In centers with access to high‐end ultrasound machines and expert sonologists, ultrasound is used to detect metastases in regional lymph nodes from melanoma, breast cancer and vulvar cancer. There is, as yet, no international consensus on ultrasound assessment of lymph nodes in any disease or medical condition. The lack of standardized ultrasound nomenclature to describe lymph nodes makes it difficult to compare results from different ultrasound studies and to find reliable ultrasound features for distinguishing non‐infiltrated lymph nodes from lymph nodes infiltrated by cancer or lymphoma cells. The Vulvar International Tumor Analysis (VITA) collaborative group consists of gynecologists, gynecologic oncologists and radiologists with expertise in gynecologic cancer, particularly in the ultrasound staging and treatment of vulvar cancer. The work herein is a consensus opinion on terms, definitions and measurements which may be used to describe inguinal lymph nodes on grayscale and color/power Doppler ultrasound. The proposed nomenclature need not be limited to the description of inguinal lymph nodes as part of vulvar cancer staging; it can be used to describe peripheral lymph nodes in general, as well as non‐peripheral (i.e. parietal or visceral) lymph nodes if these can be visualized clearly. The association between the ultrasound features described here and histopathological diagnosis has not yet been established. VITA terms and definitions lay the foundations for prospective studies aiming to identify ultrasound features typical of metastases and other pathology in lymph nodes and studies to elucidate the role of ultrasound in staging of vulvar and other malignancies. © 2021 International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Fetal distress increases the number of hematopoietic stem cells mobilized into UCB. Particular effort should be made to collect UCB from newborns who experienced fetal distress.

Purpose Umbilical cord blood (UCB) stored in public inventories has become an alternative stem cell source for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The potential use of autologous UCB from private banks is a matter of debate. In the face of the limited resources of public inventories, a discussion on ''hybrid'' public and private UCB banking has evolved. We aimed to explore the attitudes of the donating parents toward public and private UCB banking. Study design and methods A standardized, anonymous questionnaire was sent to the most recent 621 public UCB donors including items regarding satisfaction with recruitment process, the need for a second consent before release of the UCB unit for stem cell transplantation, and the donors' views on public and private UCB banking. Furthermore, we asked about their views on UCB research. Results Of the questionnaires, 48% were returned, and 16% were lost due to mail contact. Of our donors, 95% would donate to the public bank again. As much as 35% of them were convinced that public banking was useful. Whereas 27% had never heard about private UCB banking, 34% discussed both options. Nearly 70% of donors opted for public banking due to altruism and the high costs of private banking. Of our public UCB donors, 81% stated that they did not need a re-consent before UCB release for stem cell transplantation. In case of sample rejection, 53.5% wanted to know details about the particular research project. A total of 9% would not consent. Conclusions Almost all donors would choose public banking again due to altruism and the high costs of private banking. Shortly after donation, mail contact with former UCB donors was difficult. This might be a relevant issue in any sequential hybrid banking.

The ultrasound examination in the 3 rd trimester is of additional benefit and can detect previously unknown structural abnormalities. These findings are relevant for perinatal management and postnatal follow-up.

The goal of the Cord Blood Bank Basel is to provide umbilical cord blood (UCB) for allogeneic stem cell transplantations from unrelated donors. Our registry contains 1,044 units, 12 have been released for transplantation (1%). In the past collection mainly took place at the Women’s Hospital Basel, where only 10% of deliveries resulted in HLA-typed and frozen transplants. The aim of our study was to evaluate the high deferral rate. Materials and Methods: During a 4-week period we assessed every delivery at our hospital by a questionnaire on patient data, consent procedure, inclusion or exclusion criteria and reasons for performing or not performing UCB collection. Results: 164 women delivered at our institution (135 vaginal deliveries, 29 cesarean sections). Among these, 131 were eligible for autologous UCB donation, whereas 33 women had to be excluded due to their medical history (26), triplet delivery (1), post partum hemorrhage (1), congenital malformation (1) or chorioamnionitis (4). Of the eligible women, 17 refused donating UCB, and 29 women underwent a cesarean section. 11 women were admitted under painful contractions. 18 had to be rejected due to lack of laboratory facilities at the weekend. Finally, 43 UCB samples had been taken, 2 for private banking purposes (4.6%), 21 (48.8%) for the public bank, and 20 samples (46.5%) which had to be discarded due to a low cell count. Conclusions: Donor selection is efficiently performed before the collection process. The rate of donor deferral and UCB sample discard is high and comparable to other UCB banks. The yield of UCB transplants could be increased if UCB collection would be additionally performed during cesarean section and with increased laboratory facilities during the weekend.