Biomedical subjects

W Baldwin

Publications and source records attributed to W Baldwin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Demographics of adolescent sexual behavior, contraception, pregnancy, and STDs.

The demographics of fertility-related behavior of youth ages 10-18 are reviewed. Data were collected from U.S. vital statistics, and birth rates, contraceptive use, sexual behavior, number and types of sexual partners, patterns of sexual initiation and sexual intercourse, and sexually transmitted diseases were examined. Despite data limitations, the demographic profile of adolescent sexual intercourse is striking. Age clearly is the single most important predictor of sexual debut.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

The response of American women to the threat of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth, we observe that large numbers of American women say that they are responding to the rising danger of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Among the changes reported in the 1988 National Survey of Family Growth are use of condoms, sexual relations with fewer partners, reduced frequency of sexual intercourse, changes in specific sexual activities, and avoidance of sex with unknown men, bisexual men, and intravenous drug users. Interviews with a sample of the 51 million sexually active women aged 15-44 in the United States show that 28% report either that they have adopted less hazardous sexual practices or that their partners have used condoms to prevent disease. Among women exposed to higher risk of disease, the response is even greater: among unmarried women with five or more lifetime partners, 65% report modified behavior or condom use. Most of these changes occurred after the women heard of AIDS. However, there are still many women who report doing nothing to protect themselves against infection despite sexual and contraceptive behavior that appears to put them at high risk.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1990

Scientist-administrators at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development as contributors to the scientific enterprise.

At the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), as in other government research supporting agencies, scientist-administrators who are "program staff" work to accomplish their organization's set of research priorities using established mechanisms for supporting research. At the same time, the definition of their work is given to their interpretation, which, in turn, is guided by their understanding of their scientific discipline and their commitment to it. The tension that may arise between the organization-guided role and the science-guided role is more apparent than real because the major responsibility of "program staff" within the Institute is to cultivate a grant portfolio addressing scientific issues relevant to the mission of the Institute and exemplifying the most advanced research concepts and methodologies. When the overlap between the mission of the Institute and the direction of science is small, the push to increase it leads to new and imaginative solutions that benefit both the Institute and the science.

Administrative Personnel↗

PubMed1990

HIV risk difference between condom users and nonusers among U.S. heterosexual women.

Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth, we estimate that among 3,498,060 U.S. reproductive-age women least likely to be protected from HIV, 12% rely on condoms for birth control. We have modeled the risk difference between condom users and nonusers and projected the number of preventable and nonpreventable HIV infections likely to occur among the 419,201 condom users as a function of 50 HIV-incidence/relative risk assumptions. Results of the attributable-risk model suggest that at the current low HIV-incidence level in U.S. women, condom-user failure rates will be less than 1% per year, substantially lower than the 10% condom-user failure rate for pregnancy. As few as 1% but up to 11% of all new HIV cases may be prevented by the current low level of condom use, depending on the exact degree of condom effectiveness in this population at risk. However, the model further projects that up to 45% of all new HIV cases may be prevented if condoms are maximally effective and far more widely used. Women with seropositive partners may enjoy the same protective benefits of condoms, but the costs in terms of condom-user failures will be much higher than in the remainder of the population at risk. Among serious and reliable users, condom-user failure rates for HIV may approach those for pregnancy, but only in women who have known seropositive partners.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

Similarities in long-term alloreactive T cell lines propagated from transfusion-enhanced and control-rejecting rat renal allografts.

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Animals↗

PubMed1988

Older maternal age and infant mortality in the United States.

We used data from the National Infant Mortality Surveillance project to examine the effect of older maternal age on infant mortality for the 1980 United States birth cohort. The 1,579,854 births and 14,591 deaths of singletons who were black or white and whose mothers were 25-49 years of age were included. Direct standardization was used to calculate birth-weight-adjusted relative risks of neonatal and postneonatal mortality, using the birth weights of infants with maternal age 25-29 as the standard. We found that the risk of infant mortality was nearly equal for infants born to mothers 25-29 and 30-34 years of age; infants born to mothers 35-39 years of age were at a slightly elevated (18% higher) risk, and those born to mothers 40-49 years of age were at a much more elevated (69% higher) risk. Among whites, the higher neonatal mortality associated with a maternal age of 35-39 was mostly due to an increased prevalence of low birth weight; among blacks, it was due to higher birth-weight-specific risks. Neither white nor black postneonatal mortality risks were much elevated until a maternal age of 40-49, and this last elevation was mostly due to higher birth-weight-specific risks. These findings suggest that infertility and fetal mortality aside, and considering only the effect on infant mortality, it is relatively safe for women to postpone childbearing into their middle, and perhaps late, thirties.

Adult↗

PubMed1986

Half empty, half full: what we know about low birth weight among blacks.

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Black or African American↗

PubMed1981

The hospital chaplain's role--strictly confidential.

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Chaplaincy Service, Hospital↗

PubMed1979

Comparative serology of two clinical isolates of Bacteroides fragilis and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron.

Antiserum prepared in rabbits against Bacteroides fragilis showed numerous bands when reacted with B. fragilis antigen in Ouchterlony plates. This antiserum also reacted with Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and showed one band of apparent identity with B. fragilis. The band of identity common for both organisms was lost if the antigen was heated at 80 degrees C for 30 min. Antisera prepared against B. thetaiotaomicron did not react with B. fragilis.

Antigens, Bacterial↗

PubMed1975