Outcome of the Vaginal Infections and Prematurity Study: results of a clinical trial of erythromycin among pregnant women colonized with group B streptococci.

Objective: Our purpose was to determine whether erythromycin treatment of pregnant women colonized with group B streptococci would reduce the occurrence of low birth weight (< 2500 gm) and preterm (< 37 completed weeks) birth.

Study Design: In a double-blind clinical trial, 938 carriers of group B streptococci were randomized to receive erythromycin base (333 mg three times a day) or matching placebo beginning during the third trimester and before 30 weeks and continuing for 10 weeks or until 35 weeks 6 days of pregnancy.

Results: Pregnancy outcomes were available for 97% of randomized women; 14% of subjects withdrew from the trial.

The impact of cocaine and marijuana use on low birth weight and preterm birth: a multicenter study.

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate prospectively the effects of cocaine and marijuana use on pregnancy outcomes.

Study Design: A prospective multicenter cohort study was conducted at seven university-based prenatal clinics in the United States from 1984 to 1989. The cohort described herein consisted of a multiethnic population of 7470 pregnant women.

Carbonyl-containing bisphosphonate esters as novel antiinflammatory and antiarthritic agents.

A study of the decomposition of the pyrazoline bisphosphonate ester 2 identified 3 as the sole bisphosphonate component. Evaluation in a delayed-type hypersensitivity granuloma model of chronic inflammation in mice (DTH-GRA) showed 3 to be a potent inhibitor of granuloma formation (sc, 10 mg/kg, 45%), but in a murine model of antigen-induced arthritis (AIA), no significant inhibition was observed. As a result, new ketonic bisphosphonate tetraethyl esters were synthesized from vinylidenebisphosphonic acid tetraethyl ester 4 and activated carbonyl compounds in 13-84% yield.

Cigarette smoking, premature rupture of membranes, and vertical transmission of HIV-1 among women with low CD4+ levels.

To examine the possible influence of obstetric factors, substance use during pregnancy, and other maternal factors on the relationship between a low maternal CD4+ level and vertical transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), data were analyzed from the Mothers and Infants Cohort Study, a prospective cohort followed for up to 4 years between 1986 and 1992 in Brooklyn and the Bronx, New York. The overall transmission rate for the cohort was 25.1% (95% confidence interval (CI) = 19.

Crossover of placebo patients to intravenous immunoglobulin confirms efficacy for prophylaxis of bacterial infections and reduction of hospitalizations in human immunodeficiency virus-infected children. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Intravenous Immunoglobulin Clinical Trial Study Group.

After completion of a placebo-controlled trial of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) infection prophylaxis, patients were offered open label IVIG and optional participation in a follow-up study. The purpose of the follow-up study was to evaluate the IVIG effect in original placebo recipients and longevity of IVIG benefit in original IVIG recipients. Of 212 human immunodeficiency virus-infected children on study at trial closure, 148 (67 of 98 (68%) placebo and 81 of 114 (71%) IVIG patients) received open label IVIG for a mean of 16 months.

Effect of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) on CD4+ lymphocyte decline in HIV-infected children in a clinical trial of IVIG infection prophylaxis. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Intravenous Immunoglobulin Clinical Trial Study Group.

Our objective was to evaluate the effect of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) on absolute CD4+ lymphocyte count (CD4+ count) trends in human immunodeficiency virus- (HIV) infected children enrolled in a trial of IVIG for infection prophylaxis. To that end, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, outpatient trial comparing subjects treated with 400 mg per kilogram of IVIG every 28 days with those given 0.1% albumin placebo.

Demonstration of novel anti-arthritic and anti-inflammatory effects of diphosphonates.

Diphosphonates (DP) are synthetic pyrophosphates with a P-C-P backbone and are predominantly used for the treatment of bone diseases. Several DP have also been shown to exert significant antiarthritic effects in the rat adjuvant-induced polyarthritis model; however, there is no direct evidence for the anti-inflammatory effects of these compounds. We therefore tested the effects of dichloromethylene diphosphonate on delayed-type hypersensitivity granuloma elicited by s.

Radiotherapy in the management of thyroid orbitopathy. Computed tomography and clinical outcomes.

Objective: We investigated the long-term outcome of patients with thyroid orbitopathy treated with orbital radiotherapy using quantitative clinical measurements and orbital computed tomographic morphometric changes.

Design: Patients who had undergone orbital radiotherapy for thyroid orbitopathy at least 1 year previously were retrospectively recalled for follow-up examination and computed tomography. Controls were patients with similar disease activity but who had not undergone radiotherapy.

Simulated effects of culling ewes for age and failure to conceive on biological efficiency of an annual lambing production system.

A deterministic computer simulation model was used to estimate the effects of different culling strategies for nonconception and age on the biological efficiency of an annual lambing system. Interaction among culling strategy and genotype for system efficiency was estimated by also varying ewe genetic potentials for fertility, precocity of fertility, and litter size. Biological efficiency was defined as grams of empty body weight equivalent value of market lamb, cull ewe, and wool output per kilogram input of TDN.

Pyrazoline bisphosphonate esters as novel antiinflammatory and antiarthritic agents.

Vinylidenebisphosphonic acid tetraethyl ester (1) and diazo ketones 7a-1 in ether at 22 degrees C yield pyrazoline bisphosphonate tetraethyl esters 8a-1 in moderate to good yield. These compounds were evaluated in animal models of arthritis: rat adjuvant-induced polyarthritis (AIP) and murine antigen-induced arthritis (AIA) and a murine model of chronic inflammation, the delayed type hypersensitivity granuloma reaction (DTH-GRA). (5-Benzoyl-2,4-dihydro-3H-pyrazol-3-ylidene)-bisphosphonic acid tetraethyl ester (8a), and [5-(3-fluorobenzoyl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-pyraxol-3-ylidene]- bisphosphonic acid tetraethyl ester (8d) significantly inhibited the arthritis models, AIP (15 mg/kg) and AIA (25 mg/kg), as well as the DTH-GRA (25 mg/kg).

Granulomatous orbital lesions: computed tomographic features.

Orbital lesions exhibiting granulomatous inflammation represent a heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by infiltration with epithelioid cells. The authors retrospectively reviewed the orbital computed tomography (CT) scans of 39 patients who had biopsy-proven lesions with granulomatous inflammation and found that diagnosis on the basis of CT was possible in only a few patients, those with a lesion of characteristic location and attenuation (such as a dermoid cyst) or characteristic distribution (such as bilateral enlargement of the lacrimal gland occurring in orbital sarcoidosis). In patients with multicompartmental disease exhibiting bone and extraorbital involvement the site of origin of the mass, the pattern of bone involvement and the clinical findings helped in classifying the cause of the lesion as Wegener's granulomatosis, a foreign body or mucormycosis.

Canine in vivo tracheal chemotaxis of eosinophils to antigen in sensitized dogs: inhibition by a steroid, a systemic lazaroid U-78517F, and several topical H1 antihistamines.

Inflammation of the airways contributes to the multicomponent disease known as asthma. The primary cells that infiltrate the airway in response to antigen exposure are neutrophils and eosinophils. Eosinophils have been implicated in much of the histopathology of the airway following infiltration and degranulation.

Effects of alternative lamb production systems, maternal line, and culling strategy on flock age structure.

The 5-yr attrition of 1/4 (n = 411) or 1/2 (n = 403) Finnsheep (Finn) ewes exposed to terminal sire breeds in either an accelerated or semi-intensive annual lambing system was recorded to test the effects of system and percentage Finn on flock age structure at equilibrium. Ewes were culled for discernible ailments and failure to lamb after two consecutive non-spring exposures in yr 3, 4, or 5 only. Additionally, four progressively more intensive culling strategies for nonconception were practiced in retrospect.

Prophylactic intravenous immunoglobulin in HIV-infected children with CD4+ counts of 0.20 x 10(9)/L or more. Effect on viral, opportunistic, and bacterial infections. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Intravenous Immunoglobulin Clinical Trial Study Group.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) for prevention of viral, opportunistic, and minor bacterial infections in children infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Design: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, outpatient clinical trial comparing subjects treated with 400 mg of IVIG per kilogram of body weight every 28 days with those given albumin placebo.

Setting: Twenty-eight clinical centers in mainland United States and Puerto Rico.

Mucopurulent cervicitis as a predictor of chlamydial infection and adverse pregnancy outcome. The Investigators of the Johns Hopkins Study of Cervicitis and Adverse Pregnancy Outcome.

The role of mucopurulent cervicitis in identifying pregnant women with Chlamydia trachomatis infection and poor pregnancy outcome was examined at the Johns Hopkins Hospital Obstetric Clinic in Baltimore, Maryland. The women studied were at high risk for chlamydial infection (14%), low birthweight (12%), and preterm delivery (13%). Yellow endocervical discharge on a cotton swab had a sensitivity of 23.

Characteristics of three vaginal flora patterns assessed by gram stain among pregnant women. Vaginal Infections and Prematurity Study Group.

This study was undertaken to define the characteristics and persistence of vaginal flora in 7918 pregnant women at 23 to 26 weeks' gestation. Vaginal smears were categorized as normal (predominant lactobacilli), intermediate (reduced lactobacilli), or positive for bacterial vaginosis. The women with normal flora were least likely to have elevated vaginal pH, amine odor, milky discharge, or colonization by Gardnerella, Bacteroides, or genital mycoplasmas.

Demographic and behavioral predictors of Trichomonas vaginalis infection among pregnant women. The Vaginal Infections and Prematurity Study Group.

There is little available information on the demographic and behavioral factors associated with Trichomonas vaginalis in pregnant women. Among 13,816 women from six urban clinic centers, the prevalence rate by culture at mid-pregnancy was 12.6%.

Effects of alternative lamb production systems, terminal sire breed, and maternal line on ewe productivity and its components.

The 4 yr productivity of 25% (QF; n = 533) and 50% (HF; n = 531) Finnsheep ewes exposed to either Suffolk or Columbia rams in one of three production systems was monitored to test the effects of system, terminal sire breed, maternal line, and their interactions on annual market lamb production. Ewe lambs and yearlings were randomly assigned to either a high-input accelerated lambing system (HIGH), a high-input annual system (MED), or a low-input annual system (LOW). Nursery facilities were available for weak lambs or those born in triplet or more births for the HIGH and MED but not for the LOW systems.

Orbital lesions with granulomatous inflammation.

Orbital lesions characterized by granulomatous inflammation are a heterogeneous group of diseases of various causes with a common histopathological substrate involving aggregates of epithelioid cells. Forty-one patients (27 females and 14 males) with biopsy-proven granulomatous inflammation were seen at an orbital clinic between 1978 and 1989. The mean age at presentation was 40.

Body measurements of crossbred calves sired by Simmental bulls divergently selected for progeny first-calf calving ease in relation to birth weight.

Simmental bulls (n = 27) were divergently selected on linear model first-calf calving ease expected progeny difference (CEPD) relative to birth weight expected progeny difference (BEPD) so that body measures of calves from sires whose progeny tended to be born either with more or less dystocia than expected from BEPD could be obtained. At birth, calf weight, head circumference, shoulder width, hip width, heart girth, cannon bone circumference and length, and body length were recorded for 204 calves. These measures had also been obtained from the Polled Hereford X Angus dams of the calves at their births.