The Medical journal of Australia
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During a seven-month study, 4005 blood samples taken for haematological investigations at the Mount Isa Base Hospital, Queensland, were routinely screened for syphilis. Two hundred and twenty-nine of these yielded serological evidence of syphilis. One hundred and eighty-eight persons were either aware of, or had recorded evidence of, previous infection. ⋯ Seventeen persons with serological evidence of syphilis, but without a recorded history of the disease, could not be contacted. The relatively high prevalence (1%) of undetected syphilis in this population sample led to the continuation of routine screening at Mount Isa Base Hospital. Hospitals which serve towns with similar demographic profiles may find routine screening for syphilis of all blood samples, taken for unrelated investigations, a useful procedure.
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The concentration of lamellar body (or surfactant) phospholipid in amniotic fluid generally increases as gestation proceeds and the fetal lungs mature. However, when glucocorticoid is administered prior to 35 weeks' gestation to accelerate fetal lung maturation, the ensuing increase in lamellar body phospholipid, to levels indicative of lung maturity, may be followed by a decrease to levels which suggest a reversion to lung immaturity. Estimations of fetal lung maturity should be interpreted with caution following the administration of glucocorticoid.