Influence Of Maternal Factors Research Articles

Maternal Factors Associated with Perinatal HIV-1 Transmission

A nationwide, longitudinal study of infants born to human immunodeficiency virus-seropositive mothers has been under way in France since 1986. After 7 years of follow-up observations, we will update our assessment of the transmission rate in France and analyze, on a larger number of mother-infant pairs, the influence of maternal factors. Among the 848 pairs included in this analysis, the transmission rate was 20.2 +/- 2.7%. The transmission rate has remained stable with time and was not influenced by the mode of delivery, the mode of maternal infection, or the mother's ethnic origin. It was twice as high among the breast-fed infants as among the bottle-fed infants (40 vs. 19%, p < 0.04). Two factors were identified in a multivariate analysis (that did not include lymphocyte subset counts and the mode of feeding) as being associated with an increased risk of maternofetal transmission: p24 antigenemia (odds ratio = 3.1, confidence interval, = 1.5-6.2; p < 0.003) and elevated maternal age (p < 0.05). In the subgroup of 277 women whose absolute CD4+ lymphocyte counts at the time of delivery were available, the risk of transmission increased gradually from 15% of counts of > 600 CD4+ cells to 43% at counts of < 200. The risk of transmission was also related to the percentage of CD8+ cells, but each of the two factors seemed to play an independent role: the risk was lowest (12%) when the CD4+ cell count was > 500 and the proportion of CD8+ cells was < or = 40%, and was highest (50%) for values < 200 and > 40%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The influence of maternal factors on the outcome at 18 months of babies born at 23 to 28 weeks gestation: [formula omitted]x, A. Skoll, F. Lefebvre x, J. Gloriaux x. Depts of Ob/Gyn and Peds, Ste-Justine Hospital, U. of Montreal, Montreal

The influence of maternal factors on the outcome at 18 months of babies born at 23 to 28 weeks gestation: [formula omitted]x, A. Skoll, F. Lefebvre x, J. Gloriaux x. Depts of Ob/Gyn and Peds, Ste-Justine Hospital, U. of Montreal, Montreal

Influence of Maternal Factors on Cord and Neonatal Plasma Micronutrient Levels

The influence of gestational length, maternal prenatal supplement and maternal levels on umbilical cord and neonatal plasma selenium, alpha-tocopherol, and retinol were studied and appropriate reference intervals for ongoing studies of gestational and perinatal micronutrient requirements were derived. We measured retinol, alpha-tocopherol (total and alpha-tocopherol:cholesterol ratio), selenium, and glutathione peroxidase in 160 umbilical cord samples and 58 paired maternal and neonatal samples collected on the third postpartum day. Selenium and glutathione peroxidase were also measured in 25 paired umbilical artery and vein samples. The strongest correlation with gestational age and birthweight was found for the cord blood variables, whereas levels in maternal blood were not related to either gestation or weight. Neonatal values were significantly lower than maternal for selenium (0.96 [0.25] compared with 1.56 [0.27] mumol/liter), retinol (0.54 [0.19] and 1.26 [0.45] mumol/liter), alpha-tocopherol (11.5 [3.63] and 32.4 [9.20] mumol/liter), and glutathione peroxidase (446 [174] and 873 [176] U/liter) but not for the ratio of alpha-tocopherol:cholesterol (5.0 compared with 6.0). Maternal use of tocopherol and retinol supplements did not significantly affect blood concentrations. Maternal plasma selenium levels at term were about 60% of nonpregnant adult females. Selenium concentration and glutathione peroxidase activity did not differ between paired umbilical cord arterial and venous samples. Selenium, retinol, and glutathione peroxidase differed between infants born before or after 37 weeks' gestation.

Demographic and maternal correlates of infant and child mortality in Bangladesh.

SummaryThis paper analyses the influence of maternal factors (mother's age, parity, prior birth interval, and subsequent birth interval) on mortality risk for 2150 Bangladeshi infants and children, taking the sex and age of the child into account. Logistic regression estimates from retrospective maternal birth histories for the period 1966–75 reveal age and sex patterns consistent with previous research. These estimates also demonstrate that there are associations with mother's age and parity, but that prior birth interval emerges as the strongest predictor of mortality risk. It appears that part of the mortality risk of mother's age and parity actually stems from association with shorter prior birth interval, a factor to which infant and child health programmes need to give more attention.

Lack of correlation of onset of lymphomas and levels of murine leukaemia virus in (AKR × CBA/H-T6Crc) F1

There is some evidence that the incidence of lymphomas in AKR hybrids parallels levels of murine leukaemia virus (MuLV). We originally noted that tumours were much delayed in the (AKR × CBA/H-T 6Crc) F 1 in spite of high levels of MuLV. The study of this cross has been extended to investigate any association between the level of MuLV with the incidence of lymphomas, any possible influence of maternal factors, and also to learn whether the delay of onset of lymphoma in the F 1 is associated with the lack of anti-MuLV antibody activity. Results showed that although lymphomas were seen in reciprocal (AKR × CBA/H-T 6Crc) F 1 their occurrence was delayed. In contrast to the AKR, where tumours generally develop in the first year, tumours in the F 1 occur in the second year of life. There was no difference in tumour incidence between the reciprocal normally derived crosses and crosses obtained following early embryo exchange transplantation. Levels of MuLV in spleen extracts of the F 1 tested from 27 weeks onwards were, in general, higher than the parental AKR. However, this was only statistically significant in the (CBA/H-T 6Crc × AKR) cross. There was also a higher level of MuLV in this cross when compared with the reciprocal (AKR × CBA/H-T 6Crc) F 1, although this was not statistically significant. The trend towards a higher level of MuLV associated p 30 antigen in the (CBA/H-T 6Crc × AKR) F 1 was also seen in the reciprocally embryo transplanted progeny, indicating no apparent maternal effect. Finally, and in contrast to CBA/H-T 6Crc immunized with Gross AKR virus, no anti-AKR MuLV activity was detected in the sera of the (AKR × CBA/H-T 6Crc)F 1.

The influence of maternal factors on birth-weight of the newborn.

The birth weights of 1725 single-born infants have been analysed to determine the effect of maternal age, parity and socio-economic status on birth weight. The relevant literature is reviewed briefly.