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PubMed1994

[Placental infections with Plasmodium in an endemic zone. Risk factors].

A survey has been carried out during eight months in the hospital of Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) in view to observe the infection of the placentas by Plasmodium and their risk factors. One thousand forty pregnant women were included. Infection rates were 6.5% during the low transmission season and 24.5% during the high transmission season. P. falciparum was present in all the infections. Thirty eight per cent of the women under 18 years old and 26% of the primigravidae were infected. The mean difference in birth weights between the newborn babies of primigravidae with infected or non-infected placentas was 275 g. The regular visits to antenatal clinics, a high level of education and sufficient income were linked with a low level of placental infection. The use of bed nets was linked with a low level of placental infections even after suppression of the other socio-economic data. These observations are discussed in view of an action against malaria in endemic areas.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Return of fertility after the removal of Nova T or copper T 200.

The return of fertility after removal of Nova T or Copper T 200 IUDs was studied in 150 women who had a removal for planning pregnancy in a study performed for the comparison of the clinical performance of these IUDs in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden. There was no significant difference in the return of fertility of women having used either device. The cumulative probability of pregnancy per 100 women after the removal of the IUD, as a net rate, was 77.3 at one year, 88.9 at two years and 92.4 at three years. The return of fertility was analyzed separately for those women who had used their IUD for less than two years and for two or more years. The duration of the use had no significant effect on the return of fertility. The outcome of pregnancy, the birth weight, the condition at delivery and the sex ratio of the newborns were normal in the participating countries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Neuronal activation in the forebrain following electrical stimulation of the cuneiform nucleus in the rat: hypothalamic expression of c-fos and NGFI-A messenger RNA.

Forebrain neuronal connections associated with the cardiovascular response to unilateral, low-intensity, electrical stimulation of the mesencephalic cuneiform nucleus were examined in the halothane-anesthetized and paralysed rat by in situ hybridization histochemistry using specific 35S-labelled oligonucleotides for detection of c-fos and nerve growth factor inducible-A gene (NGFI-A) messenger RNAs. Stimulation of the cuneiform nucleus led to increases in mean arterial pressure and heart rate, whereas no cardiovascular response was observed in animals stimulated in the inferior colliculus or in sham-operated animals [see concurrent mid- and hindbrain study [Lam W. et al. (1996) Neuroscience 71, 193-211]. Cuneiform nucleus stimulation was associated with increased c-fos and NGFI-A messenger RNA levels bilaterally in the ventromedial, dorsomedial and lateroanterior hypothalamic nuclei, lateral and anterior hypothalamic areas, and ipsilaterally in the medial amygdaloid nucleus, at levels significantly greater than those in inferior colliculus-stimulated, sham-operated and naive, unoperated animals. C-fos, but not NGFI-A, messenger RNA expression was increased bilaterally in the piriform cortex and subparafascicular thalamic nucleus. These results are consistent with the existence of direct and indirect projections between the cuneiform nucleus and the aforementioned activated areas, the functions of which may include the control of reproduction and metabolism, as well as cardiovascular regulation. The ipsilateral nature of responses in certain brain areas may be explained by the absence of decussating pathways and/or the presence of multisynaptic connections which attenuate bilateral signal transmission. The existence of structures that are known to receive afferent projections from the cuneiform nucleus, but that were not activated, may be explained by synaptic depolarization not reaching the threshold for immediate early gene expression or by a net inhibitory effect on innervated neurons. Characterization of these activated forebrain regions using other compatible labelling techniques should further elucidate the mechanisms by which these central nervous system structures are integrated in the response to stimulation of the cuneiform nucleus.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Performances of copper T 380A and multiload copper 375/250 intrauterine contraceptive devices in a comparative clinical trial.

An evaluation of the performances of copper T 380A (TCU 380A) and multiload copper 375/250 (MLCU 375/250) intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUCDS) was carried out at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria (UCH) in a clinical comparative trial. The IUCDS showed similar low vent rates at one year of continuous use. The difference in cumulative net probabilities for termination due to pelvic inflammatory disease was weakly significant at the sixth month of follow up with MLCU 250 having the highest rate. (TCU 380A-0%; MLCU 375-0%; MLCU 250-3.1%; X2 = 6.0; P < 0.05). This significant difference disappeared by the twelfth month of continuous use. Likewise, the difference in cumulative net probabilities for overall termination was significant at six months and insignificant at twelve months of follow up. The continuation rate after one year were 86%, 92% and 87% respectively for TCU 380A, MLCU 375 and MLCU 250. These rates were higher than 80% and 51% quoted for the previously available Lippes loop in the same environment [1,2]. It was therefore concluded that the three IUCDS are comparable in performances in the first year of use and could be used at our family planning clinic or any other clinic in a similar setting.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Use of cow-side progesterone tests to improve reproductive performance of high-producing dairy cows.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of the cow-side ELISA milk progesterone test in improving postpartum reproductive performance in the Dordt College dairy herd. Cows that produced more than 18,500 lb of milk per lactation were assigned to the high production group (40 cows), while cows that produced less than 18,500 lb of milk (42 cows) were assigned to the low production group. Twenty-one cows in the high production group and 19 cows in the low production group received no ELISA testing (untreated controls), while the remaining cows in each group were evaluated by ELISA test every 7 d beginning on Day 27 post partum (treated cows). A sequence of 2 high progesterone tests and 1 low test indicated the cows were cycling normally. Cows that had low milk progesterone levels (<5 ng/ml) for 3 consecutive tests were assumed to have follicular cysts and were treated with 2 ml GnRH (Cystorelin, 50 mug/ml). Cows that had 3 consecutive high tests (>5 ng/ml) were assumed to have persistent corpora lutea (CL) and were treated with 5 ml PGF(2)alpha (Lutalyse, 5 mg/ml). In both the high and low production groups, treated cows had higher (P < 0.08) pregnancy rates by Day 210 than the untreated controls (63.2 vs 38.1% and 56.5 vs 42.1%, respectively). The days open were reduced (P < 0.05) for the treated animals by 41.6 d compared with the controls. The treated cows produced a net savings of $70.42 (US) per cow assuming a $3.00 savings/day open.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1995

Use of performance ratios to calculate the economic impact of thin cows in a beef cattle herd.

OBJECTIVE: To determine gross income lost that was attributable to thin cows in a beef cattle herd, to estimate the cost of added nutrition necessary to prevent thin cows in the herd, and to determine the financial outcome of the improved nutritional practices. DESIGN: Prospective, observational study. ANIMALS: Four hundred and twenty-two Santa Gertrudis cows and their calves. PROCEDURE: At pregnancy examination in the fall of 1992, cows were assigned a body condition score (BCS), using a scale of 1 (emaciated) to 9 (obese), and the ratio of the productivity of BCS-3 and BCS-4 cow groups (thin cows), compared with the mean productivity of BCS-5 and BCS-6 cows (cows in good condition), was determined. Measures of productivity evaluated included pregnancy rates, weaning weights, and prices per hundredweight of calves. The performance ratios of BCS-3 and BCS-4 cows were multiplied by the mean gross income of BCS-5 and BCS-6 cows to calculate their gross income. This was then subtracted from the mean income of BCS-5 and BCS-6 cows to estimate the amount of lost gross income per thin cow. The cost of a nutritional program that would prevent thin cows in the herd was subtracted from the lost gross income of the thin cows to yield the amount of increased net income that could be generated from a nutritional program that would maintain cows in the herd at a BCS of 5 or 6. RESULTS: Cows with a BCS of 3 were 0.48 as productive, and cows with a BCS of 4 were 0.74 as productive as the average of the BCS-5 and BCS-6 cows combined. Each BCS-3 cow generated $215.06 less, and each BCS-4 cow generated $107.53 less gross income than the average gross income of BCS-5 and BCS-6 cows. The added cost of nutrition that would have reconditioned BCS-3 and BCS-4 cows to a BCS of 5.5 was $91.48/BCS-3 cow and $43.67/BCS-4 cow. Implementation of the reconditioning nutrition program the previous fall would have resulted in an extra net income of $123.58/BCS-3 cow and $63.86/BCS-4 cow, received over a 2-year period. The 262 thin cows in the herd accounted for a total net income loss of $19,897. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The time of pregnancy examination is a strategic intervention point to estimate the past negative economic impact of thin cows and to implement a plan to prevent these losses in the future. Pregnancy examinations should be performed at least 100 days before the beginning of the calving season, and thin pregnant cows should be sorted into a special group and fed a reconditioning diet that will improve their body condition to an average BCS of 5.5 by the onset of the calving season.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed2003

Smokeless tobacco and health in India and South Asia.

South Asia is a major producer and net exporter of tobacco. Over one-third of tobacco consumed regionally is smokeless. Traditional forms like betel quid, tobacco with lime and tobacco tooth powder are commonly used and the use of new products is increasing, not only among men but also among children, teenagers, women of reproductive age, medical and dental students and in the South Asian diaspora. Smokeless tobacco users studied prospectively in India had age-adjusted relative risks for premature mortality of 1.2-1.96 (men) and 1.3 (women). Current male chewers of betel quid with tobacco in case-control studies in India had relative risks of oral cancer varying between 1.8-5.8 and relative risks for oesophageal cancer of 2.1-3.2. Oral submucous fibrosis is increasing due to the use of processed areca nut products, many containing tobacco. Pregnant women in India who used smokeless tobacco have a threefold increased risk of stillbirth and a two- to threefold increased risk of having a low birthweight infant. In recent years, several states in India have banned the sale, manufacture and storage of gutka, a smokeless tobacco product containing areca nut. In May 2003 in India, the Tobacco Products Bill 2001 was enacted to regulate the promotion and sale of all tobacco products. In two large-scale educational interventions in India, sizable proportions of tobacco users quit during 5-10 years of follow-up and incidence rates of oral leukoplakia measured in one study fell in the intervention cohort. Tobacco education must be imparted through schools, existing government health programmes and hospital outreach programmes.

Asia↗
PubMed1988

Acceptability of injectable contraceptives in Assiut, Egypt.

The present work was a randomized comparative study of two injectable progestogen-only contraceptives. The first group (200 subjects) received 150 mg of depotmedroxyprogesterone acetate (Depoprovera) every 84 +/- 7 days and the second (200 subjects) received 200 mg of norethisterone enanthate (Noristerat) every 56 +/- 7 days. Acceptors of injectable contraceptives in Assiut, Egypt, were mainly women looking for fertility termination. Menstrual disruption was the main side effect among both treatment groups. Amenorrhoea was the commonest menstrual complaint and was the main reason for discontinuation in both groups. Only one pregnancy occurred during NET-EN use; two more pregnancies occurred, one in each of the two groups but there were indications that conception preceded the first injection. Menstrual irregularities were generally more frequent with DMPA users. However, DMPA had better one-year continuation rates than NET-EN (68.8 +/- 3.5 and 57.1 +/- 3.6 per 100 women, respectively).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Effective contraception with the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine device: 12-month report of a European multicenter study.

The use-effectiveness of an intrauterine contraceptive device releasing 20 mcg of levonorgestrel daily (Lng-IUD), and of a Nova T copper-releasing IUD, were studied in a randomized, comparative multicenter trial. The Lng-IUD was inserted in 1821, and the Nova T in 937 women. The 12-month net pregnancy rate with the Lng-IUD (0.1 per hundred women) was significantly lower than that with the Nova T (0.9 per hundred). Removal rates for menstrual problems and/or pain were similar for the two methods (net rates 7.5 and 8.7, respectively). The 12-month continuation rates were 82.2 for the Nova T and 79.7 for the Lng-IUD. The reduction of the bleeding led to oligomenorrhea and amenorrhea in users of the Lng-IUD; the removal rate for these reasons was 1.4. The removal rate for hormonal side effects with the Lng-IUD was 2.4. Blood hemoglobin concentrations increased among users of the Lng-IUD and decreased among users of the Nova T. The results show that the Lng-IUD was a highly effective contraceptive method which reduced menstrual bleeding. It is a promising alternative for women desiring a highly effective method for long-term use.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The impact of Mississippi's mandatory delay law on the timing of abortion.

CONTEXT: Mississippi mandates that a woman seeking an abortion must first receive, in person, information about the fetus and alternatives to abortion. She must then wait at least 24 hours before having an abortion. It is not clear how such mandatory delay requirements affect the timing during pregnancy at which abortion occurs. METHODS: The data for analysis, from the Mississippi Department of Health, are 34,748 abortions obtained by residents in the six-year period surrounding the law's enactment in August 1992 (i.e., from August 1989 through July 1995). The records were stratified by location of the nearest provider, so abortions to women whose nearest provider is in-state comprised the "treatment group" (N = 28,975), while abortions to women whose nearest provider is in a neighboring state with no such law comprised the "control group" (N = 5,773). Probit regressions were used to assess effects on the likelihood of a second-trimester abortion, and ordinary least-squares regressions were used to determine effects on gestational age at the time of the abortion. RESULTS: After enactment of the law, the proportion of second-trimester procedures increased by 53% (from 7.5% of abortions to 11.5%) among women whose closest provider is in-state, but it increased by only 8% (from 10.5% to 11.3%) among women whose closest provider is out-of-state. And although the overall abortion rate declined among women in the treatment group over the period (from 11.3 procedures per 1,000 women aged 15-44 to 9.9), the rate of second-trimester procedures increased among these women (from 0.8 per 1,000 women aged 15-44 to 1.1). The law was independently associated with delays in obtaining an abortion: Once the law went into effect and net of all covariates, the proportion of second-trimester abortions increased by nearly three percentage points more among women living closest to an in-state provider than among those living closest to an out-of-state provider. The law increased the mean gestational age of the fetus at the time of the procedure by approximately four days. Women who live closest to abortion providers in other states were relatively unaffected by the law. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of abortions performed later in pregnancy will probably increase if more states impose mandatory delay laws with in-person counseling requirements.

Abortion, Legal↗
PubMed1992

Optimizing model: insemination, replacement, seasonal production, and cash flow.

Dynamic programming to solve the Markov decision process problem of optimal insemination and replacement decisions was adapted to address large dairy herd management decision problems in the US. Expected net present values of cow states (151,200) were used to determine the optimal policy. States were specified by class of parity (n = 12), production level (n = 15), month of calving (n = 12), month of lactation (n = 16), and days open (n = 7). Methodology optimized decisions based on net present value of an individual cow and all replacements over a 20-yr decision horizon. Length of decision horizon was chosen to ensure that optimal policies were determined for an infinite planning horizon. Optimization took 286 s of central processing unit time. The final probability transition matrix was determined, in part, by the optimal policy. It was estimated iteratively to determine post-optimization steady state herd structure, milk production, replacement, feed inputs and costs, and resulting cash flow on a calendar month and annual basis if optimal policies were implemented. Implementation of the model included seasonal effects on lactation curve shapes, estrus detection rates, pregnancy rates, milk prices, replacement costs, cull prices, and genetic progress. Other inputs included calf values, values of dietary TDN and CP per kilogram, and discount rate. Stochastic elements included conception (and, thus, subsequent freshening), cow milk production level within herd, and survival. Validation of optimized solutions was by separate simulation model, which implemented policies on a simulated herd and also described herd dynamics during transition to optimized structure.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Differential fitness returns in relation to spatial position in groups.

1. A general overview of position-related fitness differences in group-living animals is given for the first time. 2. Differential fitness returns in groups are often related to competition for resources among group members due to resource limitation. If resources are very scarce, then competition may finally lead to the disbandment of groups. The encounter-dilution effect predicts that grouping confers a benefit if the conspicuousness of large groups does not outweigh the dilution effect and each predator or parasite attacks only one (or a few) prey per encounter (Uetz & Hieber, 1993). While the encounter-dilution effect limits the number of predators and parasites a group is faced with at a given time, marginal predation and communal defence are probably the most important factors for position-related differences in predation risk. 3. Limitation of resources increases competition between groups members and should widen the gap between fitness returns of dominant and subordinate group members. In some group-living animals such as schooling fish, however, predator pressure has apparently selected for uniformity in morphology and behaviour which presumably restricts the potential for resource competition (Magurran & Seghers, 1991). 4. A general problem of assessing individual fitness returns in that different short-term strategies may achieve the same long term goals (Magurran, 1993). The use of feeding rates and predation risks as currencies for fitness returns over short time periods is therefore questionable and can only be a first step. So far, hardly any information is available on long-term effects of differences in positioning behaviour. 5. Food availability and food intake rates tend to be higher in edge positions, whereas energy expenditure does not differ significantly with group position in non-roosting mobile groups. This suggests that edge positions achieve a higher net-energy pay-off and should therefore be preferred by individuals with low energy reserves. 6. Differential predation risks are well documented for stationary and colony-breeding species, but there is a lack of data for mobile, non-breeding species. The reason for the latter is that predation is rarely observed (in the field) and often difficult to relate to group position in fast-moving species such as flocks of birds. Further studies, especially in the field, are needed. 7. Vigilance rates and attack rates do not necessarily give a true reflection of mortality risk. Vigilance is not exclusively related to predation and can be confounded by competition effects and hunger. Attack rates are difficult to translate into per capita risks if hardly any mortality is observed and therefore little information is available about the ratio of successful attacks/total attacks. 8. Most of the literature up to date consists of descriptive studies. There is a need for experimental work that investigate (a) the influence of predator attack mode on differential predation risks; (b) the influence of internal states (such as hunger) on the tradeoff between predation risk and foraging behaviour and its consequences for the positioning behaviour in groups; (c) the 'egalitarian' nature of groups with respect to group position. Do all individuals continuously rotate positions? Or do dominant individuals monopolize certain positions?, and (d) that separate the effects of nutritional state, vigilance and food availability on feeding rates in different group positions. 9. Reproductive success is often related to group position in breeding colonies and lekking animal species. Females probably prefer the safer territories in the group centre, but more empirical data are required to test this hypothesis. 10. Position-related differences in parasitism rate between group members are well documented with per capita rate of parasitism being lower in the centre of groups than at the periphery.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1982

A randomised trial and a comparative study of the copper 7 200 and the multiload copper 250 intrauterine devices.

A randomized trial of the Copper 7 200 (Cu 7 200) and the Multiload Copper 250 (ML Cu 250) intrauterine devices (IUD) was carried out for 13 months. On life table analysis at 12 months, net cumulative closure rates for use-related terminations (net rates) for the Cu 7 200 were higher than for the ML Cu 250 for accidental pregnancy (NS), expulsions (P less than 0.02) and medical removals for pain and/or bleeding (P less than 0.01). The continuation rate was lower for the Cu 7 200 (P less than 0.001). In a larger comparative study, at 12 months there was a highly significant difference (P less than 0.001) in favour of the ML Cu 250 in accidental pregnancy, expulsions and removals for pain and/or bleeding and continuation of use. Since the ultimate purpose of the use of an IUD is pregnancy protection with a minimum of side effects, the continued use of the Cu 7 200 is not recommended.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed1985

Phase IV study of the injection Norigest in Pakistan.

A field study of the injectable contraceptive, norethisterone enanthate (NET-EN), was conducted in family planning clinics in Sind and Punjab provinces of Pakistan, to determine the acceptability and feasibility of providing NET-EN in government family planning clinics staffed by Family Welfare Visitors (FWVs). A total of 2147 women were recruited to the study, of whom approximately three-fourths had never previously used contraception. The overall discontinuation rate at one year was 78 per 100 women; the most common reason for discontinuation was bleeding disturbances, including amenorrhea, although returning to the clinic too late for an injection also accounted for a substantial proportion of the discontinuations. Given adequate training, FWVs were shown to be capable of providing NET-EN in family planning clinics, including managing the bleeding disturbances common with this method of contraception. No pregnancies were reported, demonstrating that the method is highly effective when used in a usual family planning clinic situation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

A comparative analysis of infant mortality in major Ohio cities: significance of socio-biological factors.

"Using linked birth and infant death records for Ohio for the 1984-87 birth cohorts, this paper examines differentials in neonatal, postneonatal, and infant mortality rates in four major Ohio cities....It was found that, compared to Toledo, Cleveland had 51% higher risk of infant death, Cincinnati had 45% higher risk, [and] Columbus had 13% higher risk of infant death. Although in each of these cities, black infants had significantly higher risk of death than white infants, controlling for race alone reduced but did not eliminate the infant mortality differentials among the cities. The results of the hazards analyses reveal that maternal education, marital status, maternal age, birth order, prenatal care, gestational age, and birth weight had a profound net impact on the risk of infant death and that, even after controlling for these and other maternal and infant characteristics, significant city differentials persisted in infant mortality."

Black or African American↗
PubMed1998

Hormonal contraception and risk of cardiovascular disease. An international perspective.

The most frequent major adverse effect of hormonal contraception is an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The effect on the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI) differs and is strongly influenced by smoking and the presence of other cardiovascular risks factors, such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus. The incidence of each disease rises with age and there are differences in risk among hormonal contraceptive preparations. This article provides a framework within which to assess the balance of risks among types of hormonal contraceptives according to individual circumstances. Data on cardiovascular disease mortality rates in women of reproductive age in different countries of the world were compiled from nationally reported statistics and supplemented where possible with reported disease incidence rates. Risks associated with current use of hormonal contraception were compiled from the most recent publications on the cardiovascular effects of steroid hormone contraception. These were combined to estimate the total cardiovascular incidence and mortality according to baseline cardiovascular risk and individual characteristics. Mortality rates for cardiovascular diseases are very low in women of reproductive age. Myocardial infarction mortality rates rise from < 0.4 per 100,000 woman-years at age 15-24 years to the range 2 to 7 per 100,000 woman-years at age 35-44 years. Stroke mortality rates similarly rise steeply with age and are between 3 and 5 times higher than those for MI. VTE mortality rates rise less steeply with age and are approximately one-tenth the MI mortality rates at age 35-44 years. The adverse effect of oral contraceptives (OC) on the risk of VTE is the most important contributor to the total number of cardiovascular cases attributable to OC use. The increased risk of stroke and MI dominate the patterns of mortality in OC users and smokers. The additional risks attributable to smoking are greater than the additional risks attributable to OC use. The risk attributable to OC use in women < 35 years of age is small, even if they smoke, but there are substantially increased risks in older women who both smoke and use OC. The additional mortality attributable to OC use can be reduced by screening users, as this results in lower relative risks of ischemic stroke and MI. Differences between OC types in the relative risk of VTE contribute little to the total cardiovascular mortality associated with OC use, even though the total number of cardiovascular events is increased. A potential reduction in the risk of MI with desogestrel and gestodene compared with levonorgestrel-containing OC would have little difference on overall mortality rates in women in their 20s and 30s, but may result in a net reduction in OC-attributable mortality in women aged 40-44 years who smoke. An overall quantification of the risks for different types of oral contraceptive users is necessary for an informed choice of contraceptive method, and any assessment of the balance of cardiovascular risks is complex. The model provides a tool to assess, at the level of the individual, the risks associated with use of different OC according to personal circumstances. It is important to consider the user's age and smoking status when determining OC attributable risks.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMed2003

Endangering safe motherhood in Mozambique: prenatal care as pregnancy risk.

Despite high infant and maternal mortality rates, many Mozambican women with access to prenatal services delay prenatal clinic consultations, limiting opportunity for prevention and treatment of preventable pregnancy complications. Ethnographic research, interviews with health providers and longitudinal pregnancy case studies with 83 women were conducted in Central Mozambique to examine pregnant women's underutilization of clinic-based prenatal services. The study found that pregnancy beliefs and prenatal practices reflect women's attempts to influence reproduction under conditions of vulnerability at multiple levels. Women reported high maternal reproductive morbidity, frequent pregnancy wastage, and immense pressure to bear children throughout their reproductive years. Reproductive vulnerability is intensified by poverty and an intense burden placed on poor, peri-urban women farmers for family subsistence and continuous fertility in a period of economic austerity, land shortages, and increasing social conflict and inequality. In this environment of economic insecurity exacerbated by congested living conditions, women report competing for scarce resources, including male support and income. This vulnerability heightens women's perceptions that they and their unborn infants will be targets of witchcraft or sorcery by jealous neighbors and kin. They respond by hiding pregnancy and delaying prenatal care. Within the context of women's perceived reproductive risks, delayed prenatal care can be seen as a strategy to protect pregnancy from purposeful human and spirit harm. Women mobilized limited resources to acquire prenatal care outside the formal clinic setting. It is concluded that provision of clinical prenatal services is insufficient to reduce reproductive risks for the most socially and economically marginal since it is their vulnerability that prevents women from using available services. Confidential maternity services and social safety nets for greater economic security are recommended.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Accumulation of PCB congeners in nestling tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) on the Hudson River, New York.

Tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) were used as a sentinel species to monitor the contamination and bioavailability of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Hudson River watershed. Several tree swallow nest box colonies around and downstream from Hudson Falls, NY, were studied. Tree swallow eggs, adults, and 5-, 10-, and 15-day-old nestlings were collected and analyzed for 103 PCB congeners. Emergent insects collected by net (primarily Odonata) or as a food bolus (primarily Diptera) taken from the mouths of adult tree swallows returning to the nest were analyzed in the same manner. Total PCB concentrations (wet weight) in eggs from two contaminated sites ranged from 9000 to 25,000 ng/g and accumulated to 32,000 and 96,000 ng/g in 15-day-old nestling at two contaminated sites. The congener patterns of PCBs in eggs, nestlings, and adults were compared to those found in emergent insects (Odonata and Diptera) using principal components analysis. The PCB patterns of the biota differed from that of Aroclor technical mixtures. PCB patterns in adult tree swallows were similar to those in eggs, while the patterns in dietary insects were similar to nestling tree swallows. Uptake rate constants were determined for tree swallow nestlings and compared between the two contaminated sites. The estimated PCB congener uptake rate constants were 0.008-0.02 d(-1) based on uptake in nestlings until day 15 post-hatch. The rate constants were comparable between the two study areas and may be used to predict nestling contamination at other locations. Our studies confirm the utility of nestling tree swallows to evaluate localized PCB contamination.

Animals↗