Articles: disease.
-
The benefits of surgical treatment for patients with congenital heart disease in relation to pregnancy are still controversial. We studied 48 pregnant women (mean age = 25 years) with surgically-corrected congenital heart diseases (Group 1). This included 15 cyanotic diseases: Fallot's tetralogy (11 cases); Ebstein's anomaly (2 cases); transposition of the great arteries (1 case); and double outlet of the right ventricle (1 case). ⋯ Spontaneous abortion (4 vs. 10 percent), Caesarean deliveries (48 vs. 66 percent) or growth retardation (13 vs. 28 percent) did not present any significant differences between these groups. Surgical treatment in patients with heart diseases is associated with a better maternal and fetal prognosis. Therefore, surgery must be considered when counseling patients with congenital heart diseases.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Increasing condom use: evaluation of a theory-based intervention to prevent sexually transmitted diseases in young women.
A multicomponent intervention to increase condom use in sexually active young women was designed, implemented, and evaluated in a randomized experiment. Participants were 198 unmarried female college students (mean age = 18.6 years) who received a 1-session condom promotion intervention or a control (stress management) intervention. The condom promotion intervention led to increased self-reported condom use up to 6 months following intervention as well as positive changes in perceived benefits of condom use, affective attitudes toward condom use and condom users, perceived acceptance of sexuality, control over the sexual encounter, perceived self-efficacy for condom use, and intentions to use condoms. Mediational analysis illustrated the mechanisms of the condom promotion intervention effects, linking psychological constructs affected by the intervention (perceived benefits, acceptance of sexuality, control over the sexual encounter, attitudes toward condoms, and self-efficacy for condom use) to condom use intentions.
-
Food production in the countries of South and South-East Asia has shown a general upward trend during the last decade. Despite the considerable increase in population in many of these countries, food production per capita in 1988-90 was significantly higher as compared to 1979-81 figures, the increase being specially marked in such countries as Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Available daily calorie supply was adequate to meet the requirement. ⋯ Countries of the Region are in varying stages of developmental transition. Among the burgeoning middle classes in some of these countries there are evidences of escalation of degenerative diseases such as diabetes and coronary heart disease. With increasing life expectancy, geriatric nutritional problems will demand increasing attention.
-
Many of the clinical features of HIV/AIDS can be ascribed to the profound immune deficiency which develops in infected patients. The destruction of the immune system by the virus results in opportunistic infection, as well as an increased risk of autoimmune disease and malignancy. In addition, disease manifestations related to the virus itself may occur. ⋯ Malignant disease in patients with HIV infection also occurs in a characteristic pattern. Only two tumours are prevalent: Kaposi's sarcoma, a multifocal tumour of vascular endothelium which typically involves skin and mucosal surfaces; and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is typically high grade in phenotype, often arising within the central nervous system. The principles of therapy include reduction of HIV replication by antiretroviral agents, prophylaxis against the common opportunistic infections and treatment followed by subsequent lifelong maintenance therapy for infections when they do occur.
-
Some studies (but not all) have suggested that there may be an increase in the risk of breast cancer associated with a prior induced abortion. The risk, if present, may vary according to the duration of the pregnancy in which the abortion occurred, or to a woman's age or parity at that time. The authors conducted a case-control study of breast cancer in white women under age 45 years to address the question of breast cancer risk in relation to induced abortion, with the intention of identifying subgroups of women who might be at particularly increased risk. ⋯ There was no excess risk of breast cancer associated with induced abortion among parous women. These data support the hypothesis that there may be a small increase in the risk of breast cancer related to a history of induced abortion among young women of reproductive age. However, the data from this study and others do not permit a causal interpretation at this time; neither do the collective results of the studies suggest that there is a subgroup of women in whom the relative risk associated with induced abortion is unusually high.