The toxicity of miserotoxin (3-nitro-1-propyl-beta-D-glucoside) and its aglycone, NPOH, were compared in rats. Miserotoxin, a component of certain legumes, was relatively innocuous given orally (LD50 greater than 2.5 g/kg) but NPOH (LD50 = 77 mg/kg) was at least 10 times more toxic. Miserotoxin was readily absorbed from the upper regions of the digestive tract but the degree of gastrointestinal hydrolysis was small. The low toxicity of miserotoxin was attributed to a low level of microbial hydrolysis. NPA was not detected in the gastrointestinal tract during miserotoxin digestion. A simple method for isolating miserotoxin by column chromatography is described.

1-Propanol↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Chlamydial infection and sexual behavior in young pregnant teenagers.

Chlamydia trachomatis infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases (STD) among adolescents and is one of the most common causes of perinatal infection. We have screened 267 young nulliparous adolescent girls (12-17 years old) for cervical C. trachomatis infection during their pregnancy using tissue culture methods. The population was a cohort of pregnant teenagers who had limited sexual exposure (mean duration of sexual activity, 14.3 months, mean number of lifetime partners, 2.0 +/- 1.5). The initial screening was done at enrollment to a prenatal care clinic, and the third trimester examination at 32 to 36 weeks of gestation. According to clinical indications, additional interim STD examinations were carried out. The cervical C. trachomatis infection rate was 18.7% (50/267) at intake and 7.9% (14/178) in the third trimester. Three of the 40 interim STD examinations also were positive for cervical C. trachomatis infection. Prenatally, 64 of 267 (24.0%) girls were positive for C. trachomatis at one or more times. The repeat culture positive rate for C. trachomatis was 7.8% (17/218), and 14 of those that were negative on the initial screening were positive on the subsequent screening. One or more types of treatable STDs (chlamydial, gonorrhea, syphilis, or trichomonal) were identified in 38.6% (103/267) of the study population during pregnancy. These findings suggest that high-risk sexual behavior may continue in teen pregnancy, and repeated prenatal chlamydial and other STD screening and counseling are indicated in this population.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Collaborative needs assessment and systems development in Alabama: Process and products.

This article describes the implementation of a collaborative project and its results, involving a department of maternal and child health (DMCH) in a school of public health and a state department of public health. The state received a federal grant to enhance systems development for women and children. Adequate information regarding the existing system of health care was lacking. The state contracted with the DMCH for assistance in designing and conducting a needs assessment, whose purpose was to (1) identify strengths and weaknesses in the state system of care, (2) provide baseline information for targeting resources and measuring change, and (3) initiate an on-going process of assessment and evaluation of need. The DMCH collected data about financial and nonfinancial barriers to care from state-level health agency and organization experts, county-level service personnel, and consumers. The contributions to understanding the needs of the state offered by the information garnered in the three surveys helped the state in setting immediate and long-range objectives. The presence of the school of public health and the focus of its particular DMCH on assisting state agencies provided an atmosphere in which the state could ask for assistance and the university could respond in a way that was useful and relevant to the state's needs. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH): assessment, health planning, health priorities, interprofessional relations, program planning, public health.

Alabama↗