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Biomedical subjects

M Potts

Publications and source records attributed to M Potts.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Reproductive mortality in two developing countries.

Reproductive mortality includes mortality attributable to pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, childbirth and its sequelae, and contraception. Reproductive mortality has been estimated for the United Kingdom, the United States, and for states of the US. However, it has not previously been measured for developing countries, where maternal mortality often remains distressingly high. This paper reports on data from one governorate of Egypt, where reproductive mortality was 46 per 100,000 married women ages 15-49 (2.2 per cent of this was attributable to contraception), and one province of Indonesia, where reproductive mortality was 70 per 100,000 (of which 1.4 per cent was due to contraception). In both locations, complications of pregnancy and childbirth were a leading cause of death in the age group studied (the first cause in Indonesia, second in Egypt). Contraceptive prevalence was 24 per cent of married women ages 15-49 in Egypt and 48 per cent of this age group in Indonesia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Methodological issues in collecting data from traditional birth attendants.

Information on the activities, practices and social context of pregnancy and delivery care provided by traditional birth attendants (TBA) is a critical requirement in planning, monitoring and evaluating maternal health programs in many countries. As a result of experimental studies in which such information was obtained by a variety of methods, and a review of alternative methodologies, a set of guidelines has been developed for the collection of such information. High-lighted are the need for good background knowledge on the local situation, involving TBAs themselves in design and collecting methods, a system of supervision to ensure adequate training and careful monitoring, and finally sharing the findings with the TBAs as well as with health officials.

Brazil↗
PubMed1985

Protein synthesis and proteolysis in immobilized cells of the cyanobacterium Nostoc commune UTEX 584 exposed to matric water stress.

Cells of the cyanobacterium Nostoc commune UTEX 584 in exponential growth were subjected to acute water stress by immobilizing them on solid supports and drying them at a matric water potential (psi m) of -99.5 MPa. Cells which had been grown in the presence of Na235SO4 before immobilization and rapid drying continued to incorporate 35S into protein for 90 min. This incorporation was inhibited by chloramphenicol. No unique proteins appeared to be synthesized during this time. Upon further drying, the level of incorporation of 35S in protein began to decrease. In contrast, there was an apparent increase in the level of certain phycobiliprotein subunits in solubilized protein extracts of these cells. Extensive proteolysis was detected after prolonged desiccation (17 days) of the cells in the light, although they still remained intact. Phycobilisomes became dissociated in both light- and dark-stored desiccated material.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1985

Non-surgical tubal occlusion.

Out of 151 women provided with chemical female sterilization with 3 insertions of 250 mg of quinacrine spaced 1 month apart, there were 7 pregnancies in 3 years. If these pregnancies were a result of failure to occlude the entrance to 1 or both fallopian tubes, birth events should decrease exponentially with time. Unexpectedly, the low failure rate has not decreased significantly over the 3-year observation period.

Acridines↗
PubMed1984

Protamine: a powerful in vivo inhibitor of bone resorption.

Protamine is shown to be a powerful disrupter of calcium homeostasis, acutely inducing a severe hypocalcemia in both rabbits and rats. The magnitude of its effect correlates with bone turnover. Protamine does not significantly alter the renal excretion of calcium, and is effective whether or not there is calcium present in the gut. Protamine causes a significant fall in the specific activity of 45Ca in the blood in animals whose bone has been prelabeled with 45Ca. These data suggest that protamine induces hypocalcemia by blocking calcium efflux from bone. Further work seems indicated to define the biochemical mechanism of this action.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Depo-Provera--ethical issues in its testing and distribution.

Ethical issues relating to the use of the injectable contraceptive in developed and developing countries alike involve public policy decisions concerning both criteria for testing a new drug and individual choices about using a specific form of contraception approved for national distribution. Drug testing consists of an important but still evolving set of procedures. Depo-Provera is not qualitatively different from any other drug and some unpredictable risks are inevitable, even after extensive animal experiments and clinical trials. In assessing the risks and benefits of Depo-Provera use, epidemiological data from large-scale human use is now beginning to become more important than data from animal experiments and clinical trials. The consumer's best interest is central to any ethically responsible system of drug distribution. Systems of informed choice are needed, even in societies where illiteracy remains common and medical services are weak. In the case of a contraceptive, the risks of non-use leading to unintended pregnancy, which can result in high mortality, are relevant as well as the side-effects of the method. An attempt, therefore, is made here to categorise those issues which are universal and those which are country-specific.

Contraceptive Agents, Female↗