Pregnancy after tubal occlusion A 5-year study

During the 5-year period 1976 - 19809430 patients underwenttubal occlusion at Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town. Of these patients 24, or 2,5/1 ODD, became pregnant after the procedure. An analysis of the pregnancy rate for each method of tubal occlusion is reported. Bilateral tubal occlusion by laparotomy'or falope rings has a low failure rate; cauterization has not

Morbidity after total abdominal hysterectomy

Total abdominal hysterectomy (TAH), the commonest major gynaecological operation performed at the Groote Schuur and Somerset Hospitals, is associated with considerable financial and social problems for the family. A retrospective series of 300 consecutive patients who had undergone TAH is presented. This series was analysed for factors influencing the prevalence of wound haematoma, sepsis and dehiscence, pain and decreased mobility, the main parameters of postoperative morbidity. The four factors found to be important in minimizing postoperative complications of TAH were: (i) the experience of the surgeon; (ii) the use of the Pfannenstiel rather than the subumbilical midline incision; (iii) closure of the skin with Dermalon rather than with black silk; and (iv) drainage of the wound

Magnetic states at the surface of alpha Fe2O3 thin films doped with Ti, Zn, or Sn

The spin states at the surface of epitaxial thin films of hematite, both undoped and doped with 1% Ti, Sn or Zn, respectively, were probed with x-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD) spectroscopy. Morin transitions were observed for the undoped (T_M~200 K) and Sn-doped (T_M~300 K) cases, while Zn and Ti-doped samples were always in the high and low temperature phases, respectively. In contrast to what has been reported for bulk hematite doped with the tetravalent ions Sn4+ and Ti4+, for which T_M dramatically decreases, these dopants substantially increase T_M in thin films, far exceeding the bulk values. The normalized Fe LII-edge dichroism for T<T_M does not strongly depend on doping or temperature, except for an apparent increase of the peak amplitudes for T<100 K. We observed magnetic field-induced inversions of the dichroism peaks. By applying a magnetic field of 6.5 T on the Ti-doped sample, a transition into the T>T_M state was achieved. The temperature dependence of the critical field for the Sn-doped sample was characterized in detail. It was demonstrated the sample-to-sample variations of the Fe LIII-edge spectra were, for the most part, determined solely by the spin orientation state. Calculations of the polarization-depedent spectra based on a spin-multiplet model were in reasonable agreement with the experiment and showed a mixed excitation character of the peak structures.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Modelling silvicultural alternatives for conifer regeneration in boreal mixedwood stands (aspen/white spruce/balsam fir)

We model and compare the biological and financial constraints of four prescriptions that serve as alternatives to conventional clearcutting followed by planting in eastern and western boreal mixedwood stands. These alternative prescriptions for full or partial conifer stocking are (1) reliance on advance regeneration with or without augmentation by fill-planting; (2) understory scarification during a mast year; (3) direct seeding either aerially or with a scarifier-seeder; and (4) underplanting. Our main conclusions concerning the biological constraints are that (1) advance regeneration, mainly of balsam fir in the east and white spruce in the west, requires >26 000 and > 4000 trees/ha (because of different distributions), respectively, to achieve full conifer stocking; (2) reliance on a mast year requires at least 6 m2/ha of mature conifer basal area, but much less if some advance regeneration is present or only moderate stocking is desired; (3) aerial seeding with 35% scarification requires about a half-million seeds/ha to achieve full conifer stocking, while a scarifier-seeder would require only a third of this application rate; and (4) underplanting is constrained to aspen stands with >25% incident light at planting height. In all cases, alternative prescriptions become more feasible if only moderate or minimal stocking is the silvicultural objective. A costing exercise for the four prescriptions in comparison with a clearcut followed by planting shows that reliance on advance regeneration or understory planting are the cheapest alternatives to achieve full or partial conifer stocking. With the exception of full conifer stocking in situations where there is little advance regeneration (and where herbicides can be used), conventional plantations are never the cheapest approach. In such cases, fill planting and use of a scarifier-seeder become viable options. Aerial seeding and reliance on a mast year are the most expensive of the alternatives. We conclude, tentatively, that there is enough conifer basal area in most of the eastern boreal mixedwood of Canada to allow for the use of either or both a mast year and advance regeneration to achieve full or partial conifer stocking. By contrast, in the west conifer basal area will seldom be sufficient for natural seeding, and the density of advance regeneration is likewise often too low. Finally, because of light constraints, understory planting appears to have a much wider applicability in the west than in the east

The bioavailability and maturing clearance of doxapram in preterm infants

Background Doxapram is used for the treatment of apnea of prematurity in dosing regimens only based on bodyweight, as pharmacokinetic data are limited. This study describes the pharmacokinetics of doxapram and keto-doxapram in preterm infants. Methods Data (302 samples) from 75 neonates were included with a median (range) gestational age (GA) 25.9 (23.9-29.4) weeks, bodyweight 0.95 (0.48-1.61) kg, and postnatal age (PNA) 17 (1-52) days at the start of continuous treatment. A population pharmacokinetic model was developed using non-linear mixed-effects modelling (NONMEM (R)). Results A two-compartment model best described the pharmacokinetics of doxapram and keto-doxapram. PNA and GA affected the formation clearance of keto-doxapram (CLFORMATION KETO-DOXAPRAM) and clearance of doxapram via other routes (CLDOXAPRAM OTHER ROUTES). For a median individual of 0.95 kg, GA 25.6 weeks, and PNA 29 days, CL(FORMATION KETO-DOXAPRAM)was 0.115 L/h (relative standard error (RSE) 12%) and CL(DOXAPRAM OTHER ROUTES)was 0.645 L/h (RSE 9%). Oral bioavailability was estimated at 74% (RSE 10%). Conclusions Dosing of doxapram only based on bodyweight results in the highest exposure in preterm infants with the lowest PNA and GA. Therefore, dosing may need to be adjusted for GA and PNA to minimize the risk of accumulation and adverse events. For switching to oral therapy, a 33% dose increase is required to maintain exposure. ImpactCurrent dosing regimens of doxapram in preterm infants only based on bodyweight result in the highest exposure in infants with the lowest PNA and GA. Dosing of doxapram may need to be adjusted for GA and PNA to minimize the risk of accumulation and adverse events. Describing the pharmacokinetics of doxapram and its active metabolite keto-doxapram following intravenous and gastroenteral administration enables to include drug exposure to the evaluation of treatment of AOP. The oral bioavailability of doxapram in preterm neonates is 74%, requiring a 33% higher dose via oral than intravenous administration to maintain exposure.Pharmacolog

The 'causes' of teenage pregnancy: review of South African research - Part 2

This article forms the second of a two-part series in which South African research on teenage pregnancy is reviewed. Part 1 of the series dealt with the consequences of teenage pregnancy; this paper reviews the 'causes' thereof. International literature is incorporated in the discussion by way of comparison. Contributory factors which have been investigated by South African researchers include: reproductive ignorance; the earlier occurrence of menarche; risktaking behaviour; psychological problems; peer influence; co-ercive sexual relations; dysfunctional family patterns; poor health services; socio-economic status; the breakdown of cultural traditions; and the cultural value placed on children. Preston-Whyte and colleagues present a revisionist argument, stating that early pregnancy may represent a rational life choice for certain adolescent women. The article is concluded with comments on methodological problems encountered in the South African research, and a discussion on the implications in terms of policy formulation

Search for direct production of charginos and neutralinos in events with three leptons and missing transverse momentum in √s = 7 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector

A search for the direct production of charginos and neutralinos in final states with three electrons or muons and missing transverse momentum is presented. The analysis is based on 4.7 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data delivered by the Large Hadron Collider and recorded with the ATLAS detector. Observations are consistent with Standard Model expectations in three signal regions that are either depleted or enriched in Z-boson decays. Upper limits at 95% confidence level are set in R-parity conserving phenomenological minimal supersymmetric models and in simplified models, significantly extending previous results

Jet size dependence of single jet suppression in lead-lead collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

Measurements of inclusive jet suppression in heavy ion collisions at the LHC provide direct sensitivity to the physics of jet quenching. In a sample of lead-lead collisions at sqrt(s) = 2.76 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 7 inverse microbarns, ATLAS has measured jets with a calorimeter over the pseudorapidity interval |eta| < 2.1 and over the transverse momentum range 38 < pT < 210 GeV. Jets were reconstructed using the anti-kt algorithm with values for the distance parameter that determines the nominal jet radius of R = 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5. The centrality dependence of the jet yield is characterized by the jet "central-to-peripheral ratio," Rcp. Jet production is found to be suppressed by approximately a factor of two in the 10% most central collisions relative to peripheral collisions. Rcp varies smoothly with centrality as characterized by the number of participating nucleons. The observed suppression is only weakly dependent on jet radius and transverse momentum. These results provide the first direct measurement of inclusive jet suppression in heavy ion collisions and complement previous measurements of dijet transverse energy imbalance at the LHC.Comment: 15 pages plus author list (30 pages total), 8 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Physics Letters B. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at http://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/HION-2011-02