viruses-infected insect cells and the characterization by Western blot and competitive ELISA demonstrated that both of the expressed chimeric heavy- and light-chain have the specificity of HBsAg binding.