Diagnostic potential of amniotic fluid cells

A clinical research team from the University of Hong Kong is behind the discovery of applying amniotic fluid cells obtained during 16-24 weeks of pregnancy as a novel sample type for RNA sequencing in prenatal diagnosis.

It is the first proof-of-concept study to demonstrate the potential clinical utility of amniotic fluid cell RNA sequencing in the literature.

A baseline for the gene-expression profile of amniotic fluid cells is established by RNA sequencing over 50 amniotic fluid samples.

Establishment of the gene expression profile is an essential step in applying RNA sequencing to the current selected clinical diagnosis workflow.

The team found that the number of well-expressed genes in amniotic fluid cells was

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE This month: Gardening

Do you mean shrubs, planting, pruning… that type of gardening? Yes, the very same.

Why are we looking at it here?

The rst-ever randomised controlled trial of community gardening, which was funded by the American Cancer Society, shows it comparable to other clinically accessible tissues commonly used for genetic diagnosis across different disease categories. They also compared RNA sequencing data of four affected foetuses with structural congenital anomalies with the established baseline to detect potential outliers.

In collaboration with the Technical University of Munich in Germany, a bioinformatics pipeline was adapted to enhance the detection of outliers for subsequent analysis. Further in-depth curation showed that outliers can be identified in genes associated with the corresponding structural congenital anomalies in all four affected foetuses. Identifying the outliers provides more evidence at the RNA level to help diagnosis. bit.ly/3QtPz6I boosts bre intake and physical activity – two known ways to reduce risk of cancer and chronic diseases – while decreasing stress and anxiety.

Sounds pretty obvious. Didn’t we know this already?

Some small observational studies have found that people who garden tend to eat more fruits and vegetables and have a healthier weight. But it has been unclear whether healthier people just tend to garden, or gardening in uences health.

How did this study work?

A total of 291 non-gardening adults, average age 41, were recruited from the Denver area. More than a third were Hispanic and more than half came from low-income households. In Spring, half were assigned to the community gardening group and half to a control group that was asked to wait one year to start gardening.

What did they find?

By autumn, those in the gardening group were eating, on average, 1.4 grams more bre per day than the control group – an increase of about 7%. The gardening group also increased their physical activity levels by about 42 minutes per week.

What now?

The researchers hope the ndings will encourage health professionals, policymakers and land planners to look to community gardens, and other spaces that encourage people to come together in nature, as a part of the public health system.

Where can I read more?

Visit bit.ly/3QrsFwS