Thesis (M. Div.)--St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, Crestwood, N.Y., 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-103) and index.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-02-29Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:55:02Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 marconi_c_me_botfm.pdf: 320459 bytes, checksum: 2298744a701b431f9e2784f77b8120dc (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / Fundação para o Desenvolvimento da UNESP (FUNDUNESP) / O Trabalho de Parto Prematuro (TPP) é uma grave intercorrência obstétrica que acomete de 5-10% das gestações. Embora sua etiologia seja multifatorial, a infecção da cavidade amniótica (CA) é um importante fator associado ao seu desencadeamento. Objetivo: Comparar a freqüência de infecção na cavidade amniótica de gestantes em TPP em relação a gestantes fora de trabalho de parto e correlacionar com os níveis de citocinas pró-inflamatórias no líquido amniótico (LA). Material e Métodos: Foram incluídas neste estudo 20 gestantes em TPP e 20 gestantes fora de trabalho de parto, com idades gestacionais pareadas. No grupo TPP, amostras de LA foram obtidas no momento da resolução da gestação ou durante amniocentese transabdominal. O grupo de gestantes fora de trabalho de parto foi constituído de pacientes com indicação de amniocentese transabdominal. Para avaliação da infecção na CA foram realizadas reações em cadeia da polimerase (PCR) para a detecção de Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum e do gene bacteriano RNAr 16S. Os produtos de RNAr 16S foram seqüenciados para a identificação da espécie bacteriana. Os níveis das citocinas inflamatórias, interleucina (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8 e fator de necrose tumoral (TNF-α) no LA foram quantificados por ensaio imunoenzimático (ELISA). Resultados: A incidência de TPP no período do estudo foi de 5,8%. No grupo TPP, a pesquisa de invasão microbiana da CA foi positiva para M. hominis (35,0%), U. urealyticym (10,0%) e gene RNAr 16S (30,0%), sendo todas as freqüências superiores às encontradas no grupo fora de trabalho de parto (p<0,05). Quanto às citocinas, níveis aumentados de IL-1β (p=0,03), IL-6 (p<0,001) e IL-8 (p<0,001) foram detectados no LA das pacientes em TPP em relação às gestantes fora de trabalho de parto. Além disso, amostras de LA, com presença de infecção, apresentaram níveis... / Preterm labor (PL) represents a serious obstetric complication whose rate is 5-10%. Although the PL etiology is multifactorial, intraamniotic infection is strongly associated to its occurrence. Objective: To compare the frequency of intraamniotic infection in women presenting PL with women not in labor and to correlate with inflammatory cytokines levels in amniotic fluid (AF). Material and Methods: Twenty women with PL and 20 women with same gestational age, but not in labor, were included in this study. AF samples of women in PL were collected at delivery or by amniocentesis. The control group was composed by women with indication for amniocentesis. The evaluation of intraamniotic infection was performed detecting Mycoplasma hominis, Ureaplasma urealyticum and the bacterial rRNA 16S gene using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR rRNA 16S products were sequenced for bacterial species identification. The IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α levels in AF were measured by enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA). Results: During the study period, PL rate was 5,8%. Intraamniotic infection in women with PL was positive for M. hominis (35,0%), U. urealyticum (10,0%) and bacterial rRNA 16S (30,0%). AF infection rates for all tested microorganism were superior in PL when compared to women not in labor (p<0,05). Regarding to the cytokine measurement, AF of PL women showed increased IL-1β (p=0,03), IL-6 (p<0,001) and IL-8 (p<0,001) levels in comparison to AF samples from women not in labor. Additionally, AF with infection presented increased levels of IL-1β e IL-6 (p=0,03). Conclusion: Women with PL present high frequency of intraamniotic infection when compared with women not in labor and such infection correlates with increased IL-1β e IL-6 AF levels.

M.A. / This study investigates the relationship between psychological birth order position, gender and different types and levels of prosocial tendencies in individuals. An ex post facto, between-family research design was used. The Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM) which assesses the six types of prosocial behaviours, was completed by eight hundred and eighty-eight participants. Despite the use of specific statistical and methodological procedures to increase sensitivity and reduce error, no significant support was found for the hypothesis that birth order affects prosocial tendencies in individuals on five of the subscales of the PTM. There were, however, statistically significant differences in scores between middleborns and lastborns on the Altruism subscale with middleborns scoring significantly higher than lastborns. Consistent with the hypotheses, statistically significant gender differences were found on the subscales measuring public, emotional, altruistic and compliant prosocial tendencies. The results of the study are discussed in the context of the mixed research findings relating to birth order effects and propose further research into the possible developmental dynamics that may produce greater levels of prosocial tendencies in individuals.

Whereas the dramatic struggle for the suffrage has received extensive academic attention the feminist campaigns that came immediately after 1918 have been largely ignored. This thesis argues that there was vigorous grassroots feminist activity in the inter-war years which can be seen in the activities of the Society for the Promotion of Birth Control Clinics (SPBCC) who in the post-suffrage era explored their new opportunities. Themes running through this thesis include feminism, grassroots activity, locality and modernism. This research utilises the theoretical framework of comparative social movement theory as well as historical research. A Collective Biography of SPBCC committee members has been constructed to give a profile of activists. This thesis argues that the debate within the post-suffrage society the National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship gave backing to the new feminist master frame which emphasised women's role as mothers. This strengthened the SPBCC which campaigned to give working class mothers the knowledge to limit their families, something available privately to middle class mothers. This research explores how the SPBCC tried to pursue its case by creating alliances with the National Council of Women and the Women's Citizenship Association,This study shows how local SPBCC groups attempted to prove the need for birth control clinics by mobilising and founding clinics. Middle class women played an important part in this direct action, but working class women, either individually or from the Women's Cooperative Guilds also participated. Class differences were important, but this research shows that volunteers, who were all mothers themselves, stressed the common bond of motherhood. The SPBCC both locally and nationally strove to counter the condemnation of the medical profession and the Churches. The interplay of religious and political forces is seen in case studies in Stockport, Glasgow, Manchester and Salford, Liverpool. The thesis compares the birth control strategies of the confrontational birth control pioneer Marie Stopes with the more analytical approach of Eleanor Rathbone of NUSEC. This research reveals that some SPBCC members felt they had to make uncomfortable choices between class and gender allegiances or feminism and eugenics. This thesis demonstrates how the SPBCC tested the new political structures by attempting to place birth control on the agenda of national political parties, particularly the Labour Party. However, there was more success in building birth control policy advocacy coalitions at the local level. In 1931 the Labour Government issued Memorandum 153/MCW which allowed municipal clinics to provide birth control advice but this thesis questions to what extent this was a victory. Arguably the SPBCC did not achieve its main objective but it did empower its feminist members in a wide range of political activities.

This thesis investigates Australian and Canadian legislation that regulated women's reproduction in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and offers some explanation for their enactment. At the turn of the twentieth century, Australia and Canada enacted a series of laws that were aimed at limiting the control women could exercise over their reproductive functions. From the 1880s through to the first decade of the twentieth century, legislation that prohibited the advertisement of contraception, regulated maternity homes as well as criminal laws that proscribed abortion were promulgated by Australian and Canadian parliaments. This thesis investigates why such legislative activity occurred and proposes that the initiation of these measures targeting abortion, infanticide and birth control cannot be disassociated from the highly gendered and racialised rhetoric resonating throughout the British Empire. Concern about racial integrity, heightened by a fear generated by the declining birth rate, promoted a climate in which exercising control over women's fertility was seen as warranted. White women's reproductive capabilities were a vital ingredient in keeping the settler colonies of Australia and Canada white and British — white women were expected, quite literally, to give birth to the nation. As this thesis shows, when women did not adhere to these expectations of maternity, the law was used in an attempt to monitor and regulate their reproductive activities. / Law, Peter A. Allard School of / Graduate

Prior studies have shown that the low-level microbiome in the placenta is most similar to the non-pregnant oral microbiome, suggesting a hematogenous route of bacterial transmission. Based on these studies, we theorized that a disruption of the normal balance of pathogenic and commensal microorganisms in the oral cavity will lead to conditions that favor colonization of the placenta and amniotic cavity, leading to inflammation and preterm birth. We hypothesized that an altered oral microbiome profile will promote preterm birth. Our study aimed to compare metagenomic profiles of saliva and tongue in women delivering preterm to those of women delivering at term. Unstimulated saliva and tongue brushings were collected according to an IRB-approved protocol from patients who delivered preterm, and from age and race-matched patients who delivered at term. Exclusion criteria included obvious risk factors for preterm birth or other major complications (multiple gestation; history of or current cervical cerclage; history of hypertension or diabetes; prior history of preterm birth or preeclampsia; age less than 16 or greater than 45) as well as immunologic problems (HIV, organ transplant, etc). Oral samples were collected within 24-48 hours after delivery. Samples were analyzed using 16S rDNA-based sequencing, where the DNA was extracted and then amplified by PCR using 16S rDNA primers. Data was processed using the UPARSE/SINTAX pipeline, and differentially abundant taxa were determined using the LEfSe method and MaAsLin2. The parent study enrolled 100 patients who delivered preterm and 205 patients who delivered at term. A subset of patients had oral samples collected, and 95 saliva and 70 tongue samples were analyzed using 16S rDNA-based sequencing. Communities from tongue and saliva were significantly different between women who delivered preterm and those who delivered at term, although not between those delivering low birthweight versus normal birthweight infants. When assessing beta diversity using the unweighted unifrac metric, patients who delivered very preterm (VPT, < 32 weeks) had a tongue microbiome that was consistently and statistically different from the tongue microbiome of patients who delivered both term (T, > 37 weeks) and late preterm (LPT, 32-<37). Differences remained significant after controlling for tobacco use. In a three-way comparison of saliva samples between the groups using MaAsLin2, the genus Lachnoanaerobaculum was significantly less abundant in the VPT group. Our studies suggest a tongue and salivary microbiome that differs between women delivering term and late preterm versus very preterm. Future studies are required to prospectively confirm differences and may yield data to design noninvasive tests to predict preterm birth risk. / 2021-06-12T00:00:00Z

Background Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) sero-prevalence rate during pregnancy was 26% in 2009 in Gauteng. HIV exposure is associated with high morbidity and mortality in infants. Few studies have assessed the effect of HIV exposure on morbidity and mortality in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. Aim To determine the infant characteristics at birth, morbidity during hospital stay and mortality at hospital discharge of VLBW infants according to maternal HIV status. Methods This was a retrospective cross sectional descriptive study. Hospital records of VLBW infants admitted at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Division of Neonatology from 1st January 2011 to 30th June 2011 were reviewed. Data were collected in an Excel spread sheet and imported to STATA version 12 for analysis. Results 302 hospital records of VLBW infants admitted from January to June 2011 were retrieved and reviewed. About a third (34.1%) of VLBW infants were born to mothers who were HIV positive. There were more babies who weighed <1000 grams in the HIV-exposed infants compared to HIV-unexposed infants (p-0.001). HIV exposed infants had a smaller head circumference (p-0.003), a shorter body length (p-0.006) and significantly more severe grades of IVH (p <0.001) compared to HIV unexposed infants. The overall mortality rate in VLBW infants was 27%, with HIV exposed infants having a mortality rate of 38.6% compared to 21% in the HIV-negative infants (p-0.002). Multivariate analysis showed that the main predictor of mortality was birth weight (p<0.001). Conclusion Though on univariate analysis maternal HIV status was associated with mortality in VLBW infants, this effect was not found on multivariate analysis. Therefore the final conclusion from this study is that maternal HIV status has no independent effect on outcomes to hospital discharge in VLBW infants. Birth weight was the predictor of survival in VLBW infants.

Perinea! trauma is defined as damage that occurs to the perineum during childbirth that can be unintentional or iptentional. Lacerations can range from first degree, which involves only injury to the skin, to fourth degree which involves injury to underlying structures· and the anus. An episiotomy, a cut made to the perineum, is considered trauma as well. One of the common concerns of women about childbirth is suffering some form of perineal trauma. Perineal trauma can lead to many complications such as pain, infections, increased bleeding, and incontinence. There are many interventions that can decrease a woman's chances of sustaining damage to the perineum whether unintentional or intentional. This integrated literature review explores research that has been performed to examine the different types of interventions and their success at preventing perineal trauma from 1997 to 2008. Perineal Massage, obstetric gel, warm compress, hands off method, oils and lubricants, birthing positions, using hyaluronidase, avoidance of Valsalva pushing, not using augmentation, not using episiotomies, and using a Midwife were examined. All interventions showed a decreased amount of perineal trauma during childbirth, however, some were more effective than others. By using evidence-based interventions, practitioners can decrease the occurrence and severity of perineal trauma, and make the child birthing process have more positive outcomes.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the expectations and experiences first-time mothers have before, during, and after pregnancy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen first-time mothers, who gave birth within eighteen months before the date of the interview, and an additional interview was included with a first-time pregnant woman in her third trimester (N=16). The method of analysis was based on grounded theory, including line-by-line coding, focused coding and memo writing. Several themes emerged in the process. Approximately 70 percent of the women in this study became pregnant unintentionally. All of them described a certain amount of anxiety and fear about giving birth and becoming a mother. The measures taken in regard to activities and nutrition to improve pregnancy outcome were described. The most disconcerting findings were how the birth went for many of the women and the subject of postpartum emotional difficulties. Another theme was the different factors that negatively influenced the experience of giving birth. All of the women wanted to give birth vaginally and without medication, but seven of the women had to have medical interventions during birth - were administered Pitocin, mechanically induced, or had C-sections - which influenced their postpartum mental and emotional state severely. The disappointment after complications and diversions from a birth plan were significant. Fifty percent of the participating women reported to have suffered from postpartum emotional disorders, and three of them did not seek any help. Feelings of failure and low self-value due to emotional difficulties were described several times and also appeared in relation with body image issues. Physical changes, during and after pregnancy, were another major theme among the women. Transitions in their relationships were also mentioned in the interviews. Concluding, self-stigmatization was a main thread throughout the interviews. These findings are analyzed in relation to existing literature and the implications for future research are being discussed.

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