Biological aspects of sharks caught off the Coast of Pernambuco, Northeast Brazil.

One hundred seventeen specimens of sharks were caught along the coast of Pernambuco State, Northern Brazil, between May 2004 and May 2007, among which 86 were blacknose sharks, Carcharhinus acronotus, enabling a more detailed study of the species. Blacknose sharks were caught in the 2 study areas along the Boa Viagem/Piedade and Paiva beaches, accounting for the highest relative abundance among the species caught (73.5% of total). Potentially dangerous sharks, tiger and bull sharks, were also caught in the same areas, whereas hammerhead and blacktip sharks were only captured off Boa Viagem/Piedade. Concerning the blacknose shark, the total length (TL) ranged from 39.0 to 180.0 cm. Among the 38 females analysed, 32 were juveniles, 11 were maturing, 2 were pre-ovulatory and 21 were pregnant. Sexing was possible for 75 of the 83 embryos, 38 of which were males and 37 were females, with a sex proportion of 1:0.9 and total length ranging between 6.4 and 63.5 cm. Ovarian fecundity ranged from 5 to 10 and uterine fecundity from 1 to 3, with an estimated gestational period of 9 months. Among the 48 males, 6 were juveniles and 42 were adults. Both males and females seem to reach sexual maturity at about 105.0 cm TL. Among the 86 stomachs analysed, only 22.1% had contents, with teleosts as the most frequent item.

A randomized comparison of home and clinic follow-up visits after early postpartum hospital discharge.

BACKGROUND: Recently enacted federal legislation mandates insurance coverage of at least 48 hours of postpartum hospitalization, but most mothers and newborns in the United States will continue to go home before the third postpartum day. National guidelines recommend a follow-up visit on the third or fourth postpartum day, but scant evidence exists about whether home or clinic visits are more effective. METHODS: We enrolled 1163 medically and socially low-risk mother-newborn pairs with uncomplicated delivery and randomly assigned them to receive home visits by nurses or pediatric clinic visits by nurse practitioners or physicians on the third or fourth postpartum day. In contrast with the 20-minute pediatric clinic visits, the home visits were longer (median: 70 minutes), included preventive counseling about the home environment, and included a physical examination of the mother. Clinical utilization and costs were studied using computerized databases. Breastfeeding continuation, maternal depressive symptoms, and maternal satisfaction were assessed by means of telephone interviews at 2 weeks' postpartum. RESULTS: Comparing the 580 pairs in the home visit group and the 583 pairs in the pediatric clinic visit group, no significant differences occurred in clinical outcomes as measured by maternal or newborn rehospitalization within 10 days postpartum, maternal or newborn urgent clinic visits within 10 days postpartum, or breastfeeding discontinuation or maternal depressive symptoms at the 2-week interview. The same was true for a combined clinical outcome measure indicating whether a mother-newborn pair had any of the above outcomes. In contrast, higher proportions of mothers in the home visit group rated as excellent or very good the preventive advice delivered (80% vs 44%), the provider's skills and abilities (87% vs 63%), the newborn's posthospital care (87% vs 59%), and their own posthospital care (75% vs 47%). On average, a home visit cost $255 and a pediatric clinic visit cost $120. CONCLUSIONS: For low-risk mothers and newborns in this integrated health maintenance organization, home visits compared with pediatric clinic visits on the third or fourth postpartum hospital day were more costly, but were associated with equivalent clinical outcomes and markedly higher maternal satisfaction. This study had limited power to identify group differences in rehospitalization, and may not be generalizable to higher-risk populations without comparable access to integrated hospital and outpatient care.

Gentamicin pharmacokinetics in neonates undergoing extracorporal membrane oxygenation.

We evaluated the effects of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) on the pharmacokinetics of gentamicin in 18 infants who underwent ECMO therapy for severe respiratory failure and received gentamicin for possible sepsis. Twelve of these infants continued to receive gentamicin after ECMO had been discontinued. The volume of distribution (Vd) of gentamicin in the newborns receiving ECMO was 0.58 +/- 0.04 liter/kg, compared with a Vd of 0.45 +/- 0.02 liter/kg after ECMO had been discontinued (P = 0.02). The clearance of gentamicin in the patients undergoing ECMO was 42 +/- 3 ml/kg/hour compared with 57 +/- 4 ml/kg/hour in those patients off ECMO (P = 0.003). The elimination half-life in patients receiving ECMO was 10.0 +/- 0.7 hours compared with 5.7 +/- 0.4 hours after ECMO had been discontinued (P less than 0.0001). Neonates undergoing ECMO demonstrate a higher volume of distribution of gentamicin, a lower clearance, and consequently a longer half life for this drug. We conclude that gentamicin and probably other aminoglycosides should be given at dose rates about 25% lower than usual and at longer dosing intervals in patients undergoing ECMO therapy.

Birth out of wedlock and the risk of intrauterine growth retardation.

Birth out of wedlock has been associated with maternal and neonatal problems, especially low birthweight, attributed mainly to the young maternal age of the unmarried mothers. We surveyed a cohort of 300 first-born infants delivered in Israel to unwed mothers, matched for parity, maternal age, and ethnic origin. No maternal complications were found among the unwed mothers. However, the incidence of intrauterine growth retardation among infants of the out of wedlock mothers was 53 of 293, compared with 20 of 297 among the control population (p less than 0.001). This difference in the incidence of intrauterine growth retardation may not be associated with young maternal age.

Comparison of bilirubin production in Japanese and Caucasian infants.

Bilirubin production, as indexed by serum carboxyhemoglobin (HbCOc), was studied in a group of normal term Japanese infants and Caucasian controls during the second to third day of life. Stringent entry criteria were employed in order to eliminate infants with hemolysis or other known causes of increased bilirubin production. The mean HbCOc of the Japanese infants (0.69 +/- 0.15% sat) was significantly higher than that of the Caucasian infant (0.58 +/- 0.17% sat). The serum total bilirubin was also significantly higher in Japanese infants (11.1 +/- 3.0 mg/dl versus 8.0 +/- 2.2 mg/dl). This difference may be attributable to environmental and/or genetic factors.

Carbon monoxide production in ventilated premature infants weighing less than 1500 g.

Mean pulmonary excretion rate of carbon monoxide in 13 premature babies on ventilators was significantly higher (p less than 0.001) than that of 19 healthy infants born at full term. This correlated with carboxyhaemoglobin concentrations in blood, indicating that the premature infants on ventilators produced abnormally large amounts of bilirubin.

The consequences of uncertainty. An empirical approach to medical decision making in neonatal intensive care.

KIE: The policy of the Stanford University Medical Center on care for extremely premature neonates has been generally to initiate intensive care "based on a nonprobabilistic paradigm with a goal of saving every infant's life." Fischer and Stevenson analyzed the mortality rates, weights, gestational ages, and total costs of care for a sample of 68 low birth weight neonates. They also examined the outcomes of care in terms of degree of disability for the 24 surviving infants. They concluded that the existing policy resulted in undue suffering and in a substantial economic cost for the suffering and loss of life. They advocate use of an "individualized prognostic strategy" that takes into account the interplay of statistical prediction, the physician's assessment of clinical course, and parental responses when physicians suggest discontinuing aggressive care.^ieng

Carboxyhemoglobin concentration as an index of bilirubin production in neonates with birth weights less than 1,500 grams: a randomized double-blind comparison of supplemental oral vitamin E and placebo.

A randomized double-blind study of the efficacy of oral vitamin E supplementation as a prophylactic treatment for hyperbilirubinemia was undertaken in preterm infants weighing less than 1,500 g. Hemoglobin (Hb) levels, blood carboxyhemoglobin saturation (HbCOc), end-tidal carbon monoxide concentration (ETCO), and serum total bilirubin levels were determined in each subject on the first and third days of the study. We found no differences between the vitamin E-treated and placebo-treated groups with respect to Hb, HbCOc, ETCO, or serum bilirubin levels on day 1 or 3. In addition, we reanalyzed our data to compare those infants who had low vitamin E levels at birth with those who had vitamin E levels greater than 0.4 mg/dl on day 1. We still observed no differences in Hb, HbCOc, ETCO, or serum bilirubin levels on day 1 or 3. The results of our study suggest that supplemental oral vitamin E therapy has no major effect on bilirubin production during the first 3 days of life in premature infants weighing less than 1,500 g at birth.