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Biomedical subjects

N Paneth

Publications and source records attributed to N Paneth.

105 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Social class indicators and mortality in low birth weight infants.

This study examines the utility of birth weight-specific neonatal mortality rates in removing the confounding effects, in comparisons of mortality in low birth weight infants, of several factors that influence crude neonatal mortality. For this purpose, the effects of social, demographic, and biological attributes of mothers on the mortality of their low birth weight babies were examined in the total population of infants weighing 501-2000 gm born in New York City in 1976, 1977, and the first 11 months of 1978 (N = 10,187). The results confirm previous observations that race, sex, and gestational age-for-weight all exert significant influences on mortality even within narrow (250 gm) birth weight bands. However, mothers' education, number of prenatal visits and whether delivery was on private or ward service, all variables which substantially affect crude neonatal mortality, had no overall effect on weight-specific mortality in the weight range under consideration. Two other socioeconomic indicators, whether delivery was financed by Medicaid, and the marital status of the mother, did significantly affect weight-specific mortality, but their effects were abolished when gestation, race, and sex were entered into the analysis. Although neither maternal age nor parity had any significant individual effects on low birth weight mortality, a linear trend towards lower mortality in older mothers was discovered, and certain age-parity combinations experienced significantly elevated or reduced mortality. In general, weight-specific mortality in low birth weight infants is little influenced by the socioeconomic circumstances of their mothers, particularly when race, sex, and gestation are taken into account. Weight-specific neonatal mortality can therefore be a useful tool in the analysis of the effectiveness of perinatal medical care given to low birth weight infants.

Adolescent↗

Feeding practices and early neonatal jaundice.

We studied rates of early neonatal jaundice in 135 consecutive well newborns in relation to feeding practice. Breast-fed infants had significantly (p less than 0.01) higher rates of jaundice than bottle-fed infants. In a subset of breast-fed infants, sugar water intake in the first 3 days of life was significantly and inversely related to estimated volume of breast milk intake on the 4th day (r = -0.35, p less than 0.05). Breast-fed infants with high sugar water intake in the first 3 days, and low breast milk intake on the 4th day, tended to have higher rates of jaundice, but these results were not statistically significant. These data raise the possibility that in breast-fed infants, sugar water intake may reduce the stimulus to nurse, and thereby increase the risk of jaundice.

Bilirubin↗

SSPE, measles virus, and the matrix protein: report of a case with unusual immunochemical findings.

We report a case of atypical subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) in which the diagnosis was confirmed by a new radioimmunoprecipitation method. Antimeasles antibody was absent in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) when measured by conventional immunoassay techniques, there was no clinical response to isoprinosine, and the patient showed a selective absence of CSF antibody response to the matrix protein and only a partial serum antibody response to this measles polypeptide. The value of this sensitive immunoprecipitation method in profiling the selective antibody responses to the several measles polypeptides and the advisability of using isoprinosine, an immunopotentiating agent, to treat SSPE are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Cerebral palsy and newborn care. I: secular trends in cerebral palsy.

Reports of cerebral palsy prevalence rates per live births in recent decades in western nations show a mixed pattern. Declining rates were noted in Bristol, England, and in Denmark; but more recently a rising rate was noted in Ireland. In Western Sweden a decline has been followed by a recent rise, and in Western Australia a rise has been followed by a decline. Rates with not statistically significant changes have been found in Iceland and Birmingham, England, and over the seven-year span of the US Collaborative Perinatal Project, although their over-all direction was downward. No single factor is likely to explain the trends observed.

Australia↗

Cerebral palsy and newborn care. II: Mortality and neurological impairment in low-birthweight infants.

In recent years, neonatal mortality rates for low-birthweight infants have declined both in neonatal intensive care units and in several populations in the industrialized world. With regard to impairment among surviving low-birthweight infants, studies from newborn intensive care units show considerable variation in the reported rates of handicaps. Much of this variation arises from a lack of uniform criteria for diagnosis, sample selection and follow-up, factors further compounded by small sample size. At the present time it is premature to conclude that changes in newborn care have either lowered or raised rates of impairment among surviving low-birthweight infants.

Cerebral Palsy↗

Cerebral palsy and newborn care. III: Estimated prevalence rates of cerebral palsy under differing rates of mortality and impairment of low-birthweight infants.

To maintain a stable over-all prevalence of handicap, the rate of handicap among survivors must decline in parallel to the decline in mortality among live births. The 24 per cent decline in mortality among low-birthweight infants in New York City between 1962 and 1976 requires a 35 to 39 per cent decline in the rate of neurological impairment among low-birthweight survivors simply to avoid the production of an increased number of handicapped children in the population as a whole. Such evidence as we have suggests that the declining morbidity may not be keeping pace with the recent declines in mortality: thus, although more healthy survivors will result from newborn intensive care, a modest increase in the prevalence of handicap may also ensue.

Cerebral Palsy↗

The very low-birth-weight rate: Principal predictor of neonatal mortality in industrialized populations.

We have examined the relationship between the rate of very low-birth-weight deliveries in a population and the neonatal mortality of that population on three ecologic levels: in one hospital over a 12-year span; among the 50 states and the District of Columbia; and among 13 industrialized nations. In each of the three sets of populations the VLBW rate is an excellent predictor of neonatal mortality, accounting for about three-quarters of the variance in the outcome in all of the populations studied. The relatively high neonatal mortality of the United States as compared to that in some other industrialized nations is primarily attributable to its disadvantageous birth-weight distribution. Holding the adverse birth-weight distribution constant, the United States appears to do better than most of these nations in neonatal mortality. The weight distribution of live births in any population is closely linked to indices of social class. Survival of infants at a given birth weight, however, might well be a function of perinatal care. Since weight-specific mortality rates for populations are not widely available, examination of the variance in neonatal mortality rates once the VLBW rate is held constant might be a first step in comparing the quality of medical care for newborn infants among different populations.

Austria↗

Neonatal mortality: an analysis of the recent improvement in the United States.

To test the hypothesis that the recent substantial decline in the United States neonatal mortality rate (20.0/1000 in 1950 to 11.6/1000 in 1975) is associated with improvements in perinatal medical care, we examined this change in relation to the two primary components which determine neonatal mortality: birthweight distribution and birthweight-specific mortality. No improvement in the weight distribution of U.S. live births has occurred during this 25-year period, indicating that the change in neonatal mortality is attributable to improved survival for one or more birthweight groups. Decline in the mortality rate in the first 15 years was slow; three-fourths of the decline in the entire 25-year period occurred since 1965. With the exception of perinatal medical care, factors known to affect survival at a given birthweight have not changed in prevalence in the 25-year period. It is a plausible hypothesis that improved perinatal medical care is a major factor in declining neonatal mortality in the U.S.

Birth Weight↗

Emergency room utilization in the first 15 months of life: a randomized study.

The impact of a system of primary pediatric care on emergency room use in a municipal hospital was measured by comparing that use in two randomly selected populations. The population that was offered participation in a primary care program consistently used the emergency room less than did the control group. Analysis of the pattern of utilization revealed that the differences were limited to patients who actually participated in the program, and to weekday use of the emergency room. Unusually heavy (greater than ten visits per year) use of the emergency room was virtually eliminated among participants in the primary care program.

Emergency Service, Hospital↗

Variation in use of corticosteroids among infants < or = 1,500 grams across hospitals in three states.

We identified factors associated with no antenatal corticosteroid treatment among 1,369 women who delivered infants < or = 1,500 g and < 34 weeks gestation, 1991-1993. At four hospitals, infants weighing 500-1,500 g were enrolled. Information regarding corticosteroid use, maternal characteristics, and perinatal events were obtained. Factors associated with no corticosteroid treatment were examined in unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression models. Overall, 693 (50.6%) women did not receive corticosteroids. Two hospitals had higher rates of no corticosteroid usage (89% and 75%) as compared with the other two (32% and 50%). Black, Hispanic, and poor women were more likely to receive care at the hospitals where the rates of corticosteroid utilization were lower. Factors in the multivariate model included: < 1 or 1 day of hospitalization, vs. delivery on > or = 2 days of hospitalization (21.4: 14.5, 97.2; 4.7: 3.2, 6.9); gestational age < 26 weeks (2.7: 1.8, 4.1) or > 28 weeks (1.8: 1.3, 2.6) vs. 26-28 weeks; < 12 hours of labor vs. > 12 hours (1.7: 1.2, 2.4); delivering at hospital 2, 3, 4 vs. hospital 1 (1.6: 1.1, 2.5; 24.3: 13.6, 43.4; 10.2: 6.8, 15.3). We conclude that variations in hospital practice limit widespread use of this important antenatal treatment.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗