Cost Analysis of Operating a Human Milk Bank in China.

BACKGROUND: Establishing a human milk bank for the benefit of premature newborns who are unable to receive their mothers' milk for various reasons is a common initiative. To date, 19 human milk banks have been established in China; however, data associated with human milk banks are lacking, including information on the operational costs, guidelines, and regulatory systems for human milk banks in China. RESEARCH AIM: Our study aim was to conduct a cost analysis for the human milk bank at Shanghai Children's Hospital. METHODS: A management accounting approach, based on the activity-based costing method, was used to develop a cost model for donor human milk. The data were collected retrospectively and included budget plans, financial and expenditure reports, databases, and interviews with the staff and managers at the Shanghai Children's Hospital Human Milk Bank in 2017. RESULTS: In 2017, the total volume of qualified donor human milk was 933.70 L, of which 842.71 L (90%) was frozen and 90.99 L (10%) was freshly donated on site. The total annual cost to provide milk for 212 high-risk infants in 2017 was US$156,923, and the unit cost was US$168/L. CONCLUSIONS: The operating costs of human milk banks in China are similar to those in other countries internationally, but these costs are so large that they require government and society support for funding and milk donation. Therefore, ongoing breastfeeding support for mothers and measures to reduce the operating costs of human milk banks should be advocated.

Effects of oscillating electric field on Wnt-3a expression and motor function in the injured rat spinal cord / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Wnt signaling pathways can stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cel s, and promote the repair of spinal cord injury. The electrical field stimulation can change the protein expression of Wnt signaling pathways. QBJECTIVE: To explore the influence of oscil ating electric field on motor function recovery and the expression of Wnt-3a protein in rats with spinal cord injury. METHODS: A total of 36 Sprague-Dawley rats models with spinal cord injury were induced by the Al en’s method. Al rats were randomly divided into oscil ating electric field stimulation group and spinal cord injury group. The stimulating electrodes were added in both groups. The oscil ating electric field stimulation group received oscil ating electric field intervention. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: At 3 days after model establishment, Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale scores and Wnt-3a expression were similar between the oscil ating electric field stimulation group and spinal cord injury group. At 7 and 14 days, significant differences in BBB scores and Wnt-3a expression were detected. These results indicate that oscil ating electric field stimulation can activate Wnt signaling protein in the early stage of spinal cord injury, which may be associated with the promoting effect of oscil ating electric field stimulation on spinal cord injury.