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Female age, the length of involuntary infertility prior to investigation and fertility outcome.

The objectives of this study were two-fold: firstly to determine whether female age exerts an influence on the fertility outcome of couples attending an infertility clinic, independent of demographic and clinical details; and secondly to examine the relationship between the length of involuntary infertility prior to investigation and the subsequent chance of conception. Seven-hundred-and-thirty-one subjects whose partner did not have azoospermia were recruited to the study. Female age ranged from 20 to 46 (mean = 31.1). The range of involuntary infertility prior to investigation was 12-216 (mean = 62) months. One-hundred-and-twenty-four women conceived. The following variables achieved the 5% level of significance when a stepwise analysis was performed on all cases; the concentration of spermatozoa exhibiting slow or sluggish linear or non-linear motility (chi 2(1) = 17.57, P less than 0.0001, RR = 1.67 per 50 x 10(6)), female age (chi 2(1) = 12.44, P = 0.0004, RR = 0.92 per annum), tubal status (chi 2(1) = 12.22, P = 0.0005, RR = 2.15), length of infertility before investigation (chi 2(1) = 11.22, P = 0.0008, RR = 0.87 per annum) and past paternity (chi 2(1) = 8.43, P = 0.0037, RR = 1.81). Female age was found to be positively correlated with the incidence and severity of ovulatory dysfunction, tubal occlusive disease, pelvic adhesions and endometriosis. Where the female partner was 'normal' on investigation, all conceptions were independent of treatment to either partner.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Actuarial Analysis

Pattern-induced multi-sequence alignment (PIMA) algorithm employing secondary structure-dependent gap penalties for use in comparative protein modelling.

A multiple sequence alignment algorithm is described that uses a dynamic programming-based pattern construction method to align a set of homologous sequences based on their common pattern of conserved sequence elements. This pattern-induced multi-sequence alignment (PIMA) algorithm can employ secondary-structure dependent gap penalties for use in comparative modelling of new sequences when the three-dimensional structure of one or more members of the same family is known. We show that the use of secondary structure information can significantly improve the accuracy of aligning structure boundaries in a set of homologous sequences even when the structure of only one member of the family is known.

Algorithms

Cross-species phenotypic profiling uncovers functional determinants of bacterial cold shock adaptation.

Temperature shifts impose broad physiological stress, requiring precise and dynamic regulatory programs to restore cellular homeostasis. While the heat shock response is well characterized, the mechanisms underlying cold shock response (CSR) remain less understood. To identify genes critical for cold adaptation, we applied transposon sequencing (Tn-seq) to monitor mutant fitness across the full course of CSR and sustained low-temperature growth in two mesophilic bacteria, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. In B. subtilis, phenotypic profiling revealed a temporally structured program: membrane fluidity and cell wall remodeling were most critical in the early stage of CSR, whereas post-transcriptional regulation became essential during late-stage recovery to reprogram gene expression and restore growth. Cross-species comparison uncovered both conserved and species-specific mechanisms, with RNA metabolism and ribosome/translation regulators playing broad roles. Specifically, we identified a conserved synergy between two ribosomal RNA methyltransferases, RsmA and RsmH, in promoting cold adaptation. In B. subtilis, mutants lacking these enzymes exhibited significant delay in translation recovery following cold-induced global inhibition. Together, these findings provide a comparative, systems-level view of bacterial cold adaptation and establish a framework for exploring stress responses in pathogens and extremophiles.

Cell envelope

Adolescent pregnancy prevention strategies used by school nurses.

This survey identified a range of adolescent pregnancy prevention activities used by school nurses in selected Mid-Atlantic public schools. A purposive sample of 224 public school nurses completed the School Nurse Questionnaire adapted from an instrument used previously to survey school nurses. Based on a 54% response rate, a task analysis revealed that respondents performed only one pregnancy prevention activity frequently. A sub-sample of nurses, serving students in grades 6-12, used seven of 21 pregnancy prevention activities frequently. Though nurses did not actually perform the remaining activities, they felt prepared to do so. However, the structure of school nursing services often does not allow adequate time or opportunity to engage in adolescent pregnancy prevention activities.

Adolescent

Adolescent pregnancy options.

The range of pregnancy options available to adolescents each have significant ramifications for future educational and economic achievement. The changing societal context of adolescent pregnancy decision-making are described, and the characteristics of adolescents who choose to terminate their pregnancy, parent their child, or place for adoption are examined. The role of significant others in decision-making and the implications of mandatory parental involvement in pregnancy decision-making is discussed, as well as the roles of schools in promoting the well-being and potential of adolescents considering pregnancy decisions.

Abortion, Induced

Obsessive-compulsive disorder apparently related to abortion.

This case study presents a young woman who developed a severe obsessive-compulsive disorder after a routine medical procedure. It is suggested that this procedure brought back repressed guilt from three abortions and thus led to the onset of symptoms. The case is discussed in relationship to available research and theory.

Abortion, Induced

Predictors of repeat pregnancies among low-income adolescents.

The authors compared a group of 58 adolescent girls who had been pregnant once during a two-year period with an age-matched group of 58 girls who had become pregnant at least twice during the same period. They found that the girls' attitudes toward contraception did not predict contraceptive use. Regular use of contraception was associated with a positive relationship between the girls and their mothers and with the presence of the girls' fathers in the home. The authors suggest that parental support of contraception plays a more important role in preventing repeat pregnancies than does the adolescents' reported attitudes toward contraception.

Abortion, Therapeutic

Adolescent abortion option.

Adolescents are extremely vulnerable to unwanted pregnancy. Counseling around the decision making process requires expertise in the areas of adolescent development, teenage motherhood and abortion. Teenagers usually need more intensive counseling than adult women in coping with an abortion because of their developmental status. If the abortion issue is not adequately resolved, adolescents may present later life problems around sexuality and parenting. Although teenagers who choose abortion have good potential to benefit from crisis intervention, there are very few services available to them.

Abortion, Induced

Community-based rehabilitation in the Philippines.

Rehabilitation in the Philippines has in the past been based on the Western model, with an emphasis on hospital departments located in the major cities. This approach is inappropriate for the majority of disabled people in the Republic as 70% of the population live in rural areas. A community-based programme was devised using local volunteers who had simple training. These volunteers can identify and support disabled people in their own villages, avoiding long journeys and expensive institutional care.

Community Health Services

Maternal mortality in the Thyolo District of southern Malawi.

The Sisterhood Method, a community-based survey technique, was used to estimate the Life Time Risk of a woman dying a maternal death in Southern Malawi. With this figure, the maternal mortality ratio for that area was calculated to be 409 deaths per 100,000 live births. The 4124 adults interviewed reported 150 maternal deaths in sisters. An in-depth questionnaire was then used to determine that 56% of these deaths occurred outside a health facility, largely due to lack of transportation or poor access to fixed health care facilities; 25% died from excessive hemorrhage; 20% from obstructed labour; 18% from abortion; 13% from sepsis; while eclampsia accounted for only 4% of the maternal deaths. This field experience with the Sisterhood Method technique combined with an in-depth questionnaire for determining causes of maternal deaths has provided useful information in a simple and cost-effective manner for use in planning intervention strategies designed to decrease maternal mortality.

Adolescent