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8ELECTED ABSTRACTS
Volume 7S Number 1
Repeated pregnancies are unlikely to have a deleterious effect on the cardiac state in most cardiac patients provided good antenatal care and rest are available. Nevertheless a high degree of parity (above n) appears to have a definitely bad effect. EDWARD SOLOMONS
Journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 168, Dec. 15, 1958. *Apgar, V., Holaday, D. A., James, L. S., Weisbrot, I. M., and Berrien, C.: Evaluation of the Newborn Infant-Second Report, p. 19!l5. 11e B.lva.re~, n. n., auu v·I . . ane, .J. lV.L: Influence of Ch1otothiazi!le on \Vatet and };lectrolyte Excretion in Preeclampsia, p. 222fl. .J(.. 1
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Evaluation of the Nev:born Infant-Second. Report, p. 1985.
'l'his report discusses the inciuence of scores and death rates in the evaluation of 15,3±8 newborn infants at the Sloane Hospital for Women which varies in the 3 major types of deliveries: vaginal vertex, cesarean section, and breech presentation. The infant is evaluated according to heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, irritability, and color. Over 20 per cent of the infants delivered by breech presentation fall into the severely depressed group, while only 12 per cent of those delivered by cesarean section anu 3 per cent of those by vaginal vertex delivery score 0, 1, or 2. It was noted that 15 per cent of groups 0, 1, and 2 died, while 0.13 per cent of infants scoring 10 died. Breech delivery showed the highest mortality, probably related to prematurity. Biochemical evidence corroborates the value of this scoring system. This was evidently an elevated tension of carbon dioxide, a low pH, and low buffer base values which were present in infants who were severely
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DETTLIKG
de Alvarez and O'Lane: Influence of Chlorothiazide on Water and Electrolyte Excretion in Preeclampsia, p. 2226. A study of the effect of chlorothiazide on the course of toxemia of pregnancy in the postpartum period was made using 14 patients who were treated with the drug and 2:1 patients with toxemia of pregnancy in the postpartum period who did not receive an~ diuretic. It was possible to compare 2 day periods in which the drug was given with :3 day periods in which it was withheld. The drug did not cause any consistent changes in the urinary pH, titratable acidity, mean urinary ammonia level, serum carbon dioxide content, serum sodium level, serum potassium level, serum chloride level, or the patient's body weight. It did cause a marked increase in the urinary excretion of sodium, potassium, and chloride. Chlorothiazide in vitro strongly inhibits carbonic anhydrase, but its action in patients with pre-eclampsia differed from that of other carbonic anhydrase-inhibiting
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*Assali, N. S., Judd, L. L., and Mondz, N.: thiazide (Diuril), p. 26.
Clinical and Metabolic Rturly of Chloro-