"Donor milk banking: Improving the future". A survey on the operation of the European donor human milk banks.

BACKGROUND: Provision of donor human milk is handled by established human milk banks that implement all required measures to ensure its safety and quality. Detailed human milk banking guidelines on a European level are currently lacking, while the information available on the actual practices followed by the European human milk banks, remains limited. The aim of this study was to collect detailed data on the actual milk banking practices across Europe with particular emphasis on the practices affecting the safety and quality of donor human milk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A web-based questionnaire was developed by the European Milk Bank Association (EMBA) Survey Group, for distribution to the European human milk banks. The questionnaire included 35 questions covering every step from donor recruitment to provision of donor human milk to each recipient. To assess the variation in practices, all responses were then analyzed for each country individually and for all human milk banks together. RESULTS: A total of 123 human milk banks completed the questionnaire, representing 85% of the European countries that have a milk bank. Both inter- and intra-country variation was documented for most milk banking practices. The highest variability was observed in pasteurization practices, storage and milk screening, both pre- and post-pasteurization. CONCLUSION: We show that there is a wide variability in milk banking practices across Europe, including practices that could further improve the efficacy of donor human milk banking. The findings of this study could serve as a tool for a global discussion on the efficacy and development of additional evidence-based guidelines that could further improve those practices.

Maintaining human milk bank services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic: A global response.

If maternal milk is unavailable, the World Health Organization recommends that the first alternative should be pasteurised donor human milk (DHM). Human milk banks (HMBs) screen and recruit milk donors, and DHM principally feeds very low birth weight babies, reducing the risk of complications and supporting maternal breastfeeding where used alongside optimal lactation support. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a range of challenges to HMBs worldwide. This study aimed to understand the impacts of the pandemic on HMB services and develop initial guidance regarding risk limitation. A Virtual Collaborative Network (VCN) comprising over 80 HMB leaders from 36 countries was formed in March 2020 and included academics and nongovernmental organisations. Individual milk banks, national networks and regional associations submitted data regarding the number of HMBs, volume of DHM produced and number of recipients in each global region. Estimates were calculated in the context of missing or incomplete data. Through open-ended questioning, the experiences of milk banks from each country in the first 2 months of the pandemic were collected and major themes identified. According to data collected from 446 individual HMBs, more than 800,000 infants receive DHM worldwide each year. Seven pandemic-related specific vulnerabilities to service provision were identified, including sufficient donors, prescreening disruption, DHM availability, logistics, communication, safe handling and contingency planning, which were highly context-dependent. The VCN now plans a formal consensus approach to the optimal response of HMBs to new pathogens using crowdsourced data, enabling the benchmarking of future strategies to support DHM access and neonatal health in future emergencies.

HIGHER FREQUENCY OF GERMINAL MATRIX-INTRAVENTRICULAR HEMORRHAGE IN MODERATE AND LATE PRETERM AND EARLY TERM NEONATES WITH INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RESTRICTION COMPARED TO HEALTHY ONES.

Germinal matrix-intraventricular brain hemorrhage is mostly found in preterm neonates, but may also occur in term neonates. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence and severity of this type of hemorrhage in moderate and late preterm and early term neonates with intrauterine growth restriction. In the prospective analysis, 100 newborns were examined, i.e. 70 with intrauterine growth restriction and 30 as a control group. Study subjects were neonates from 32 0/7 to 38 6/7 gestational weeks. Body weight, body length, head circumference and ponderal index at birth were analyzed. Hemorrhage was assessed by cranial ultrasound using Papile classification. Out of 70 neonates with intrauterine growth restriction, germinal matrix-intraventricular hemorrhage was not found in 36 (51.43%) neonates, 31 (44.29%) had hemorrhage grade 1, and three (4.29%) had hemorrhage grade 2, which was statistically significant (p<0.001) in relation to the control group. There were no neonates with hemorrhage grade 3 or 4. The predominant type of germinal matrix-intraventricular hemorrhage in the intrauterine growth restriction group was hemorrhage grade 1. Germinal matrix-intraventricular hemorrhage was more often present in the intrauterine growth restricted neonates than in the control group.

Recommendations for the Establishment and Operation of Human Milk Banks in Europe: A Consensus Statement From the European Milk Bank Association (EMBA).

Objectives: To develop recommendations from the European Milk Bank Association (EMBA) for the establishment and operation of human milk banks (HMB) in Europe. Method: A working group comprising members of the EMBA was convened in 2015 to develop Europe-wide recommendations for milk banks. Each member had experience of guideline development and/or milk banking operations. An initial survey was agreed using collated published global recommendations. A total of 108 potential recommendations were included in the survey; responders noted which were included in their national guidelines. The responses were collated, compared, and discussed and the group determined where there was consensus and where substantial or minor differences were identified. Where there was consensus or robust published evidence on which to base recommendations these were included. When there was no consensus and no clear evidence base, a statement of explanation based on collective expert opinion was agreed. Results: Published, internationally available guidelines with recommendations for human milk banks from France, Italy, and the UK, together with guidelines from Austria, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland were included as source materials. These covered: General recommendations; Donor recruitment and screening; Expression, handling, and storage of donor human milk (DHM); Pooling of DHM; Milk screening; Milk treatment (pasteurization); Delivery of DHM to recipients. Conclusions: Evidence based recommendations and consensus statements from the EMBA will now be published on the EMBA website to assist in the safe establishment and operation of HMBs throughout Europe. These have also been used to inform the chapter on human milk to be included in the 2019 edition of the Guide to the quality and safety of tissues and cells for human application, published by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM).

[Asthma severity in relation to allergenic risk factors in childhood].

The majority of asthmatic patients are atopic--that is to say, they exhibit IgE-mediated sensitivity to common inhalant allergens. Exposure and sensitisation to allergens from the housedust mite has been established as an important risk factor in asthma in most parts of the world. The aim of our study was to assess total IgE and specific IgE on airborne allergens (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus--DP, Dermatophagoides farinae--DF, mould, and grass pollen) in relation to asthma severity. The study involved 64 children with atopic asthma. Statistical significance was present between groups of intermittent and moderately persistent asthma for IgE and specific IgE on DP and moulds. In mild and moderate asthma, statistically significant differences were present for all parameters except for DF.