How Accurate is the Multiplier Method in Predicting the Timing of Angular Correction After Hemiepiphysiodesis?

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to validate the accuracy of the Multiplier Method (MM) in predicting the timing of angular correction after hemiepiphysiodesis and to determine the role of using skeletal age when calculating those predictions. METHODS: This retrospective study included 131 physes in 77 patients treated with hemiepiphysiodesis to gradually correct a coronal plane deformity before skeletal maturity. To compare the MM's predictions to the actual treatment duration, the "desired angular correction" was considered the actual achieved angular correction determined from the "endpoint x-ray" (last x-ray before implant removal). We measured the bone length and width of the growth plate from the preoperative x-ray and calculated the MM's prediction of the duration of treatment based on the MM formula. We compared the predicted duration to the observed duration of treatment for each case. The difference was calculated by subtracting the observed duration from the predicted duration. The result was the "absolute difference," which is the number of months over or under predicted by the MM. RESULTS: The mean absolute difference between the MM's predicted duration and the observed duration was 2.31 months, which was highly significant (P≤0.001). The MM's prediction agreed with the observed duration of treatment (ie, zero absolute difference) in 15% of the predictions, 69% were under predicted, and 16% were over predicted. Sixty-eight percent of the absolute differences were within 3 months regardless of the direction of error. The mean difference was relatively less in genu varum cases and was statistically significant (P=0.047). Comparing the mean difference using chronological age and skeletal age in the formula showed no statistically significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: The MM has a tendency to under predict. Therefore, doing a guided growth right before skeletal maturity should be started 2 to 4 months earlier than suggested by the MM. Moreover, our data did not show that the bone age gave more accurate predictions than chronological age. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Clinical significance of radiologic characterizations in COPD.

COPD is a heterogeneous disorder with clinical assessment becoming increasingly multidimensional. We hypothesized HRCT phenotype would strongly influence clinical outcomes including health status, exacerbation frequency, and BODE. COPD subjects were characterized via the SF-12, SGRQ, MMRC, physiologic testing, and standardized volumetric chest HRCT. Visual semi-quantitative estimation of bronchial wall thickness (VBT) and automated quantification of emphysema percent and bronchial wall thickness were generated. Multivariate modeling compared emphysema severity and airway abnormality with clinical outcome measures. Poisson models were used to analyze exacerbation frequency. SGRQ and SF-12 physical component scores were influenced by FEV(1)% predicted, emphysema percent, and VBT. VBT scores > 2 (scale 0-48) were associated with increased exacerbation frequency (p = 0.009) in the preceding year adjusting for age, gender, emphysema percent, smoking history and FEV(1)% predicted, although this effect was attenuated by age. Emphysema percent correlated with total BODE score in unadjusted (r = 0.73; p < 0.0001) and adjusted (p < 0.0001) analyses and with BODE individual components. HRCT provides unique COPD phenotyping information. Radiographic quantification of emphysema and bronchial thickness are independently associated with SGRQ and physical component score of the SF-12. Bronchial thickness but not emphysema is associated with exacerbation frequency, whereas emphysema is a stronger predictor of BODE and its systemic components MMRC, 6MWT, and BMI. Future research should clarify whether CT parameters complement BODE score in influencing survival.

A comparison of medical management with misoprostol and surgical management for early pregnancy failure.

BACKGROUND: Misoprostol is increasingly used to treat women who have a failed pregnancy in the first trimester. We assessed the efficacy, safety, and acceptability of this treatment in a large, randomized trial. METHODS: A total of 652 women with a first-trimester pregnancy failure (anembryonic gestation, embryonic or fetal death, or incomplete or inevitable spontaneous abortion) were randomly assigned to receive 800 microg of misoprostol vaginally or to undergo vacuum aspiration (standard of care) in a 3:1 ratio. The misoprostol group received treatment on day 1, a second dose on day 3 if expulsion was incomplete, and vacuum aspiration on day 8 if expulsion was still incomplete. Surgical treatment (for the misoprostol group) or repeated aspiration (for the vacuum-aspiration group) within 30 days after the initial treatment constituted treatment failure. RESULTS: Of the 491 women assigned to receive misoprostol, 71 percent had complete expulsion by day 3 and 84 percent by day 8 (95 percent confidence interval, 81 to 87 percent). Treatment failed in 16 percent of the misoprostol group and 3 percent of the surgical group (absolute difference, 12 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 9 to 16 percent) by day 30. Hemorrhage or endometritis requiring hospitalization was rare (1 percent or less in each group), with no significant differences between the groups. In the misoprostol group, 78 percent of the women stated that they would use misoprostol again if the need arose and 83 percent stated that they would recommend it to others. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of early pregnancy failure with 800 microg of misoprostol vaginally is a safe and acceptable approach, with a success rate of approximately 84 percent.

The bone mineral density in childhood study: bone mineral content and density according to age, sex, and race.

CONTEXT: Low bone mass may increase risk of fracture. Several chronic medical conditions, medications, and lifestyle factors affect bone mineral accrual. Appropriate reference values are essential for identification of children with bone deficits. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to establish reference curves for bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) in children. DESIGN AND SETTING: The Bone Mineral Density in Childhood Study is an ongoing longitudinal study in which measurements are obtained annually at five clinical centers in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included 1554 healthy children (761 male, 793 female), ages 6-16 yr, of all ethnicities. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Scans of the whole body, lumbar spine, hip, and forearm were obtained using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Percentile curves based on three annual measurements were generated using the LMS statistical procedure. RESULTS: BMC of the whole body and lumbar spine and BMD of the whole body, lumbar spine, total hip, femoral neck, and forearm are given for specific percentiles by sex, age, and race (Black vs. non-Black). BMC and BMD were higher for Blacks at all skeletal sites (P < 0.0001). BMC and BMD increased with age, and a plateau was not evident by age 16 (girls) or age 17 (boys). The variation in BMC and BMD also increased with age. CONCLUSIONS: Age-, race-, and sex-specific reference curves can be used to help identify children with bone deficits and for monitoring changes in bone in response to chronic diseases or therapies.

Endocrine abnormalities and impaired growth in human immunodeficiency virus-infected children.

OBJECTIVES: Identify endocrine differences between human immunodeficiency virus- (HIV) infected versus uninfected children and evaluate associations of growth and body composition with endocrine measures. STUDY DESIGN: Nested case-control study in 21 HIV-infected and 46 age- and sex-matched uninfected children in the Women and Infant Transmission Study. Plasma specimens from children between 2.5 to 7.0 years of age, taken during 3-4 visits, were tested for insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), growth hormone and thyroid studies. Longitudinal mixed and generalized estimating equation models compared group means and examined effects of endocrine measures on growth and body composition, respectively. RESULTS: HIV-infected children had lower IGFBP-3 than uninfected children (1.96 +/- 0.09 mg/L versus 2.34 +/- 0.06 mg/L, P < 0.001). In infected but not in uninfected children, IGFBP-3 values and DHEA:cortisol ratios were associated with weight- and body mass index-for-age z scores ([WAZ] P = 0.019, <.001 respectively, and [BMZ] P = 0.029, 0.038). DHEA concentration was associated with height-for-age z score (P = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: In these HIV-infected children compared with their uninfected counterparts, IGFBP-3 concentration was different between groups. Infected children had multiple endocrine associations with growth and body composition not found in their uninfected peers. We hypothesize that in HIV-infected children, growth hormone resistance and shunting of precursors from adrenal androgen to cortisol production contributes to altered body composition and stunting.

Bleeding patterns after misoprostol vs surgical treatment of early pregnancy failure: results from a randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe bleeding patterns after misoprostol or curettage for early pregnancy failure (EPF). STUDY DESIGN: This was a randomized trial that included women (n = 652) with EPF. Participants were assigned to vaginal misoprostol (800 microg) or curettage in a 3:1 ratio. Participants completed a bleeding diary. We measured hemoglobin levels at baseline and 2 weeks after the treatment. RESULTS: Decreases in hemoglobin levels were greater after misoprostol (-0.7 g/dL; SD, 1.2) than curettage (-0.2 g/dL; SD, 0.9; P < .001). Large changes in hemoglobin levels (at least 2 g/dL) or low nadir hemoglobin levels (< 10 g/dL) were more frequent after misoprostol (55/428 women; 12.8%) than after curettage (6/135 women; 4.4%; P = .02). More participants in the misoprostol group reported "any bleeding" or "heavy bleeding" every study day. Four women who were treated with misoprostol required blood transfusion. CONCLUSION: Bleeding is heavier and more prolonged after medical treatment with misoprostol than with curettage for EPF; however, bleeding rarely requires intervention.

Morbidity and mortality during the first two years of life among uninfected children born to human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected women: the women and infants transmission study.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated morbidity and mortality during the first 2 years of life among children born to human immunodeficiency virus-(HIV) type 1-infected women enrolled in the Women and Infants Transmission Study (WITS) during an 11-year period (1990-2001). DESIGN AND METHODS: As part of WITS, evaluations were performed at birth and at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months of age. Growth, hospitalization and the incidence of clinical disease were assessed regularly. RESULTS: Data regarding 1118 children born to HIV-infected women (955 HIV-uninfected children and 163 HIV-infected children) were analyzed. Fewer changes in the caretaker of the child and fewer in utero exposures to drugs, tobacco and alcohol occurred in the latter periods of the study (all P values for time trend analyses <0.01). The percentages of HIV-uninfected children with poor weight gain (44 of 767; 5.7%), short stature (32 of 703; 4.5%) and wasting (27 of 792; 3.4%) were higher than expected for the general population. Two or more changes in caretaker were associated with all growth deficiencies except wasting, and fetal exposure to tobacco was associated with height abnormalities. Anemia was common and was associated with receipt of zidovudine prophylaxis. Morbidity and mortality decreased during the study period. For the uninfected children, a decrease in class A events (Kaplan-Meier rates: group 1, 22.3%; group 2, 6.8%; group 3, 4.2%; P < 0.001) and class C events and death (Kaplan- Meier event rates: group 1, 2.0%; group 2, 1.7%; group 3, 0.2%; P = 0.062) during the first 2 years of life account for the differences in the curves over time. CONCLUSIONS: During an 11-year period, morbidity and mortality during the first 24 months of life decreased substantially for children born to HIV-infected women.

Quality of life in women undergoing medical treatment for early pregnancy failure.

OBJECTIVES: To examine predictors of quality of life, depression, and stress in women undergoing medical management of early pregnancy failure with misoprostal and to assess the relationship of quality of life, depression, and stress to treatment acceptability. DESIGN: Descriptive observational study of women undergoing medical management of early pregnancy failure with misoprostol conducted as part of a multicenter pilot study testing the efficacy of saline-moistened versus dry application of vaginal misoprostol. Data were collected prior to treatment through 15 days posttreatment. SETTING: Four university-based hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Women (n = 80) < or = 1 weeks pregnant diagnosed with anembryonic gestation or fetal demise. INTERVENTION: Vaginal misoprostol for medical evacuation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Quality of life (physical role functioning, emotional role functioning, social functioning, vitality, and bodily pain), depression, stress, and treatment acceptability. RESULTS: Women who received medical evacuation demonstrated poorer quality of life than same-age published population norms, scoring 0.25 to 0.78 of a standard deviation below the population mean for four of the five subscales. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses should assist patients to minimize and manage physical symptoms during treatment for early pregnancy failure. Women with higher external demands and lower social/tangible support may need greater assistance.

TNF-alpha, IL1-beta, and immunoglobulin (GM and KM) gene polymorphisms in sarcoidosis.

In order to determine whether TNF-alpha, IL1-beta, GM, and KM genes affect susceptibility to sarcoidosis, coded DNA samples from 278 Caucasian and 219 African-American patients and an equal number of matched controls were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction methods. All genotypes were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Genotype frequencies in sarcoidosis patients, as a whole, were not significantly different from that in controls. Additional analyses were performed to determine whether patients with and without erythema nodosum had different genetic components. In African-American patients without erythema nodosum, the distribution of KM genotypes was significantly different from that in controls: compared to controls, the frequency of KM1 homozygotes was increased in patients (6.5% versus 13.0%, p = 0.01; odds ratio = 2.56). As KM genes have been reported to be associated with immune responsiveness to several pathogens, these results may be relevant to the etiology of sarcoidosis.

Hormone pattern after misoprostol administration for a nonviable first-trimester gestation.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate serial hormone concentrations in subjects treated with vaginally administered misoprostol for early pregnancy failure. DESIGN: As part of a randomized clinical trial, serum was collected on treatment days 1, 3, 8, and 15. SETTING: Multicenter clinical trial. PATIENT(S): Women with a nonviable first-trimester pregnancy. INTERVENTION(S): Serum concentrations of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), progesterone, and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) were evaluated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): A logistic regression model was constructed to assess the associations of percent and complete expulsion of the gestational sac and/or successful management. RESULT(S): The percent change from the day of treatment until the first follow-up visit was predictive for complete expulsion for progesterone (P) (P<.005) and hCG (P<.005), but not for SHBG. The actual value was not significantly associated with complete expulsion or successful management. A decrease (day 1-3) of 79% for both hCG and P was associated with a 90% probability of complete passage of the gestational sac. A 90% probability of successful management was noted if P decreased by 78% on day 3 or 59% on day 7, or hCG decreased by 74% on day 3 or 78% on day 7 compared with pretreatment values. CONCLUSION(S): Percent change, but not absolute change, in serial hormone values are strongly associated with both the complete expulsion of the gestational sac with one dose of misoprostol and ultimate success.

A cost-effectiveness analysis of surgical versus medical management of early pregnancy loss.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the cost-effectiveness of medical and surgical management of early pregnancy loss. DESIGN: Analyses of cost, effectiveness, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios and utilities of a multicenter trial with 652 women with first-trimester pregnancy failure randomized to medical or surgical management. SETTING: Analysis of data from a multicenter trial. PATIENT(S): Secondary analysis of a multicenter trial. INTERVENTION(S): Cost-effectiveness analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Cost and effectiveness of competing treatment strategies. RESULT(S): Cost analysis of treatment demonstrates an increased cost of US$336 for 13% increased efficacy of surgical management. This analysis was sensitive to the probability of an extra office visit, the cost of the visit, and the probability of success. When the surgical arm is divided into outpatient manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) versus inpatient electric vacuum aspiration (EVA), there is an increased cost of $745 for EVA but a decreased cost of $202 for MVA compared with medical management. In general, MVA was found to be more cost-effective than medical management. For treatment of incomplete or inevitable abortion, medical management was found to be less costly and more efficacious. Utilities studies demonstrated that a patient would need to prefer surgery 14% less than medication for its treatment efficacy to be outweighed by the desire to avoid surgery. CONCLUSION(S): Surgical or medical management of early pregnancy failure can be cost effective, depending on the circumstances. Surgery is cost effective and more efficacious when performed in an outpatient setting. For incomplete or inevitable abortion, medical management is cost effective and more efficacious.

Revised reference curves for bone mineral content and areal bone mineral density according to age and sex for black and non-black children: results of the bone mineral density in childhood study.

CONTEXT: Deficits in bone acquisition during growth may increase fracture risk. Assessment of bone health during childhood requires appropriate reference values relative to age, sex, and population ancestry to identify bone deficits. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to provide revised and extended reference curves for bone mineral content (BMC) and areal bone mineral density (aBMD) in children. DESIGN: The Bone Mineral Density in Childhood Study was a multicenter longitudinal study with annual assessments for up to 7 yr. SETTING: The study was conducted at five clinical centers in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: Two thousand fourteen healthy children (992 males, 22% African-Americans) aged 5-23 yr participated in the study. INTERVENTION: There were no interventions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reference percentiles for BMC and aBMD of the total body, lumbar spine, hip, and forearm were obtained using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry for Black and non-Black children. Adjustment factors for height status were also calculated. RESULTS: Extended reference curves for BMC and aBMD of the total body, total body less head, lumbar spine, total hip, femoral neck, and forearm for ages 5-20 yr were constructed relative to sex and age for Black and non-Black children. Curves are similar to those previously published for 7-17 year olds. BMC and aBMD values were greater for Black vs. non-Black children at all measurement sites. CONCLUSIONS: We provide here dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry reference data on a well-characterized cohort of 2012 children and adolescents. These reference curves provide the most robust reference values for the assessment and monitoring of bone health in children and adolescents in the literature to date.

Gender influences Health-Related Quality of Life in IPF.

BACKGROUND: HRQL in IPF patients is impaired. Data from other respiratory diseases led us to hypothesize that significant gender differences in HRQL in IPF also exist. METHODS: Data were drawn from the NIH-sponsored Lung Tissue Research Consortium (LTRC). Demographic and pulmonary physiology data along with MMRC, SF-12, and SGRQ scores from women vs. men were compared with two-sample t-tests. Multivariate linear regression was used to examine the association between SF-12 component scores and gender while adjusting for other relevant variables. RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 147 men and 74 women. Among several baseline variables, only DL(CO)% predicted differed between women and men, (43.7 vs. 38.0, p=0.03). In general, men exhibited lower (better) MMRC scores (1.7 vs. 2.4, p=0.02), particularly those with milder disease as measured by DL(CO)% predicted. In an adjusted analysis, SF-12 PCS scores in men were lower (worse) than women (p=0.01), an effect that was more pronounced in men with greater dyspnea scores. In a similar analysis, SF-12 MCS scores in women were lower than men (worse) (48.3 vs. 54.4, p=0.0004), an effect that was more pronounced in women with greater dyspnea scores. CONCLUSIONS: Significant gender differences in HRQL exist in IPF. As compared to women, men reported less severe dyspnea, had worse SF-12 PCS scores, but better SF-12 MCS scores. Dyspnea appears to have a greater impact on the physical HRQL of men and the emotional HRQL of women. An improved understanding of the mechanism behind these differences is needed to better target interventions.

Height adjustment in assessing dual energy x-ray absorptiometry measurements of bone mass and density in children.

CONTEXT: In children, bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) measurements by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) are affected by height status. No consensus exists on how to adjust BMC or BMD (BMC/BMD) measurements for short or tall stature. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare various methods to adjust BMC/BMD for height in healthy children. DESIGN: Data from the Bone Mineral Density in Childhood Study (BMDCS) were used to develop adjustment methods that were validated using an independent cross-sectional sample of healthy children from the Reference Data Project (RDP). SETTING: We conducted the study in five clinical centers in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: We included 1546 BMDCS and 650 RDP participants (7 to 17 yr of age, 50% female). INTERVENTION: No interventions were used. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We measured spine and whole body (WB) BMC and BMD Z-scores for age (BMC/BMD(age)), height age (BMC/BMD(height age)), height (BMC(height)), bone mineral apparent density (BMAD(age)), and height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) (BMC/BMD(haz)). RESULTS: Spine and WB BMC/BMD(age)Z and BMAD(age)Z were positively (P < 0.005; r = 0.11 to 0.64) associated with HAZ. Spine BMD(haz) and BMC(haz)Z were not associated with HAZ; WB BMC(haz)Z was modestly associated with HAZ (r = 0.14; P = 0.0003). All other adjustment methods were negatively associated with HAZ (P < 0.005; r = -0.20 to -0.34). The deviation between adjusted and BMC/BMD(age) Z-scores was associated with age for most measures (P < 0.005) except for BMC/BMD(haz). CONCLUSIONS: Most methods to adjust BMC/BMD Z-scores for height were biased by age and/or HAZ. Adjustments using HAZ were least biased relative to HAZ and age and can be used to evaluate the effect of short or tall stature on BMC/BMD Z-scores.

Tracking of bone mass and density during childhood and adolescence.

CONTEXT: Whether a child with low bone mineral density (BMD) at one point in time will continue to have low BMD, despite continued growth and maturation, is important clinically. The stability of a characteristic during growth is referred to as "tracking." OBJECTIVE: We examined the degree of tracking in bone mineral content (BMC) and BMD during childhood and adolescence and investigated whether tracking varied according to age, sexual maturation, and changes in growth status. DESIGN: We conducted a longitudinal study with measurements at baseline and annually for 3 yr. SETTING: The Bone Mineral Density in Childhood Study was conducted at five clinical centers in the United States. STUDY PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1554 girls and boys, ages 6-16 yr at baseline, participated in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Whole body, spine, hip, and forearm BMC and BMD were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and age-, sex-, and race-specific Z-scores were calculated. Deviation from tracking was calculated as the Z-score at yr 3 minus baseline. RESULTS: Correlations between Z-scores at baseline and yr 3 ranged from 0.76-0.88. Among children with a Z-score below -1.5 at baseline, 72-87% still had a Z-score below -1 after 3 yr. Age, sexual maturation, and deviations in growth status (P < 0.01) were associated with deviation from tracking; however, tracking was strongly evident even after adjusting for the effects of age, maturation, and growth. CONCLUSIONS: Bone density showed a high degree of tracking over 3 yr in children and adolescents. Healthy children with low bone density will likely continue to have low bone density unless effective interventions are instituted.

Effect of perinatal antiretroviral drug exposure on hematologic values in HIV-uninfected children: An analysis of the women and infants transmission study.

BACKGROUND: With the increasing use of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), large numbers of infants are exposed, with possible consequent toxicity. METHODS: Hematologic values in 1820 uninfected HIV- and ARV-exposed children were compared with those in 351 ARV-unexposed children from the Women and Infants Transmission Study. Hemoglobin concentrations and platelet, neutrophil, lymphocyte, and CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts were analyzed at birth and ages 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Multivariate analysis was conducted age 0-2 and 6-24 months, with adjustment for multiple cofactors. RESULTS: Hemoglobin concentrations and neutrophil, lymphocyte, and CD4+ cell counts were significantly lower at age 0-2 months in infants exposed to ARV drugs than in those who were not. At 6-24 months, differences in hemoglobin concentrations and neutrophil counts were no longer significant, whereas differences in platelet, lymphocyte, and CD4+ cell counts persisted and CD8+ cell counts became significantly lower. In comparison with ARV monotherapy, combination therapy was associated with larger decreases in neutrophil, lymphocyte, and CD8+ cell counts at age 0-2 months but with only differences in CD8+ cell counts at age 6-24 months. Clinically significant abnormalities were rare and did not differ by exposure to ARV drugs. CONCLUSION: Infants exposed to ARV drugs have small but significant differences in several hematologic parameters for the first 24 months of life. These results indicate the need for long-term follow-up of uninfected infants with ARV exposure.

Innovative designs in behavioural trials.

Clinical trials that compare pharmacological and behavioural treatments require extra attention to design on the part of the investigators. Many of the standard control mechanisms for comparison of active drug to placebo and behavioural therapy to control therapy create problems when the two types of interventions are combined. The most important of these problems is the introduction of non-specific effects introduced by behavioural therapists and physicians that can bias the study. Solutions to these problems require procedures that are common to both types of studies and the introduction of more complex statistical designs to adequately control the proposed comparisons. It may also be necessary to have a robust statistical method to address informative censoring since patients assigned to behavioural therapy may drop out of the study for different reasons than patients who drop out of a pharmacological trial. In this paper we use the design of the Raynaud's Treatment Study to demonstrate methods that can be used to control for non-specific effects and differential drop-out from the study.

A randomized trial of saline solution-moistened misoprostol versus dry misoprostol for first-trimester pregnancy failure.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to estimate whether the efficacy of treatment with intravaginal misoprostol for first-trimester pregnancy failure is enhanced by the addition of saline solution. STUDY DESIGN: Eighty women with embryonic/fetal death or anembryonic pregnancy were assigned randomly to receive either 800 microg of misoprostol with saline solution (group I, 41 women) or without (group II, 39 women). Treatment was repeated on day 3 if the gestational sac remained. Curettage was performed if the gestational sac remained on day 8 or as necessary during at least 30 days of follow-up. Data were analyzed with the Student t test and the chi(2) or Fisher exact test. RESULTS: By the first follow-up visit, 73% (group I) and 64% (group II) of women passed the gestational sac (P=.38). By the second follow-up visit, expulsion rates were 83% and 87%, respectively (P=.59). Five subjects in each group underwent curettage. CONCLUSION: Misoprostol is effective for the treatment of failed first-trimester pregnancy. The expulsion rate is not improved by adding saline solution.

Persistent parvovirus B19 infection without the development of chronic anemia in HIV-infected and -uninfected children: the Women and Infants Transmission Study.

We evaluated the prevalence of persistent parvovirus B19 (B19) infection and associated anemia in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and HIV-uninfected children. B19 persistence was defined as B19 DNA detected in specimens collected >16 weeks apart. Of 182 children, 3 HIV-infected children and two HIV-uninfected children had evidence of persistent B19 infection. Of the 5 children, none had evidence of B19-associated anemia. Our data suggest that B19 infections can persist in children without the development of symptomatic anemia.