Urine samples produced at patients' own home rarely meet recommendations for analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Urinary tract infections are frequently encountered in general practice. For diagnosis, it is recommended to obtain a midstream specimen of urine and immediately inoculate on agar plates, preserve in boric acid or keep cooled until analysis. This study investigated if urine samples produced at home by patients with suspected urinary tract infections are done in accordance with recommendations. METHODS: The project was conducted at three Danish general practice clinics. When a patient or relative delivered a urine sample produced at home on suspicion of urinary tract infection, he or she was asked to fill in an anonymous questionnaire about the production of the sample. RESULTS: A total of 60 patients (48 females and 12 males) completed the questionnaire. In all, 22 urine samples were midstream specimen urine. The median time to delivery was 60 minutes. Five samples were delivered within ten minutes of production and therefore characterised as immediate delivery in this study. Eight samples were cooled until delivery; 13.3% met urine analysis recommendations. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that urine samples produced at patients' own home on suspicion of urinary tract infection rarely meet recommendations required for further diagnostic analysis. FUNDING: none. TRIAL REGISTRATION: not relevant.

Mesenchymal stem cells isolated from both distal femurs of patients with unilateral trauma or osteoarthritis of the knee exhibit similar in-vitro ability of bone formation.

BACKGROUND: Bone fractures are a common cause of hospital admission. Currently, treatment consists of conservative regimens or operation. However, regenerative medicine introduces a possible new addition to established treatments. Evidence suggests that application of autologous mesenchymal stem cells can enhance bone regeneration, by differentiating into osteoblasts. This study investigates whether mesenchymal stem cells, isolated from bone marrow in sites of trauma or osteoarthritis, exhibit reduced proliferation and osteogenic differentiation in-vitro, compared to stem cells isolated from non-traumatic and non-osteoarthritic sites. If these pathologies are detrimental to the quality, clinicians should prioritize bone marrow from unafflicted sites. METHODS: 17 patients were enrolled. 7 had recent unilateral trauma to the knee, requiring arthroscopy. 10 had x-ray verified unilateral osteoarthritis of the knee and were scheduled for arthroplasty. Stem cells were isolated from bone marrow aspirated perioperatively from both distal femurs. In-vitro osteogenic activity was assessed through alkaline phosphatase measurement, RNA-expression and alizarin red staining. Proliferation was measured using a growth curve. RESULTS: 29 out of 34 primary cultures were successful, forming colonies with characteristic stem cell-morphology. There was no difference in mononuclear cell yield of aspirates or stem cell-yield from primary culture between non-osteoarthritic and arthritic knees or non-traumatic and traumatic knees. There was no significant difference in in-vitro osteogenic capability or proliferation. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that stem cells from sites afflicted by osteoarthritis or trauma can be utilized for bone regeneration with identical results as MSCs isolated from non-traumatic and non-osteoarthritic sites. However, clinical studies are needed to confirm this assumption.