Identification of intracellular bacteria in the basal plate of the human placenta in term and preterm gestations.

Objective: Bacteria have been identified in different regions of the placenta. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the maternal basal plate of the placenta harbors microbes that may be associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Study Design: We performed a cross-sectional study of pregnancies from a single tertiary care hospital.

Comparison of speechreading training regimens.

The regimen selected for use in speechreading training is an important consideration for audiological rehabilitation purposes and may play a role in its success. Short-term improvement on a commercially available speechreading training program was compared for two training regimens (daily and weekly). Two groups of university student volunteers (ages 20 to 31 years) (12 students per group) were trained daily or weekly on a vowel speechreading task.

Health professionals' knowledge, practice and opinions about fetal alcohol syndrome and alcohol consumption in pregnancy.

Objective: To measure the knowledge, attitudes and practices of health professionals regarding fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and alcohol use during pregnancy.

Method: A postal survey of a representative random sample of health professionals was conducted in Western Australia (WA) in 2002/03. 1,143 (79%) of 1,443 eligible health professionals completed the survey (87 Aboriginal Health Workers, 286 allied health professionals, 537 community nurses, 170 general practitioners and 63 obstetricians).