RESUMEN
Use of RU 486 as an abortifacient is legal in Guadeloupe under the French Abortion Law since June 1991. Addition of a low dose of prostaglandin is necessary to obtain satisfactory results from RU486 for termination of early pregnancy. Injections of Sulprostone (Nalador), used at first, were abandoned in July, 1992. Since September, 1992, pills of Misoprostol (Citotec) have been combined with RU 486 under a simplified protocol. This study concerns 345 cases in which RU 486/Misoprostol was used to terminate early pregnancy in Guadeloupe between September, 1992 and October, 1993 in the main city public hospital and in a private clinic, representing 84 percent of all RU 486 used in Guadeloupe during this period. Efficiency reached 95 percent, a result similar to those found in other surveys. For 22 percent of the patients, bleeding occurred 48 hours after taking RU 486, thus before taking of Misoprostol. In 68 percent of cases, bleeding occurred five hours or less after taking Misoprostol. Only 4 percent needed to take the third pill of Misoprostol. Metrorrhagia was reported for 30 percent of cases. Overall the method is efficient, simple, easy to use and does not require hospitalization. The cost is relatively low: US$50.00 for the three pills of RU 486 and US$1.00 for the three Misoprostol pills. There were no episodes of infection, accidents or trauma to the uterus, but menorrhagia was frequently seen. Based upon this experience, we believe that for termination of early pregnancy RU 486/Misoprostol is a better alternative to suction, dilatation and curettage (AU)
Asunto(s)
Femenino , Embarazo , Misoprostol , Aborto Inducido/métodosRESUMEN
This study was designed to test the applicability, sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPEC) and efficiency (EFF) of the CAGE questionnaire in combination with plasma level apolipoprotein AII to detect alcohol abuse in a Creole-speaking population in Guadeloupe. The study subjects (n = 63) selected from adult patients of both sexes from the emergency department for excessive drinkers were those whose alcohol consumption was > 80 grams pure alcohol per day. A group of 54 abstinent adults served as controls. Classification into drinkers and abstinents was based on results of a frequency-quantity grid questionnaire. Plasma apolipoprotein AII was measured by an electroimmunoassy method. Statistical tests were the Chi 2 and Wilcoxon tests and Youden's index (YI). Smoking was more common in male drinkers (31 per cent) than in male non-drinkers (14 per cent) and no women smoked or drank early in the morning. The mean apolipoprotein level was greater in drinkers (0.06 g/l SD+0.08) than non-drinkers (0.44 g/l SDñ0.08). Other results are shown in the table given (AU)
Asunto(s)
Humanos , Masculino , Femenino , Alcoholismo/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
We compare the relative validity of HbA1c and fructosamine as indices of long-term blood glucose levels in populations with a common occurence of haemoglobinopathies. In these patients, HbA1c levels are lower than HbA1c levels in non-haemoglobinopathy patients and do not reflect the gludicic status of the patient, unlike the fructosamine assay. This last test has a good potential to be used a a mass screening for diabetes mellitus in these populations (Africa, Caribbean, USA) in either homozygous or heterozygous haemoglobinopathy patients. Moreover, fructosamine presents numerous technical advantages which facilitates the screening (AU)
Asunto(s)
Humanos , Diabetes Mellitus/diagnóstico , Hemoglobina Glucada/análisis , Hemoglobinopatías/sangre , Diabetes Mellitus/sangre , Hexosaminas/sangre , Indias OccidentalesRESUMEN
The determination of fructosamine is a new colorimetric method to measure non-enzymatically glycated proteins in serum (Johnson et al, 1982). It has been proposed that fructosamine measurement in sera is an index of glucose control (1 to 3 weeks) during the period corresponding to plasma protein turnover (Baker, 1983). The purpose of the study was to adapt the test to centrifugal analysis, to establish normal ranges of fructosamine in blood for non-diabetic subjects and to correlate fructosamine levels with fasting blood glucose concentrations and glycated haemoglobins in normal and diabetic patients (WHO criteria). The results show a significant correlation between these tests. The fructosamine test seems to be useful as a screening test for diabetes mellitus and is suitable for assessing the control of blood glucose. Fructosamine determination represents an alternative measurement to glycated haemoglobin in blood. It is technically simple, accurate and easier in regard to automated adaptation (AU)
Asunto(s)
Humanos , Diabetes Mellitus/sangre , Diabetes Mellitus/prevención & control , Glucemia/análisisRESUMEN
In order to predict respiratory distress syndrome in the newborn due to lack of lung surfactant, we measured the change in the total and heat-labile fraction of alkaline phosphatase(AP) in amniotic fluid obtained from amniocentesis at various gestational ages. Heat-labile alkaline phosphatate increased both absolutely and in relation to total alkaline phosphatase from 32 weeks to term. Over the past two years, we have used the ratio heat-labile AP/total AP to predict lung maturity. There was no respiratory distress in infants born after the heat-labile AP/total AP in the amniotic fluid was above 0.7. The assay is technically easy so that measurement of this ratio should help predict which infants will develop respiratory distress syndrome (AU)