Conservative management of placenta accreta.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D M Gibb.
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In order to review the clinical course, laboratory findings, and outcome of children with vertically acquired HIV infection and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, questionnaires were sent to paediatricians in the British Isles who had reported P carinii pneumonia and HIV infection through the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit (BPSU). Paediatric reports from the BPSU are linked to reports of pregnancies in HIV positive women and laboratory reports. P carinii pneumonia was the most frequently reported AIDS indicator disease at AIDS diagnosis, occurring in 22/56 (40%) children born in the British Isles; in a further two children P carinii pneumonia occurred after another AIDS indicator disease. The median age at P carinii pneumonia diagnosis was 4.1 (1.4-27.3) months and in 48% it occurred with other AIDS indicator diseases. Despite intensive treatment the three month survival was only 38%. The nine children surviving P carinii pneumonia subsequently developed further AIDS indicator diseases, in particular HIV encephalopathy and four have since died. P carinii pneumonia was present at AIDS diagnosis in 65% of children developing AIDS in the first year of life and caused 82% of infant deaths. Most children were not known to be at risk of HIV until they presented with P carinii pneumonia. Children with HIV infection develop P carinii pneumonia at an early age and have a poor outcome. Increased awareness of the condition is required to initiate early treatment. Prevention may be a compelling incentive for screening in pregnancy, but further study is required to quantify the risks and benefits of initiating early P carinii pneumonia prophylaxis as well as the impact this might have on life expectancy.
OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiology of vertically acquired HIV infection in the British Isles, the level of underreporting, the vertical transmission rate, and clinical spectrum of paediatric AIDS. DESIGN: Confidential, linked registers based on reporting from obstetricians and paediatricians; anonymous unlinked neonatal HIV serosurveys. SETTING: British Isles. SUBJECTS: Children born to mothers with HIV infection. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Trends in HIV infection and vertical transmission rate. RESULTS: In Scotland and the Irish Republic, where most maternal HIV infection is related to drug misuse, the annual number of reports of children born to infected mothers has fallen since 1989. In England and Wales nearly half of maternal infections have been acquired overseas, and the number of children born to these women, and to women who became infected in Britain, is increasing. In south east England the proportion of live births to women whose infection was identified before delivery was only 17% (50/287), compared with 68% (26/38) in Scotland. The vertical transmission rate was 13.7% (23/168), and 23% of infected children developed AIDS in the first year of life. 41% (38/92) of children born to infected mothers who were ascertained after delivery were breast fed, compared with 5% (12/236) of those ascertained before delivery. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of vertically transmitted HIV infection is increasing in England and Wales. More extensive antenatal testing would enable infected women to be counselled against breast feeding, which could prevent a substantial proportion of vertical transmission in some areas, and would increase opportunities for early diagnosis and treatment of infected children.
Intra-uterine pressure measurement remains the most objective way of measuring uterine activity in labour, and in this respect is superior to clinical assessment or external tocography. However there is little evidence to show that improving the assessment of uterine activity in labour is associated with an improvement in the outcome of labour for mother or fetus. It seems logical that use of intra-uterine pressure monitoring will provide additional safety in women with a scarred uterus, breech presentation, high parity, or apparent failure of response to induction or augmentation of labour with the usual dose rates of oxytocics, but this has not been established by appropriately sized clinical trials. Further research to establish the role of uterine activity measurement in labour is urgently needed.
OBJECTIVE: To compare computer cardiotocographic (CTG) analysis with clinical visual analysis. DESIGN: A retrospective blind comparison of the two techniques of CTG assessment. SETTING: Fetal Assessment Unit, King's College Hospital, London. SUBJECTS: One hundred CTG traces of women referred to the unit were studied; the traces were taken after 32 weeks' gestation, within 10 days of delivery and where outcome was known. INTERVENTIONS: The CTG traces were assessed both by the computer (System 8000 computerised CTG analyser, Oxford Sonicaid Ltd) and visually, by one of us. MAIN OUTCOME: Computer mean range from 0 to 80 in ms clinical visual CTG score from 0 to 80 (arbitrary units). A score < 20 is ominous; suspicious when between 20 and 30; and normal when > 30. RESULTS: There was close correlation between the computer mean range and clinical visual assessment (r = 0.78, n = 100, P = 0.001). However, there were 13 occasions where the computer classified the trace as abnormal when clinical visual assessment was normal, indicating computer false positives. All these pregnancies had normal outcomes. There were no traces where computer analysis was normal and clinical visual assessment abnormal. CONCLUSIONS: Computerised CTG analysis gives an objective assessment which agrees closely with experienced visual assessment. It also provides a number which can be used to assess the value of fetal heart rate analysis.
Three children aged between 7 months and 2 years developed thrombocytopenia as an early feature of HIV infection. The prevalence of this condition, possible pathogenesis, and options for treatment are discussed. HIV testing should be considered in the investigation of a child with thrombocytopenia.
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The impact of HIV and AIDS on the family is described, with particular focus on the situation where the child is the first member of the family to be diagnosed. The results of the social stigma, the effect on relationships together with the global, economic and cultural aspects of the disease make it unique. These issues are discussed and an integrated approach to confidentiality, the provision of services for families and involvement of the community is described.
We evaluated the effect of dipyridamole (5 mg/kg/day) for 12 months on renal and platelet function in 53 children with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in a prospective double blind placebo controlled trial. Urine albumin excretion (expressed as the geometric mean albumin to creatinine concentration ratio (UA/UC) was measured every three months throughout the study. At 12 months, the geometric mean UA/UC was no different in diabetic children receiving dipyridamole, 0.60 mg/mmol, when compared with those receiving placebo, 0.87 mg/mmol. Glomerular filtration rate, urinary excretion of retinol binding protein, and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), blood pressure, and spontaneous platelet aggregation in response to stirring whole blood did not differ between the two groups at 12 months. Subgroup analysis to include only those children with high UA/UC before entry into the study also failed to show an effect of the drug on UA/UC. Eleven children had either persistently high UA/UC (n = 8: four on dipyridamole, four on placebo) or progression to high UA/UC (n = 3: two on dipyridamole, one on placebo). These children had significantly higher urinary excretion of retinol binding protein and NAG, bigger kidneys, and higher diastolic blood pressure both before and after treatment than the remaining 42 children, whereas there was no difference in spontaneous platelet aggregation between the two groups. These observations on the associations between UA/UC and other parameters of renal function suggest that measurement of 'tubular' proteins and diastolic blood pressure as well as UA/UC may contribute to the identification of those at risk of developing nephropathy.
Fifty two children with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus were randomised to receive human isophane or lente insulin preparations in combination with soluble insulin in a double blind trial. Patients were seen every two months, and crossed over after four months of treatment. Control assessed by glycated haemoglobin was significantly lower in children on human isophane insulin, but fasting blood glucose and fructosamine concentrations and the number of episodes of hypoglycaemia were similar on both regimens. In five children on twice daily insulin regimens, insulin profiles throughout a 24 hour period demonstrated greater variability on lente compared with isophane insulin despite identically administered insulin doses. A questionnaire completed at the end of the study showed that two thirds of the children and/or their parents preferred the isophane insulin, and they gave perceived improvement of metabolic control as the major reason for their choice.
51Cr-EDTA, inulin and creatinine clearances were measured simultaneously in 11 diabetic children and 12 healthy young adults. The clearances in all individuals were 115 +/- 24 ml/min per 1.73 m2SA for 51Cr-EDTA, 118 +/- 25 ml/min per 1.73 m2SA for inulin and 157 +/- 35 ml/min per 1.73 m2SA for creatinine. Values were higher in the diabetic children but the differences were not significant. 51Cr-EDTA clearance significantly underestimated that of inulin by a mean of -7.4 +/- 2.5 (SEM) ml/min per 1.73 m2SA (p less than 0.01) and creatinine clearance significantly overestimated that of inulin by 37.6 +/- 3.3 (SEM) ml/min per 1.73 m2SA (p less than 0.0001). Similarly, the mean ratio of 51Cr-EDTA to inulin clearance was 0.94 (95% CI 0.90-0.98) and that of creatinine to inulin clearance was 1.32 (95% CI 1.27-1.37); the differences between diabetics and controls were not significant. Correlation coefficients were 0.93 between 51Cr-EDTA and inulin clearances, and 0.95 between inulin and creatinine clearances. The pooled coefficient of variation between clearances within an individual was higher with inulin, 10.3 +/- 6.5% (SD), than 51Cr-EDTA, 7.3 +/- 5.1% (p less than 0.001, t test). These results show that 51Cr-EDTA clearance underestimates that of inulin to a similar extent in both diabetic children and healthy controls and creatinine clearance overestimates inulin clearance to a greater but similar extent in both groups. The methodological variation in 51Cr-EDTA measurement is less than with the other 2 methods. Therefore, we recommend the use of the renal clearance of 51Cr-EDTA for the measurement of GFR in diabetic children.
The variability of urine albumin excretion (UAE) was studied in normal and diabetic children and, in addition, the best method of expressing the data was investigated. In 39 timed overnight urine samples from diabetic children, the urine albumin creatinine clearance ratio (CA/CC) was compared with the urine albumin creatinine concentration ratio (UA/UC), the urine albumin excretion rate (UAER) and the urine albumin concentration (UA). UA/UC predicted CA/CC (r = 0.95) better than either UAER (r = 0.83, P less than 0.02) or UA (r = 0.90), 0.1 greater than P greater than 0.05). The within-individual and the between-individual variability in overnight UA/UC in 171 urine samples from 73 normal children was compared with that of 406 urine samples from 119 diabetic children, using a "random effects type 2 nested analysis of variance" model. Geometric mean (range) UA/UC (mg/mmol) in diabetic children, 0.55 (0.04-6.90), was greater than in normal children, 0.33 (0.05-2.10, P less than 0.01), and 18% of diabetics had a value of UA/UC above the normal range. Within-individual variance was the same in normals (0.12) and diabetics (0.12), but between-individual variance in diabetics (0.18) was much greater than in normals (0.03). These data show that within-individual observations for both normals and diabetics are highly but equally variable. Furthermore, from these data, it is possible to infer that a minimum of five estimations are necessary per individual to estimate the true mean value of urine albumin excretion with reasonable confidence.
Uterine activity in spontaneous normal labour was studied in Singaporean Malay women at term with a singleton vertex presentation. Nulliparae had significantly higher uterine activity compared with their multiparous counterparts. Uterine activity in the Malay population was compared with that of a similar Chinese population. When controlled for parity, maternal height and birthweight of babies, there was no difference in uterine activity between the two groups.
Uterine activity was measured in three groups of labouring women who previously had a caesarean section (CS): group A included women with a previous elective CS before labour or in the early latent phase of labour and no previous vaginal delivery; group B included women with a CS in the active phase of labour and no previous vaginal delivery; group C included women with a CS and a vaginal delivery either before or after the abdominal delivery. The active contraction area profiles in the three groups were compared with those of matched control groups of nulliparae and multiparae without a uterine scar. Group A had a uterine activity profile similar to that in control nulliparae and significantly higher than that in control multiparae. The uterine activity in group B was less than that in matched nulliparae but was similar to that in matched multiparae. Group C had significantly less uterine activity than matched nulliparae but a similar profile to that in the matched multiparae. Progress of labour into the active phase in the previous pregnancy reduces the uterine activity profile in subsequent labour. Women who had had a vaginal delivery either before or after the CS (group C) exhibited uterine activity profiles similar to multiparae, suggesting that an intact scar did not affect the uterine function.
The urinary extraction of albumin, retinol binding protein, and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase were studied in 60 children with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and in 45 normal children to find out whether the renal tubules played a part in causing the early increase in urinary excretion of albumin that occurs in diabetes mellitus. Two overnight urine samples were collected and the protein excretion measured and expressed as the geometric mean of the protein to creatinine ratio (urinary albumin:creatinine ratio, urinary retinol binding protein:creatinine ratio, and urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase:creatinine ratio, respectively). The excretion of all three proteins was significantly higher in the diabetic children with 15 (25%) of urinary albumin:creatinine ratio, 16 (27%) of urinary retinol binding protein:creatinine ratio, and 43 (72%) of urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase:creatinine ratio values being above the normal range. Significant correlations were observed between urinary albumin:creatinine ratio and urinary retinol binding protein:creatinine ratio, urinary albumin:creatinine ratio and urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase:creatinine ratio, and urinary retinol binding protein:creatinine ratio and urinary N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase:creatinine ratio. There were also significant correlations between glycated haemoglobin 1c (HbA1c) and these proteins, especially N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase. No correlations were observed with the fractional excretion of sodium, flow rate of urine, glomerular filtration rate, or blood pressure. These data show that tubular abnormalities are present early in the course of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and suggest that the early increase in urinary excretion of albumin may be at least partly tubular in origin, and that glycaemic control may influence this aspect of proximal tubular function.
We investigated the associations between albuminuria, metabolic control, glomerular filtration, blood pressure, and platelet function in children with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. The geometric mean (95% tolerance levels) albumin excretion (expressed as the geometric mean albumin to creatinine ratio on two overnight urine collections (UA/UC], in 60 diabetic children was 0.72 (0.80-6.9) mg/mmol, significantly greater than in 45 normal children (geometric mean 0.41 (0.14-1.17]. Mean (SD) glomerular filtration rate, measured by 51Cr edetic acid clearance during constant infusion, was significantly greater in diabetic children (129 (20) ml/min/1.73 m2) compared with normal controls (109 (13]. Mean (SD) renal length for height standard deviation score was +0.25 (1.1); systolic blood pressure standard deviation score was 0.15 (0.65), and diastolic blood pressure was 0.51 (0.82). Spontaneous platelet aggregation, expressed as percentage fall in platelet count in stirred whole blood after 2 minutes was 17.8 (9.2)% in the diabetic compared with 12.3 (7.9)% in normal children. UA/UC correlated with renal length and of the children with UA/UC above the normal range, 70% also had a glomerular filtration rate above the normal range. There was a weak correlation between UA/UC and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c). All children with spontaneous platelet aggregation above normal had had diabetes for more than seven years. These cross sectional data define some of the early markers and inter-relationships that may be important in the development of nephropathy.
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Uterine activity was quantified for patients who had a breech presentation, spontaneous labour and a vaginal delivery. Results were studied according to parity and in relation to cervical dilatation. The multiparas with breech presentation overall had lower uterine activity compared to nulliparas when the whole labour was considered. These values were compared with control patients with vertex presentation who had spontaneous normal labour and vaginal delivery. The median uterine activity values in breech presentation were not significantly different from control nulliparous or multiparous patients. Among the breech deliveries, irrespective of parity, mean Apgar scores at 1 and 5 minutes were over 6 and cord arterial blood pH values were above 7.15, but these results were significantly lower than the control cases with vertex presentation. The uterus performs similar uterine activity in spontaneous normal labour whether the fetus presents as a vertex or breech, when controlled for parity.