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Biomedical subjects

M H Malloy

Publications and source records attributed to M H Malloy.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Sudden infant death syndrome and maternal smoking.

Data from Missouri for the period 1980 to 1985 suggest a dose-response relationship between smoking during pregnancy and the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). However, data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development SIDS Cooperative Epidemiological Study did not support a dose-response relationship. Neither the Missouri data nor the Cooperative Study data support a relationship between the age of occurrence of SIDS and smoking during pregnancy.

Age Factors

Analyzing the effect of prenatal care on pregnancy outcome: a conditional approach.

We used vital statistics data to examine the effect of the time of entry into prenatal care relative to the gestational age of delivery on pregnancy outcome. Early entry into prenatal care was associated with better outcomes only in women who delivered at 37 through 42 weeks of gestation. We are concerned that the evaluation of the effect of prenatal care using vital statistics data may be questionable because of the problems inherent in the data.

Bias

The effect of cesarean delivery on birth outcome in very low birth weight infants. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network.

To determine whether cesarean delivery is associated with a better outcome than vaginal delivery for infants weighing less than 1500 g (very low birth weight), we examined neonatal mortality and the incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) in 1765 very low birth weight inborn infants admitted to seven neonatal intensive care centers. The cesarean rate was 32.5% for infants weighing 501-750 g and 52.4% for infants weighing 751-1000 g. The neonatal death rate was 53.1% for infants weighing 501-750 g delivered by cesarean, compared with 64.3% for vaginally born infants (P = .046). However, for infants weighing 1001-1250 g, the neonatal death rate for infants delivered by cesarean was 14.4%, compared with 7.8% for infants born vaginally (P = .02). The incidence of IVH was significantly lower in infants born by cesarean than in those born vaginally only in the 1251-1500-g birth weight interval (11.8 versus 18.9%; P = .03). Compared with women delivering vaginally, those delivered by cesarean were more likely to attain a higher mean gestation, to have preeclampsia, and to have a breech presentation, and less likely to be in labor. After adjusting by logistic regression for gestational age, preeclampsia, breech presentation, presence or absence of labor, and for center effects, the odds ratio for neonatal death was 1.00 (95% confidence interval 0.71-1.41); for IVH, the odds ratio was 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.61-1.19). These data suggest that after accounting for certain maternal and fetal factors, cesarean delivery is not associated with a lower risk of either mortality or IVH.

Breech Presentation

Very low birth weight outcomes of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Network.

This report describes the neonatal outcomes of 1765 very low birth weight (less than 1500 g) infants delivered from November 1987 through October 1988 at the seven participating centers of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Intensive Care Network. Survival was 34% at less than 751 g birth weight (range between centers 20% to 55%), 66% at 751 through 1000 g (range 42% to 75%), 87% at 1001 through 1250 g (range 84% to 91%), and 93% at 1251 through 1500 g (range 89% to 98%). By obstetric measures of gestation, survival was 23% at 23 weeks (range 0% to 33%), 34% at 24 weeks (range 10% to 57%), and 54% at 25 weeks (range 30% to 72%). Neonatal morbidity included respiratory distress (67%), symptomatic patent ductus arteriosus (25%), necrotizing enterocolitis (6%), septicemia (17%), meningitis (2%), urinary tract infection (4%), and intraventricular hemorrhage (45%, 18% grade III and IV). Morbidity increased with decreasing birth weight. Oxygen was administered for greater than or equal to 28 days to 79% of less than 751-g birth weight infants (range between centers 67% to 100%), 45% of 751- through 1000-g infants (range 20% to 68%), and 13% of 1001- through 1500-g infants (range 5% to 23%). Ventilator support for greater than or equal to 28 days was given to 68% of infants at less than 751 g, 29% at 751 through 1000 g, and 4% at greater than 1000 g. Hospital stay was 59 days for survivors vs 15 days for infants who died. Sixty-nine percent of survivors had subnormal (less than 10th percentile) weight at discharge. The data demonstrate important intercenter variation of current neonatal outcomes, as well as differences in philosophy of care and definition and prevalence of morbidity.

Gestational Age

Hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis from ingestion of a chloride-deficient infant formula: outcome 9 and 10 years later.

In 1978 and 1979 two infant formulas, Neo-Mull-Soy and Cho-Free, were found to be deficient in chloride. The Centers for Disease Control received reports that hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis (HMA) had developed in 141 children as a result of exposure to these formulas. Thirty-five of these children were examined at 9 and 10 years of age and compared with a group of 32 children who were exposed to the chloride-deficient formulas but were not reported to experience HMA and a group of 61 children who received chloride-sufficient soy formulas in infancy. The control children were matched to the HMA children on sex, race, age, and maternal education. Growth characteristics, performance on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), the Boston Naming Test, the Rey-Osterrieth Test, the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Revised (CELF-R), and subtests from several other speech and language tests were compared across the groups. After adjustment for family income and the level of the father's education, significantly lower scores were observed in the HMA children on the WISC-R Arithmetic subtest (mean = 10.5) compared with the soy control children (mean = 12.0, P less than .05) and on the WISC-R Coding subtest (mean = 9.0) compared with the soy control children (mean = 10.8, P less than .01). All the WISC-R subtest scores were, however, within the normal range. Although no significant differences occurred on the CELF-R between groups, the risk of an HMA child falling below the range expected for a standard population was increased on the CELF-R Composite Total, Receptive, and Expressive Language scores: risk ratios = 2.14, 2.14, and 3.03 respectively. Significant differences were observed between the children exposed, both HMA and non-HMA children, and the soy control children for behavioral problems as determined by the Achenbach Childhood Behavioral Checklist. It is concluded that as a group, children with documented HMA appear to have recovered from their growth failure and have normal cognitive development. They may, however, be at risk for deficits in language skills that require expressive language abilities.

Alkalosis

Exposure to a chloride-deficient formula during infancy: outcome at ages 9 and 10 years.

A school-based survey of the 1978 to 1979 birth cohort of two metropolitan Washington, DC, counties was conducted to find children who had been exposed to the chloride-deficient formulas Neo-Mull-Soy and Cho-Free during infancy. Children who had ingested other soy formulas that had an adequate chloride content were also found and matched to the exposed children by sex, race, birth weight, the age of the child, the mixed feeding status of the child, and maternal education. One hundred seventy-one of the exposed children and 261 soy control children were given a battery of psychologic tests in their homes to determine whether there had been any effect on intellectual development as a result of exposure to the chloride-deficient formulas. There were no differences in scores between the groups on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, the Boston Naming Test, the Rey-Osterrieth Test, or the FAS Verbal Fluency Test. There was no correlation between duration of exclusive exposure to the chloride-deficient formulas and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised Full-Scale IQ Score (Pearson product-moment r = -.0825, P = .28). These results cannot be extrapolated to exposed children with documented hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis. It is concluded that in children without documented evidence of hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis, exposure to the chloride-deficient formulas Neo-Mull-Soy or Cho-Free during infancy has not resulted in any long-term adverse effects on cognitive development.

Child

Increasing cesarean section rates in very low-birth weight infants. Effect on outcome.

Examination of a linked birth and death certificate file from Missouri revealed a remarkable increase in the use of cesarean section for very low-birth weight infants (500 to 1499 g) from 24% to 44% in the years 1980 to 1984. In the same years the rate for 1500- to 2499-g infants went from 21% to 26% and the rate for 2500- to 7000-g infants went from 14% to 18%. We studied first-day death rates in very low-birth weight infants as an indicator of potential benefit from this increase in cesarean sections. During the 5-year period first-day deaths averaged 10% and 22% in the cesarean and vaginal birth groups, respectively. This difference was explained almost entirely by deaths in the 500- to 740-g birth weight group, where the death rates were 33% and 59%, respectively. Although this difference remained statistically significant after adjustment for gestational age and other factors that differed between the groups, it was nullified by an excess of deaths in the succeeding 6 days of life. Overall, the odds of death in the first week in these infants weighing 500 to 749 g was 0.85 (95% confidence interval, 0.52 to 1.39) in the cesarean vs vaginal deliveries. We conclude that there is little evidence that the use of cesarean section for the delivery of very low-birth weight infants, independent of maternal or fetal compromise, improves overall survival. We were unable to find reasons to justify the sharp increase in the use of cesarean sections for these small infants.

Cesarean Section

Maternal smoking during pregnancy: no association with congenital malformations in Missouri 1980-83.

Using a multisource birth defects registry developed by the Missouri Center for Health Statistics for the years 1980-83, we examined the relation between maternal smoking during pregnancy and the occurrence of congenital malformations. There were 288,067 live singleton births in this data set of which 10,223 had one or more congenital malformations. When adjusted for potential confounders the odds ratio for congenital malformations in the infants of women who smoked during pregnancy was not increased (odds ratio = 0.98, 95% confidence interval = 0.94 - 1.03). We examined the relation between smoking and groups of malformations using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, as well as analyzing for certain specific malformations within each group and found no increased risk for infants of smokers.

Birth Certificates

Syrup of ipecac. The case for distribution from physicians' offices.

Data from a nationally representative sample of household interviews were analyzed to examine public preparedness for childhood poisoning episodes. Eighty-eight percent (61% to 77% in nonwhite groups) of respondents from households with children younger than 10 years had heard of poison control centers and 70% (50% to 57% in nonwhites) stated that they had the telephone number of such a center. In contrast only 25% stated they had syrup of ipecac in their home. Among blacks and Hispanics this proportion was 9%. To explore possible reasons for this we telephoned a sample of 65 physicians listed in the greater Washington, DC, telephone directory as providers of care for infants and children. Of the 45 (69%) who agreed to be interviewed, 73% informed their patients about poison control centers and 53% provided the appropriate telephone number. Although 78% believed parents should have ipecac in the house, only three (7%) of 45 actually dispensed ipecac to parents. We conclude that ipecac is not widely available in the homes of American children. By regularly dispensing it in the course of pediatric care, physicians could largely remedy this deficiency.

Attitude of Health Personnel

The association of maternal smoking with age and cause of infant death.

Linked birth certificate and infant death certificate data from Missouri for 1979-1983 were used to explore the association of maternal smoking with age and cause of infant death. The data included 305,730 singleton white livebirths, of which 2,720 resulted in infant deaths. Using multiple logistic regression to control for the confounding effects of maternal age, parity, marital status, and education, the authors found that smoking was associated with both neonatal and post-neonatal mortality and with each cause of death except congenital anomalies. The adjusted odds ratio for smoking was higher for postneonatal deaths than neonatal deaths and was particularly high for two causes: respiratory disease (odds ratio = 3.4) and sudden infant death syndrome (odds ratio = 1.9). A moderate odds ratio (about 1.4) was found for causes attributed to the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision Perinatal Conditions Chapter. Although the associations for neonatal deaths and perinatal conditions were partially attributable to the effect of maternal smoking in lowering birth weight, virtually none of the excess respiratory mortality and sudden infant death syndrome mortality among the offspring of smokers was attributable to birth weight differences between the infants of smokers and nonsmokers. This suggests that respiratory deaths and sudden infant death syndrome deaths may be related to the effect of passive exposure of the infant to smoke after birth.

Adolescent

Trends in mortality caused by respiratory distress syndrome in the United States, 1969-83.

Using United States vital statistical data we examined trends in infant deaths from Respiratory Distress Syndrome/Hyaline Membrane Disease (RDS/HMD) for 1969 to 1983, by race and age at death. In order to improve comparability of diagnosis across two revisions of the International Classification of Diseases, deaths from RDS/HMD were ascertained using both underlying and associated causes of death. These data document a 2 per cent per year increase in infant mortality attributed to RDS/HMD for all races during interval I (1969-73) followed by 9 per cent per year decreases during intervals II (1974-78) and III (1979-83). However, there was a marked difference between Whites and Blacks in these trends. In the White population, RDS/HMD infant mortality increased by 2.2 per cent per year in interval I but then decreased by 10.5 per cent per year in interval II and 8.9 per cent per year in interval III. Among Blacks, on the other hand, the initial increase in RDS/HMD mortality was steeper (5.2 per cent per year) and the subsequent decreases were less (6.3 per cent per year and 8.0 per cent per year). As a result, the Black-White ratio in infant mortality attributed to RDS/HMD increased from 1.32 in 1969-73, to 1.59 in 1974-78 and to 1.72 in 1979-83. The proportion of RDS/HMD deaths that occurred in the postneonatal period increased from 1.1 per cent in interval I to 3.6 per cent in interval II to 5.0 per cent in interval III.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Age Factors

Neonatal gastric motility in dogs: maturation and response to pentagastrin.

Postnatal changes in the pH of gastric secretions, gastric motility, serum gastrin concentration, and response of the stomach to pentagastrin administration were studied in 15 beagle puppies from birth to 5 wk of age. Motility was monitored manometrically via twin-lumen catheters 3--6 h postprandially. Mean gastric pH was stable at 5.85 until the 7th postnatal day when pH decreased to 3.45; pH then increased to a mean value of 4.95 through the 18th day. Antral contractions increased from 0.2 contractions per min on the day of birth to a maximum 2.3 contractions per min on the 11th day and then gradually declined. Pentagastrin (8.0 microgram/kg sc) had no effect on gastric pH or motility until the 2nd postnatal wk. Pentagastrin inhibited the rate and peak pressure of antral contractions from the 2nd through the 5th wk. Mean serum gastrin concentrations in six puppies were greater than values for adult dogs, attaining a preweaning maximum on the 9th day.

Aging

Determination of newborn special care bed requirements by application of queuing theory to 1975-1976 morbidity experience.

The movement of newborn infants from the delivery room of a level III perinatal center to nursing units that provided different levels of care was prospectively documented for 1975 and 1976. These data were employed in a computer modeling experiment based on sequential queuing theory to determine the relationships between numbers of available intermediate and maximum care nursery beds, the probability that a given newborn arrival could not be accommodated, and the occupancy rates for each level of care. The nursery bed requirements for the level III center were used to estimate the number of special care beds needed by the regional Health Service Area.

Bed Occupancy