bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of vasoactive autacoids on the human umbilical‐fetal placental vasculature
Authors: MAK K. K.‐W. , GUDE N. M. , WALTERS W. A. W. , BOURA A. L. A. 
Published: August 2005

summaryStudies have been made of the effects of autacoids on vascular tone of the human perfused fetal umbilical vein and placental lobule. The thromboxane A2 (TxA2)‐mimetic substance U46619, 5‐hydroxytryptamine and bradykinin were powerful constrictors of the vein. Prostaglandins E2 (PGE2), F2α(PGF2α), adrenaline, noradrenaline, histamine and angiotensin II were much less potent. Venoconstriction caused by U46619, bradykinin and 5‐hydroxytryptamine was reduced during inhibition of phospholipase A2 with mepacrine. Responses to U46619 were also reduced after inhibition of cyclo‐oxygenase with indomethacin whereas those to bradykinin and 5‐hydroxytryptamine were potentiated. In the placenta U46619 was the most potent vasoconstrictor, bradykinin, 5‐hydroxytryptamine, angiotensin II, PGE2 and PGF2α being 10–100 times less active. Responses to U46619 were reduced by either mepacrine or indomethacin. Arachidonic acid caused umbilical venoconstriction but vasodilatation in the placenta. Both effects were reduced by indomethacin. Prostacyclin (PGI2) caused vasodilatation in both preparations. It is suggested that TxA2 in the placenta and TxA2, 5‐hydroxytryptamine and bradykinin in the umbilical vein could contribute to control of vascular smooth muscle tone. Their vasoconstrictor effects are partly indirect and affected by the concomitant local release of eicosanoids. The results add suort to previous conclusions that these autacoids may normally have important influences on blood flow in the fetal extra‐corporeal circulation. Agents inhibiting their synthesis, eg non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory agents, should only be prescribed during pregnancy with these facts in mind.
Umbilical vein blood flow as an indicator of fetal hypoxia
Authors: JOUILA PENTTI , KIRKINEN PERTTI 
Published: August 2005

summaryUmbilical vein blood flow was measured using a combination of real‐time and pulsed Dolerultrasonic equipment in 11 pregnancies associated with chronic fetal hypoxia. All the results obtained during the last 12 h before delivery demonstrated pathologically low flow values, mainly due to constriction of the umbilical vein.
Fetal blood sampling during the third trimester of pregnancy
Authors: DAFFOS F. , FORESTIER F. , PAVLOVSKY M. CAPELLA 
Published: August 2005

summaryFetal blood sampling was possible during the third trimester of pregnancy by direct puncture of the umbilical vein near its placental insertion, using a needle guided by ultrasound. Between 2 and 6 ml of pure fetal blood were obtained from three pregnancies without adverse effect on the fetuses. If this new procedure proves to have an acceptable complication rate it should widen the field of prenatal diagnosis for the detection of treatable diseases of the fetus.
Male twins at birth and 18 years later
Authors: NILSEN STEIN TORE , BERGSJØ PER , NOME SIRI 
Published: August 2005

summaryAn 18‐year follow‐up examination on 56 male twins born in 1962–1963 was done by comparing birth records with the results of medical examinations at drafting for military service in 1981 Of the studied twins, 14.3% were unfit for military service compared with 6.2% of the total population of Norwegian conscripts in the same year. Preterm delivery rather than twinning per se is suggested as an explanation for this result. Vision was impaired in the preterm twins more often than in the total group of conscripts. The general intelligence, measured by standardized tests at the military medical board, did not differ significantly between the group of twins and the control conscripts.
Changes in serum uric acid concentrations during normal pregnancy
Authors: LIND T. , GODFREY K. A. , OTUN H. , PHILIPS P. R. 
Published: August 2005

summarySerial changes in serum uric acid concentrations have been studied in a group of healthy women before conception, at regular intervals throughout pregnancy and finally 12 weeks afterdelivery. Compared with pre‐pregnancy values uric acid concentrations decreased significantly by 8 weeks gestation and this reduced level was maintained until about 24 weeks. Thereafter the concentrations increased such that by term they were greater than the pre‐pregnancy values in the majority of patients and remained elevated until at least 12 weeks after delivery. If clinical management during the second half of pregnancy is to be based on increases in serum uric acid concentrations then such increases will have to be carefully interpreted against the background of rising concentrations which occur as part of the physiological response to normal pregnancy.
Progesterone concentrations in maternal and fetal blood
Authors: FARQUHARSON R. G. , KLOER A. I. 
Published: August 2005

summaryProgesterone concentrations in cord artery and vein and in retroplacental and maternal blood were measured in 43 women delivered by caesarean section. The cord vein concentration was consistently higher than the cord artery concentration. The two were correlated but neither was related to the concentration in retroplacental blood. It was concluded that progesterone is secreted by the placenta independently to the mother and the fetus. No role for fetal progesterone was evident from the data.
Fetal cephalometry by ultrasound as a screening procedure for the prenatal detection of Down's syndrome
Authors: PERRY TRACY B. , BENZIE RONALD J. , CASSAR NAGIB , HAMILTON EMILY F. , STOCKER JUAN , TOFTAGER‐LARSEN KIM , LIMAN ABBY 
Published: August 2005

summaryInfants and children with Down's syndrome have a cephalic index (ratio of biparietal to occipitofrontal diameter) higher than that in normal children. To determine whether this difference is present and detectable by ultrasound measurement of the second‐trimester fetal head, we calculated the cephalic indices for 308 normal fetuses and eight fetuses with a 47,+21 karyotype. The mean cephalic index in the fetuses with Down's syndrome (0.829, SD 0.033) was indistinguishable from that in the normal fetuses (0.825, SD 0.042). These data suggest that the documented difference in mean cephalic index between liveborn children with Down's syndrome and normal control children is not detectable in the mid‐gestation fetus and that ultrasound cephalometry alone is unlikely to discriminate reliably between normal and affected fetuses.
The advantage of antenatal diagnosis of intestinal and urinary tract malformations
Authors: KULLENDORFF C. M. , LARSSON L. T. , JÖRGENSEN C. 
Published: August 2005

summaryIn a 24‐month prospective screening programme 6020 pregnant women were examined with diagnostic ultrasound at 17 and 32 weeks gestation. In a total of 23 (0.38%) abnormalities, four cases of urinary tract and two of intestinal tract abnormalities were discovered. The antenatal diagnosis influenced the management of these disorders both before and after birth.
Diurnal variation of uterine contractility
Authors: LUNDSTRÖM V. , ENEROTH P. , SWAHN M.‐L. , GRANSTRÖM E. 
Published: August 2005

summaryThe diurnal uterine activity in four normal women in the secretory phase of their menstrual cycles and one woman suffering from dysmenorrhea were studied in relation to concomitant hormone levels in blood (progesterone, hGH, prolactin, cortisol, vasopressin, and 15‐keto‐13, 14‐dihydro‐PGF2α). In the four normal women uterine activity decreased after midnight, unrelated to circulating levels of 15‐keto‐13,14‐dihydro‐PGF2α. But during a dysmenorrheic episode the uterine hyper‐contractility pattern correlated well with levels of the PGF2α‐metabolite, indicating a role of endogenous‐produced PGF2α in this condition. The results demonstrate a diurnal rhythm, possibly related to the wake‐sleep cycle. No simple associations were seen between vasopressin, cortisol, prolactin, hGH, the PGF2α‐metabolite, and uterine activity.
Endocrine effects of danazol in the treatment of endometriosis
Authors: BEVAN J. R. , DOWSETT M. , JEFFCOATE S. L. 
Published: August 2005

summaryThe effects of danazol therapy on circulating gonadotrophins, oestradiol and sex hormone‐binding globulin (SHBG) binding capacity have been studied in eight patients with endometriosis. There was a significant rise in luteinizing hormone (LH) in the first week of treatment with a fall in oestradiol levels. There was a marked fall in SHBG in the first week which continued up to 4 weeks. It is concluded that danazol is not ‘antigonadotrophic’ as frequently claimed and that its therapeutic actions, side effects and the endocrine changes could be explained by an effect on SHBG production. The rationale of its use in other conditions requires reconsideration.
A comparative study of various dosages of danazol in the treatment of endometriosis
Authors: LOW ROBERT A. L. , ROBERTS ANTHONY D. G. , LEESt D. A. RUSSELL 
Published: August 2005

summaryThe results of a randomized trial to investigate the efficacy of different dosage regimens of danazol in the treatment of endometriosis indicate that for mild endometriosis 200 mg/day of danazol is adequate therapy with less severe side effects than higher dosages. However, more extensive disease requires a higher dose.
Treatment of condylomata acuminata with the carbon dioxide laser
Authors: GRUNDSELL H. , LARSSON G. , BEKASSY Z. 
Published: August 2005

summaryExtensive and/or recurrent condylomata acuminata in 78 women were treated with the CO2 laser. Urethra, clitoris or the anal canal were inved in about one‐fourth of the cases. Most were treated as outpatients with the more extensive lesions staged for multiple treatments. After a follow‐up period of 6–33 months, 91% of women were free from disease and treatment failures occurred in 9%, some of which may have been new infections. No serological investigations were performed.
Maternal diabetes and neonatal respiratory distress. II. Prediction of fetal lung maturity
Authors: JAMES D. K. , CHISWICK M. L. , HARKES A. , WILLIAMS M. , TINDALL V. R. 
Published: August 2005

summaryFifty babies were born at ≤ 37 weeks to mothers with diabetes. Delivery was undertaken in all patients with the reassurance that the L/S ratio was ≥2.0 within the preceding 72 h. Five babies (10%) developed respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Prediction of fetal lung maturity was improved dramatically by measuring amniotic fluid concentrations of phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidyl‐glycerol (PG). Fourteen babies were predicted as having ‘no surfactant’ (PC < 20 mg/1, PI < 2 mg/1 and PG < 2 mg/1), five developed RDS. None of the remaining 36 babies developed the illness: they were predicted as having either ‘early surfactant’ (PC ≥ 20 mg/1, PI ≥ 2 mg/1 but PG < 2 mg/1) or ‘late surfactant’ (PC ≥ 20 mg/1, PI ≥ 2 mg/1 and PG ≥ 2 mg/1). Measurement of PC levels alone was the most accurate method of predicting RDS. There was a significant association between low surfactant phospholipid concentrations and the development of transient tachypnoea of the newborn.
The recovery of gases insufflated at laparoscopy
Authors: CHAMBERLAIN GEOFFREY 
Published: August 2005

summaryThe recovery of gases used for insufflation at gynaecological laparoscopy was investigated in 163 women who were randomly allocated to receive insufflation with nitrous oxide or carbon dioxide, the two most commonly used gases. No difference was detected and since nitrous oxide has dangerous side effects, the use of carbon dioxide is recommended. Methods of enhancing the recovery of gas were then investigated in a further 207 women, treatment being allocated in a random fashion. No merit was found in the use of these techniques and they have been abandoned.
The role of cervical mucus‐semen interaction in infertility of unknown aetiology
Authors: SCHATS R. , AITKEN R. J. , TEMPLETON A. A. , DJAHANBAKHCH O. 
Published: August 2005

summaryAn in‐vitro penetration assay, which incorporates measurements of sperm motility and forward velocity, was used to investigate sperm‐cervical mucus interaction in 20 couples with unexplained infertility. Evidence of impaired cervical mucus penetration was found in this group of patients and in seven couples the results correlated with previous assessment by laparoscopic sperm recovery. The impairment of cervical mucus penetration was found to be due to defective sperm function rather than to the quality of the cervical mucus itself. Of the criteria of semen quality measured in this study, sperm motility and the zona‐free hamster egg penetration test showed significant correlations with cervical mucus penetration.
Prognostic value of biochemical tests in the assessment of fetal outcome in threatened abortion
Authors: SALEM H. T. , GHANEIMAH S. A. , SHAABAN M. M. , CHARD T. 
Published: August 2005

summaryMaternal concentrations of serum progesterone, oestradiol, chorionic gonadotrophin, Schwangerschaftsprotein 1 and placental protein 5 were measured in 67 patients with threatened abortion. The levels of all biochemical variables were significantly reduced in those patients who had an unfavourable outcome. The clinical efficiency of each of these tests was very similar.
Platelet values during normal pregnancy
Authors: SILL P. R. , LIND T. , WALKER W. 
Published: August 2005

SummaryBlood samples were obtained from 26 healthy women at regular intervals throughout pregnancy and analysed using a Coulter Counter Model S Plus III. The mean values for the various haematological indices at each stage o f gestation were first calculated; the platelet count showed a small decrease throughout pregnancy as did haemoglobin concentration while there was an apparent increase in mean platelet volume, platelet distribution width and white cell count. However, analysis of the trends within patients did not always reflect these mean changes; there was considerable variation in platelet count within individuals and the apparent fall in the group as a whole was accounted for by a considerable fall in a few individuals. The assumption that the trends in platelet values determined from groups of patients will indicate how individual pregnant women behave is misleading.
Ultrasound study of ovarian cysts in pregnancy: prevalence and significance
Authors: HOGSTON P. , LILFORD R. J. 
Published: August 2005

Summary. Previous surveys of the prevalence and natural history of ovarian cysts have been based on those ascertained by clinical examination. This study examines the fate of 137 adnexal cysts discovered during the course of 26 110 ultrasound scans in early pregnancy. Of these 10% were operated on in the first instance, and a further 2% required operation during pregnancy for painful complications. In 3% cysts were removed at caesarean section or in the puerperium. Half the removed cysts were neoplastic including one low grade carcinoma. Of the 120 cysts treated conservatively, 89% could not be detected on ultrasound examination later in pregnancy. All cysts >8 cm should be removed, as should smaller cysts that are multilocular, thick‐walled or semi‐solid.
Chronic corticotropin‐releasing factor type 1 receptor antagonism with antalarmin regulates the dopaminergic system of Fawn‐Hooded rats
Authors: Lawrence A. J. , Parish C. L. , Chen F. , Lodge D. J. , Krstew E. V. , Card K. , Finkelstein D. I. , Horne M. K. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractCorticotropin‐releasing factor is a neuropeptide associated with the integration of physiological and behavioural responses to stress and also in the modulation of affective state and drug reward. The selective, centrally acting corticotropin‐releasing factor type 1 receptor antagonist, antalarmin, is a potent anxiolytic and reduces volitional ethanol consumption in Fawn‐Hooded rats. The efficacy of antalarmin to reduce ethanol consumption increased with time, suggestive of adaptation to reinforcement processes and goal‐directed behaviour. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of chronic antalarmin treatment on reward‐related regions of Fawn‐Hooded rat brain. Bi‐daily antalarmin treatment (20 mg/kg, i.p.) for 10 days increased tyrosine hydroxylase messenger RNA expression throughout the ventral mesencephalon. Following chronic antalarmin the density of dopaminergic terminals within the basal ganglia and amygdaloid complex were reduced, as was dopamine transporter binding within the striatum. Receptor autoradiography indicated an up‐regulation of dopamine D2, but no change in D1, binding in striatum, and Golgi‐Cox analysis of striatal medium spiny neurones indicated that chronic antalarmin treatment increased spine density. Thus, chronic antalarmin treatment modulates dopaminergic pathways and implies that chronic treatment with drugs of this class may ultimately alter postsynaptic signaling mechanisms within the basal ganglia.
Sixty polymorphic microsatellite markers for the oldfield mouse developed in Peromyscus polionotus and Peromyscus maniculatus
Authors: MULLEN LYNNE M. , HIRSCHMANN RACHEL J. , PRINCE KELLY L. , GLENN TRAVIS C. , DEWEY MICHAEL J. , HOEKSTRA HOPI E. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractWe isolated and characterized 60 novel microsatellite markers from the closely related oldfield mouse (Peromyscus polionotus) and deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) for studies of conservation, ecological, quantitative and population genetics. We assessed all 60 markers in a wild population of Peromyscus polionotus rhoadsi (N = 20) from central Florida and found an average of nine alleles per marker and an observed heterozygosity (HO) of 0.66 (range = 0.00–1.00). These polymorphic markers contribute to the growing number of genomic resources for Peromyscus, an emerging model system for ecological and evolutionary research.
coalface: a graphical user interface program for the simulation of coalescence
Authors: DELPORT W. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractIn this manuscript, I describe a computer program that simulates the coalescent process and provides visual outputs of coalescent genealogies to the screen. coalface is a user‐friendly program for teaching the principles of coalescence to both undergraduates and postgraduates in population genetics. In addition, coalface can generate data for distributions of the time to the most recent common ancestor, number of segregating sites and common diversity indices, from multiple simulations. Windows and Linux (Intel) executables are available at http://www.up.ac.za/academic/genetics/staff/Bloomer/Research/software.htm.
Modelling of mineral equilibria in ultrahigh‐temperature metamorphic rocks from the Anápolis–Itauçu Complex, central Brazil
Authors: BALDWIN J. A. , POWELL R. , BROWN M. , MORAES R. , FUCK R. A. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractA new quantitative approach to constraining mineral equilibria in sapphirine‐bearing ultrahigh‐temperature (UHT) granulites through the use of pseudosections and compatibility diagrams is presented, using a recently published thermodynamic model for sapphirine. The approach is illustrated with an example from an UHT locality in the Anápolis–Itauçu Complex, central Brazil, where modelling of mineral equilibria indicates peak metamorphic conditions of about 9 kbar and 1000 °C. The early formed, coarse‐grained assemblage is garnet–orthopyroxene–sillimanite–quartz, which was subsequently modified following peak conditions. The retrograde pressure–temperature (P–T) path of this locality involves decompression across the FeO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2 (FMAS) univariant reaction orthopyroxene + sillimanite = garnet + sapphirine + quartz, resulting in the growth of sapphirine–quartz, followed by cooling and recrossing of this reaction. The resulting microstructures are modelled using compatibility diagrams, and pseudosections calculated for specific grain boundaries considered as chemical domains. The sequence of microstructures preserved in the rocks constrains a two‐stage isothermal decompression–isobaric cooling path. The stability of cordierite along the retrograde path is examined using a domainal approach and pseudosections for orthopyroxene–quartz and garnet–quartz grain boundaries. This analysis indicates that the presence or absence of cordierite may be explained by local variation in aH2O. This study has important implications for thermobarometric studies of UHT granulites, mainly through showing that traditional FMAS petrogenetic grids based on experiments alone may overestimate P–T conditions. Such grids are effectively constant aH2O sections in FMAS‐H2O (FMASH), for which the corresponding aH2O is commonly higher than that experienced by UHT granulites. A corollary of this dependence of mineral equilibria on aH2O is that local variations in aH2O may explain the formation of cordierite without significant changes in P–T conditions, particularly without marked decompression.
Correlation of Adverse Neurological Outcomes with Increasing Volumes and Delayed Administration of Autologous Epidural Blood Patches for Postdural Puncture Headaches
Authors: Diaz James H. , Weed Jonathan T. 
Published: August 2005

AbstractIntroduction:  Epidural blood patches (EBPs) usually afford rapid and successful treatment outcomes for postdural puncture headaches (PDPH) with few adverse sequelae.Patients and Methods:  In order to identify potential risk factors for any adverse outcomes of EBP, a Medline search, 1966 to the present, of case reports and series of any adverse outcomes following EBP for PDPH was conducted. The literature search identified 26 patient cases with 21 cases defined as adverse neurological outcomes, and further stratified as compression or noncompression syndromes, and five cases defined as persistent cranial nerve (CN) palsies. Cases were also stratified by age, sex, and blood volumes of EBP or delays in administration, and compared for statistically significant differences in continuous variables by unpaired, two‐tailed t‐tests and for significant correlations between predictor variables, including EBP volumes and delays in administration, and adverse neurological outcomes, by simple linear regression analysis.Results:  There were no statistically significant sex differences in the mean ages or weights of the study population, or in the total volumes of autologous blood injected in EBPs. When the study population was compared for adverse neurological outcomes by compression or noncompression syndromes, patients experiencing compression syndromes received significantly more EBP volumes (35.36 mL) than patients experiencing noncompression (17.46 mL) syndromes (P = 0.025). Regression analysis confirmed a significant direct linear relationship between increasing EBP volumes and worsening adverse neurological outcomes (P = 0.008). In patients with CN palsies associated with PDPH and unrelieved by EBP, regression analysis again confirmed significant direct linear relationships between increasing days waited to perform EBP and increasing duration of CN palsies in months (P = 0.001).Conclusions:  Epidural blood patches for the management of PDPH, especially PDPH associated with CN palsies, should be administered as soon as the diagnosis of PDPH is made with lower volumes of autologous blood (≤20 mL) to assure the best treatment outcomes.