Measuring maternal mortality: An overview of opportunities and options for developing countries

Background  

There is currently an unprecedented expressed need and demand for estimates of maternal mortality in developing countries. This has been stimulated in part by the creation of a Millennium Development Goal that will be judged partly on the basis of reductions in maternal mortality by 2015.     

Leucocyte Migration Test and Hypersensitivity to Glafenin

The leucocyte migration test (LMT) was performed on 20 patients with an intolerance to glafenin--a non-narcotic analgesic drug. LMT was found to be positive in 50% of the subjects with intolerance, a highly significant percentage as compared with the control groups. HSA-glafenin was found to be the most appropriate method for presenting the antigen, but glafenin and its hydroxylated metabolites were only found to induce a migration inhibition in the subjects intolerant to glafenin.     

The impact of physician training on child maltreatment reporting: a multi-specialty study

BACKGROUND: Past studies have suggested that physicians underreport suspected child maltreatment (CM) cases, possibly because of a lack of knowledge of the subject. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the amount, format, and content of CM training received in residency (graduate medical education) and continuing medical education (CME), and to compare its relationship to the likelihood of reporting CM. METHODS: A total of 482 U.S. Air Force emergency physicians, family practice physicians, and pediatricians were surveyed regarding the amount/type of CM training received as well as their CM reporting practices. RESULTS: Pediatricians report receiving more CM training during CME than either emergency physicians or family practice physicians, whereas during residency, both pediatricians and emergency physicians received more training than family practice physicians. Two-thirds of the training related solely to physical and sexual abuse, with little attention paid to other forms of CM. Regression analysis indicated that the only factor associated with the likelihood of reporting maltreatment was the amount of CME received. CONCLUSION: CME seems to positively influence physician reporting practices for CM cases, suggesting a need for universal training protocols.     

Phenotypic diversity in siblings with partial androgen insensitivity syndrome

The androgen insensitivity syndrome is a heterogeneous disorder with a wide spectrum of phenotypic abnormalities, ranging from complete female to ambiguous forms that more closely resemble males. The primary abnormality is a defective androgen receptor protein due to a mutation of the androgen receptor gene. This prevents normal androgen action and thus leads to impaired virilisation. A point mutation of the androgen receptor gene affecting two siblings with partial androgen insensitivity syndrome is described. One had cliteromegaly and labial fusion and was raised as a girl, whereas the other sibling had micropenis and penoscrotal hypospadias and was raised as a boy. Both were shown to have the arginine 840 to cysteine mutation. The phenotypic variation in this family is thus dependent on factors other than abnormalities of the androgen receptor gene alone.     

Actuarial survival in the premature infant less than 30 weeks' gestation

OBJECTIVE: Because survival from admission to discharge does not provide parents and physicians information about future life expectancy in the premature neonate, we characterized the actuarial survival, defined as the future life expectancy from a given postnatal age, in a large inborn population of premature infants < 30 weeks' gestation. STUDY DESIGN: We determined daily actuarial survival of 1925 inborn infants (23 to 29 weeks' gestation) admitted to the Baylor Affiliated Nurseries from July 1986 through December 1994, stratified by 100-g birth weight and by 1-week gestational-age intervals. RESULTS: In the 501- to 600-g birth weight stratum, actuarial survival improved from 31% at birth, to 61% on day of life 7, and then to 75% on day of life 28; in the 901- to 1000-g birth weight stratum, actuarial survival improved from 88%, to 94%, and then to 98% throughout the same times, respectively. Similar trends were obtained when data were stratified by gestational age. CONCLUSIONS: Survival in the smallest infants improves dramatically during the first few days of life, but there is a significant risk for late death in the smallest of these infants.     

Antisense RNA-mediated reduction of p53 induces malignant phenotype in nontumorigenic rat urothelial cells

p53 mutation is commonly associated with high-grade, high-stage human urothelial carcinomas. Recent studies suggest that p53 mutation in low- grade, low-stage bladder carcinomas may be correlated with the progression of the disease. In the present study, we used antisense RNA methodology in vitro to evaluate the significance of the loss of p53 function at an early stage of urinary bladder carcinogenesis. An immortalized nontumorigenic rat urothelial cell line (MYP3) that strongly expresses wild-type (WT) p53 was transfected with a plasmid (pcDL-SR alpha-296) containing a rat WT p53 cDNA in antisense orientation. The transfection resulted in a significant reduction in p53 mRNA expression and protein synthesis, in stimulation of anchorage- dependent growth, and in acquisition of anchorage-independent growth potential. Three such clones, when tested in athymic nude mice, all formed muscle-invasive, high-grade transitional cell carcinomas at s.c. injection sites. When cells were inoculated into an orthotopic site (urinary bladder), one of two antisense transfectants tested formed bulky tumors in the bladder in all seven nude mice and metastases to lungs in three of the seven mice. Analysis of these cells revealed a decrease in the expression of p21 (WAF1, sdi1, or CIP1) and retinoblastoma (Rb) gene product. Phosphorylation of Rb protein was not inhibited when the cells were starved. No significant difference was observed in the expression of p16 protein. In cell cycle analysis, all antisense transfectants tested escaped from G1 arrest by starvation. Furthermore, secretion of interleukin (IL)-6 into culture medium was increased significantly. Treatment with anti-IL-6 antibody suppressed anchorage-dependent growth. This study directly demonstrates that the loss of p53 function at an early stage of urothelial carcinogenesis may result in acquisition of a malignant phenotype by regulating IL-6 production as well as cell cycle related genes.      

血、尿中安眠酮及其代谢物的测定

通过一例安眠酮中毒病人血、尿中安眠酮及其代谢物的测定,描述了用紫外光谱(uv)、气相色谱(GC)和气相色谱质谱(GC/MS)法测定安眠酮及其代谢物的系统分析方法。样品的提取净化采用液一液萃取和固相萃取两种方法,都得到了很好的结果。紫外光谱用于测定血、尿中安眠酮和其代谢物的总量;气相色谱用于测定血、尿中安眠酮原药的含量;气相色谱质谱则用于鉴定血、尿中的安眠酮及其代谢物。除安眠酮外,血、尿中共检出10种安眠酮代谢物,其中包括两种乙酰化代谢物。此法还为临床救治提供指导。