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Biomedical subjects

S B Macfarlane

Publications and source records attributed to S B Macfarlane.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Total dose iron infusion, malaria and pregnancy in Papua New Guinea.

A study was made of 544 mothers and their 556 newborns in an area of endemic malaria, to analyse effects of total dose intravenous iron infusion (TDI) to mothers during pregnancy. 34% of these mothers received TDI before delivery. A range of haematological tests was carried out on newborns and mothers in addition to anthropometry. 84% of mothers had had ante-natal care and data were also collected retrospectively from ante-natal records. TDI was associated with more slide positive peri-natal malaria in primipara (odds ratio: 5.46) but not in multipara. When all relevant factors were considered TDI was not associated with an overall improvement in haemoglobin status from the first ante-natal level recorded to the post-natal check. Post-natal malaria was associated with lower ante-natal and post-natal haemoglobin levels. There was no evidence of any effect of TDI in pregnancy or of maternal malaria on foetal maturity or birth weight. Gestational age, maternal weight, parity and maternal post-natal haemoglobin were all significantly correlated with birth weight. TDI to the mother was associated with higher neo-natal serum ferritins and lower neo-natal haemoglobins. Maternal post-natal malaria was associated with significantly lower iron in serum in newborns. It is suggested that routine total dose iron infusion to anaemic pregnant mothers in malaria endemic areas may be contraindicated.

Anemia, Hypochromic↗
PubMed1986

Malumfashi Endemic Diseases Research Project XXI. Some aspects of the collection of demographic data.

This paper considers some of the procedures used and problems encountered in the collection of demographic data for a large-scale medical project: the Endemic Diseases Research Project at Malumfashi in northern Nigeria, 1974-1979. 43,216 people were enumerated and a subset of 26,100 were visited monthly for one year for the purpose of registration of vital events. The majority of problems encountered are relevant to similar studies in developing countries. Some difficulties cannot be avoided, but it is considered helpful to identify them. Other situations, however, deserve particular attention, such as the development of adequate on-site data-checking mechanisms, as these are areas in which future programmes could benefit from the experience of the demographic studies in Malumfashi. More effort still needs to be put into the improvement of data collection methods themselves.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1984

Some opportunities for biometry in promoting child health in the Third World.

The achievement of 'Health for all by the year 2000' will depend on the attention which is given to improving the health of children growing up in the Third-World countries. This paper explores some of the major areas of concern in this field--infant mortality, low birth weight, infant-feeding practices, disease and malnutrition--and indicates some opportunities for the biometrician to contribute to progress towards the target set for the year 2000.

Biometry↗
PubMed1982

Aflatoxins and kwashiorkor: a study in Sudanese children.

Blood and urine samples from 252 Sudanese children were investigated for their aflatoxin content by high-performance liquid chromatography. The children comprised 44 with kwashiorkor, 32 with marasmic kwashiorkor, 70 with marasmus, and 106 age-matched, normally nourished controls. Aflatoxins were detected more often and at higher concentrations in sera from children with kwashiorkor than in the other malnourished and control groups. Aflatoxicol, a metabolite of aflatoxins B1 and B2, was detected in the sera of children with kwashiorkor and marasmic kwashiorkor but not in the controls and only once in a marasmic child. The difference between children with kwashiorkor or marasmic kwashiorkor and those in the control or marasmus groups was significant. Urinary aflatoxin was most often detected in children with kwashiorkor but their mean concentration was lower than in the other groups. Aflatoxicol was not detected in urine in any group. These findings suggest either that the children with kwashiorkor have a greater exposure to aflatoxins or that their ability to transport and excrete aflatoxins is impaired by the metabolic derangements associated with kwashiorkor. The presence of aflatoxicol in the sera of children with kwashiorkor but not in the others suggests a difference in metabolism between the two groups. Further studies are needed, and measurement of aflatoxins in the food eaten by these children is already underway.

Aflatoxins↗
PubMed1981

Height and weight growth standards for Nigerian children.

A mixed longitudinal growth study of two groups of Nigerian Yoruba children was begun in 1962 at the Institute of Child Health, University of Ibadan, in order to establish height and weight growth standards in Nigeria. One group was drawn from "elite" families, the other from "poor" families living in a traditional environment. Four hundred and twenty-one "elites" and 475 "poor" "normal" children of one month to 3 1/2 years of age, with known dates of birth were recruited from 1962 to 1971. They were measured every three or six months from four weeks to ten years. Results for males only are presented in this paper. Third, 50th and 97th centiles of height and weight over the age range one month to ten years were calculated and the curves, smoothed using the cubic spline technique, are illustrated. Charts for clinical use in Nigeria are also presented. Comparison of the "elite" Nigerian data with U.S.A. figures showed them to be very similar. The Nigerian "poor" heights and weights compared well with the "elite" up to three months, after which time they lagged behind progressively until ten years. "Elite" Nigerians are taller and heavier than many other indigenous African groups, being very similar to American Blacks. The "poor" Nigerians are among the shortest and lightest of the African groups. It is concluded that the U.S.A. data may be used as an international reference population for Africans, but the "elite" Nigerian data would be more appropriate for Nigerian target standards. These may have to be modified for clinical use in some areas and in the light of studies of other African groups.

Body Height↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The relationship between anthropometric indices derived from the CDC/WHO international reference.

This paper examines the relationship between the standard deviation scores of weight-for-age (WAZ), height-for-age (HAZ) and weight-for-height (WHZ) calculated using the CDC/WHO reference. The pattern of WHZ with age is explored for CDC/WHO reference children following set paths for WAZ and HAZ, and the nature of the regression of WAZ on HAZ and WHZ is examined for the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey data (1988). Reference children with heights and weights at the lower end of the range for their population showed discrepancies in their WHZ indices. A marked discontinuity between 23 and 24 months reflected the junction between the two data sets from which the CDC/WHO reference was derived. There was also clear curvature in the values for WHZ between 3 and 23 months, particularly apparent for children with weights and heights well below the reference median. While the regression equation for the Ghanaian data was similar to that already described by Keller in 1983, marked curvature was observed in the residual plot for children under 2 years. Consistency with age is a prerequisite for a weight-for-height index. The peculiarities of this index as based on the CDC/WHO reference undermine the validity of its use in measuring malnutrition among young children in developing countries. It is suggested that serious consideration is given to the use of an alternative index of wasting and to the development of alternative reference figures.

Anthropometry↗