RESUMEN
The time during which prey remains are detectable in the gut of a predator is an important consideration in the interpretation of molecular gut-content data, because predators with longer detectability times may appear on the basis of unweighted data to be disproportionately important agents of prey population suppression. The rate of decay in detectability, typically expressed as the half-life, depends on many variables; one that has not been explicitly examined is the manner in which the predator processes prey items. The influence of differences in feeding mode and digestive physiology on the half-life of DNA for a single prey species, the Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), is examined in two predators that differ dramatically in these attributes: the pink ladybeetle, Coleomegilla maculata (DeGeer), which feeds by chewing and then ingesting the macerated material into the gut for digestion; and the spined soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris (Say), which physically and enzymatically processes the prey extra-orally before ingestion and further digestion in the gut. In order to standardize the amount of DNA consumed per predator, a single L. decemlineata egg was used as the prey item; all predators were third instars. The PCR assay yields estimated prey DNA half-lives, for animals maintained under field temperatures, of 7.0 h in C. maculata and 50.9 h in P. maculiventris. The difference in the prey DNA half-lives from these two predators underscores the need to determine detectabilities from assemblages of predators differing in feeding mode and digestive physiology, in order to weight positives properly, and hence determine the predators' relative impacts on prey population suppression.
Asunto(s)
Escarabajos/metabolismo , Conducta Alimentaria/fisiología , Heterópteros/metabolismo , Animales , Escarabajos/fisiología , ADN/metabolismo , Digestión , Fenómenos Fisiológicos del Sistema Digestivo , Contenido Digestivo , Heterópteros/fisiología , Control de Insectos , Conducta Predatoria , Factores de TiempoRESUMEN
Identification of arthropod predators is challenging when closely related species are found at a given locality. Identification of the immature stages is especially problematic, because distinguishing morphological features are difficult to use or have not been described. We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to distinguish closely related carabids and spiders, and to match eggs and larvae (or nymphs) with identified adult parents. Within the Carabidae, we amplified species-specific mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) fragments for three species each in the genera Poecilus and Harpalus, and two each in Chlaenius and Bembidion. Within the Araneae, we amplified species-specific COI fragments for two Hibana species (Anyphaenidae), Pardosa milvina and Rabidosa rabida (Lycosidae), Frontinella communis and Grammonota texana (Linyphiidae), and Cheiracanthium inclusum (Miturgidae). We are able to correctly identify all immature stages tested--eggs, larvae (or nymphs) and pupae--by comparison of the amplified fragments with those of the adults. Using COI markers as species identifiers is a tenet of the Barcode of Life initiative, an international consortium to provide a molecular identifier for every animal species.
Asunto(s)
Escarabajos/clasificación , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa/métodos , Arañas/clasificación , Animales , Secuencia de Bases , Escarabajos/genética , ADN/química , ADN/genética , Complejo IV de Transporte de Electrones/química , Complejo IV de Transporte de Electrones/genética , Femenino , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Filogenia , Conducta Predatoria , Alineación de Secuencia , Arañas/genéticaRESUMEN
Chromosomal regions near the mu opioid receptor gene are implicated in morphine preference by quantitative trait loci studies. Differences in expression of the mu opioid receptor are expected to contribute to differences in inter-individual (humans) or strain-specific (mice) responses to painful stimuli, opiate drugs, and addictive behaviors. The search for relevant genetic elements is hindered by a lack of inter-strain (or inter-individual) genomic sequence information. This work describes 9.3 kb of DNA sequence surrounding exons 2 and 3 of the murine mu opioid receptor gene from both 129/Sv and C57BL/6 strains. While the exons are perfectly conserved, intronic sequences demonstrate approximately a 2.5% divergence between the strains. Polymorphism within these intronic regions may effect either primary transcript stability or C-terminal splicing. Homologous recombination frequencies of targeting vectors harboring mu opioid receptor gene sequences have also been compared in embryonic stem cells derived from these strains. Non-isogenic targeting reduces homologous recombination in both 129/Sv and C57BL/6 embryonic stem cells by greater than 15-fold. These findings are the first to examine C57BL/6 embryonic stem cells for non-isogenic targeting frequencies and to define polymorphisms that exist between these mouse strains which might contribute to opioid behaviors.
Asunto(s)
Marcación de Gen , Ratones/clasificación , Ratones/genética , Polimorfismo Genético/genética , Receptores Opioides mu/genética , Recombinación Genética/genética , Células Madre/metabolismo , Alelos , Animales , Secuencia de Bases , Embrión de Mamíferos/citología , Embrión de Mamíferos/metabolismo , Frecuencia de los Genes/genética , Vectores Genéticos/genética , Genoma , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Ratones Endogámicos , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Homología de Secuencia de Ácido Nucleico , Especificidad de la EspecieRESUMEN
Due to brain tissue heterogeneity, the molecular genetic profile of any neurotransmitter-specific neuronal subtype is unknown. The purpose of this study was to purify a population of dopamine neurons, construct a cDNA library, and generate an initial gene expression profile and a microarray representative of dopamine neuron transcripts. Ventral mesencephalic dopamine neurons were purified by fluorescent-activated cell sorting from embryonic day 13.5 transgenic mice harboring a 4.5-kb rat tyrosine hydroxylase promoter-lacZ fusion. Nine-hundred sixty dopamine neuron cDNA clones were sequenced and arrayed for use in studies of gene expression changes during methamphetamine neurotoxicity. A neurotoxic dose of methamphetamine produced a greater than twofold up-regulation of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase polypeptide I transcript from adult mouse substantia nigra at 12 h posttreatment. This is the first work to describe a gene expression profile for a neuronal subtype and to identify gene expression changes during methamphetamine neurotoxicity.
Asunto(s)
Inhibidores de Captación de Dopamina/toxicidad , Dopamina/análisis , Complejo IV de Transporte de Electrones/biosíntesis , Perfilación de la Expresión Génica , Biblioteca de Genes , Metanfetamina/toxicidad , Proteínas del Tejido Nervioso/biosíntesis , Neuronas/metabolismo , Análisis de Secuencia por Matrices de Oligonucleótidos , Ácido 3,4-Dihidroxifenilacético/análisis , Animales , ADN Complementario/genética , Complejo IV de Transporte de Electrones/genética , Inducción Enzimática , Femenino , Genes Sintéticos , Operón Lac , Masculino , Mesencéfalo/citología , Mesencéfalo/embriología , Ratones , Ratones Transgénicos , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Proteínas del Tejido Nervioso/genética , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas , Ratas , Transcripción Genética , Tirosina 3-Monooxigenasa/genéticaRESUMEN
In the United States, the excess rates of infant mortality, VLBW, and preterm delivery among African American families relative to white families are known as "the gap." A group of researchers in the Division of Reproductive Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proposed that the study of causes of the gap in preterm delivery and the potential interventions to eliminate this disparity required a multidisciplinary approach to elucidate the biologic pathways, stressors, and social environment associated with preterm birth. They encouraged studies that examined the social and political impact of being an African American woman in the United States, racism, and the combined effects of gender, racism, and relative social position, as potential unmeasured etiologic factors that contribute to the gap. The studies conducted represent the expertise of anthropologists, sociologists, medical researchers, and epidemiologists who study both individual and social causes and then also provide a theoretical interpretation by those who lived the experience, (e.g., the study participants) rather than just the researchers' interpretation of the causes of and prevention strategies for the gap.
Asunto(s)
Negro o Afroamericano , Recien Nacido Prematuro , Condiciones Sociales , Femenino , Humanos , Recién Nacido , Recién Nacido de muy Bajo Peso , Relaciones Interprofesionales , Trabajo de Parto Prematuro , Embarazo , Investigación , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
This paper describes a preliminary study to investigate a range of approaches that might be used for measuring the effects of special seating on people with profound and multiple disabilities and their carers. A number of tools are proposed for measuring the effects on quality of life, function and carer satisfaction. The results of applying these tools to measure the effects of intervention with customized molded seating on nine people with multiple disabilities are described. The results suggest that these tools are sensitive to this intervention, showing a general beneficial effect with good carer satisfaction. The study points the way towards application of these tools to people with a wider range of disabilities and to different interventions.
Asunto(s)
Parálisis Cerebral/rehabilitación , Personas con Discapacidad , Discapacidades para el Aprendizaje , Silla de Ruedas , Adulto , Diseño de Equipo , Femenino , Indicadores de Salud , Humanos , Masculino , Calidad de VidaRESUMEN
We studied tumorigenesis and p53 immunostaining in a murine transgenic model introducing E1A/E1B under the control of the mouse mammary tumor virus-long terminal repeat (MMTV-LTR) promoter in which adenocarcinoma occurs at the squamocolumnar junction in the foregut, predominantly in males, and at no other site. Mutations of p53 are frequent in human esophageal adenocarcinoma and the E1B gene product interferes with p53-mediated apoptosis, inhibiting tumor suppression at the G(1)/S checkpoint. Transgenic animals were generated utilizing a purified linear 6.7 kb fragment of plasmid DNA containing MMTV-LTR/E1A/E1B and were confirmed by dot blot hybridization of tail DNA to (32)P-labeled E1A/E1B probe and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of E1A. Transgenic and control animals were observed for morbidity and weight changes. Eleven of 45 animals were transgenic (24% efficiency) with an estimated 5 to 57 copies of the gene per genome. Profound weight loss (>20%) led to sacrifice or death of one of five females (at 12 weeks) and four of six males (at 16 to 17 weeks). Grossly visible tumors (2 to 10 mm) were noted in the forestomach at the visible margin between the proximal (squamous-lined) stomach and the distal glandular stomach. Histologic sections confirmed adenocarcinoma arising in each case at the squamocolumnar junction with glandular formation, pleomorphism, and frequent mitotic figures. Immunostaining was positive for p53 indicating accumulation of mutated or altered p53 protein. E1A/E1B transgenic animals developed macroscopic and microscopic adenocarcinoma at the squamocolumnar junction, which corresponds to adenocarcinoma at the human esophagogastric junction. Disruption of p53 was present in the transgenic model as in the human cancer.
Asunto(s)
Adenocarcinoma/genética , Neoplasias Esofágicas/genética , Genes p53/genética , Neoplasias Gástricas/genética , Adenocarcinoma/patología , Proteínas E1A de Adenovirus/genética , Proteínas E1B de Adenovirus/genética , Animales , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Neoplasias Esofágicas/patología , Femenino , Inmunohistoquímica , Masculino , Ratones , Ratones Transgénicos , Mutación , Plásmidos , Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa , Regiones Promotoras Genéticas , Neoplasias Gástricas/patologíaRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Violence during pregnancy has been estimated to affect between 0.9% and 20.1% of pregnant women in the United States. This article presents a review of the research on the potential association between violence during pregnancy and adverse outcomes, explores mechanisms by which violence might influence pregnancy outcomes, and suggests directions for future research aimed at the development of successful interventions. METHODS: A review of the literature pertaining to violence during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes, trauma, and stress during pregnancy was completed. RESULTS: Overall, no pregnancy outcome was consistently found to be associated with violence during pregnancy. The trauma literature offers insight about the effects that injuries caused by physical violence might have on pregnancy outcomes. Information from the stress literature investigates potential mechanisms through which physical violence could indirectly affect pregnancy outcomes. The trauma and stress literature offers methodologic approaches that could be employed in future research on violence during pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: This review lays the groundwork for the development of a future research agenda to investigate the association between violence during pregnancy and adverse outcomes. Future research should include quantitative and qualitative approaches, and investigation into the mechanisms and antecedents of how violence during pregnancy may lead to adverse outcomes. Only with such information can successful interventions to limit violence and its potential effects during pregnancy be implemented.
Asunto(s)
Violencia Doméstica/estadística & datos numéricos , Complicaciones del Embarazo/epidemiología , Resultado del Embarazo/epidemiología , Proyectos de Investigación , Causalidad , Factores de Confusión Epidemiológicos , Femenino , Humanos , Embarazo , Complicaciones del Embarazo/etiología , Estrés Psicológico/epidemiología , Heridas y Lesiones/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
Seed reserve storage products consisting of proteins, oil and starch are accumulated in a developmentally coordinated pattern. The control of the vacuolar storage protein expression has been shown to be transcriptionally regulated and involves a series of positive and negative regulatory as well as enhancing gene elements. We have analyzed the upstream sequence of the genes encoding the soybean oleosins, the protein that encases the oil body. We have found that soybean oleosin genes possess regulatory elements in upstream domain that are similar to those found in vacuolar storage protein genes.
Asunto(s)
Genes de Plantas , Glycine max/genética , Proteínas de Plantas/genética , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Secuencia de Bases , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Semillas/genéticaRESUMEN
The specific recognition of elicitors produced by plant pathogenic bacteria carrying avirulence (avr) genes is postulated to initiate cellular defense responses in plants expressing corresponding resistance genes. The biochemical functions of most avr genes, however, are not known. A heterologous system was developed to phenotypically express Pseudomonas syringae avr genes in Escherichia coli cells that required the P. syringae hrp cluster. E. coli MC4100 transformants carrying the plasmic-borne P. syringae pv. syringae Pss61 hrp cluster and p. syringae pv. glycinea avrB expressed from a triple lacUV5 promoter gained the ability to elicit the hypersensitive response in soybean cultivars expressing Rpg1 and in an Arabidopsis thaliana accession expressing RPM1. Inactivation of energy transducing or outer membrane components of the hrp-encoded secretion system blocked phenotypic expression expression of avrB in E. coli, but deletions abolishing harpinPSS production had little effect on the production of the AvrB phenotype by the E. coli transformants. Phenotypic expression of avrA, AvrPto, avrRpm1, avrRpt2, and avrPph3 in E. coli was also shown to require the hrp cluster. The results indicate that generation of the Avr phenotype in P. syringae strains is specifically dependent on the secretion activities of the hrp cluster.
Asunto(s)
Genes Bacterianos , Pseudomonas/genética , Secuencia de Bases , Clonación Molecular , Cartilla de ADN , ADN Recombinante , Escherichia coli/genética , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Fenotipo , Pseudomonas/patogenicidad , Virulencia/genéticaRESUMEN
Prenatal care has been identified as necessary to reducing the disparity in infant mortality between black and white infants. The purpose of this paper is to review determinants of the disparity and describe the contribution that prenatal care can make to modifying those determinants, biologic or social. When examined by birthweight categories, 25% of the disparity is due to excess deaths among normal birthweight infants (> or = 2500 g); 13% is due to excess deaths among moderate low birthweight infants (1500-2499g); and 62% of the disparity is due to excess deaths among very low birthweight infants. Normal birthweight black infants have higher rates of death due to infections, injuries, and sudden infant death syndrome. Very low birthweight black infants account for the increasing disparity in infant mortality. Social determinants of the disparity in infant mortality include the effects of poverty and the accompanying problems of limited access to health care services, preventive care, and good nutrition. Prenatal care may reduce the disparity by using both high-risk and population-based prevention strategies. This combination of strategies would identify and treat medically high-risk women before delivery and provide preventive care to all women, regardless of their risk status. Although both strategies have a potential for producing modest reductions, neither has proved to be effective.
Asunto(s)
Negro o Afroamericano/estadística & datos numéricos , Mortalidad Infantil , Embarazo de Alto Riesgo , Atención Prenatal/organización & administración , Población Blanca/estadística & datos numéricos , Peso al Nacer , Causas de Muerte , Femenino , Humanos , Recién Nacido , Embarazo , Embarazo de Alto Riesgo/etnología , Embarazo de Alto Riesgo/genética , Estados Unidos/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
Binding protein (BiP) is a widely distributed and highly conserved endoplasmic-reticulum luminal protein that has been implicated in cotranslational folding of nascent polypeptides, and in the recognition and disposal of misfolded polypeptides. Analysis of cDNA sequences and genomic blots indicates that soybeans (Glycine max L. Merr.) possess a small gene family encoding BiP. The deduced sequence of BiP is very similar to that of other plant BiPs. We have examined the expression of BiP in several different terminally differentiated soybean organs including leaves, pods and seed cotyledons. Expression of BiP mRNA increases during leaf expansion while levels of BiP protein decrease. Leaf BiP mRNA is subject to temporal control, exhibiting a large difference in expression in a few hours between dusk and night. The expression of BiP mRNA varies in direct correlation with accumulation of seed storage proteins. The hybridization suggests that maturing-seed BiP is likely to be a different isoform from vegetative BiPs. Levels of BiP protein in maturing seeds vary with BiP mRNA. High levels of BiP mRNA are detected after 3 d of seedling growth. Little change in either BiP mRNA or protein levels was detected in maturing soybean pods, although BiP-protein levels decrease in fully mature pods. Persistent wounding of leaves by whiteflies induces massive overexpression of BiP mRNA while only slightly increasing BiP-protein levels. In contrast single-event puncture wounding only slightly induces additional BiP expression above the temporal variations. These observations indicate that BiP is not constitutively expressed in terminally differentiated plant organs. Expression of BiP is highest during the developmental stages of leaves, pods and seeds when their constituent cells are producing seed or vegetative storage proteins, and appears to be subject to complex regulation, including developmental, temporal and wounding.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas Portadoras/genética , Regulación de la Expresión Génica de las Plantas , Glycine max/genética , Proteínas de Choque Térmico/genética , Proteínas de Plantas/genética , Adaptación Psicológica , Secuencia de Aminoácidos , Proteínas de Arabidopsis , Secuencia de Bases , Proteínas Portadoras/metabolismo , Diferenciación Celular , ADN de Plantas , Regulación del Desarrollo de la Expresión Génica , Datos de Secuencia Molecular , Proteínas de Plantas/metabolismo , Unión Proteica , Semillas/metabolismo , Homología de Secuencia de Aminoácido , Glycine max/crecimiento & desarrollo , Glycine max/fisiología , Factores de TiempoRESUMEN
Very low birthweight and preterm delivery explain two thirds of the excess deaths experienced by African-American infants. Although comprehensive, good quality services for all African-American women will help to reduce the twofold higher rate of infant mortality experienced by African-American infants compared with white infants, the infant mortality gap will not be closed until prevention research is conducted that incorporates the social, cultural, and political context of life for African-American women; the environmental stressors and the physiologic responses associated with stress; and the protective mechanisms available in the community for responding to stress. Discrimination may be an important stressor that influences a woman's susceptibility to a poor pregnancy outcome. Strategies already exist in the community to cope with discrimination and other environmental stressors. To capture the effects of discrimination and other environmental factors and the protective factors important for prevention, the research approach must involve African-American women and their communities as collaborators in the research. Such collaboration will help to avoid problems with scientific racism.
Asunto(s)
Negro o Afroamericano , Mortalidad Infantil , Recién Nacido de Bajo Peso , Femenino , Humanos , Recién Nacido , Trabajo de Parto Prematuro , Embarazo , Resultado del Embarazo , Prejuicio , Estrés Fisiológico , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Placenta previa can cause serious, occasionally fatal complications for fetuses and mothers; however, data on its national incidence and sociodemographic risk factors have not been available. STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey for the years 1979 through 1987 and from the Retrospective Maternal Mortality Study (1979 through 1986). RESULTS: We found that placenta previa complicated 4.8 per 1000 deliveries annually and was fatal in 0.03% of cases. Incidence rates remained stable among white women but increased among black and other minority women (p < 0.1). In addition, the risk of placenta previa was higher for black and other minority women than for white women (rate ratio 1.3, 95% confidence interval 1.0 to 1.7), and it was higher for women > or = 35 years old than for women <20 years old (rate ratio 4.7, 95% confidence interval 3.3 to 7.0). Women with placenta previa were at an increased risk of abruptio placentae (rate ratio 13.8), cesarean delivery (rate ratio 3.9), fetal malpresentation (rate ratio 2.8), and postpartum hemorrhage (rate ratio 1.7). CONCLUSION: Our findings support the need for improved prenatal and intrapartum care to reduce the serious complications and deaths associated with placenta previa.
Asunto(s)
Placenta Previa/epidemiología , Adulto , Factores de Edad , Cesárea/estadística & datos numéricos , Femenino , Humanos , Incidencia , Embarazo , Resultado del Embarazo , Factores de Riesgo , Estados Unidos/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
Although unmarried mothers are at risk of delivering low-birthweight (LBW) infants, the meaning and significance of this variable need to be explored in depth. With data on 216,285 infants born to white and black mothers aged 10 to 49 years in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1980 and 1987, we examined the association of LBW and marital status and the effect of race on the association. Education and age were controlled in the analysis in an attempt to isolate the effect of race on the marital status and birthweight association. The crude LBW rate among infants born to unmarried mothers was about twice the rate among infants born to married mothers (132.8 vs 63.9 per 1000 live births). Adjustment singly for maternal race, age, and education gave risk ratios (unmarried vs married) of 1.50, 2.03, and 1.78, respectively. Simultaneous control for all factors led to a hierarchy of education-adjusted risk: unmarried black adult mothers had the highest risk of delivering an LBW infant (2.49), followed by married black adults (1.93), unmarried black teenagers (1.90), married black teenagers (1.67), unmarried white adults (1.65), unmarried white teenagers (1.35), married white teenagers (1.08), and married white adults (1.0; reference group, with an LBW rate of 51.2/1000 live births). Thus, these data demonstrate both a consistently higher risk for black women and an interactive effect of age on the association of marital status and LBW: unmarried status appears to increase the risk of LBW much more among adult women than among younger women. This finding has implications for research and prevention of LBW.
Asunto(s)
Población Negra , Recién Nacido de Bajo Peso , Estado Civil , Población Blanca , Adolescente , Adulto , Niño , Escolaridad , Femenino , Georgia , Humanos , Recién Nacido , Edad Materna , Persona de Mediana Edad , Riesgo , Padres SolterosRESUMEN
Reasons for the persistent difference in rates of preterm delivery among black and white women are not clear. Known risk factors explain very little of the variance. Recent studies have shown that social class does not fully account for poor pregnancy outcomes among black women. Cultural and environmental factors that vary between the races, but not between the different socioeconomic levels within a race, may account for some of the unexplained ethnic differences in preterm delivery. Any potentially negative exposure that is distributed differentially between racial groups warrants particular attention. The major hypothesis of this research is that US black women are chronically exposed to specific stressors that adversely affect the outcomes of their pregnancies. A psychosocial stress model has been proposed to explain the complex interactions of social, environmental, and medical factors that are unique among women of color. To generate data for the stress model, a research strategy has been designed to identify psychosocial and behavioral risk factors that have a physiologic impact on pregnancy outcome. We propose that race is a marker for this stress but is not in itself a risk factor for preterm delivery.
Asunto(s)
Negro o Afroamericano , Interpretación Estadística de Datos , Trabajo de Parto Prematuro/etnología , Estrés Psicológico/complicaciones , Femenino , Marcadores Genéticos , Humanos , Lactante , Mortalidad Infantil , Trabajo de Parto Prematuro/epidemiología , Trabajo de Parto Prematuro/psicología , Embarazo , Factores de Riesgo , Medio Social , Factores Socioeconómicos , Estados Unidos/epidemiología , Población BlancaRESUMEN
In recent years, the rate of decline for the black infant mortality risk (IMR) has been slower than that for whites. The resultant widening in the black-white infant mortality gap has been accompanied by an increased percentage of very low birthweight (VLBW) infants (227 g-1,499 g) among black live births. Restricting our analysis to non-Hispanic black and white single live births, we used the 1983 national linked birth-death file to assess the relative contribution of VLBW infants to the black-white gap in IMR. VLBW occurred among 2.3% of all black live births and among 0.8% of all white live births. Deaths among VLBW infants accounted for 62.5% of the black-white gap in IMR. Although VLBW newborns represent a fraction of all live births in the United States, they account for almost two-thirds of the black-white gap in IMR. Since preterm delivery is associated with most VLBW infant deaths, our findings indicate the crucial need to identify strategies that reduce preterm births, among blacks in particular, to reduce significantly the infant mortality gap in the United States.
Asunto(s)
Mortalidad Infantil , Recién Nacido de Bajo Peso , Grupos Raciales , Causas de Muerte , Humanos , Mortalidad Infantil/tendencias , Recién Nacido , Factores de Riesgo , Estados Unidos/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
Reproductive outcomes were investigated in black and white female college graduates, presumed to be of similar socioeconomic status and similar risk profile with respect to environmental factors. Data were gathered by mail survey from graduates (1973-1985) of four Atlanta, Georgia, colleges between February and June 1988. Of 6,867 alumnae to whom questionnaires were mailed, 3,084 responded. A follow-up study of black nonrespondents yielded responses from 14% (335) of those who did not respond to the mail survey. For all graduates with a first live born at the time of survey (n = 1,089), the rates of preterm delivery, low birth weight, and infant mortality were 80.8, 82.6, and 14.6 per thousand births (primigravida), respectively. Compared with white graduates, black graduates had 1.67 times the risk of preterm delivery and 2.48 times the risk of low birth weight. Measures of social and economic status differed significantly by race. However, adjustment for these variables did not reduce the estimated risk for black graduates compared with whites. Analysis of the nonresponder survey suggested that respondent data alone overestimates the incidence of adverse outcomes in blacks; using nonresponder data, relative risks of 1.28 (preterm delivery) and 1.75 (low birth weight) were calculated as lower limits of the increased risk for blacks.