Ethnic variation in postnatal assessments of gestational age: a reappraisal.

While the possibility of an ethnic bias in postnatal assessments of gestational age has been suggested by several investigators, others have reported that postnatal assessments do not provide biased estimates in non-White ethnic groups. In the light of this ongoing controversy, this study examines the validity of the Ballard postnatal assessment of gestational age by ethnicity, using a relatively large hospital data base that allows for the inspection of ethnic variations in the agreement between the Ballard assessment and last menstrual period (LMP). The results indicate that there is a greater over-estimation of the LMP interval by the Ballard method in Blacks compared with Whites and suggest that systematic differences exist by ethnicity of mother in the agreement between the Ballard postnatal assessment and the LMP interval.

Validity of postnatal assessments of gestational age: a comparison of the method of Ballard et al. and early ultrasonography.

This study investigates the accuracy of the postnatal gestational age assessment method of Ballard et al. to predict very preterm, preterm, term, postterm, and small-for-gestational-age infants, with gestational age by early ultrasonography used as the gold standard. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value were examined for each gestational age category, with 4193 single live births occurring during the period from 1982 through 1989 with an ultrasonographic examination done by 20 weeks' gestation and a postnatal assessment at 28 to 44 weeks.

Early events in the immunopathogenesis of feline retrovirus infections.

Feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are lymphotropic retroviruses that cause a wide range of diseases in domestic cats. Although it is known that both viruses are capable of infecting T lymphocytes and that infected cats are lymphopenic, it was not known how infection with either virus might alter specific lymphocyte subpopulations. Using a panel of monoclonal antibodies to feline lymphocyte subpopulations, we examined, by use of flow cytometric analysis, lymphocyte changes in cats naturally infected with FeLV or FIV and explored the early stages in the immunopathogenesis of experimentally induced infection with these viruses.

Source of bias in prenatal care utilization indices: implications for evaluating the Medicaid expansion.

Background: Recent expansions in eligibility for coverage of prenatal care services by the Medicaid program reflect national initiatives to improve pregnancy outcomes. This study investigates the potential impact that completeness of reporting of prenatal care and gestational age variables and strategies to impute missing data may have on evaluations of the Medicaid expansion.

Methods: This study, examining 15 years of vital record data from a single state and comparing 1 year of data from four mid-Atlantic states, selected single live births to resident mothers for analyses.

Differences in black and white infant birth weights: the role of maternal demographic factors and medical complications of pregnancy.

In a retrospective study of 18,631 deliveries among women of low income, we examined the association of racial disparities in mean birth weight with population differences in maternal demographic characteristics and antepartum-intrapartum medical complications. The study population consisted of inborn, nonreferred, singleton, low-income patients delivered on the nonprivate service after at least five prenatal care visits. Repeat cesarean sections were not included.

Ocular disease in FeLV-positive cats: 11 cases (1981-1986).

A total of 147 cats positive for FeLV were retrospectively studied to determine the incidence of ocular disease. Of those cats, 97 had clinical cases of the disease and 50 were artificially infected with the virus. The incidence of ocular disease among FeLV-positive cats with clinical signs of disease was less than 2%, and represented less than 0.

Human recombinant interleukin-2 induces maturation and activation signals for feline eosinophils in vivo.

Immunotherapy, with interleukin-2 (IL-2) or IL-2 plus lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells, has been used to treat cancer and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in man. Similarities between feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection in the cat and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in man have prompted immunotherapeutic studies in the cat. To develop baseline data on hematological responses to infused IL-2, cats were given daily (1-14 days) i.

Lymphocyte population changes in cats naturally infected with feline immunodeficiency virus.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is associated with feline acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (FAIDS) and has been suggested as a model for HIV-induced human AIDS. The most obvious immunological defect in HIV infection is a reduction in CD4+ cell numbers and an inversion of the CD4:CD8 ratio. To determine whether the same is true in FIV infection, we analyzed by flow cytometry using a panel of monoclonal antibodies to feline lymphocyte populations the CD4:CD8 ratios in cats naturally infected with the virus.

Characterization of monoclonal antibodies to feline T lymphocytes and their use in the analysis of lymphocyte tissue distribution in the cat.

We describe the development of three monoclonal antibodies to feline T lymphocytes. Antibody 1.572 stains 93% of feline thymocytes, 49% of lymph node, and 65% of spleen lymphocytes.

Zidovudine toxicity to cats infected with feline leukemia virus.

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection of cats is a model for the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in humans. The toxicity of zidovudine was evaluated in SPF cats experimentally infected with FeLV. At initiation of the zidovudine study, all cats were antibody positive for FeLV antigens but clinically asymptomatic.

Gestational age reporting and preterm delivery.

This study examines recent trends in the reporting completeness and quality of gestational age estimates derived from the date of the last normal menses (DLNM) as reported in South Carolina vital records from 1974 to 1985. Noteworthy improvements in the completeness of reporting emerged during this period with a decline from 31.1 percent missing information in 1974 to 6.

Prognostic value of peritoneal cytology in endometrial carcinoma.

To determine whether positive peritoneal cytology is an independent poor prognostic factor in patients with endometrial carcinoma the records of 381 patients were reviewed. Positive peritoneal cytology was found in 24 of 381 (6.3%) patients.

Feline cytotoxic large granular lymphocytes induced by recombinant human IL-2.

Large granular lymphocytes (LGL) have been characterized phenotypically and functionally as cytotoxic T lymphocytes, NK cells or lymphokine-activated killer cells. The most prominent morphologic feature of LGL is large cytoplasmic granules that are thought to contain the molecules responsible for cell lysis. In this study, we describe the morphologic and functional characteristics of IL-2-dependent cytotoxic lymphocytes derived from feline PBL.

Variations in the reporting of gestational age at induced termination of pregnancy.

Utilizing the 1980 Induced Abortion File maintained by the National Center for Health Statistics, we compared gestational age from date of last normal menses and the physician-based estimate of gestational age. An average .51 week difference between the two methods was observed.

A comparison of gestational age reporting methods based on physician estimate and date of last normal menses from fetal death reports.

Utilizing 10,587 cases from the 1980 National Center for Health Statistics Fetal Death Statistics File, we examined the comparability of two methods of determining the gestational age of a fetal death, the calculated interval from date of last normal menses (DLNM) and the physician's estimate. The physician estimated gestational age distribution exhibits even number digit preference and a distinct clustering at the 40-week value. The DLNM distribution appears more smoothly distributed but with a more pronounced post-term tail.

Pelvic radiation therapy for gynecologic malignancy in geriatric patients.

Thirty-one patients, aged 75 years or older, who received pelvic radiation therapy as part of primary treatment for a gynecologic malignancy, were reviewed. Ten patients (32%) failed to complete their treatment and 4 patients (13%) died of treatment-related complications. The treatment-related complications were independent of increasing age, but did correlate closely with the patients' pretreatment ECOG performance status.

Interleukin-2 suppression in cats naturally infected with feline leukemia virus.

Feline peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) produce interleukin-2 (IL-2) when stimulated with concanavalin A (Con A) or the combination of the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 (A2) plus the phorbol ester phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA). To determine the status of T helper cell function in cats naturally infected with feline leukemia virus (FeLV), PBLs from 19 normal cats and 49 FeLV-infected (34 asymptomatic and 15 symptomatic) cats were tested for their ability to produce IL-2 in response to Con A or A2/PMA stimulation. In the case of Con A stimulation, 21, 41, and 67% of normal, FeLV-infected asymptomatic, and FeLV-infected symptomatic cats, respectively, failed to produce detectable levels of IL-2.

Oral use of human alpha interferon in cats.

Low doses (0.5 or 5.0 U) of human alpha interferon (HuIFN alpha) given orally prevented the experimental development of fatal feline leukemia virus (FeLV)-related disease.

Clinical and immunologic aspects of FeLV-induced immunosuppression.

Cats exposed to the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) may mount an effective immune response and eliminate the virus, develop a non-viremic, latent infection or become persistently infected and shed the virus. Persistently infected cats commonly die of secondary opportunistic infections that result from FeLV-induced immunosuppression. The acquired immunosuppression is the most frequent and most devastating consequence of FeLV infection in the cat.

Induction of IL-2 and lymphokine activated killer cells in the cat.

We have described the use of a cloned murine IL-2-dependent T-cell line to directly measure feline IL-2. Concanavalin A stimulated feline peripheral blood lymphocytes produced an IL-2-rich supernatant that supported the growth of this murine IL-2-dependent T-cell line. In addition to producing IL-2, Con A stimulated killer cells in PBL were cytotoxic for the FeLV transformed tumor cell line FL74.

The risk of low birth weight. Alternative models of neonatal mortality.

The authors examine the use of the infant's weight at birth to estimate its risk of mortality by the 28th day of life. The performance of several commonly employed statistical models is compared for the population of single births to resident South Carolina mothers in 1975-1980. A log-linear function, fitting the natural logarithm of the probability of neonatal mortality to birth weight, performs far better in this analysis than a quadratic or a logistic model or a model using the logarithm of the probability of survival.

Stimulation of a cell-mediated cytotoxic response to FeLV-induced T cell lymphomas in the cat.

Nonspecific cell-mediated cytotoxicity was examined in the peripheral blood and spleens of normal and vaccinia virus-infected adult domestic cats. Natural cytotoxic (NC)-like cells, as measured by lysis of vaccinia- or HSV-infected, adherent cat tongue cells, were found in both the spleen and peripheral blood of normal, nonimmune cats. Cytotoxicity was expressed in a 16-hr assay but not in a 4-hr assay.