NSIDRC Journal Article Alert — February 12, 2010
Prepared by the National Sudden and Unexpected Infant/Child Death and Pregnancy Loss Resource Center at Georgetown University.
These articles have been selected from PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine that includes over 19 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles back to 1948. PubMed includes links to full text articles and other related resources.
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Sudden Infant Death
1. Fracasso T, Vennemann M, Klöcker M, Bajanowski T, Brinkmann B, Pfeiffer H; The GeSID Group
Petechial bleedings in sudden infant death
Int J Legal Med. 2010 Feb 5. [Epub ahead of print]
Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital, Roentgenstr. 23, 48149, Münster, Germany, Tony.Fracasso@ukmuenster.de.
The autopsy reports of 484 cases of deceased infants (201 females, 283 males) were analysed retrospectively for the existence of external and internal petechial bleedings (PET). The cases were divided into five groups on the basis of the cause of death (sudden infant death syndrome, sepsis, airway infections, asphyxia and trauma). Internal PET (pleural, pericardial, epicardial, thymic and peritoneal) were observed in each group with a lower prevalence in cases of trauma. The highest prevalence of external (cutaneous and conjunctival) PET was detected in cases of asphyxia (38% and 31%, respectively). However, even if with low prevalence, such bleedings were detected in every group. Factors like sex, age, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and its duration did not influence the presence of PET. The detection of external PET at autopsy is a suspicious finding that suggests asphyxia. Because of the possible natural origin of these bleedings, the medicolegal investigation has to be as complete as possible and has to include histology as mandatory.
Miscarriage/Stillbirth/Prenatal Issues
1. Aisemberg J, Vercelli C, Wolfson M, Salazar AI, Osycka-Salut C, Billi S, Ribeiro ML, Farina M, Franchi AM
Inflammatory Agents Involved in Septic Miscarriage
Neuroimmunomodulation. 2010;17(3):150-152. Epub 2010 Feb 4
Laboratory of Physiopathology of Pregnancy and Labor - Center for Pharmacological and Botanical Studies (CEFYBO, CONICET), School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Even though the understanding of the cause of early pregnancy loss due to chromosomal abnormalities has improved, there is a dearth of knowledge of the causes of loss in euploid conceptuses. Maternal infections are a cause of abort in humans, but the mechanisms are not clear, so we have developed a murine model to study the mechanism of septic abortion by inducing embryonic resorption (ER) with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We demonstrated that augmented production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandins (PG) is involved in ER, and that inhibitors of their synthesis could prevent ER. Also, we observed an increase in the oxidative damage, evidenced by nitration of tyrosine proteins, due to the peroxynitrite anion. Since an association between chronic marijuana smoking and early miscarriage has been shown in women, we studied the participation of anandamide (AEA), the principal endocannabinoid, on the mechanism of action of LPS. We showed that LPS-induced NO synthesis and tissue damage were mediated by AEA, and that this endotoxin inhibited AEA degradation and increased its synthesis. These results suggest that several inflammatory molecules participate in the mechanism of early pregnancy loss and that their modulation could be useful tools to prevent it. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.
2. Al Sallout RJ, Sharif FA
Polymorphisms in NOS3, ACE and PAI-1 Genes and Risk of Spontaneous Recurrent Miscarriage in the Gaza Strip
Med Princ Pract. 2010;19(2):99-104. Epub 2010 Feb 4
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Lab, Alshifa Hospital, Ministry of Health, Gaza, Palestine.
Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the correlation between spontaneous recurrent miscarriage (RM) and common polymorphisms in angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) and endothelium-derived nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) genes among women experiencing RM in the Gaza Strip. Methods: The presence of these genetic profiles was determined for 100 women who had had at least 3 constitutive abortions and 100 controls without any history of abortion using molecular biological techniques. Results: The ACE D/D polymorphism was present in 49% of the study population and in 54% of the controls (p = 0.479). Similarly, there was no significant difference detected in the distribution of polymorphisms for PAI-1, with the 4G/4G genotype present in the study group and in controls (p = 1.00). NOS3 4a/4a was present in 4% of the study group and in none of the 100 controls (p = 0.123). In this study, we also discovered a new variant in the NOS3 gene which was named 4c allele and was encountered in 1 patient and in 1 control subject. Conclusion: There was no significant association between ACE I/D, PAI-1 4G/5G and NOS3 4a/4b and the occurrence of first-trimester RM. In-depth investigation of the association of NOS3 4a/4a with RM is strongly recommended. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.
3. Ronda E, Moen BE, García AM, Sánchez-Paya J, Baste V
Pregnancy outcomes in female hairdressers
Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2010 Feb 4. [Epub ahead of print]
Public Health Research Group, University of Alicante, Carretera San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, 03690, Alicante, Spain, Elena.Ronda@ua.es.
PURPOSE: The hairdressing occupation may entail exposure to a wide range of chemical products, psychosocial and physical stress. All these factors may affect the health of a pregnant hairdresser and her offspring. Our aim was to analyse whether employment in this profession is associated with adverse reproductive effects. METHOD: Female hairdressers working in the 248 hairdressing salons in Alicante (Spain), who became pregnant for the first time after 1990 were included (n = 94). The incidence of spontaneous abortions, number of children born and their birth weight and preterm delivery among hairdressers was compared with a control group of shop assistants and office workers (n = 138). Information was collected through personal interviews at their work place. A structured questionnaire was used gathering information concerning exposure variables including the use of chemical products, ventilation at the salons, work-related stress and hours of standing work. In addition, socio-demographic factors and smoking information were obtained. Crude and adjusted relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated using logbinomial regression. RESULTS: Hairdressers showed a non-significant increased risk of spontaneous abortions (RR = 1.6, 95%CI 0.9-2.7). There were no differences in preterm delivery and birth weight of the children born of mothers in the two groups. Among hairdressers, the RR of spontaneous abortion among those with high perceived work-related stress was 2.4 (95%CI: 0.2-28.3) relative to those with low or normal perceived stress. CONCLUSIONS: A slightly increased risk of spontaneous abortion among hairdressers was found, mainly associated with perceived work-related stress. Observed results deserve further research.
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Loss Resource Center
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