Getting a library of activities from a single compound: tunability and very large shifts in acidity constants induced by sol--gel entrapped micelles.

Acidity constants (in terms of K(i) values) can be fine-tuned, their values can be pushed to extremes, and their location can be placed either at the basic or acidic range of the pH scale, by tailoring intra-cage properties of SiO(2) sol--gel materials with surfactants. With the entrapped "solid-state pseudomicelles", an 8-orders magnitude K(i) shift--from the high-basic pH region to the acidic one--was obtained for acid fuchsin (AF); and tunability of the pK(i) values of the solvatochromic dye E(T)(30) and of crystal violet over much of the pH scale was achieved. This tailoring of various activities from the same dopant was achieved either by utilizing surfactants of different nature or by utilizing mixtures of anionic/cationic surfactants. The extraction of a wide range of reactivities from a single compound and the ability to fine-tune it is a powerful concept with potential extensions beyond acid/base reactions.

The complexities of educating nurses in Uganda.

Imagine that you are a woman living in rural Uganda. Your husband has returned to the city to work as a manual labourer. With a toddler playing alongside, you work long hot hours in the field to provide for your family. For weeks you have run a low-grade fever which you suspect is related to your advancing pregnancy. As traditional medicines have provided no relief, you sacrifice a day in the field and wait in line for care at a medical clinic outpost that is staffed one day a week. Nearing your turn, you hear a rumour that the government now requires payment in advance for care. As you and most of the others waiting in line do not have money, you leave together and arrange to pool resources from a community project so that you can all return to the clinic next week. Your pain increases and your productivity goes down. When the clinic day finally comes, the nurse does not show up because her own children need food and she prefers to earn ready cash by selling crafts in the market rather than work at the clinic for barely subsistence pay. The story does not end here, nor does that of countless other women in Uganda, including the caregivers. The difficulties are ongoing. And meeting health needs in Uganda as in many countries in Sub-Sahara Africa is complex and challenging.

Characteristics of inner-city women giving birth with little or no prenatal care: a case-control study.

Lack of prenatal care has been identified as an important risk factor for poor perinatal outcomes. A case-control study was conducted to identify risk factors for inadequate prenatal care. Records of women giving birth at an inner-city hospital who had fewer than three prenatal visits (cases) were compared with those of women giving birth at the same hospital who had more adequate prenatal care (controls). The final sample contained 120 women in each group. Women in the case group were more likely to be multiparous, to be less educated, and to have no telephone in the home. Tobacco and drug abuse were recorded significantly more often among these women. There was no difference in racial distribution between the case and control groups. Infants of women with minimal or no prenatal care had a lower mean birthweight and a higher frequency of prematurity. In logistic regression analysis, higher parity, age less than 30 years, single status, smoking, drug abuse, and residence in one of two statistical planning areas in the city were independently associated with increased odds of not receiving prenatal care. To be effective, prenatal outreach programs for inner-city women must be based on knowledge of the characteristics and needs of this population.