Why do pregnant women die? A review of maternal deaths from 1990 to 2010 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Background: The number of reported pregnancy-related deaths in the United States steadily increased from 7.2 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1987 to a high of 17.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2009.

An improved impact technique for monitoring percutaneous implant integrity.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of the current Periotest system when measuring implant systems and to present a new system to monitor implant interface integrity.

Materials And Methods: The new system records an impact accelerometer signal and utilizes software for data analysis to determine the resonance frequency of an implant-abutment system. The new system uses the handpiece from the Periotest to acquire an impact signal but makes no use of the rest of the device.

Effects of applied contact force and volume control setting on output force levels of the BAHA Softband.

The BAHA Softband has been developed to provide a transcutaneous anchor for a BAHA until a child is a surgical candidate for the percutaneous BAHA implant. We tested the objective output force level of the BAHA Classic 300 and Compact connected to a Softband on an artificial mastoid to determine: (1) the effects of direct contact force on output force levels (dB); and (2) the required volume control setting to ensure audibility of speech (assuming an average adult reference equivalent threshold force level). Direct contact force was varied from 2 to 5 N in 1 N steps.