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Adherence of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes to chondroitin 4-sulfate.

Adherence of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes (PRBCs) to the microvascular endothelium of specific organs and consequent sequestration is believed to be responsible for the development of malaria pathology. A number of studies have shown that cell adhesion molecules expressed on the surface of endothelial cells mediate the adherence. Recent studies indicate that a subpopulation of PRBCs adhere to chondroitin 4-sulfate (C4S). This adhesion can be effectively inhibited by C4S oligosaccharides. In pregnant women, the placenta specifically selects C4S-adherent PRBCs, and thus these phenotypes multiply and sequester in the intervillous spaces. Over successive pregnancies, women develop a protective humoral response to the C4S-adhesion phenotype. Disruption of C4S-mediated PRBCs adhesion using either a C4S oligosaccharide mimetic or an antiC4S-adhesion vaccine can be an efficient strategy for the treatment of malaria caused by C4S-adherent P. falciparum.

Animals↗

Coping with chronic community violence: the variety and implications of women's efforts.

To date, most researchers concerned with chronic community violence have studied children, and focused on the types, extent, and effects of their violence experiences. In contrast, using a series of in-depth repeated interviews, the current study explored African American women's methods for coping with chronic community violence. This article describes the variety of ways these women developed to avoid, minimize, or manage their own and their children's encounters with community violence. It argues for the importance of using these data to inform professional intervention and suggests specific implications for practice, program development, and policy.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Urinary incontinence: is cesarean delivery protective?

About half of all women develop transient urinary incontinence during pregnancy. Three months postpartum, the prevalence and incidence rates of urinary incontinence are 9% to 31% and 7% to 15%, respectively. Antenatal incontinence increases the risk of postpartum incontinence, which in turn increases the risk of long-term persistent incontinence. After the first delivery, women delivered vaginally have two-fold more incontinence than those delivered by cesarean. The protective effect of cesarean on urinary incontinence may dissipate after further deliveries, decreases with age, and is not present in older women. Data are mixed about whether cesarean done before labor confers greater protection than cesarean done after labor. To understand the true impact of cesarean delivery on urinary incontinence, future studies must compare incontinence by planned (not actual) delivery modes, consider a woman's entire reproductive career, focus on leakage severe enough to be problematic, consider other bladder symptoms as well as incontinence, and take into account other risk factors, particularly antepartum urinary incontinence.

Cesarean Section↗

Radical-trapping activity, blood pressure, and carotid enlargement in women.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of traditional and nontraditional (oxidation markers) cardiovascular risk factors on the degree of adaptive response of the carotid wall to atherosclerotic disease, a process known as arterial enlargement. Five thousand sixty-two clinically healthy, middle-aged women living in the area of Naples participated in the "Progetto Atena" study; 310 of these women (potentially at higher atherosclerotic risk) underwent a high-resolution ultrasound scan of the carotid arteries. In addition to routine biochemical tests, these women had the determination of serum IgG antibody titer against oxidized LDL and measurement of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and total radical-trapping activity potential of plasma. Age, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, and radical-trapping activity were all positively correlated with external and internal common carotid diameters, whereas triglycerides (positively) and HDL cholesterol (inversely) were related only to external diameter. After controlling for traditional cardiovascular risk factors, associations still persisted for age, systolic blood pressure, and plasma radical-trapping activity with external carotid diameters. However, in the quartile of women with highest total cholesterol (>7.38 mmol/L), the slope of the regression line between systolic blood pressure and external diameter was significantly flatter than in the three other quartiles (test for difference, P=0.014). Outward carotid enlargement is related to traditional and nontraditional risk factors and comes even before plaque development. Women with poor resistance to oxidative stress potentially have a difficulty to remodel their arteries in response to atherosclerotic stimuli.

Age Factors↗

Different patterns of change in narratives of men and women during analytical group psychotherapy.

Narratives of men and women concerning their interactions with other people were evaluated before and during analytically oriented group psychotherapy using the Core-Conflictual-Relationship-Theme (CCRT) method (Luborsky & Crits-Cristoph, 1990). Relationship patterns of men and women developed differently during therapy. Some gender stereotypes persisted, others changed. During therapy the proportion of negative responses in the narratives increased in the men. Change in the narratives was not related to change in self-reported symptoms. For group treatments, the results suggest that the gender of the patients has to be taken into account. Knowledge of different developmental patterns for men and women in groups can be important in regard to the expectations of therapists and their countertransference.

Adult↗

Bevacizumab combination therapy in recurrent, platinum-refractory, epithelial ovarian carcinoma: A retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: The study was undertaken to determine the safety and efficacy of the monoclonal, antivascular endothelial growth factor antibody bevacizumab in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy for women with platinum-refractory ovarian cancer. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of women who received bevacizumab in combination with a cytotoxic agent was performed. Response was determined by measurable disease or assessment of serial cancer antigen (CA) 125 measurements. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients were identified. The patients were heavily pretreated with a median of 7 prior regimens including a median of 3 prior platinum regimens. The combination regimen included cyclophosphamide in 15 (65%), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in 6 (26%), docetaxel in 1 (4%), and gemcitibine/liposomal doxorubicin in 1 (4%). Two (9%) women developed chylous ascites during treatment. CTC Grade 4-5 toxicities occurred in 4 (17%) subjects. Gastrointestinal perforation occurred in 2 (9%) patients. Measurable disease was present in 22. The overall best response rate was 35% and all 8 were partial responses (PRs). Stable disease was found in a further 10 (44%) women, whereas progressive disease was observed in 5 (22%). The median time to progression was 5.6 months in patients with a PR and 2.3 months in subjects with stable disease. Three (13%) women experienced a progression-free interval (PFI) of >6 months. At last follow-up, 8 (35%) subjects had died of disease, whereas 15 (65%) women were alive with disease. CONCLUSIONS: Combination bevacizumab therapy demonstrated activity in heavily pretreated women with ovarian cancer. Gastrointestinal perforations were identified in 9%. Despite the toxicity of the regimen, prospective studies, particularly in less heavily pretreated patients, are warranted.

Adult↗

Fatal central diabetes mellitus and insipidus resulting from untreated hyponatremia: a new syndrome.

After elective hospitalization, eleven healthy young women developed symptomatic hyponatremia that was rapidly followed by polyuria, hypernatremia, hyperglycemia, and death. The patients were 30 +/- 2 years old (+/- SE) with initial serum sodium of 140 +/- 1 mmol/L. They all awoke from analgesia but, 32 hours after completion of the procedure, they went from alertness to respiratory arrest in less than 1 hour. At this time, serum sodium was 116 +/- 2 mmol/L and blood glucose was 6.7 +/- 0.7 mmol/L. Without treatment for the hyponatremia, urine output spontaneously increased from 38 to 689 mL/h and urine osmolality fell from 546 to 83 mmol/kg body weight. Over the next 51 hours, blood glucose rose to a high of 24.1 +/- 2.5 mmol/L while serum sodium rose to a high of 167 +/- 2 mmol/L. None of the patients regained consciousness. At autopsy, all patients had cerebral edema with herniation along with hypoxic brain damage. The pituitary showed infarction of both anterior and posterior lobes in 7 of 7 patients examined, while 8 of 11 had necrosis of the medulla and 8 of 8 patients examined had hypothalamic necrosis. All had normal pancreas and kidneys at autopsy. Soon after respiratory arrest, all of the patients developed fixed, dilated pupils that often led to the diagnosis of brain death. Autopsy showed compression of the third cranial nerve (oculomotor) because of cerebral herniation. Thus, all of the patients were diagnosed as being brain dead when some may have been saved. These data suggest that in otherwise healthy young women, untreated symptomatic hyponatremia may lead to brain edema, cerebral herniation, and infarction of pituitary and hypothalamus, resulting in central diabetes insipidus and mellitus.

Adult↗

Prediction of coronary heart disease using risk factor categories.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to examine the association of Joint National Committee (JNC-V) blood pressure and National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) cholesterol categories with coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, to incorporate them into coronary prediction algorithms, and to compare the discrimination properties of this approach with other noncategorical prediction functions. METHODS AND RESULTS: This work was designed as a prospective, single-center study in the setting of a community-based cohort. The patients were 2489 men and 2856 women 30 to 74 years old at baseline with 12 years of follow-up. During the 12 years of follow-up, a total of 383 men and 227 women developed CHD, which was significantly associated with categories of blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol (all P<.001). Sex-specific prediction equations were formulated to predict CHD risk according to age, diabetes, smoking, JNC-V blood pressure categories, and NCEP total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol categories. The accuracy of this categorical approach was found to be comparable to CHD prediction when the continuous variables themselves were used. After adjustment for other factors, approximately 28% of CHD events in men and 29% in women were attributable to blood pressure levels that exceeded high normal (> or =130/85). The corresponding multivariable-adjusted attributable risk percent associated with elevated total cholesterol (> or =200 mg/dL) was 27% in men and 34% in women. CONCLUSIONS: Recommended guidelines of blood pressure, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol effectively predict CHD risk in a middle-aged white population sample. A simple coronary disease prediction algorithm was developed using categorical variables, which allows physicians to predict multivariate CHD risk in patients without overt CHD.

Adult↗

Determinants of end-stage renal disease in Pima Indians with type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus and proteinuria.

To identify factors related to the development of end-stage renal disease after the onset of proteinuria, its incidence was determined in 364 Pima Indians aged 35 years or older with Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus and proteinuria (protein-to-creatinine ratio > or = 0.5 g/g). Of these 364 subjects, 95 (36 men, 59 women) developed end-stage renal disease. The cumulative incidence was 40% 10 years after and 61% 15 years after the onset of proteinuria. The incidence of end-stage renal disease was significantly related to the duration of diabetes, the duration of proteinuria, higher 2-h plasma glucose concentration, type of diabetes treatment, and the presence of retinopathy at the time of recognition of the proteinuria, but not to age, sex, or blood pressure. Duration of proteinuria influenced the risk of end-stage renal disease, contingent, however, upon the duration of diabetes at the onset of proteinuria. The higher cumulative incidence of end-stage renal disease 15 years after the onset of proteinuria in Pima Indians (61%) than in Caucasians from Rochester, Minnesota (17%) may be attributable, in part, to the younger age of onset of Type 2 diabetes in Pima Indians than in Caucasians, to ethnic differences in susceptibility to renal disease, or to lower death rates among the Pima Indians from competing causes of death, such as coronary heart disease.

Adult↗

Twelve-year incidence of coronary heart disease in middle-aged adults during the era of hypertensive therapy: the Framingham offspring study.

PURPOSE: To provide information on the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) in the offspring of the original cohort from the Framingham Heart Study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1972 to 1974, offspring of the original participants in the Framingham Heart Study underwent a baseline examination for standard cardiovascular risk factors. At entry into the study, these offspring were 30 to 59 years old and free of CHD. They were followed for 12 years, during which time 156 of 1,663 men and 55 of 1,714 women developed CHD. RESULTS: In a multivariate proportional hazards model, CHD was significantly associated with age, lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, and number of cigarettes smoked. Fasting glucose levels and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were highly associated with CHD in men, but borderline in women, while triglycerides and very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were not significantly associated with CHD after adjustment for HDL-C and glucose. Blood pressure medication was used in half of the hypertensive individuals, and systolic pressure was associated with CHD in women only. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the importance of the common CHD risk factors of cigarette smoking and LDL-C, and extends the prognostic role of HDL-C in a middle-aged cohort. The impact of blood pressure, with or without use of hypertensive medications, was reduced in this study, and the data suggest that this attenuation was due to successful treatment.

Adult↗

Immunisation of staff of a regional blood transfusion centre with a recombinant hepatitis B vaccine.

Medical, nursing, laboratory and other staff of the Mersey Regional Blood Transfusion Centre at risk of acquiring hepatitis B were vaccinated against the virus with a recombinant vaccine. Altogether, 86% staff developed greater than 10 mIU/ml antibody to hepatitis B virus surface antigen after immunisation but the proportion was lower in older staff. After a further injection of vaccine was given to poor and non-responders the overall proportion responding rose to 93%. The difference in response between the sexes was significant. Women had a higher rate of response and, among those persons responding, women developed a higher concentration of antibody.

Adult↗

Laparoscopic myomectomy and abdominal myomectomy.

Most women develop myomas during their lifetimes; however, 80% are asymptomatic. When symptoms are determined to be caused by myomas, a number of management options exist that include "watchful waiting," medical therapy, surgery, or more recently uterine artery embolization and focused ultrasound. Myomectomy, either abdominal or laparoscopic, is an approach particularly suited for those women who wish future fertility. It seems clear that, in well trained and experienced hands, well-selected patients can have myomectomy performed under laparoscopic direction. Very large myomas are not as suitable for the laparoscopic approach, but are amenable to a uterine conserving procedure via laparotomy that is facilitated by a number of preoperative and intraoperative measures aimed to minimize or replace operative blood loss. These techniques should provide selected women a uterine conserving procedure with reduced morbidity.

Embolization, Therapeutic↗

Much higher risk of premalignant and malignant cervical diseases in younger women positive for HPV16 than in older women positive for HPV16.

Human papillomavirus (HPV), particularly HPV16, is strongly associated with premalignant lesions of the uterine cervix and cervical cancer. However, HPV infection is a common sexually transmitted disease and only a few women develop cervical cancer. Although the presence of HPV and abnormal cytology are independent risk factors for cervical diseases, implementing both tests on every woman is argued not to be recommended mainly in terms of cost-effectiveness. During a 20-month period between October, 1994, and May, 1996, cervical swabs from 207 women who were referred for colposcopy because of cervical dyskaryosis (Papanicolaou class IIIa or higher) were examined by PCR for the presence of HPV16. When these women were divided into two groups; i.e., group A consisting of women who were 44 years old or younger (n = 111), and group B consisting of women who were 45 years old or older (n = 96), the risk of having premalignant and malignant cervical diseases upon infection with HPV16 was approximately 8 times higher in group A than in group B. Thus, we conclude that HPV-testing should be implemented on every young woman with an abnormal Papanicolaou smear test.

Adult↗

Female circumcision (female genital mutilation): a problem for brachytherapy in cervical cancer.

Female circumcision is a traditional practice common in African countries. It involves partial or total removal of external female genitalia. It has led to many complications, in particular, the scarring of the external genitalia. The consequence is a very narrow introitus making the intracavitary brachytherapy treatment component difficult when these women develop cancer of cervix. We present two such cases from our institution. Our aim is to make the radiation and gynecological oncologists, both in developed and developing countries, aware of this practice and the problems they can encounter in the management of such cases. Intracavitary brachytherapy is an important component in the potentially curative role of radiation therapy for cervical cancer. Every effort should be made to ensure that the sequelae of genital mutilation does not deprive these women of the same standard of care as the general population.

Aged↗

Quality of life of breast cancer survivors: the impact of hormonal replacement therapy.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this non-randomized qualitative study were to compare the quality of life (QOL) of breast cancer survivors who received hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and those who did not, and to describe the impact of breast cancer on their social, physical, psychological and spiritual domains. A QOL self-evaluation questionnaire was used to determine the most important concerns and changes described by women that affected, or were likely to affect, their QOL as a result of breast cancer. METHODS: In total, 220 patients who had finished treatment for breast cancer were contacted; 190 agreed to participate, of whom 123 (64.8%) completed and returned their questionnaires, which comprised demographic data, Quality of Life Breast Cancer Version Questionnaire and Quality of Life Self Evaluation Questionnaire. The results for women taking HRT were compared with results for those who were not. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in time between surgery for breast cancer and the survey, age at last birthday, number of pregnancies and live births, employment, breast cancer surgery and adjuvant therapy between HRT and non-HRT groups. No differences were found in the social, physical, psychological and spiritual domains between the two groups; however, significant differences were found between survival time and quality of life in some domains. During the study, none of the 123 women developed a recurrence of their breast cancer. CONCLUSION: There were no significant differences in any demographic variables between the users of HRT and the non-users. The same level of QOL was observed between HRT and non-HRT groups in the four domains of well-being. The majority of women with breast cancer recovered to a near normal level of QOL after a 4-year adjustment period, and lead fulfilling lives. This adjustment period cannot be quantified, as individual factors such as emotional, social and financial concerns will differ for each individual.

Adult↗

Vaginal chlorhexidine during labour for preventing maternal and neonatal infections (excluding Group B Streptococcal and HIV).

BACKGROUND: The incidence of chlorioamnionitis occurs in between 8 to 12 women for every 1000 live births and 96% of the cases of chlorioamnionitis are due to ascending infection. Following spontaneous vaginal delivery, 1% to 4% of women develop postpartum endometritis. The incidence of neonatal sepsis is 0.5% to 1% of all infants born. Maternal vaginal bacteria are the main agents for these infections. It is reasonable to speculate that prevention of maternal and neonatal infections might be possible by washing the vagina and cervix with an antibacterial agent for all women during labour. Chlorhexidine belongs to the class of compounds known as the bis-biguanides. Chlorhexidine has antibacterial action against a wide range of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, including those implicated in peripartal infections. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness and side-effects of chlorhexidine vaginal douching during labour in reducing maternal and neonatal infections (excluding Group B Streptococcal and HIV). SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group trials register (July 2003), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library, Issue 4, 2002), MEDLINE (from 1966 to 2002), EMBASE (from 1980 to 2002), CINAHL (from 1982 to 2002) and LILACS (from 1982 to 2002). SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized or quasi-randomized trials comparing chlorhexidine vaginal douching during labour with placebo or other vaginal disinfectant to prevent (reduce) maternal and neonatal infections (excluding Group B Streptococcal and HIV). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently assessed trial eligibility and quality, extracted and entered the data into the RevMan software and interpreted the data. A third reviewer analysed and interpreted the data. The fourth reviewer also interpreted the data. MAIN RESULTS: Three studies (3012 participants) were included. There was no evidence of an effect of vaginal chlorhexidine during labour in preventing maternal and neonatal infections. Although the data suggest a trend in reducing postpartum endometritis, the difference was not statistically significant (relative risk 0.83; 95% confidence interval 0.61 to 1.13). REVIEWERS' CONCLUSIONS: There is no evidence to support the use of vaginal chlorhexidine during labour in preventing maternal and neonatal infections. There is a need for a well-designed randomized controlled trial using appropriate concentration and volume of vaginal chlorhexidine irrigation solution and with adequate sample size.

Adult↗

A prospective study on obesity and subcutaneous fat patterning in relation to breast cancer in post-menopausal women participating in the DOM project.

The associations of body fat and body fat distribution with breast cancer risk were examined in a prospective study in 9,746 post-menopausal women with a natural menopause, aged 49-66 at intake, participating in a breast cancer screening project (the DOM project in Utrecht). During a follow-up period of 15 years (mean follow-up time 12.5 years) 260 women developed breast cancer. Fat distribution, assessed by contrasting groups of subcapsular and triceps skinfold thickness, was found to be unrelated to breast cancer incidence. No significant relationship between body fat, measured either by weight, Quetelet's index, triceps skinfold or subscapular skinfold, and breast cancer risk was found when analysed in quartiles. However, women in the upper decile compared with the lower decile of the distribution of Quetelet's index were found to have a 1.9 times (95% CI 1.1-3.3) higher risk for breast cancer. These results seemed to be in contrast with the significant positive association between fatness, analysed in quartiles, and breast cancer observed in a cross-sectional study, based on mammographic screening, carried out previously in the same population. Although the differences between the present, prospective, study and our cross-sectional study may be due to chance it may be that there are differences between characteristics of breast cancer detected at screening and subsequently, which influence the associations between measures of fatness and risk of breast cancer.

Adipose Tissue↗

Abdominal complications following open-heart surgery: a report of 12 cases and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Abdominal complications following open-heart surgery remain serious events as the mortality is reported to be tremendously high. The clinical presentation, the diagnostic strategy and the therapeutic management varies. We reviewed all records of those patients who developed abdominal complications with surgical consequences during the last five years, recorded a complete follow-up and compared the findings to a current view of the literature. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Altogether 5720 patients underwent open-heart surgery at our institution between 1/98 and 12/02. Out of these 12 (10 men, 2 women) developed severe gastrointestinal complications with surgical consequences. The mean age was 73.17 +/- 8.1 I1 years. Seven patients underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), two patients combined aortic valve replacement (AVR) and CABG, one isolated AVR, one mitral valve replacement (MVR) and yet another one combined MVR and CABG. The clinical records of all these patients were examined and a complete follow-up was recorded. RESULTS: The duration of the entire cardiac operation was a mean of 212.67 +/- 36.97 min, perfusion time 103 +/- 29.32 min and myocardial ischaemic time 52.25 +/- 24.56 min. Length of ICU-stay was between I and 5 days after cardiac surgery. Concerning gastrointestinal complications nine patients suffered from ischaemic intestinal disease, two from gastrointestinal ulcer bleeding and one from a preoperatively unknown bowel tumour with subsequent ileus. Four patients died in the immediate postoperative course, one patient within two years and seven patients show a satisfactory status at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: A review from the literature shows an enormous mortality from abdominal complications following open-heart surgery. This was also found in our series. As many of these patients have a history of abdominal disease more attention should be paid to such anamnestic hints in the preparation before cardiac surgery. Hence we recommend early diagnostic measures and explorative laparotomy in doubtful situations in patients with positive anamnesis.

Aged↗