Maternal hypertension and neurodevelopmental outcome in very preterm infants

AIM: To determine the outcome of preterm infants born to mothers with hypertension during pregnancy, and preterm controls. METHODS: 107 infants of 24-32 weeks gestation, born to hypertensive mothers, and 107 controls matched for gestational age, sex, and multiple pregnancy, born to normotensive mothers, were prospectively enrolled over 2 years. Information on maternal complications and medication was obtained and neonatal mortality and morbidities recorded. Survivors were followed up to at least 2 years, corrected for prematurity. RESULTS: One third of the hypertensive mothers were treated with antihypertensive drugs, while 18% received convulsion prophylaxis with phenytoin. Magnesium sulphate was not prescribed. Both groups had a mean gestational age of 29.9 weeks, with the study infants having a significantly lower birthweight than the controls. Four study and three control infants died in the neonatal period. Cerebral palsy was not diagnosed in any infant of a hypertensive mother compared with five of the controls. The mean general quotient for the two groups was very similar and no difference in the incidence of minor neuromotor developmental problems was shown. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal hypertension seems to protect against cerebral palsy in preterm infants without increasing the risk of cognitive impairment. This was independent of the use of maternally administered magnesium sulphate.     

Fetal thrombocytopenia and its relation to maternal thrombocytopenia

BACKGROUND: Neonates with severe thrombocytopenia can have bleeding leading to death or lifelong residual defects. The predictors, frequency, and consequences of fetal thrombocytopenia are not known, nor is it known if there are maternal clinical features that could predict fetal thrombocytopenia. METHODS: We conducted a seven-year cross-sectional study in which platelet counts were determined in newborns' umbilical-cord blood and blood obtained from their mothers at consecutive deliveries in one obstetrical unit. The relations of the umbilical-cord platelet count to maternal risk factors were determined. RESULTS: Platelet counts were determined in blood samples from 15,471 mothers and 15,932 newborn infants. The cord-blood platelet count was less than 50,000 per cubic millimeter in 19 infants (0.12 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.07 to 0.19 percent), whereas the platelet count was less than 150,000 per cubic millimeter in 6.6 percent of the mothers (95 percent confidence interval, 6.2 to 7.0 percent). One infant among those born to 756 mothers with incidental thrombocytopenia, 5 infants among those born to 1414 mothers with hypertension, and 4 infants among those born to 46 mothers with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura had cord-blood platelet counts between 20,000 and 50,000 per cubic millimeter. Only 6 infants (0.04 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.01 to 0.08 percent) had cord-blood platelet counts of less than 20,000 per cubic millimeter; all their mothers were among the 18 whose 19 fetuses were at risk for neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia. Two of these infants had in utero intracranial hemorrhage. In addition, 3 infants born to these 18 women had cord-blood platelet counts between 20,000 and 50,000 per cubic millimeter; there was 1 stillbirth due to intracranial hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate-to-severe fetal thrombocytopenia is a rare event. The only severely affected neonates with morbidity or mortality due to this condition are those born to mothers with antiplatelet alloantibodies.     

Risk factors for low birth weight and intrauterine growth retardation in Santiago, Chile

An epidemiologic case-control study to ascertain the determinants of low birthweight was carried out in Santiago, Chile, from January to December 1989. The cases were defined as livebirths < 2500 g. The controls were livebirths > or = 2500 g of birthweight. All cases and a random sample (1:1) of controls were selected among 8,254 singleton births occurring at the El Salvador Hospital in the Eastern area of Santiago. These deliveries represented 50% of institutional deliveries in the area. Home deliveries (2%) and private hospital deliveries were not included in the study. Information was obtained from hospital medical records by six trained medical students. Some information could not be obtained from the hospital medical records. Thus the second step in data collection was the tracking of all the selected subjects to their referring neighborhood health centers. For the analysis, the data were divided into 3 case (outcome) categories: 453 subjects were the total case group. From these, 153 were the IUGR case group and 300 were the LBW preterm case group. The general control group consisted of 605 normal birthweight infants. 565 were the IUGR control group and 40 were the preterm control group. A total of 25 risk factors showed a significant crude odds ratio for at least one of the groups. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis eight variables: No. of pregnancies, previous adverse outcomes, previous LBW, pregnancy maternal weight, No. of visits, month of first prenatal care visit, maternal smoking and intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, were significantly associated with LBW after adjustment by confounding. Eight risk factors: IUGR in previous pregnancies, Previous adverse outcome, Maternal smoking, intrahepatic cholestasis, maternal pregnancy weight, maternal height, month first prenatal visit, No. of visit, were significant to IUGR. Only two variables: pregnancy weight, divorced mother, were significantly associated with low birth weight in the preterm group. The most relevant risk factors were included in stepwise logistic regression models carried out for the outcome LBW for the general group, term group and preterm group, in order to adjust by confounding. Adjusted odds ratios were then obtained. Prenatal care related factors and maternal adverse obstetric factors were at higher significance for LBW in the general and IUGR groups. Only nutritional factors were related to LBW in preterm group. Women who delivered a LBW or IUGR infant were more likely to have fewer pregnancies, a history of previous LBW, lower prepregnancy weight and lower gestational weight gain. ICP was associated with an elevated risk of LBW that was independent of gestational age.     

Detection of thyrotropin binding inhibitory activity in neonatal blood spots

Recent studies have suggested that maternal TSH receptor-blocking antibodies might be of primary etiological importance in some cases of transient congenital hypothyroidism (CH). Because these antibodies are extremely potent, we evaluated the feasibility of identifying babies at risk by using readily available newborn blood spots. Blood spots obtained from 84 normal babies (group 1) and from 354 infants whose initial T4 was less than the tenth percentile for the assay and whose TSH was 40 mU/L or more (group 2) were studied without knowledge of the diagnosis. Blood was eluted from spots overnight and evaluated for [125I]TSH binding inhibition (TBI) to solubilized porcine thyroid membranes. Four spots obtained from 3 group 2 babies, but none of those from the group 1 infants, exhibited TBI activity greater than 3 SD above the normal mean (33.9%). Four additional hypothyroxinemic infants whose mothers had Graves' disease were also negative. Subsequent follow-up revealed that all 3 positive babies had transient CH, and all 3 mothers had primary myxedema. Potent TBI activity was confirmed in the serum of all 3 mothers and in the 2 babies in whom it was evaluated at birth. We conclude that newborn blood spots can be used to detect potent maternal TBI activity, and that this identifies a baby likely to have transient, rather than permanent, CH. Because of their stability and ease of collection and handling, newborn blood spots should offer a convenient tool for future studies aimed at defining in more detail the incidence and clinical characteristics of this unique syndrome.     

Postpartum adjustment in first-time mothers: Relations between mood, maternal attitudes, and mother-infant interactions.

Self-report data were obtained from a middle-income sample of first-time mothers during pregnancy and at 1 and 3 months postpartum, and behavioral interactions between the mother and her infant were observed at 3 days and 1, 3, and 16 months postpartum. The main analyses revealed that pregnancy and postpartum mood states together explain a high proportion of the variance in mothers' maternal attitudes during the postpartum, although postpartum mood has the greater predictive power. Additionally, prior experience with children is significantly associated with maternal attitudes at all time points. Moreover, at both 1 and 3 months postpartum, depressed mothers, relative to nondepressed mothers, exhibit fewer affectionate contact behaviors toward their infants and are less likely to respond to infant vocalizations by vocalizing themselves, and, at 3 months, a higher proportion of the depressed mothers had started bottle-feeding their infants. Finally, differences in maternal behavior between depressed and nondepressed mothers during the early postpartum period were no longer apparent at 16 months postpartum. The implications of these findings are discussed with particular reference to the interrelations between prior child-care experience, mood, and maternal responsiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Placental transfer of maternal poliovirus antibodies in full-term and pre-term infants

This study was designed to investigate the placental transfer of maternal poliovirus antibodies in full-term and pre-term infants. Two hundred healthy, Israeli born mothers and their infants, were enrolled immediately after birth. The study population comprised two groups: a full-term group of 150 mothers and their infants, and a pre-term group of 50 mothers and their infants (gestational age < 35 weeks). Maternal and umbilical cord blood samples were taken in all cases. Antibody titers against the three poliovirus serotypes and a polio virus type 1 strain that caused an outbreak in 1988 (epidemic strain 1) were measured by a microneutralization system. The proportion of individuals with protective titers against each of the poliovirus types tested was slightly lower in the infants compared with their mothers. When protection to all strains combined was tested, the difference between mothers and infants was significant (P < 0.05). Transplacental transfer to epidemic strain 1 was less effective--12% of the premature infants were not protected against it at birth. The geometric mean titers against poliovirus types 1, 3 and epidemic type 1 strain were significantly lower in the pre-term group than in the full-term group. In both the full-term and pre-term groups there were significant linear correlations between the maternal and neonatal antibody titers for each of the polio viruses tested. For all poliovirus types, the transfer of maternal antibodies to the full-term infant was significantly higher than the transfer of maternal antibodies to the pre-term infant (P < 0.001). Owing to diminished transfer of maternal antibodies, pre-term infants are at greater risk of poliovirus infection.     

Relationship of newborn serum prolactin levels to the respiratory distress syndrome and maternal hypertension

Prolactin concentrations were measured in mixed cord blood of 782 newborn infants and related to the occurrence of the respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and maternal cardiovascular condition. Infants of 30 to 33 weeks' gestational age who developed RDS had significantly lower serum concentrations of prolactin than non-RDS infants within this same age range. No difference was observed between RDS and non-RDS infants at 34 to 36 weeks. Prolactin levels in infants delivered by preeclamptic women were greater than the levels in infants of normotensive women from 30 to 39 weeks' gestation. The levels were higher in the 40 to 42 weeks age group as well; however, the difference was not statistically significant. Infants of mothers with gestational hypertension also tended to have elevated serum prolactin concentrations. No differences were observed in infants of women presenting with a history of chronic hypertension. Within the RDS subgroups, serum prolactin levels were significantly greater in infants of preeclamptic women than in infants of normotensive women, being approximately equal to the levels in the non-RDS normotensive group.     

Effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy and a family history of asthma on respiratory function in newborn infants

INTRODUCTION: Infants of mothers who smoke have reduced respiratory function and are more likely to develop wheezing. Little evidence is available on the effect of in-utero cigarette-smoke exposure as opposed to postnatal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke. We used a previously validated non-invasive method to measure the time to peak tidal expiratory flow (tPTEF) as a proportion of expiratory time (tE) in newborn infants soon after birth to examine the effects of a family history of asthma and in-utero cigarette-smoke exposure on the infants' respiratory function. METHODS: We collected respiratory-function data from 500 healthy infants of mothers taking part in the Western Australia Pregnancy Cohort Study. During behaviourally defined quiet sleep, measurements were obtained a median of 58 h (range 26-159) after the infants were born. We used uncalibrated inductance plethysmography. The uncalibrated volume signal was differentiated to flow and used to calculate respiratory rate, total inspiratory time, tE, and tPTEF. Mothers answered questionnaires on demographic, medical, and pregnancy characteristics, including smoking history. Serum cotinine measurements were available to validate self-reported smoking history in a subset of mothers (238). RESULTS: Data suitable for analysis were obtained from 461 infants. In multivariate regression analysis, lower values of tPTEF/tE were independently associated with respiratory rate (beta coefficient per 10 breaths/min 0.018 [SE 0.005], p < 0.01), age (beta coefficient per 10 h -0.008 [0.003], p < 0.01), maternal smoking during pregnancy (> 10 cigarettes daily; beta coefficient -0.049 [0.022], p < 0.05), maternal hypertension during pregnancy (-0.037 [0.015], p < 0.02), and a family history of asthma (-0.028[0.014], p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In-utero smoke exposure, a family history of asthma, and maternal hypertension during pregnancy are associated with reduced respiratory function after birth. We speculate that these factors adversely affect lung development in utero.     

Ethnic differences in the sudden infant death syndrome: what we can learn from immigrants to the UK

AIMS: To compare the effect of potential maternal and birth factors on rates of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) within and between infants born to mothers of different ethnic groups. METHODS: Routinely collected obstetric, child health data relating to 39,101 residents of three East London Districts born in 1989-1990 were obtained. These were matched with 312 death registration records to validate death and add registered cause of death. Mortality rates were calculated in the usual way, and using life-table methods. RESULTS: These related to six ethnic groups, the largest of which were Anglo-European and Bangladeshi. Low birth-weight was the only factor associated with a greater risk of SIDS in all ethnic groups. Maternal smoking was uncommon amongst all Asian groups and African mothers, and rates of SIDS were uniformly low amongst non-smokers in all ethnic groups except Pakistanis. Adjustment for maternal age, parity, gestational age and birthweight would widen the differences between risk of SIDS observed between Anglo-Europeans and Bangladeshi infants. CONCLUSIONS: The study has demonstrated that local data is more timely and of greater detail than that available nationally. Of the risk factors considered, smoking reported during pregnancy is the most commonly encountered and is particularly associated with deaths attributed to SIDS.     

Infant and Maternal Behaviors Regulate Infant Reactivity to Novelty at 6 Months.

Three issues were investigated: (a) the regulatory effects of presumed infant and maternal regulation behaviors on infant distress to novelty at 6 months, (b) stability of infant regulatory effects across contexts that vary in maternal involvement, and (c) associations and temporal dynamics between infant and maternal regulation behaviors. Participants were 87 low-risk infants and their mothers, observed at 6 months postpartum during infant exposure to novel toys. Contingencies derived from sequential analyses demonstrate that, by 6 months, some infants reduce their own distress to novelty by looking away from the novel toy or self-soothing, maternal engagement and support have comparable effects, and certain infant and maternal behaviors co-occur. Moreover, infants whose mothers engaged contingently when they looked away from the novel toy expressed less distress than comparable infants whose mothers did not. These findings implicate both infants and mothers in the development of emotion regulation during the infant's first year. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Epidemiologic aspects of pre-eclampsia in Saudi Arabia

Pre-eclampsia is pregnancy induced hypertension of unknown aetiology. There is a paucity of maternal data on the disease from this region and this study was undertaken to identify maternal and possible aetiologic factors associated with the disease in the north western region of Saudi Arabia. Seven hundred and five consecutive maternities which delivered from October 1990 till January 1991 at the Armed Forces Hospital were analysed. 2.8% of women in this community study developed pre-eclampsia. Women at extremes of maternal age, the nulliparous and high parity women; women with high body mass index, blood group O and those with no antenatal care or late booking in this study were at greater risk of developing pre-eclampsia when compared with controls who delivered in the same period. Of the babies born to mothers with pre-eclampsia, 46.7% were of low birthweight (< 2500g) while only 10.4% of controls were low birthweight. It is concluded that mothers with pre-eclampsia have to be identified early. Potential modifiable factors include reducing pregnancies at extremes of maternal age, among high parity women and encouraging early booking as well as regular attendance at the antenatal clinic.     

The cortical reactions during sensory and motor activities in healthy children and adults and in depression patients

We recruited 111 patients who were considered to be at significantly increased risk of preeclampsia on the basis of previous obstetric history or preexisting medical disorders. All patients were treated with low dose aspirin (75 mg/day) from the first occasion the patient attended the antenatal clinic, regardless of gestational age. If the maternal mean platelet volume (MPV) increased significantly (by > 0.8 fl) from the baseline, antiplatelet treatment was increased. Five pregnancies were lost during the second trimester and 106 of the treated patients had live infants. The incidence of neonatal death (3/106 infants) was much lower than in the previous pregnancies in these patients (32/134 infants). Patients who were treated from the first trimester of pregnancy (group A, 89 patients) did substantially better than those treated from the second trimester (group B, 17 patients) as assessed by the incidence of pre-eclampsia or intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), gestational age and birthweight at delivery. These data suggest that longitudinal monitoring of the MPV may identify the women who could benefit from increased antiplatelet treatment, and that antiplatelet treatment may be more effective when initiated in the first trimester rather than later in pregnancy.     

Responsive parenting: Establishing early foundations for social, communication, and independent problem-solving skills.

Mothers whose infants varied in early biological characteristics (born at term, n = 120; born at very low birth weight [VLBW], n = 144) were randomized to a target group (n = 133) or developmental feedback comparison group (n = 131) to determine whether learning responsive behaviors would facilitate infant development. The target condition included videotaped examples, problem-solving activities, and mothers' critique of their own behaviors through video procedures across 10 home visits. All target versus comparison mothers showed greater increases across multiple responsiveness behaviors observed in 4 assessments conducted across 6-13 months of age; changes in emotionally supportive behaviors were strongest for target mothers of infants born at VLBW. Increased maternal responsiveness facilitated greater growth in target infants' social, emotional, communication, and cognitive competence, supporting a causal role for responsiveness on infant development. Although benefits were generally comparable across risk groups, aspects of social and emotional skills showed greater change for those born at VLBW. Evidence for responsiveness as a multidimensional construct was provided as well as the importance of different aspects of responsiveness mediating the effect of the intervention on different infant skill domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction

Previous studies have shown that in preeclampsia, plasma lipids climb substantially above levels seen in normal pregnancies. Such lipid changes may play a role in the endothelial damage characteristic of preeclampsia. Pregnancies complicated by intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), without preeclampsia, have similar placental pathology to preeclampsia despite the absence of the maternal systemic manifestations of hypertension and proteinuria. The aim of this study was to perform a cross-sectional study of lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in the third trimester, from normal pregnancies, and those complicated by IUGR without preeclampsia. Our hypothesis was that, in contrast to the exaggerated lipid changes seen in preeclampsia, lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in IUGR would be similar to those of matched healthy pregnant controls. Fasting blood samples for lipids and lipoprotein fractions were taken in the third trimester, from eight women with IUGR; and eight women with uncomplicated pregnancies, matched as a group for age, booking weight, parity, and gestational age at sampling. There were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the median concentrations of triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein, and very-low-density lipoprotein 1 (VLDL1), between cases and controls. However, women with IUGR pregnancies had significantly lower cholesterol [4.95 mmol/L (3.35-7.10) vs. 7.47 (5.75-8.45); median (range) for IUGR patients and controls, respectively; P < 0.01], low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol [2.45 mmol/L (0.95-3.60) vs. 4.25 (3.35-5.60); P < 0.01], VLDL2 mass [59.0 mg/dL (37-87) vs. 103.0 (64-168); P < 0.01], intermediate-density lipoprotein mass [56.0 mg/dL (31-110) vs. 125.6 (91-157); P < 0.01], and total LDL mass [221.0 mg/dL (104-237) vs. 380.3 (267-534); P < 0.01]. In addition, it was noteworthy that, with respect to LDL-cholesterol and total LDL mass, there was little or no overlap in the ranges of concentrations measured between cases and controls. Because VLDL2 and intermediate-density lipoprotein are the synthetic precursors to LDL in the circulation, their significantly lower median concentrations imply a failure of appropriate LDL synthesis in IUGR pregnancies. Whatever the mechanism, if our results are confirmed in larger studies and longitudinal investigations, then LDL-cholesterol measurements (when LDL-cholesterol fails to rise appropriately or is low in the third trimester) may be of use in identifying mothers with, or at risk of, a pregnancy complicated by IUGR.     

Gender and haplotype effects upon hematological manifestations of adult sickle cell anemia

We evaluated the rates of short-term neonatal complications, neonatal brain damage or mortality in a group of 96 singleton pregnancies complicated by hypertension and electively delivered before 36 weeks gestation. The neonatal outcome of these pregnancies was compared with that of a matched control group of 192 uneventful pregnancies delivered because of spontaneous preterm labor or premature rupture of membranes. Although the rates of acidosis, apneoic crises, bradycardia and ventilatory support were higher among cases than controls, the risk of intraventricular hemorrhage, severe brain damage (grade III-IV intraventricular hemorrhage or periventricular leucomalacia) or neonatal mortality were comparable between the two groups. Neonatal complications were more frequent among infants born to mothers with severe hypertension or severe proteinuria. In conclusion, this study has shown that short term neonatal complications after elective preterm delivery in hypertensive pregnancies are increased in comparison with low risk controls. However, these complications, which were well managed in our intensive care nursery, did not affected neonatal mortality or severe brain damage.     

Chronic administration of dexamethasone results in Fc receptor up-regulation and inhibition of class I antigen expression on macrophages from MRL/lpr autoimmune mice

OBJECTIVE: To assess the influence of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy on the subsequent risk of placental abruption and uterine bleeding of unknown aetiology, and to examine the combined effects of hypertensive disorders and cigarette smoking during pregnancy on the risk of uteroplacental bleeding disorders. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Data for this study were derived from the Nova Scotia Atlee Perinatal database, Canada, comprising of women who were delivered in the province between 1980 and 1993. POPULATION: 120,666 pregnancies resulting in singleton births, of which 13,360 pregnancies were complicated by pre-eclampsia and/or chronic hypertension. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Risks and relative risks of placental abruption and uterine bleeding of unknown aetiology in pregnancies complicated by chronic hypertension, mild and severe pre-eclampsia, and chronic hypertension with superimposed pre-eclampsia, each compared with normotensive patients. Adjusted relative risks were obtained through the fit of multivariable logistic regression models based on the method of generalised estimating equations. RESULTS: Chronically hypertensive women had no increased risk of abruption (RR 1.4; 95% CI 0.5-3.6), while women whose pregnancies were complicated by severe pre-eclampsia (RR 3.8; 95% CI 2.1-6.9), and chronic hypertension with superimposed pre-eclampsia (RR 2.8; 95% CI 1.2-6.3) showed strong associations with placental abruption. However, none of the hypertensive disorders were associated with uterine bleeding of unknown aetiology. The association between placental abruption and hypertensive disorders varied by parity. Parous women with chronic hypertension and superimposed pre-eclampsia were at greater risk of placental abruption (aRR 3.8; 95% CI 1.9-7.8) than nulliparous women with chronic hypertension and superimposed pre-eclampsia (aRR 1.6; 95% CI 0.5-4.9). The joint effects of smoking and hypertension had a greater effect on the risk of placental abruption than would have been expected based on their individual effects. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of association between placental abruption and hypertension varied in relation to the specific type of hypertensive disorder. However, uterine bleeding of unknown aetiology was not associated with hypertension. Findings from this study suggest that placental abruption and uterine bleeding of unknown origin are aetiologically distinct obstetric complications with respect to hypertensive disorders during pregnancy.     

Determinants of postnatal weight in infant rhesus monkeys: implications for the study of interindividual differences in neonatal growth

This paper provides an analysis of infant body weights obtained from a sample of 38 rhesus monkey infants (Macaca mulatta) aged 29-165 days, i.e., animals still nutritionally dependent on their mothers. We examine the data on neonatal weights in relation to a number of factors, most notably, the sex of the infants, and the age and adiposity of their mothers. The infant body weights represent cross-sectional rather than longitudinal data; because they were mostly free-ranging animals, the infants were weighted just once each. Nevertheless, the results of our analysis strongly suggest that early postnatal growth in free-ranging rhesus is dependent on both maternal fatness and age. They also suggest that, although male infants are generally heavier than like-aged female infants, they do not grow any faster during the early postnatal period. Here, we speculate that the associations between infant size and both maternal age and adiposity are the result of between-mother differences in lactational output.     

About the nomination and training of family physicians

OBJECTIVE: To study sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency in lymphocytes of pregnant women with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) infants. METHODS: The frequency of SCE in peripheral blood lymphocytes of 14 pregnant women with IUGR babies and 90 normal pregnant women as well as the umbilical blood of their infants were investigated. RESULTS: The mean frequency of SCE in maternal and umbilical blood with normal pregnancy were 7.58 +/- 0.32 and 5.05 +/- 0.29 respectively, while they were 10.53 +/- 2.69 and 7.25 +/- 1.34 in IUGR group respectively. The difference of SCE levels between the 2 groups of mother was statistically significant (P < 0.01), so was that of the umbilical blood group. CONCLUSION: One of the causes of IUGR may be related to heredity injury. Thus, SCE will be a new diagnostic index to predict IUGR.     

Proximate factors mediating "contact" calls in adult female baboons (Papio cynocephalus ursinus) and their infants.

"Contact" calls are widespread in social mammals and birds, but the proximate factors that motivate call production and mediate their contact function remain poorly specified. Field study of chacma baboons (Papio cynocephalus ursinus) revealed that contact barks in adult females were motivated by separation both from the group at large and from their dependent infants. A variety of social and ecological factors affect the probability of separation from either one or both. Results of simultaneous observations and a playback experiment indicate that the contact function of calling between mothers and infants was mediated by occasional maternal retrieval rather than coordinated call exchange. Mothers recognized the contact barks of their own infants and often were strongly motivated to locate them. However, mothers did not produce contact barks in reply unless they themselves were at risk of becoming separated from the group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The balance of employment and motherhood: Longitudinal study of mothers' feelings about separation from their first-born infants.

Examined how older, college-educated White mothers' preference to be employed or to remain home with their infants affected the development of their anxiety about separation from their infants over the 1st 13? mo of motherhood. On measures of anxiety about separation, career salience, and maternal role investment, 26 mothers (mean age 27.38 yrs) who preferred employment were compared with 36 mothers (mean age 27.89 yrs) who preferred to stay at home. Measures were taken at 2 days, 7 wks, 8 mo, and 13? mo postpartum. Employment-preference mothers' anxiety about separation declined earlier and to a greater extent than that of home-preference mothers, who were more strongly invested in the maternal role but less committed to jobs or careers. Discussion centers on the importance of employment preference as opposed to actual employment status for understanding how women balance career and motherhood. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)