Wilma A. Dunaway. The African-American Family in Slavery and Emancipation.

Dans cet ouvrage Wilma Dunaway s’inscrit en faux contre les études publiées jusqu’ici sur la famille noire à l’époque de l’esclavage. Elle dénonce la thèse généralement admise selon laquelle les planteurs ne séparaient qu’occasionnellement les membres d’une même famille car ceci nuisait à leurs intérêts économiques (Fogel et Engerman Time on the Cross, Without Consent) et réfute l’affirmation de certains auteurs pour qui au moment où l’esclavage a été aboli la famille nucléaire était le modèl..

Rupture of membranes in case of internal podalic version: a risk for cesarean section on the second twin

Objectives To evaluate if internal version with ruptured membranes is a risk factor of cesarean section for the second twin. Patients and methods Two hundred and fifty-nine twins vaginal deliveries after 33 weeks of gestation from 1997 to 2009 in a level 3 maternity. A retrospective case-control study comparing two groups: cases of cesarean section on second twin and five twins vaginal deliveries following the case. Active management of the second twin delivery was performed with a short intertwin delivery. Results Eleven cesarean sections on the second twin were performed (4.2%). The main indication was failure of internal version. The risk of cesarean section was significantly greater when the internal version was performed with ruptured membranes (OR: 25.4 IC 95% [2.3-275.7] P \u3c 0.003) and when intertwin time delivery interval was increased (8.1 ± 5.1 vs 16.7 ± 6.3, P \u3c 0.001). Discussion and conclusion The rupture of amniotic membranes before or during the internal podalic version is associated with a risk of failure and cesarean for the second twin. We recommend to perform the internal podalic version with unruptured membranes according to the French recommendations

Comparison between potassium chloride and lidocaine as lethal agents for feticide in termination of pregnancy

International audienc

Lésions périnéales sév\u27res liées á une extraction foetale par spatules. Quels facteurs de risques ?

Objective To assess risk factors for anal sphincter injury during operative vaginal delivery using spatulas. Patients and methods A monocentric retrospective study of all assisted vaginal deliveries using Thierry and Teissier\u27s spatulas between January 1st, 2008 and December 31st, 2009 in a teaching level III maternity. We studied risk factors such as primiparity, gestational age, maternal age, previous perineal laceration, level and type of presentation, type of expulsion, unsuccessful extraction and successive use of tools, episiotomy, type of anaesthesia and birth weight. Results There were 346 perineal tears (60.5%); among them, 175 (31%) were type 1, 131 (23%) type 2, 35 (6.1%) type 3 and five (0.9%) type 4. There were 235 episiotomy (41.1%). There was no statistically significant difference between all the supposed risk factors and the severe perineal tears. Conclusion There are no relationship between third and fourth degree perineal lesions during spatula\u27s delivery and supposed risk factors of anal sphincter injury. Only statistical tendances between first vaginal delivery and anal sphincter injury and between occipitosacral delivery and anal sphincter injury were found. We need further randomized studies comparing assisted births using spatulas, forceps and vacuum extractors to better assess perineal tears risk factors

Crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction study of the bacterially expressed Fv from the monoclonal anti-lysozyme antibody D1.3 and of its complex with the antigen, lysozyme

The associated heavy (VH) and light (VL) chain variable domains (FV) of the monoclonal anti-lysozyme antibody D1.3, secreted from Escherichia coli, have been crystallized in their antigen-bound and free forms. FvD1.3 gives tetragonal crystals, space group P41212 (or P43212), with a = 90·6 Å, c = 56·4 Å. The FvD1.3-lysozyme complex crystallizes in space group C2, with a = 129·2 Å, b = 60·8 Å, c = 56·9 Å and β = 119·3°. The crystals contain one molecule of Fv or of the Fv-lysozyme complex in their asymmetric units and diffract X-rays to high resolution, making them suitable for X-ray crystallographic studies.</p

Novel Interpretation of Molecular Diagnosis of Congenital Toxoplasmosis According to Gestational Age at the Time of Maternal Infection

International audienceFrom a prospective cohort of 344 women who seroconverted for toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, 344 amniotic fluid, 264 placenta, and 216 cord blood samples were tested for diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis using the same PCR assay. The sensitivity and negative predictive value of the PCR assay using amniotic fluid were 86.3% and 97.2%, respectively, and both specificity and positive predictive value were 100%. Using placenta and cord blood, sensitivities were 79.5% and 21.2%, and specificities were 92% and 100%, respectively. In addition, the calculation of pretest and posttest probabilities and the use of logistic regression allowed us to obtain curves that give a dynamic interpretation of the risk of congenital toxoplasmosis according to gestational age at maternal infection, as represented by the three sample types (amniotic fluid, placenta, and cord blood). Two examples are cited here: for a maternal infection at 25 weeks of amenorrhea, a negative result of prenatal diagnosis allowed estimation of the probability of congenital toxoplasmosis at 5% instead of an a priori (pretest) risk estimate of 33%. For an infection at 10 weeks of amenorrhea associated with a pretest congenital toxoplasmosis risk of 7%, a positive PCR result using placenta at birth yields a risk increase to 43%, while a negative result damps down the risk to 0.02%. Thus, with a molecular diagnosis performing at a high level, and in spite of the persistence of false negatives, posttest risk curves using both negative and positive results prove highly informative, allowing a better assessment of the actual risk of congenital toxoplasmosis and finally an improved decision guide to treatment

Dichorio-Triamniotic Triplet Pregnancy after Day 3 Single Embryo Transfer

International audienceA 31 year-old woman had a single embryo transfer on day 3 after assisted hatching (AH) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment. Ultrasound examination performed 6 weeks after oocyte retrieval revealed a triplet pregnancy combining monochorionic diamniotic twins and a singleton. If zygote splitting resulting in monochorionic triamniotic triplets following IVF has already been described, this case is about an incredibly rare phenomenon after single embryo transfer. Naturally, a concurrent spontaneous conception cannot be excluded. To our knowledge, this is the first time a dichorionic triplet pregnancy after single embryo transfer is reported