Microfluidic blood plasma separation for medical diagnostics: is it worth it?

Circulating biomarkers are on the verge of becoming powerful diagnostic tools for various human diseases. However, the complex sample composition makes it difficult to detect biomarkers directly from blood at the bench or at the point-of-care. Blood cells are often a source of variability of the biomarker signal. While the interference of hemoglobin is a long known source of variability, the release of nucleic acids and other cellular components from hemocytes is a new concern for measurement and detection of circulating extracellular markers. Research into miniaturised blood plasma separation has been thriving in the last 10 years (2006-2016). Most point-of-care systems need microscale blood plasma separation, but developed solutions differ in complexity and sample volume range. But could blood plasma separation be avoided completely? This focused review weights the advantages and limits of miniaturised blood plasma separation and highlights the most interesting advances in direct capture as well as smart blood plasma separation.

[Ways of delivery after cesarean section]. / Sposób ukonczenia ciazy i porodu po przebytym cieciu cesarskim.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse deliveries after a previous cesarean section. STUDY DESIGN: The way of birth of 262 patients between 1993-1995 in the Ist Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Warsaw University Hospital was analysed. Material was divided into two groups: an elective cesarean section operation was performed on 117 women, while 145 women underwent a trial of labour. RESULTS: The most common indications for an elective cesarean section were fetal distress and maternal diseases. A trial of vaginal delivery was successful in 55.2%. The repeated operation was performed on 44.8% of women. The most frequent indication for a cesarean section during a trial of labour was failure to progress. CONCLUSIONS: Women after a previous cesarean section, who underwent a trial of labour delivered vaginally in 55.2%-30.5% of all the patients in the analysed material. The indications for the repeated operation were the same as for the first one in 27% of the cases.