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Abstract Background Lactoferrin (LF) in human milk has various biological properties and contributes to the prevention of preterm birth complications. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is one of the most commonly used methods to measure LF in human milk, but this method is time-consuming and laborious. In Japanese human milk banks, the concentration of LF in donor human milk (DHM) is measured routinely. Here, we reported a rapid, simple, and accurate method for determining LF in human milk using a new reagent based on a latex agglutination assay. Methods We obtained 208 human milk pools from 148 mothers, and samples were collected before and after Holder pasteurization. Milk samples were diluted 100- or 200-fold and LF concentrations were measured by a latex agglutination assay using an automated analyzer. The reagent was validated in terms of repeatability, linearity, detection limit, recovery, and comparison with ELISA. Results The coefficient of variation (CV) for intra-assay precision ranged from 0.6 to 5.0% in human milk with high, medium, and low LF concentrations. The linearity was also tested by serial sample dilution and was confirmed up to 16 µg/mL with a detection limit of 0.2 µg/mL. The recovery rates in a spiked recovery test were ranged from 90 to 120% at high, medium, and low concentrations of LF. Furthermore, a strong correlation was observed between LF levels determined by the latex agglutination assay and ELISA (r = 0.978, p

Abstract Background Breastfeeding offers significant health benefits, but its practice and success can vary. While research on induced lactation in cisgender women has been documented, there is limited research on lactation induction in transgender women. Case presentation A 50-year-old transgender woman undergoing hormone therapy and living with a pregnant partner sought to co-feed using induced lactation. After approval by the hospital ethics committee, a regimen of estradiol, progesterone, and domperidone was initiated, accompanied by nipple stimulation. Lactation was successfully induced and maintained, with milk composition analysis indicating high levels of protein and other key nutrients. This case, the seventh reported, highlights the complexity of lactation induction in transgender women, considering factors such as age, obesity, and insulin resistance. The nutrient profile of the milk suggests its suitability for infant feeding, despite some differences from typical human milk. Conclusions Induced lactation is feasible in transgender women, expanding the understanding of non-puerperal lactation and its potential in diverse family structures. Further research is warranted to optimize lactation induction protocols in transgender women.

Abstract Background Reducing the disposal of donated human milk (HM) is important for efficient management of human milk banks (HMBs). The presence of bacteria growth is the main factor that contributes to the disposal of donated HM. The bacterial profile in HM is suspected to differ between term and preterm mothers, with HM from preterm mothers containing more bacteria. Thus, elucidation of the causes of bacterial growth in preterm and term HM may help to reduce the disposal of donated preterm HM. This study compared the bacterial profiles of HM between mothers of term infants and mothers of preterm infants. Methods This pilot study was conducted in the first Japanese HMB, which was initiated in 2017. This study analyzed 214 human milk samples (term: 75, preterm: 139) donated by 47 registered donors (term: 31, preterm: 16) from January to November 2021. Bacterial culture results in term and preterm HM were retrospectively reviewed in May 2022. Differences in total bacterial count and bacterial species count per batch were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test. Bacterial loads were analyzed using the Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test. Results The disposal rate did not significantly differ between term and preterm groups (p = 0.77), but the total amount of disposal was greater in the preterm group (p