Nicotinic Receptors in the Brainstem Ascending Arousal System in SIDS With Analysis of Pre-natal Exposures to Maternal Smoking and Alcohol in High-Risk Populations of the Safe Passage Study.

Pre-natal exposures to nicotine and alcohol are known risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of post-neonatal infant mortality. Here, we present data on nicotinic receptor binding, as determined by I-epibatidine receptor autoradiography, in the brainstems of infants dying of SIDS and of other known causes of death collected from the Safe Passage Study, a prospective, multicenter study with clinical sites in Cape Town, South Africa and 5 United States sites, including 2 American Indian Reservations. We examined 15 pons and medulla regions related to cardiovascular control and arousal in infants dying of SIDS ( = 12) and infants dying from known causes ( = 20, 10 pre-discharge from time of birth, 10 post-discharge).

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.

The Institution of a Standardized Investigation Protocol for Sudden Infant Death in the Eastern Metropole, Cape Town, South Africa

The rate for the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in Cape Town, South Africa, is estimated to be among the highest in the world (3.41/1000 live births). In several of these areas, including those of extreme poverty, only sporadic, nonstandardized infant autopsy, and death scene investigation (DSI) occurred.