Teenage and older mothers and their infants: a descriptive comparison.

A multivariate comparison of the childbearing and childbearing experiences of teenage and older mothers was undertaken to investigate factors assumed to be responsible for developmental deficits experienced by children born to teenage mothers. The two groups of mothers and infants were compared on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, pregnancy and delivery experiences, neonatal status, maternal attitudes, infant temperament, and mother-infant interaction variables. The two groups were found to be quite similar on most of the variables studied. The present findings challenge much of the extant literature on teenage pregnancy and point out the need for a more detailed and objective examination of teenage childbearing and childbearing.

Homocystinuria: studies on cystathionine beta-synthase, S-adenosylmethionine synthetase and cystathionase activities in skin fibroblasts.

Cystathionine beta-synthase, S-adenosylmethionine synthetase and cystathionase activities were assayed in skin fibroblast cultures from five pyridoxine responsive and five pyridoxine non-responsive homocystinurics, six obligate heterozygotes for homocystinuria and ten normal control subjects. The specific deficiency in cystathionine beta-synthase activity was confirmed in nine of the homocystinuric cultures. However, in one pyridoxine responsive case the level of cystathionine beta-synthase activity was found to be comparable with those of the heterozygotes. A negative correlation appeared to exist between the level of residual enzyme activity and the pre-treatment severity of clinical symptoms.

Homocystinuria: the effect of pyridoxine supplementation on cultured skin fibroblasts.

Six skin fibroblast cultures, two derived from pyridoxine responsive homocystinurics, two from pyridoxine non-responsive homocystinurics, one from an obligate heterozygote and one from a normal control were grown for three passages in the presence of 9.7 mu mol/l, 243 mu mol/l and 486 mu mol/l of pyridoxine respectively. Cystathionine beta-synthase activity was stimulated in all four homocystinuric cell strains at 486 mu mol/l; aspartate and alanine aminotransferase activity was also increased, particularly in the pyridoxine responsive cell strains. There was, however, evidence of cytotoxicity at the pyridoxine levels of 243 mu mol/l and 486 mu mol/l.

Hereditary tyrosinaemia. Clinical, enzymatic, and pathological study of an infant with the acute form of the disease.

A clinical, enzymatic, and pathological study of an infant with the acute form of hereditary tyrosinaemia is presented. Treatment with a diet low in methionine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine was unsuccessful. A selection of specific and nonspecific hepatic enzymes, obtained at necropsy within one hour of the infant's death at 9 1/2 weeks, were studied to try to throw light on the basic defect. The major pathological findings were those of a peculiar hepatic fibrosis associated with bile retention and an abnormal grouping of hepatocytes, islet-cell hyperplasia of the pancreas, and dilatation of the proximal renal tubules. Death was precipitated by bronchopneumonia and liver failure. The difficulty in diagnosing the acute form of tyrosinaemia is pointed out, especially in differentiating it from hereditary galactosaemia (transferase deficiency) and hereditary fructosaemia. All three may present with the same clinical symptoms and liver lesions, and the distinction must be made by enzyme studies and by therapeutic trial.

Stability study of nitroglycerin sublingual tablets.

Nitroglycerin sublingual tablets were studied over a 1-year period to determine tablet stability in terms of loss of strength, uniformity of tablets, and degradation of the drug itself. Tablets from six different firms were analyzed by a semiautomated procedure. The samples included two molded tablets and four compressed tablets, ranging in age at the time of initial assay from 40 days to over 1 year. The results indicated that there is a loss of strength of nitroglycerin tablets and that refrigeration slows down this loss. The study also indicated that these tablets were stable during the year of testing in terms of tablet uniformity and degradation of nitroglycerin.