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S Becker

Publications and source records attributed to S Becker.

465 records · Page 26Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Contraceptive use in Matlab, Bangladesh: the role of gender preference.

Research in several Asian societies has suggested that sons are generally preferred over daughters. The implications of gender preferences for actual fertility behavior have not been adequately investigated, however. This analysis examines the effect of the sex composition of surviving children on the acceptance and discontinuation of contraception in a sample of 3,145 women in Matlab, Bangladesh, who were observed for 60 months. Hazards regression analyses are employed in the analysis. Strong and highly significant effects of gender preference on contraceptive use are observed. The preference is not monotonically son-biased but is moderated toward a balanced composition, because parents desire to have several sons and at least one daughter. These findings suggest that gender preferences, particularly a preference for sons, represent a significant barrier to fertility regulation in rural Bangladesh.

Bangladesh↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Influence of tumor biological factors on tumor cell dissemination in primary breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The presence of disseminated tumor cells in the bone marrow (BM) of breast cancer patients is associated with poor prognosis and may therefore be related to aggressive breast cancer as indicated by tumor biological and clinicopathological factors. The aim of this study was to identify those features of the primary tumor related to the presence of disseminated tumor cells in the BM. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Clinical data from 508 primary breast cancer patients were analyzed. Tumor biological features of the primary tumor including HER2, p53, Ki-67, bcl-2 and hormone receptor status, as well as clinicopathological factors including histology, menopausal status, lymph node status, tumor size and grade, were studied for their association with BM involvement by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Two-hundred and two out of 508 (40%) primary breast cancer patients had disseminated tumor cells in the BM. p53 expression, hormone receptor status, HER2 and Ki-67 were significantly related to BM involvement. The multivariate analysis revealed that p53 expression (OR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2 - 3.0) followed by progesterone receptor status (OR: 1.5, 95% CI: 1.0 - 2.2) were the only independent determinants for BM involvement. CONCLUSION: The presence of disseminated tumor cells in the BM was not influenced by tumor load as reflected by tumor size and lymph node involvement, whereas tumor biological factors were independently correlated to BM involvement. The results substantiate the important role of tumor biological factors of the primary tumor for tumor cell dissemination.

Bone Marrow↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Modulation of MAPK ERK1 and ERK2 in VDR-positive and -negative breast cancer cell lines.

1alpha-25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol), the biologically active metabolite of vitamin D, is known to regulate calcium and phosphate levels in bone metabolism. It is also known to influence proliferation and differentiation in carcinoma cells mediated by the vitamin D receptor (VDR). The antiproliferative effects of calcitriol are believed to be mediated by the nuclear pathway via binding the activated receptor to vitamin D-responsive elements. This induces the vitamin D-responsive genes. Another possible pathway might be the MAPK-cascade or rapid response pathway. The interaction of calcitriol and the MAP-kinase-cascade was evaluated on VDR-positive MCF-7 cells and VDR-negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. The cells were incubated with calcitriol solution at 10(-7) M and 10(-9) M, or ethanol as controls, for up to 48 h. The effects of calcitriol were measured by semi-quantitative Western blotting. Calcitriol stimulated the MAP-kinases ERK1 and ERK2. A biphasic activation was found for calcitriol in VDR-positive cells after incubation for 5 to 20 min and from 2 to 24 h. However, early activation of ERK1 and ERK2 was also demonstrated in VDR-negative cells. In the controls, ethanol also induced the MAPK-cascade at 5 to 10 min. Calcitriol induction was demonstrated after incubation from 2 to 24 h. In conclusion, it seems that the early induction of the MAPK-cascade was independent of the VDR. A calcitriol-induced MAPK activation was shown after 4 h, which may have been caused by activation of the nuclear receptor pathway.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Isoniazid hepatitis among pregnant and postpartum Hispanic patients.

On request of local health officials, the authors investigated isoniazid (INH) hepatitis morbidity and mortality among patients attending an Hispanic prenatal clinic. Among 3,681 women treated with INH during and after pregnancy to prevent tuberculosis (TB), 5 developed INH hepatitis, and 2 of the 5 women died. Comparison with previously collected Public Health Service data concerning 3,948 nonpregnant women, using the Cox proportional hazards model, revealed a 2.5-fold increased risk of INH hepatitis in the prenatal clinic group. The mortality rate was four times higher in the prenatal clinic group. However, statistical power was low because of the small number of cases, and neither of these findings was statistically significant (P greater than 0.05). In the absence of controlled studies, the issue of INH safety during the perinatal period remains unresolved. Nevertheless, current American Thoracic Society-Centers for Disease Control recommendations regarding TB screening, implementation of INH chemoprophylaxis programs, and adequate monitoring of individuals on INH should be adhered to. The results of this investigation raise concern that deviations from existing policy may contribute to unnecessary morbidity and mortality.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Breastfeeding effects on birth interval components: a prospective child health study in Gaza.

Data that were collected prospectively from a child health study conducted in Gaza show a strong relationship between breastfeeding and two major components of birth intervals, the postpartum anovulatory period and the waiting time to conception. The Gaza population is similar to other populations in the Middle East in having moderate durations of breastfeeding and short intervals between births. The finding of a strong positive association between breastfeeding and the length of postpartum amenorrhea is as expected from numerous other studies. The relationship between breastfeeding behavior and the waiting time to conception is examined using hazard model analysis. Women who are breastfeeding when menstruation resumes and continue to do so are less likely to conceive than other women, according to the analysis.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Differential diagnosis of the tetralogy of Fallot (author's transl)].

The differential diagnosis of the tetralogy of Fallot includes three main types of condition: 1) Malformations which differ from Fallot in their extent, such as interventricular communications of type IV and pulmonary atresia with an open septum. 2) Malposition of the large vessels with pulmonary stenosis (double opening in the right ventricle, complete or corrected transposition). 3) Malformations associating an intraventricular shunt and another type of pulmonary stenosis (double chambered ventricle, interventricular membranous and muscular communication, common atrioventricular canal, single ventricle). An analysis of the findings in angiographic images can provide precise differential diagnosis of these pseudo-Fallots.

Coronary Vessel Anomalies↗
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Effect of cycloheximide on increased aspartate aminotransferase in carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity.

The previously reported increases in liver and serum aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) activities and liver protein content 24 hours after the administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) were reduced by administering multiple doses of the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide (CH). Liver ASAT and protein content were reduced to saline-injected control levels, and the serum ASAT increase was reduced by 45.0 percent in rats given CH. Although there are morphological features of severe hepatotoxicity in the cycloheximide-carbon tetrachloride-injected rats, cycloheximide does reduce the severity of these lesions and the regenerative response. These findings lend some support to the hypotheses that (1) the increase in liver ASAT activity and protein content after CCl4 is due to increased synthesis and (2) the increase in serum ASAT after CCl4 is most likely due to a combination of increased synthesis and leakage from necrotic and damaged cells.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect on fecundity of pill acceptance during postpartum amenorrhea in rural Bangladesh.

The length of the interval from last live birth to the subsequent pregnancy was studied for 121 contraceptive pill acceptors who were in postpartum amenorrhea at the time of acceptance and 121 matched nonacceptors in a prospective study in Matlab, Bangladesh. Half of the pill acceptors discontinued use within seven months, and as a group the pill acceptors had a significantly shorter interval to the next pregnancy than the matched nonacceptors. These findings suggest that unless continuation rates can be improved, it is better not to encourage women in rural Bangladesh to start the contraceptive pill during postpartum amenorrhea.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of the sex of interviewers on the quality of data in a Nigerian family planning questionnaire.

Traditionally, female interviewers have been preferred to men for conducting fertility and family planning surveys. However, in West Africa, evidence for their superiority over male interviewers is mixed. In Nigeria, as part of a four-state pretest of the national family planning questionnaire, an experimental design was incorporated to quantify effects of the sex of the interviewer. In one state, reinterviews were also performed to measure the reliability of responses. In the conservative northern state of Kano, the use of male interviewers was problematic. However, in the other three states, only weak evidence was found to mitigate against the use of male interviewers. In fact, in two states, the proportion of respondents reporting knowledge of several contraceptive methods was significantly higher when male interviewers conducted the survey. Respondents' reports of contraceptive use were very unreliable for interviewers of both sexes.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Couples and reproductive health: a review of couple studies.

Traditionally, fertility and family planning research and programs have focused on women. With the expansion of the field to include reproductive health following the 1994 International Conference on Population in Cairo, the more appropriate focus for most reproductive health components appears to be the sexually active couple. This review of studies of couples and reproductive health outcomes examines reports of objective reproductive events, of attitudes and reproductive intentions, of the effect of each partner's attitudes and intentions, of reproductive outcomes, and of the effectiveness of interventions that target couples compared with those that target one partner or the other. For couples' statements about reproductive events, studies throughout the world typically show identical reports less than 90 percent of the time. Concordance between partners on subjective matters is in the range of 60 to 70 percent. Data based on reports of reproductive intentions from both partners have been shown to lead to better predictions of behavior than have data from only one partner. Finally, reproductive health interventions that target couples are found to be more effective than those directed to only one sex. The evidence clearly justifies a focus on couples.

Decision Making↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Development of a policy for patients receiving neuromuscular blocking agents.

PURPOSE: To develop a policy to standardize the care of patients paralyzed with neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs). METHODS: Criteria were developed to assess adherence to the policy. Categorical and continuous data were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Deficiencies were identified in frequency of train-of-four monitoring and in carrying out daily discontinuation of NMBAs to allow effects of paralysis to dissipate. CONCLUSIONS: The policy was useful as an educational tool. A NMBA order form should be developed to improve adherence to the policy.

Adult↗