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Biomedical subjects

A C Cruz

Publications and source records attributed to A C Cruz.

63 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1978

The adolescent's first pregnancy: a controlled study.

The records of 1,021 primigravida women who delivered single infants from 1973 to 1976 and who were in the adolescent (ages 10-15) and mature (ages 20-24) age groups were reviewed. It was found that the adolescent patient is more often black and unmarried, and has less prenatal care than the mature woman. There was a higher frequency of hypertensive disorders in the adolescents but this was related to race. The adolescent had fewer breech deliveries and more postpartum endometritis and premature deliveries. There was no significant difference in the fetal, neonatal, and perinatal mortality in the adolescent pregnancies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Rectal colonization with group B streptococcus: relation to vaginal colonization of pregnant women.

Anorectal carriage as a possible primary source of vaginal colonization by group B Streptococcus was investigated. The study was performed during two separate periods and included 789 pregnant women and 422 neonates. Specimens from multiple sites were obtained for culture from all women and infants and were streaked onto blood agar plates containing 8 mug of gentamicin sulfate/ml and 15 mug of nalidixic acid/ml, which allow selective growth of streptococci. Cultures positive for group B streptococci were obtained from 162 (20.5%) of the pregnant women and from 50 (11.8%) of the neonates. Rectal cultures were positive for streptococci in 142 (17.9%) of the women, and vaginal cultures gave positive results in 81 (10.2%). The higher incidence of positive results in rectal as opposed to vaginal cultures (ratio of 2:1) was encountered during all phases of the study. This finding suggests that the gastrointestinal tract may be the primary site of colonization by group B Streptococcus and that vaginal colonization may represent contamination from this source.

Culture Media↗
PubMed1977

Fetal movements and placental lactogen levels for fetal-placental evaluation. A preliminary report.

Fetal movements were measured by 37 pregnant women during a 10-minute period while they were lying on their left side at various times during the day with the highest rates in the evening. Preliminary assessments of fetal movement and serum hPL levels in pregnant women suggest that the two tests might complement each other in providing more information about the status of the placenta and fetus.

Circadian Rhythm↗
PubMed1977

Amniotic fluid L/S ratio in twin gestation.

Transabdominal amniocenteses were performed on both sacs of 14 sets of twins. In each instance one sac was marked with methylene blue to correctly identify the fluids. The lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio was determined on each fluid, and the correlation coefficient between the two sets of fluids was 0.86. There was no significant difference in the fluids' L/S ratios. The importance of this in terms of understanding the variables affecting fetal lung maturation and in clinically managing twin pregnancies is stressed.

Amniocentesis↗
PubMed1976

Respiratory distress syndrome with mature lecithin/sphingomyelin ratios: diabetes mellitus and low Apgar scores.

A detailed study was made of 150 women delivered of their infants within 72 hours of an amniocentesis where the lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratio was 2.0 or greater. There were nine neonates with respiratory distress (6.0 per cent). There were two neonatal deaths, both due to severe congenital heart disease. A mature amniotic fluid L/S ratio predicts a newborn infant who will not have respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in most pregnancies. There is a significantly increased risk of RDS in neonates with a mature L/S ratio if the mother has insulin-dependent diabetes or if there is a resulting low Apgar score. The method of delivery (cesarean section or vaginal) does not affect the frequency of RDS where the L/S ratio is 2.0 or more.

Amniotic Fluid↗
PubMed1975

Comparison of the fetogram and L/S ratio for fetal maturity.

There were 254 cases studied in which two tests of fetal maturity were performed within 72 hours of each other. The two tests were an x-ray fetogram and an amniotic fluid L/S ratio determination. All fetograms were read by one author for the presence of distal femoral epiphysis (DFE). It was assumed that DFE permits estimation of fetal bone maturation and L/S ratio permits estimation of fetal lung maturity. The DFE results gave a 40% false-positive rate in predicting a mature L/S ratio (greater than 2.0) and a 38.7% false-negative rate. Of the 21 patients who delivered within 3 days of the performance of the two tests, all neonates did well when there were no visible DFE's but a mature L/S ratio. There is a significant lack of specificity and sensitivity of the fetogram DFE's in predicting a mature L/S ratio. Since infant lung maturation is a critical factor in predicting neonatal survival, these results suggest that the x-ray DFE is unacceptable as a single maturity test for use in a perinatal center managing complicated obstetric cases.

Amniotic Fluid↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Chlamydial infection in the Amazon region of Brazil.

The prevalence of antibodies to Chlamydia was determined in 9 population groups with different risk levels for sexually transmitted diseases in Belém, Pará state, Brazil. 583 serum samples were examined by the indirect immunofluorescence test. The prevalence rates varied from 33.3% in patients attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic to 97.1% in Parakana Indians. One or more pathogens were found in 55 of 86 patients presenting a clinical picture of urethritis; C. trachomatis was isolated from 11% (6/55) of these cases by inoculation to McCoy cell cultures, accounting for 30% (6/20) of the cases of non-gonococcal urethritis. C. trachomatis was isolated from one of 28 female patients (3.6%) attending gynaecology and obstetrics outpatient clinics. The positive patients had no symptom or complaint that would have suggested the diagnosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Dengue epidemic in Belém, Pará, Brazil, 1996-97.

We describe clinical and epidemiologic findings during the first epidemic of dengue fever in Belém, Pará State, Brazil, in 1996-97. Of 40,237 serum samples, 17,440 (43%) were positive for dengue by virus isolation or serologic testing. No hemorrhagic cases or deaths were reported. Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Adolescent↗