Maternal age,social class,and the obstetric performance of teenagers

It has been widely reported that teenage mothers experience more complications of labor and delivery as well as higher rates of prematurity and low-birth weight infants than women 20–30 years old. However, a few studies have suggested that birth complications are related to social class, not maternal age. The purpose of this study was to examine the interaction of social class, maternal age, and obstetric and neonatal outcome. When samples of primparous low-income and middle-income teenagers (15–19 years) were compared with samples of primiparous low-income and middle-income women (20–30 years), the reported differences by maternal age did not emerge. Instead there was evidence of a complex interaction between maternal age and social class that suggested that low-income, older mothers may be the most at-risk group, while middle-income teenage mothers may be the least at-risk group. It is suggested that risk assessment based on social class or maternal age alone is too simplistic to be useful.The author is grateful to the St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, the Maricopa County General Hospital, and the Arizona Perinatal Trust, all of Phoenix, Arizona, for access to the data. Special thanks to Steve Warford for preparation of the data set.Received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1980. Current interests are teenage sexuality, pregnancy and parenting, and the development of children in stressed households.     

A comparative study of pregnant teenagers' parenting attitudes and knowledge of sexuality and child development

A survey was taken to determine pregnant teenagers' knowledge of sexuality and child development and their parenting attitudes relative to comparison groups. The results indicate that the knowledge and attitude base of pregnant teenagers is almost identical to that of never-pregnant teenagers. However, adult mothers scored slightly but significantly higher than the teenagers on a measure of child development knowledge and considerably lower than the teenagers on a measure of knowledge of sexuality. The results illustrate the importance of using comparison groups in studies of pregnant teenagers. The implications for sex education programs include focusing on factors beyond sexual knowledge or lack of it as an explanation for teenage pregnancy. Further research is needed on teenage values, handling of sexual information, and perception of contraceptive availability.     

Fatal capnocytophaga infection associated with splenectomy

A case of fatal sepsis due to Capnocytophaga species is described. Capnatophaga canimorsus and C. cynodegmi can cause localized wound infections and/or systemic infections in people who have been bitten, licked, scratched, or merely exposed to cats or dogs, especially splenectomized individuals. A thorough social, medical, and surgical history, the clinical presentation, and cultures are important in making the diagnosis of Capnocytophaga infections. It is important that the forensic pathologist be aware of this zoonotic disease.     

GHB free acid: II. Isolation and spectroscopic characterization for forensic analysis

A reference standard for gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) free acid is not commercially available, making its analysis in forensic exhibits more difficult. GHB free acid is typically encountered in aqueous solution and in the presence of the lactone, gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), presenting difficulty in Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis. The strong infrared (IR) absorptivity of the GBL carbonyl band, the shifting of the GBL carbonyl band in aqueous solutions, and the position of the O-H bend for water can mask the main carbonyl band for GHB free acid. Model solutions of beta-hydroxybutyric acid (BHB) and GBL were studied in order to further understand the masking of the GHB free acid carbonyl band in FT-IR analysis. The use of second derivative FT-IR spectroscopy was shown to provide resolution of the free acid carbonyl band, and a presumptive test for GHB free acid was developed and applied. An extension of this work included preparing, for use as a standard reference material, small amounts (< or = 10 mg) of GHB free acid. Preparation was based on the instantaneous reaction of GHB's sodium salt with a stoichiometric amount of hydrochloric acid in aqueous solution, and subsequent isolation of the free acid in neat liquid form. Both FT-IR and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of the neat reference material were obtained and used to verify its identity. The isolation of GHB free acid from actual forensic exhibits is also presented, with identity confirmation using FT-IR.     

Nonhuman remains and relics encountered by the medical examiner: Fulton County, Georgia, 2003-2004

BACKGROUND: Medical examiner and coroner offices occasionally respond to "death scenes" which, after investigation, are found to involve nonhuman remains or other relics not requiring further investigation or certification of death. This report describes such cases encountered by the Fulton County medical examiner during 2003 and 2004. METHODS: The electronic database used by the office contains check boxes to indicate whether a reported case involved nonhuman remains or other relics, in which case the name of the "deceased" is listed as "nonhuman remains" by selecting those words from a pull-down menu. Subject cases were identified during the 2-year period by searching the database for any case in which one of the boxes was checked or in which the name of the deceased was listed as nonhuman. RESULTS: Four thousand five hundred fifty-four deaths were investigated during the 2-year period, and 23 cases (0.5%) involved nonhuman remains or relics. Thus, the observed rate was about 5 cases per 1000 death investigations. Nineteen cases involved nonhuman bones. One case involved 2 human fetuses that had been teaching specimens. The other 3 cases involved a nonhuman fetus, a large decomposing dog that had been wrapped and dumped in residential area, and a sheep heart found in a bag which was a medical teaching specimen. CONCLUSIONS: Nonhuman remains and other relics are uncommonly seen in death investigation work and usually involve nonhuman bones, although a small variety of other atypical cases present themselves occasionally. Knowledge of these types of encounters is helpful so that the "unexpected" may become more "expected" and office policy and procedures tailored accordingly to facilitate case management.     

Corporal Punishment and Kids: How Do Parent Support and Gender Influence Child Adjustment?

Previous research on corporal punishment has failed to consider the interaction of parent support and parent gender in predicting child outcomes. The current study examined whether parental support moderated the effects of corporal punishment on child outcomes (i.e., depression and aggression), and more specifically, whether the gender of the supportive parent moderated the effects of punishment from the opposite-sex parent. Results differed depending on the gender of the punishing and supportive parents, suggesting that parental support can be a protective factor in child outcomes but only under certain conditions. Mother support moderated the effects of father punishment on child depression but not child aggression. High corporal punishment by father was related to more child depression at both high and low levels of mother support. High levels of mother support only seemed important (i.e., children were less depressed) at low levels of father corporal punishment. In contrast, father support moderated the relationship between mother corporal punishment and child aggression but not depression. Children with high father support showed less aggression across all levels of mother corporal punishment. At low levels of father support, child aggression increased as mother corporal punishment increased. For depression, mother corporal punishment was positively related to child depression regardless of level of father support. These findings suggest differential effects for mother and father support and have implications for the treatment and prevention of negative outcomes in children who are physically punished by their parents.

On the Media Effects of Immigration and Refugee Board Hearings via Videoconference

Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board conducts some of itsrefugee hearings via videoconferencing. As part of a reviewof the fairness of this practice, a theoretical approach andreview of the empirical literature was commissioned. Particularlyunder ‘high stakes’ conditions, it was found thatvideoconferencing reduces mutual trust and understanding, exacerbatescultural differences in non-verbal communication, and increasesthe propensity to lie while decreasing the ability to detectfalsehoods. Further, the inherent power imbalance between thetribunal and the claimant is widened as the tribunal membersbecome acclimatized to the technology. In general, the differencein sensory perception of a mediating technology creates cognitivedifferences between mediated and non-mediated environments.Further, sensory perception that feeds narrative constructionvaries by culture. The process of conveying and understandingmeaning across cultures is sufficiently difficult; adding thecomplexity of videoconference mediation introduces the possibilityof inconsistency, inaccuracy, and altered judgement.