[Common sense and biological psychiatry].
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to J Bang.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The aim of the study was to investigate the rationale of the current indications for fetal chromosome analysis. 5372 women had 5423 amniocentesis performed, this group constituting a consecutive sample at the chromosome laboratory, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen from March 1973 to September 1980 (Group A + B). Pregnant women 35 years of age, women who previously had a chromosomally abnormal child, families with translocation carriers or other heritable chromosomal disease, families where the father was 50 years or more and women in families with a history of Down's syndrome (group A), were compared to women having amniocentesis, although considered not to have any increased risk of fetal chromosome abnormality (1390 pregnancies, group B). They were also compared with 750 consecutive pregnancies in women 25-34 years of age, in whom all heritable diseases were excluded (group C). The risk of unbalanced chromosome abnormality in group A (women with elevated risk) is significantly higher than in group B + C (women without elevated risk) (relative risk 2.4). Women with a known familial translocation and women 40 years or more have a relative risk of 5.7 of having an unbalanced chromosome abnormality compared with women without elevated risk. Spontaneous abortion rate and prematurity rate did not differ from rates expected without amniocentesis. It is concluded that current indications may be characterized as a mixture of evident high risk factors and factors with only a minor influence on risk. Indications for amniocentesis should therefore be reconsidered. Because it must be considered impractical and ethically wrong to limit amniocentesis to the two mentioned real high risk groups, and illogical to continue to present policy, which is not based on clearcut evidence, the possibility of offering amniocentesis to all who want it, is discussed. Screening for chromosome disease in all pregnancies is not without problems, but may be reasonable in some localities.
Intrauterine, intraperitoneal transfusion is associated with a poor survival rate in fetuses with hydrops and low gestational age. A method of direct fetal intravenous transfusion was used in two fetuses. One fetus with severe rhesus haemolytic disease was given transfusions in the 29th and 30th weeks of gestation, using an ultrasound-guided needle through the hepatic part of the umbilical vein without fetoscopy. In another fetus, an experimental cannulation of the umbilical vein succeeded in the 23rd week of gestation. Ultrasound-guided fetal intravenous transfusion avoids the use of fetoscopy, which has limitations, and may improve the prognosis for rhesus-sensitised fetuses.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Haemophilia A. Thirty-one pregnant women, obligate or probable carriers of haemophilia A, requested prenatal diagnosis if sex determination showed the foetus to be a male. In 11 of the 31 cases the foetuses were females; in two, the genetic variant of the disease rendered prenatal diagnosis impossible; and in two, the mother aborted spontaneously. From the remaining 16 male foetuses, blood samples were obtained in utero in the 17th to 20th week of gestation. Examination of the samples showed that 11 of the foetuses were unaffected and five affected. Haemophilia B. Three carriers of haemophilia B had male foetuses. Examination of foetal blood obtained in utero showed that these three foetuses were affected. Confirmation. All women with an affected foetus requested termination of pregnancy. In one of the cases of abortion, no blood was obtained for confirmative examination. In the remaining cases, the prenatal prediction was confirmed in the abortus or in the child after birth; three women are still pregnant.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
We report three cases of Turner's syndrome with cystic hygromata, which were diagnosed by routine ultrasound scanning before amniocentesis in the second trimester of pregnancy. Maternal and amniotic level of alpha-fetoprotein were normal. Karyotyping carried out afterwards showed a 45,X karyotype. Our data indicate, that cystic hygromata in Turner's syndrome may coexist with a normal amniotic fluid AFP, thus questioning the theory of leakage from the hygroma. It remains to be investigated if all cases of Turner's syndrome present a cystic hygroma in utero.
In 1979 seven gentamicin (G)-resistant (res.) Staphylococcus aureus strains caused epidemic episodes in eight Danish hospitals. Furthermore, a total of 37 resistant strains were isolated from separate incidents. All the G-res. strains were resistant to kanamycin, sisomicin and tobramycin, five to amikacin and two to cephalothin. None were resistant to netilmicin. Twelve out of the total of 44 strains were multiply-res. (resistant to penicillin, streptomycin and tetracyclines), and 10 of these were also resistant to methicillin (M). All phage groups/complexes were represented, group III by 13, and the 83A complex by seven strains. Multiply-res. strains, resistant to both M and G were all resistant to mercury, but sensitive to arsenate, whereas such strains resistant to either M or G usually have been found resistant to both metals. Twenty-three strains lost resistance to G upon storage, among them only one multiply-res. Loss of resistance did not influence the metal resistance pattern. From one patient only, the various isolates (nine) differed in respect to bacteriological properties. It was concluded, however, that they all were descendants of the same unstable strain. In the majority of the cases treatment with G had preceded isolation of the resistant strain.
The results of two different in vitro investigations are presented: a comparison between gentamicin and netilmicin and a presentation of a regression line for netilmicin. The first investigation comprises 335 bacterial strains. The method used is a plate dilution technique and the susceptibility of the strains is given as IC50 values, i.e. 50% inhibiting concentrations. The conclusion of the study is that netilmicin offers no advantage over gentamicin. In the second investigation a regression line is presented giving the relation between IC50 values for netilmicin and the size of the inhibition zone, based upon 109 bacterial strains. For the disc diffusion method a 20-hour prediffusion technique is used. The disc content is 15 micrograms netilmicin base. The results are discussed and a grouping as to susceptibility is proposed based on the IC50 values found and the blood level obtained after scheduled dose of netilmicin.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
A consecutive series of 1177 pregnant women examined by amniocentesis for chromosomal abnormalities delivered 1039 live-born babies weighing over 2500 g and 79 live-born babies weighing under 2500 g. Twenty-six abortions were induced (2.2%)--13 (1.1%) because of chromosomal abnormalities--and 28 women (2.4%) aborted spontaneously; in these cases chromosomes were normal. Analysis of all spontaneous abortions in the series suggested that 0.3-0.7% might have resulted from amniocentesis.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Amniocentesis for chromosome analysis was performed in 1086 pergnant women, 739 of whom had an increased risk of giving birth to a child with chromosome abnormalities. Such abnormalities were found in almost identical proportions among the fetuses with an increased risk (1.2%) and among those with no increased risk (1.4%). Findings in several other studies seem to confirm that there is no significant difference between the risk groups in the proportion of abnormalities found. This suggests that our current risk groups may not be the right ones, but a much larger study is needed to confirm this.
Previously described cases of streptomycin inactivation by R-factor carrying strains of E. coli have not lead to any measurable decrease in antimicrobial potency in the bulk substrate toward the culture. In these cases each cell inactivates only a few molecules. Out of 1,800 strains of E. coli we have isolated five strains which inactivate streptomycin in large amounts giving a final concentration of the inactivation product of 0.25 mg/ml in 36 hours. Unlike all other streptomycin-resistant strains in investigated these five strains were sensitive to butyl-streptomycylamine, a streptomycin derivative acting in the same way as streptomycin. The crude inactivation product has been isolated. Inorganic phosphate is liberated by treatment with alkaline phosphatase resulting in a streptomycin-like compound without any antimicrobial activity.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.