Association of Placental Histology with the Pulsatility Index of Fetal and Uteroplacental Vessels during Pregnancy and with Birthweight Z-Score.

Aims: To compare macro- and microscopic features of the placenta with the pulsatility index (PI) of the uterine (UtA), umbilical (UA) and middle cerebral arteries at 20-24- and 34-38-weeks' gestation, and with birthweight z-scores (BWZS).

Methods: Recruitment for the Safe Passage Study, which investigated the association of alcohol and tobacco use with stillbirth and sudden infant death syndrome, occurred from August 2007 to January 2015 at community clinics in Cape Town, South Africa. The population represents a predominantly homogenous population of pregnant women from a low socioeconomic residential area.

Taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages in South Africa: Perspectives of consumers in Cape Town.

Background: Globally, fiscal measures are deemed effective in combating the obesity epidemic at population level. A health promotional levy (HPL) on sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) was implemented in April 2018 in South Africa to reduce sugar consumption.

Design And Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive study investigated consumers' understanding and opinion of the HPL, and impact on consumption of SSBs.

Spatiotemporal Investigation of Antibiotic Resistance in the Urban Water Cycle Influenced by Environmental and Anthropogenic Activity.

With increasing emergence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria (ARB) and the risk this poses to public health, there are growing concerns regarding water pollution contributing to the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through inadequate amenities and the rapid rate of urbanization. In this study, the impact of different anthropogenic factors on the prevalence of AMR in the urban water cycle in Stellenbosch, South Africa (SA) was examined. Carbapenem, colistin, gentamicin and sulfamethoxazole resistant Gram-negative bacteria were recovered by selectively culturing aqueous, biofilm and sediment samples from sites impacted to varying degrees by informal settlements, residential, industrial, and agricultural activities, as well as a municipal wastewater treatment works (WWTW).

Placental pathology in spontaneous and iatrogenic preterm birth: Different entities with unique pathologic features.

Introduction: Placental pathology is an important contributor to the understanding of preterm birth and reveals major differences between spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB) and iatrogenic preterm birth (IPTB). The aim of this study was to investigate these relationships.

Methods: Research midwives collected placentas from 1101 women with singleton pregnancies who were enrolled in the Safe Passage Study.

The Intricate Interactions between Maternal Smoking and Drinking During Pregnancy and Birthweight Z-Scores of Preterm Births.

Background: The extent to which smoking and drinking in a local community is associated with nutrition and Z-scores of infants from spontaneous preterm deliveries, is uncertain.

Aim: To investigate associations of different levels of maternal smoking and drinking in spontaneous preterm birth with infant birthweight Z-scores.

Methods: Information, including gestational age (determined by earliest ultrasound), maternal arm circumference (measured at enrolment), smoking-drinking data (obtained up to 4 occasions), birthweight data (obtained from medical records) and birthweight Z-scores (calculated from INTERGROWTH- 21st study), collected over a period of nine years was used to compare 407 spontaneous preterm births with 3 493 spontaneous term births Analyses of variance, correlations and multiple regression were performed in STATISTICA.

Associations of maternal smoking and drinking with fetal growth and placental abruption.

Objective: To investigate pregnant women from the Safe Passage Study for the individual and combined effects of smoking and drinking during pregnancy on the prevalence of clinical placental abruption.

Study Design: The aim of the original Safe Passage Study was to investigate the association of alcohol use during pregnancy with stillbirths and sudden infant deaths. Recruitment for this longitudinal study occurred between August 2007 and October 2016.

Association of socioeconomic status and clinical and demographic conditions with the prevalence of preterm birth.

Objective: To examine the effects of socioeconomic and demographic conditions on the prevalence of preterm birth in a local community.

Methods: Pregnant women (aged ≥16 years) willing to provide informed consent in one of the two languages of the community were recruited in South Africa between August 2007 and January 2015. Specifically designed case report forms collected information and measurements prospectively.

Plasma Glutamine Levels in Relation to Intensive Care Unit Patient Outcome.

Low and high plasma glutamine levels are associated with increased mortality. This study aimed to measure glutamine levels in critically ill patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) , correlate the glutamine values with clinical outcomes, and identify proxy indicators of abnormal glutamine levels. Patients were enrolled from three ICUs in South Africa, provided they met the inclusion criteria.

Effects of low maternal heart rate on fetal growth and birthweight.

Objective: To evaluate the association between birthweight and maternal heart rate (MHR) or heart rate variability (HRV) under resting conditions at 20-24 gestational weeks and 34 weeks or later (34+ weeks).

Methods: Data were retrospectively reviewed from the Safe Passage Study, a prospective longitudinal cohort study of alcohol use in pregnancy and birth outcomes in Cape Town, South Africa, between August 2007 and January 2015. Using custom-designed software, MHR and indicators of HRV were obtained from the recorded maternal electrocardiograms and compared with birthweight and z-scores of birthweight adjusted for gestation and gender.

The association between tuberculosis and the development of insulin resistance in adults with pulmonary tuberculosis in the Western sub-district of the Cape Metropole region, South Africa: a combined cross-sectional, cohort study.

Background: The existence of a bi-directional relationship between tuberculosis (TB) and insulin resistance (IR)/diabetes has been alluded to in literature. Although diabetes has been linked to increased tuberculosis risk, the relationship between tuberculosis as a causative factor for IR remains unclear. The study aimed to determine if an association existed between tuberculosis and IR development in adults with newly diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis at baseline.

Fetal foot length at delivery as a tool for determining gestation length in non-macerated stillbirths.

Objective: To assess whether fetal foot length at autopsy could reliably indicate gestation duration at stillbirth and the effects of maceration on this method.

Methods: The present cross-sectional secondary analysis was part of the Safe Passage Study; all Safe Passage Study participants who experienced a stillbirth at Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa, between August 1, 2007, and January 31, 2015, were eligible to participate. After providing written informed consent for autopsy, the duration of gestation calculated using early ultrasonography and fetal foot length were compared.

Alcohol-induced psychotic disorder: brain perfusion and psychopathology--before and after anti-psychotic treatment.

Alcohol-induced psychotic disorder (AIPD) also known as alcohol hallucinosis is a rare complication of alcohol abuse. The pathogenesis and treatment of AIPD are still unclear. Few prospective treatment studies are available but case reports generally suggest that anti-psychotic treatment is effective.

The aetiology of adult burns in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Rural to urban migration to major cities in South Africa continues to lead to the proliferation of informal settlements. There is little recent published data on the epidemiology of adult burns in the Western Cape, South Africa. A retrospective review of patients on the Burn Unit database was undertaken, looking at patients admitted to the Burn Unit between January 2003 and December 2008.

Alcohol-induced psychotic disorder: a comparative study on the clinical characteristics of patients with alcohol dependence and schizophrenia.

Objective: Alcohol-induced psychotic disorder (AIPD) is a rare complication of excessive alcohol use for which limited comparative studies are available. The aim of this study was to prospectively investigate demographic and psychopathological characteristics in patients with AIPD, schizophrenia, and uncomplicated alcohol dependence. We postulated that AIPD is a discrete clinical entity that can be differentiated from schizophrenia and uncomplicated alcohol dependence by means of standardized clinical assessments.

The neuropsychiatry and neuropsychology of lipoid proteinosis.

Lipoid proteinosis is a rare hereditary disease which often results in bilateral calcifications in the medial temporal region. Thirty-four adults living with lipoid proteinosis (>10% of the world population) were extensively assessed with standardized neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological measures. Of these, 27 patients representing a homogenous group living in the Northern Cape were matched with 47 controls.

Cluster analysis of obsessive-compulsive symptomatology: identifying obsessive-compulsive disorder subtypes.

Background: There is increasing evidence that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heterogeneous disorder. Different clinical subtypes may be characterized by differing pathophysiological mechanisms and treatment outcomes.

Methods: A cluster analysis was performed on 45 items of the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms Checklist (YBOCS-CL) for 261 patients with OCD.

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children among adolescents in the Cape Town metropole of South Africa.

There are no published data on the factor structure of the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) among adolescents in the Cape Town metropole of South Africa. The objectives of this study were (i) to establish the exploratory factor structure of the MASC using a principal components exploratory factor analysis (EFA); (ii) to confirm the derived factor structure using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA); and (iii) to examine gender, age, and race effects among adolescents in the Western Cape of South Africa. A convenience sample of 1,051 adolescents was selected from nine different schools in the Cape Town metropole of South Africa.

Fluoxetine decreases stereotypic behavior in primates.

Background: Primates reared in captivity may display stereotypic behaviors. These behaviors are arguably reminiscent of human obsessive-compulsive or posttraumatic symptoms, which respond to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Captive primates with marked stereotypic behaviors were entered into a randomized controlled study of the SSRI, fluoxetine.