Sample records for abortifacients

  1. Paraguayan pharmacies and the sale of pseudo-abortifacients.

    PubMed

    Krayacich de Oddone, N; Shedlin, M G; Welsh, M; Potts, M; Feldblum, P

    1991-04-01

    This study was conducted in 1985 in Asunción, Paraguay, 6 years after the closure of the state supported family planning services. Data from national surveys in 1977 and 1987 permit a comparison of sources of contraceptive supplies before and after the elimination of government support for family planning. The purchase of pseudo-abortifacients from private pharmacies was used as an indication of induced abortion. After the loss of government clinics, it is suggested that some women turned to pharmacists to obtain pseudo-abortifacients when faced with unwanted pregnancy. There is an indication of increased pseudo-abortifacient use, particularly among unmarried women and those from poorer neighbourhoods.

  2. Abortifacient potential of methanolic extract of Anthocephalus cadamba stem bark in mice.

    PubMed

    Shaikh, Muhammad Vaseem; Kala, Manika; Ravat, Nirav; Nivsarkar, Manish

    2015-09-15

    Medicinal plants possessing abortifacient activity have been used traditionally for a long time in folk medicine. Anthocephalus cadamba, is one such herb that has been known to possess abortifacient potential in ethnobotanical literature, but has not been validated scientifically. The methanolic extract of Anthocephalus cadamba stem bark (MEAC) was prepared and tested for abortifacient, estrogenic and uterotrophic activity. Pregnant Swiss albino mice were randomized into 5 groups (1-5). Group 1 (negative control) received 0.2% w/v agar, group 2-4 (received extract at the dose of 500, 1000 and 1500mg/kg b.w.) and group 5 received mifepristone at a dose of 5.86mg/kg b.w. respectively, by oral route from 10(th) to 18(th) day post-coitum daily, and various parameters recorded. The uterotrophic bioassay was performed in bilaterally ovariectomized mice dosed from 9(th) to 15(th) day of ovariectomy and change in uterotrophic parameters was observed. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed presence of glycosides, alkaloids, steroids, saponins, triterpenoids, flavonoids and tannins. No signs of clinical toxicity were observed at any time during the period of treatment. The extract significantly reduced (P<0.05) the number of live fetus, weight and survival ratio of the fetus, number of corpora lutea, progesterone, estradiol and luteinizing hormone whereas the number of dead fetus, number of mice that aborted, percentage vaginal opening and post-implantation loss increased significantly (P<0.05). The estrogenicity experiments showed increase in uterine weight (P<0.05), ballooning of uterus, uterine glucose (P<0.05) and ALP (P<0.001) in extract treated group dose dependently. In addition, the extract also induced vaginal bleeding preceding parturition. This study has substantiated the abortifacient potential of the methanolic extract of Anthocephalus cadamba stem bark. The activity was more marked in 1000 and 1500mg/kg b.w. of the extract and was comparable to that of

  3. Abortifacient effects of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and common juniper (Juniperus communis) on cattle.

    PubMed

    Gardner, D R; Panter, K E; James, L F; Stegelmeier, B L

    1998-10-01

    Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and common juniper (Juniperus communis) contain high levels of isocupressic acid that has been identified as the abortifacient component of ponderosa pine needles in cattle. Therefore, the abortifacient potential of P contorta and J communis needles was tested in feeding trials with pregnant cattle. Cows (2 groups of 2 each) were fed by gavage 4.5-5.5 kg/d ground dry needles from either P contorta or J communis starting on gestation day 250. Isocupressic acid (ICA) levels in P contorta needles and J communis plant material were 0.8 and 2.0% (dry weight) respectively. Cows fed P contorta received a daily dose of 62-78 mg ICA/kg body weight and aborted after 8 and 10 d. The 2 cows fed J communis received a daily dose of 190 and 245 mg ICA/kg body weight and aborted after 3 and 4 days respectively. All cows retained fetal membranes and had classical clinical signs of pine needle-induced abortion. Pinus ponderosa, P contorta, J communis, and Cupressus macrocarpa samples were also analyzed for the presence of myristate and laurate esters of 1,14-tetradecanediol and 1,12-dodecanediol. These lipid like compounds of P ponderosa have potent vasoconstrictive activity in a placentome perfusion assay and are proposed as possible abortifacients in cattle. Concentration of the vasoactive lipids were 0.028% (P ponderosa), 0.023% (P contorta), 0.001% (J communis), and none detected (C macrocarpa). It was concluded that these compounds are not required for the plant material to be abortifacient in cattle.

  4. Opening a door to safe abortion: international perspectives on medical abortifacient use.

    PubMed

    Pollack, A E; Pine, R N

    2000-01-01

    International experience compels us to revisit how we define and assess the safety and efficacy of medical abortifacients such as misoprostol. In some countries where safe abortion is neither accessible nor legal, even unsupervised, off-protocol use of misoprostol can provide women with a means to safely terminate pregnancy. This is due primarily to misoprostol-induced uterine contractions that cause bleeding, which in turn provides access to existing reasonable quality health services that would otherwise be unavailable. Several studies have suggested that an increase in the underground use of misoprostol in Brazil has already reduced serious complications from unsafe abortion. Thus, the availability of medical abortifacients combined with strengthened postabortion care services can legitimately be considered a public health success in countries in which safe abortion services do not exist and law reform is unlikely.

  5. Prostaglandins as abortifacients.

    PubMed

    Karim, S M

    1971-12-30

    Clinical trials have demonstrated the use of prostaglandins as effective abortifacients. Continuous intravenous infusion of the drugs however has been associated with certain side effects at therapeutically effective doses, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and a local erythematous reaction at the site of venepuncture. Higher doses result in more serious side effects such as vasovagal symptoms, pyrexia and tachycardia. Direct application of prostaglandins E2 or F2a into the uterine cavity has been shown to minimize the side effects. Appropriate doses of prostaglandins every one or 2 hours administered at the site of action between the fetal membrane and uterine wall (via the cervix) produce the strong and frequent uterine contractions necessary for the expulsion of the products of conception. A drawback of this method is the need for the uterine cavity to be continuously monitored as dosage is determined by the uterine response. Another effective method of terminating 1st and 2nd trimester pregnacy with minimal side effects is vaginal administration (into the posterior fornix) of 50 mg PGF2a or 20 mg PGE2 every 2 or 3 hours. Single injection of prostaglandins into the amniotic sac usually results in complete abortion. The method is simple but should be used only in pregnancies of over 12 weeks' gestation as the amniotic sac is inaccessible in the 1st trimester. The prostaglandin method, compared with other methods of abortion in the 1st trimester of pregnancy (e.g., suction or dilatation and curettage) is inferior in terms of time, expense and convenience. Incomplete abortion is quite common in the 1st trimester when prostaglandins are used. With respect to 2nd trimester methods (hypertonic saline and hysterotomy) however, prostaglandins given by intravaginal, intrauterine, or intraamniotic routes offer clear advantages.

  6. A comparison of the metabolism of the abortifacient compounds from Ponderosa Pine needles in conditioned versus naive cattle

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Isocupressic acid (ICA) is the abortifacient compound in ponderosa pine needles, which can cause late term abortions in cattle. However, cattle rapidly metabolize ICA to agathic acid and subsequent metabolites. When pine needles are dosed orally to cattle, no ICA is detected in their serum while a...

  7. A comparison of the metabolism of the abortifacient compounds from Ponderosa pine needles in conditioned versus naive cattle.

    PubMed

    Welch, K D; Gardner, D R; Pfister, J A; Panter, K E; Zieglar, J; Hall, J O

    2012-12-01

    Isocupressic acid (ICA) is the abortifacient compound in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa L.) needles, which can cause late-term abortions in cattle (Bos taurus). However, cattle rapidly metabolize ICA to agathic acid (AGA) and subsequent metabolites. When pine needles are dosed orally to cattle, no ICA is detected in their serum, whereas AGA is readily detected. Recent research has demonstrated that AGA is also an abortifacient compound in cattle. The observation has been made that when cattle are dosed with labdane acids for an extended time, the concentration of AGA in serum increases for 1 to 2 d but then decreases to baseline after 5 to 6 d even though they are still being dosed twice daily. Therefore, in this study we investigated whether cattle conditioned to pine needles metabolize ICA, and its metabolites, faster than naïve cattle. Agathic acid was readily detected in the serum of naïve cattle fed ponderosa pine needles, whereas very little AGA was detected in the serum of cattle conditioned to pine needles. We also compared the metabolism of ICA in vitro using rumen cultures from pine-needle-conditioned and naïve cattle. In the rumen cultures from conditioned cattle, AGA concentrations were dramatically less than rumen cultures from naïve cattle. Thus, an adaptation occurs to cattle conditioned to pine needles such that the metabolism AGA by the rumen microflora is altered.

  8. Experimental challenge of pregnant cattle with the putative abortifacient Waddlia chondrophila.

    PubMed

    Wheelhouse, Nicholas; Flockhart, Allen; Aitchison, Kevin; Livingstone, Morag; Finlayson, Jeanie; Flachon, Virginie; Sellal, Eric; Dagleish, Mark P; Longbottom, David

    2016-11-14

    Waddlia chondrophila is a Gram-negative intracellular bacterial organism that is related to classical chlamydial species and has been implicated as a cause of abortion in cattle. Despite an increasing number of observational studies linking W. chondrophila infection to cattle abortion, little direct experimental evidence exists. Given this paucity of direct evidence the current study was carried out to investigate whether experimental challenge of pregnant cattle with W. chondrophila would result in infection and abortion. Nine pregnant Friesian-Holstein heifers received 2 × 10 8 inclusion forming units (IFU) W. chondrophila intravenously on day 105-110 of pregnancy, while four negative-control animals underwent mock challenge. Only one of the challenged animals showed pathogen-associated lesions, with the organism being detected in the diseased placenta. Importantly, the organism was re-isolated and its identity confirmed by whole genome sequencing, confirming Koch's third and fourth postulates. However, while infection of the placenta was observed, the experimental challenge in this study did not confirm the abortifacient potential of the organism.

  9. Artifacts, intentions, and contraceptives: the problem with having a plan B for plan B.

    PubMed

    Reed, Philip A

    2013-12-01

    It is commonly proposed that artifacts cannot be understood without reference to human intentions. This fact, I contend, has relevance to the use of artifacts in intentional action. I argue that because artifacts have intentions embedded into them antecedently, when we use artifacts we are sometimes compelled to intend descriptions of our actions that we might, for various reasons, be inclined to believe that we do not intend. I focus this argument to a specific set of artifacts, namely, medical devices, before considering an extended application to emergency contraceptive devices. Although there is some debate about whether emergency contraception has an abortifacient effect, I argue that if there is an abortifacient effect, then the effect cannot normally be a side effect of one's action.

  10. Differences in ponderosa pine isocupressic acid concentrations across space and time

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) is distributed throughout the western half of North America, where it is the most widely adapted and ubiquitous conifer. Ponderosa Pine contains isocupressic acid, a diterpene acid, which has been shown to be responsible for its abortifacient activity. The objectiv...

  11. Changes in the rumen bacterial microbiome of cattle exposed to ponderosa pine needles

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Consumption of ponderosa pine needles, as well as needles and bark from a number of other trees, can cause abortions in cattle. The abortifacient compounds in these trees are labdane resin acids, including isocupressic acid and agathic acid. Previous research has demonstrated that cattle conditioned...

  12. Bacterial, fungal, parasitological and pathological analyses of abortions in small ruminants from 2012-2016.

    PubMed

    Schnydrig, P; Vidal, S; Brodard, I; Frey, C; Posthaus, H; Perreten, V; Rodriguez-Campos, S

    2017-12-01

    Abortion in small ruminants presents a clinical and economic problem with legal implications regarding animal health and zoonotic risk by some of the abortive pathogens. Several bacteria, fungi and parasites can cause abortion, but cost-orientated routine diagnostics only cover the most relevant epizootic agents. To cover a broad-range of common as well as underdiagnosed abortifacients, we studied 41 ovine and 36 caprine abortions by Stamp's modification of the Ziehl-Neelsen stain, culture for classical and opportunistic abortive agents, real-time PCR for C. burnetii, C. abortus, pathogenic Leptospira spp., Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum. When the dam's serum was available detection of antibodies against B. melitensis, C. burnetii, C. abortus and Leptospira spp. was performed. In 37 cases sufficient placental tissue was available for pathological and histopathological examination. From the 77 cases 11 (14.3%) were positive by staining whereas real-time PCR detected C. burnetii and C. abortus in 49.3% and 32.5% of the cases. Antibodies against C. abortus and Leptospira spp. (33.3 and 26.7%) were detected. In 23.4% a bacterial culturable pathogen was isolated. Fungal abortion was confirmed in 1.3% of cases. A single abortive agent was identified in 44.2% of the cases and in 31.2% multiple possible abortifacients were present. Our study shows that the highest clarification rate can only be achieved by a combination of methods and evidences the role that multi-infections play as cause of abortion.

  13. Changes in the rumen bacterial microbiome of cattle exposed to ponderosa pine needles.

    PubMed

    Welch, K D; Stonecipher, C A; Gardner, D R; Cook, D; Pfister, J A

    2017-05-01

    Consumption of ponderosa pine needles, as well as needles and bark from a number of other trees, can cause abortions in cattle. The abortifacient compounds in these trees are labdane resin acids, including isocupressic acid and agathic acid. Previous research has demonstrated that cattle conditioned to pine needles metabolize the labdane resin acids more quickly than naïve cattle. The results from that study indicated that changes had occurred in the rumen of conditioned cattle. Therefore, in this study, the changes that occurred in the rumen bacterial microflora of cattle during exposure to ponderosa pine needles were evaluated. Cattle were dosed with ground pine needles twice daily for 7 d. Rumen samples were collected on d 0, 3, 7, and 14 (7 d after treatment stopped) and ruminal bacterial microbiome analyses were performed. There were 372 different genera of bacteria identified in the rumen samples. Principal coordinate analysis indicated that there was a significant difference in the rumen bacterial composition between the time points. There were 18 genera that increased in abundance from d 0 to d 7. Twenty three genera decreased in abundance from d 0 to d 7. The results from this study demonstrated that exposure of cattle to pine needles caused a clear shift in the rumen microbiome composition. In general, this shift lasted less than 1 wk post exposure, which indicates that any prophylactic treatment to manipulate the ruminal metabolism of the abortifacient compounds in pine needles would need to be continuously administered to maintain the necessary microbial composition in the rumen.

  14. The pregnancy that doesn't stay: the practice and perception of abortion by Ekiti Yoruba women.

    PubMed

    Renne, E P

    1996-02-01

    Ekiti Yoruba village women in southwest Nigeria make use of traditional and 'patent' medicines as abortifacients as well as D&Cs performed in urban centers to terminate unwanted pregnancies. This paper examines present day abortion practices and attitudes and relates them to traditional beliefs about conception, fetal development and infertility. These beliefs, along with factors of economy and access, help to explain the continued use of abortion as a form of birth control, despite the presence of other options. The paper concludes with a discussion of the current debate about legalizing abortion in Nigeria and a recommendation consonant with everyday village practice.

  15. Fetal blood drawing.

    PubMed

    Hobbins, J C; Mahoney, M J

    1975-07-19

    A small sample of fetal blood suitable for studies of haemoglobin synthesis was obtained from a placental vessel under endoscopic visualisation in 23 of 26 patients in whom the procedure was attempted prior to second-trimester abortion. Fetal blood loss, calculated in 23 cases, was between 0-2 ml. and 2-5 ml., and fetal blood-volume depletion varied from 0-5% to 15%. No short-term ill-effects were demonstrated in mother or fetus in any of 16 patients in whom the injection of aborti-facient was postponed for between 16 and 24 hours after the procedure.

  16. Investigation of uterotonic properties of Ananas comosus extracts.

    PubMed

    Monji, Faezeh; Adaikan, P Ganesan; Lau, Lang Chu; Bin Said, Baharudin; Gong, Yinhan; Tan, Huey Min; Choolani, Mahesh

    2016-12-04

    In folklore medicine Ananas comosus (pineapple) is reputed to act as an abortifacient and in expectant women as a means of inducing labor. Several reports have claimed abortifacient property of A. comosus fruit (ripe or unripe). Ripe fruit has been used orally as traditional medicine in inducing abortion in Kerala state of India while the juice of unripe fruit was used for abortion in Bangladesh. However, scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of pineapple extracts in inducing uterine contractions is clearly lacking. This study investigated the pharmacological effects of different fractions of pineapple extract with a range of maturities to identify the most potent uterotonic fraction. The ethanolic crude extracts of pineapple (edible part) were prepared and fractionated through a series of liquid-liquid partitions. Fractions were separately tested on isolated uterine muscle from pregnant SD rats and human pregnant myometrium, which were cut into strips along the longitudinal axis of uterus. The strips were mounted vertically in organ baths (37°C) and exposed to cumulative addition of fractions (0.1-10mgml -1 ), serotonin (0.05-5µM) and different inhibitors to delineate the mechanism of action of the active ingredients of the extract. Aqueous fraction (F4) possesses uterine stimulant property which was blocked by verapamil but unaffected by indomethacin, prazosin and atosiban. Notably, ketanserin (10µM) diminished the maximal contractile response induced by both F4 and 5HT by 74.3% and 92.1% respectively. These results may indicate the presence of 5HT or 5HT-like compound(s) and serotonergic pathways may contribute to the uterotonic activity of pineapple extract. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. [European representations of birth control and abortions in Islamic societies and harems in the modern period].

    PubMed

    Soares, Marina Juliana de Oliveira

    2017-01-01

    Throughout the modern period, Islamic women (whether they lived in palaces or normal houses) resorted to measures to prevent conception or to induce abortion when pregnancy occurred. They used herbs and abortifacient drugs or relied on help from other women to eliminate unwanted pregnancies. Such practices were recorded by Europeans - in some cases, doctors - who traveled to Islamic regions and described these scenes in their narratives. In addition to abortions, infanticide was also observed in the imperial palaces. Here we discuss how these sources described birth control, and how they investigated the lascivious harem, a recurring trope in orientalist literature, from a medical perspective.

  18. Dispensing with conscience: a legal and ethical assessment.

    PubMed

    Wernow, Jerome R; Grant, Donald G

    2008-11-01

    For over 30 years, pharmacists have exercised the right to dispense medications in accordance with moral convictions based upon a Judeo-Christian ethic. What many of these practitioners see as an apparent shift away from this time-honored ethic has resulted in a challenge to this right. To review and analyze pharmacy practice standards, legal proceedings, and ethical principles behind conflicts of conscientious objection in dispensing drugs used for emergency contraception. We first searched the terms conscience and clause and Plan B and contraception and abortion using Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft Networks (2006-September 26, 2008). Second, we used Medscape to search professional pharmacy and other medical journals, restricting our terms to conscience, Plan B, contraceptives, and abortifacients. Finally, we employed Loislaw, an online legal archiving service, and did a global search on the phrase conscience clause to determine the status of the legal discussion. To date, conflicts in conscientious objection have arisen when a pharmacist believes that dispensing an oral contraceptive violates his or her moral understanding for the promotion of human life. Up to this time, cases in pharmacy have involved only practitioners from orthodox Christian faith communities, primarily devout Roman Catholics. A pharmacist's right to refuse the dispensing of abortifacients for birth control according to moral conscience over against a woman's right to reproductive birth control has created a conflict that has yet to be reconciled by licensing agents, professional standards, or courts of law. Our analysis of prominent conflicts suggests that the underlying worldviews between factions make compromise improbable. Risks and liabilities are dependent upon compliance with evolving state laws, specific disclosure of a pharmacist's moral objections, and professionalism in the handling of volatile situations. Objecting pharmacists and their employers should have clear policies and

  19. Evaluation of the seasonal and annual abortifacient risk of western juniper trees on Oregon rangelands

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Needles from ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) trees are known to cause late term abortions in cattle. Recently, there have been several reports of abortion rates of 10-15% within cattle herds in Oregon after cattle were pastured in areas with abundant western juniper trees (Juniperus occidentalis)....

  20. Management of incomplete abortion in South African public hospitals.

    PubMed

    Brown, H C; Jewkes, R; Levin, J; Dickson-Tetteh, K; Rees, H

    2003-04-01

    To describe the current management of incomplete abortion in South African public hospitals and to discuss the extent to which management is clinically appropriate. A multicentre, prospective descriptive study. South African public hospitals that manage gynaecological emergencies. Hospitals were selected using a stratified random sampling method. All women who presented to the above sampled hospitals with incomplete abortion during the three week data collection period in 2000 were included. A data collection sheet was completed at the time of discharge for each woman admitted with a diagnosis of incomplete, complete, missed or inevitable abortion during the study period. Information gathered included demographic data, clinical signs and symptoms at admission, medical management, surgical management, anaestetic management, use of blood products and antibiotics and complications. Three clinical severity categories were used for the purpose of data analysis and interpretation. Detail of medical management, detail of surgical management, use of blood products and antibiotics, methods of analgesia and anaesthesia used, and use of abortifacients. There is a trend towards low cost technology such as the use of manual vacuum aspiration and sedation anaesthesia; however, this is mainly limited to the better resourced tertiary hospitals linked to academic units. The use of antibiotics and blood products has decreased but much of the use is inappropriate. The use of abortifacients does include some use of misoprostol but merely as an adjunct to surgical evacuation. The management of incomplete abortion remains a problem in South Africa, a low income country that is still managing a common clinical problem with costly interventions. The evidence of a trend towards low cost technology is promising, albeit limited to tertiary centres. This study has given us information as how to best address this problem. More training in low cost methods is needed, targeting in particular the

  1. Sociological aspects of sexual medicine: contraception, culture and the church.

    PubMed

    Potts, M

    1977-02-01

    Throughout the world, women who do not wish to be pregnant try to take action, at whatever cost, to prevent pregnancy from occurring. In Manila, the busiest and most loved church (Quiapo Church) is the scene where every Sunday morning, several hundred women buy local abortifacients from vendors stationed around the church. This scene in Manila 1976, however, could just as well be Bogota; Calcutta; Addis Ababa; or Bangkok. It could also have been Birmingham in the 1960's; Boston, Massachusettes, or; Wigan, Lancashire, in 1900. In 1937, the Birkett Committee which was then looking into the problem of abortion in England commented on the wide availability and use of traditional abortifacients. Prior to the 1967 Abortion Act, volunteers from the Abortion Law Reform Association visiting a number of shops and pharmacies in the Midlands on the pretext that their, or their girl friend's, periods were late were immediately offered a variety of drugs at inflated prices. They were also assured that the remedies were effective, working in 80% of the cases ("they should do, we sell a lot of them"). Pharmacological analysis revealed both harmless (eg, ferrous carbonate) and potentially dangerous compounds (eg, quinine sulphate). From 1870 to 1976, from the Philippines to Birmingham to New York State, desperate women have resorted to dangerous or ineffective remedies to bring on late periods; if these fail, surgical remedies (eg, injection of H20 into the cavity of the womb) were resorted to. Early abortion, or menstrual regulation can be justified on clinical; emotional and ethical grounds. A 1974 trial at 3 London teaching hospitals showed that such method was popular among women and usually took 3 to 5 minutes. The only problem is whether to offer the operation to women who suspect but cannot be proved to be pregnant. With the rapid development of various pregnancy tests however, such problem can be solved.

  2. Evaluation of antinociceptive effect of Petiveria alliacea (Guiné) in animals.

    PubMed

    de Lima, T C; Morato, G S; Takahashi, R N

    1991-01-01

    Petiveria alliacea (Phytolaccaceae) is a bush widely distributed in South America including Brazil, where it is popularly known as "guiné", "pipi", "tipi" or "erva-de-tipi". Brazilian folk medicine attributes to the hot water infusion of its roots or leaves the following pharmacological properties: antipyretic, antispasmodic, abortifacient, antirrheumatic, diuretic, analgesic and sedative. The present study has evaluated the alleged effects of P. alliacea on central nervous system (CNS), particularly, the sedative and analgesic properties of root crude aqueous extract of this plant in mice and rats. This extract showed an antinociceptive effect in acetic acid--acetylcholine--and hypertonic saline--induced abdominal constrictions, but not in hot-plate and tail flick tests. P. alliacea did not produce any CNS depressor effect. Thus its antinociceptive action in animals can be responsible by its popular use as an analgesic.

  3. Abortion in late Imperial China: routine birth control or crisis intervention?

    PubMed

    Sommer, Matthew H

    2010-01-01

    In late imperial China, a number of purported methods of abortion were known; but who actually attempted abortion and under what circumstances? Some historians have suggested that abortion was used for routine birth control, which presupposes that known methods were safe, reliable, and readily available. This paper challenges the qualitative evidence on which those historians have relied, and presents new evidence from Qing legal sources and modern medical reports to argue that traditional methods of abortion (the most common being abortifacient drugs) were dangerous, unreliable, and often cost a great deal of money. Therefore, abortion in practice was an emergency intervention in a crisis: either a medical crisis, in which pregnancy threatened a woman's health, or a social crisis, in which pregnancy threatened to expose a woman's extramarital sexual relations. Moreover, abortion was not necessarily available even to women who wanted one.

  4. Directions and potentials of contraceptive research.

    PubMed

    Djerassi, C

    1973-01-01

    The current status of birth control methods is reviewed. No fundamentally new practical birth control agent is in sight for the immediate future which would be more effective than presently employed procedures. The present climate of hypercaution and virulent consumerism penalizes the imaginative approach and encourages minor and safe modifications of existing methods. The scientific community does not lack theoretical leads, but those theories may not be put into practice. Special emphasis is given in this review to the reversible fertility control agents that will be needed during the next decade or 2, notably in developing countries. In the area of abortion, abortifacients, and related agents, the development of chemical abortifacients, preferably administered orally or intravaginally should get very high priority. Chemical agents for abortion fall into 2 classes: 1) those which interfere with embryonic development, and 2) those which lead to expulsion of the embryo or fetus, e.g. prostaglandins. Although there are many publications and books written about ovulation inhibitors, relatively little work has been devoted to developing new steroidal ovulation inhibitors. For fertility control in developing countries, IUDs offer the singular advantage of a 1-shot administration. The development of the copper T IUD is important. Preliminary clinical studies have indicated that the addition of copper results in much lower pregnancy rate and the T shape results in a lower bleeding and expulsion rate. The Food and Drug Administration may extend the time interval between clinical studies and eventual public use of the copper T because it carries a metal. It is not likely that a male pill will be developed in the near future. For males, major advances in vasectomy techniques which would quarantee reversibility upon demand would constitute a significant forward step. For females, recent clinical studies indicate that sterilization can be produced through occlusion of their

  5. Efficacy of various locally applied chemicals as contragestational agents in rats.

    PubMed

    Conner, E A; Blake, D A; Parmley, T H; Burnett, L S; King, T M

    1976-05-01

    between results obtained and the documented efficiency of PGF2alpha and of urea as abortifacients in humans raises the question of the suitability of the rat as a model for predicting abortifacient activity in humans. However, the action of these 2 substances may be different in later gestational phases.

  6. Innate food aversions and culturally transmitted food taboos in pregnant women in rural southwest India: separate systems to protect the fetus?

    PubMed

    Placek, Caitlyn D; Madhivanan, Purnima; Hagen, Edward H

    2017-11-01

    stress, providing mixed support for the role of dietary diversification. Avoided foods outnumbered aversive foods, were believed to be abortifacients or otherwise harmful to the fetus, influenced diet throughout pregnancy, and were largely distinct from aversive foods. These results suggest that aversions target foods with cues of toxicity early in pregnancy, and taboos target suspected abortifacients throughout pregnancy.

  7. N-acetylcysteine in Cleistanthus collinus Poisoning: A Report of Two Cases in Children.

    PubMed

    Sharma, Shreya; Rameshkumar, Ramachandran; Mahadevan, Subramanian

    2016-12-01

    Cleistanthus collinus, also known as Oduvanthalai in Tamil, is the most commonly encountered plant poison in southern India. The leaves are used for poisoning humans (suicide or homicide) and animals (cattle and fish) and as an abortifacient, especially in rural south India. Although this poisoning is commonly reported in adults, data regarding the use of N-acetylcysteine in pediatric poisoning is lacking. We report two previously healthy male siblings of pediatric age group who ingested the liquid extracted from crushed leaves of this plant given to them by their mother as a means of deliberate harm. Both patients developed distal renal tubular acidosis, with hypokalemia. The younger sibling also developed myocardial toxicity. Other significant findings noted include hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia and elevated liver enzymes. Both patients received supportive care along with N-acetylcysteine infusion, and showed complete recovery within 10 days. © The Author [2016]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  8. The intensely sweet herb, Lippia dulcis Trev.: historical uses, field inquiries, and constituents.

    PubMed

    Compadre, C M; Robbins, E F; Kinghorn, A D

    1986-01-01

    Lippia dulcis Trev. (Verbenaceae) is the source of hernandulcin, the first known intensely sweet sesquiterpenoid, a compound which is a volatile oil constituent. The literature on the uses of this species, dating back to early colonial times in Mexico, has been examined. This plant began to be used as an official drug in the late 19th century for the treatment of coughs and bronchitis, and at that time preliminary phytochemical investigations were undertaken. Field work carried out in Mexico in 1981 and 1982 has indicated that there is still an active trade involving L. dulcis, which is sold primarily in market places for its alleged abortifacient activity. We have obtained no evidence, either from the literature or from field inquiries, that L. dulcis has ever been used for sweetening foods or beverages. Fourteen L. dulcis volatile oil constituents, mainly mono- and sesquiterpenoids, were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The toxic compound, camphor, was found to constitute 53% w/w of the volatile oil of this species. The potential use of L. dulcis for the extraction of hernandulcin is discussed.

  9. Plants of Haiti used as antifertility agents.

    PubMed

    Weniger, B; Haag-Berrurier, M; Anton, R

    1982-07-01

    Haitian empirical medicine sprang from both European (16th to 19th century) and African (especially voodoo) traditional therapies. The use of medicinal herbs is highly developed. Our purpose was to list the plants held to be antifertility agents in the island. We identified about twenty species more or less currently used by the women as abortifacients or emmenagogues. The chemistry and active components of a few species are well-known. However, for most of them, some were partially studied, and no relation could be established between their chemical composition and their potential activities, and the rest are chemically unknown. We chemically screened extracts of Casearia ilicifolia, Eleutherine bulbosa, Rhoeo spathacea and Stemodia durantifolia, and identified flavonoids, triterpenes and sterols in the leaves of C. ilicifolia, and naphthoquinones, and a new anthraquinone, anthracene-9,10-dione-1,5-diol-4-methoxy-3-methyl-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester, in the bulbs of E, bulbosa. R. spathacea showed a stimulative activity on mouse uterus. Antifertility screening tests of C. ilicifolia and E. bulbosa showed activity in rats, but also probably toxicity.

  10. Evaluation of the seasonal and annual abortifacient risk of western juniper trees on Oregon rangelands: Abortion risk of western juniper trees

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Western juniper trees can cause late term abortions in cattle, similar to ponderosa pine trees. Analyses of western juniper trees from 35 locations across the state of Oregon suggest that western juniper trees in all areas present an abortion risk in pregnant cattle. Results from this study demonstr...

  11. [Adrenoleukodystrophy: clinical and histopathological study of a case associated to the use of abortifacient agents in the second month of pregnancy].

    PubMed

    de Brito-Marques, P R; de Melo, R J; Barraquer i Bordas, L

    1992-06-01

    The authors report a case of adrenoleukodystrophy in a 8 years old male patient whose mother has taken several abortive drugs during the first three months of pregnancy. The disease was progressive starting with auditory, visual and mental disturbances, followed by neurovegetatives and motor changes with convulsion and fetal position. At the final stage the patient became blind, deaf, quadriplegic and dementiated. Death resulted from lung infection. The diagnosis was confirmed by the CSF, electrophysiological, radiological and necropsy findings. Necropsy changes in the brain and adrenal cortex are detailed.

  12. The role of pharmacists and emergency contraception: Are pharmacists' perceptions of emergency contraception predictive of their dispensing practices?

    PubMed

    Richman, Alice R; Daley, Ellen M; Baldwin, Julie; Kromrey, Jeff; O'Rourke, Kathleen; Perrin, Kay

    2012-10-01

    Pharmacists can play a critical role in the access to emergency contraception (EC). We assessed if knowledge and attitudes were predictive of EC dispensing among a statewide sample of Florida pharmacists, who have legal authority to refuse to dispense medications. In 2008, surveys were mailed to a random sample of 1264 pharmacists registered with the Florida Board of Pharmacy. Data from 272 pharmacists (22% response rate) were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression. Fifty-six percent of respondents incorrectly answered that EC causes birth defects, and 46% replied that it causes abortion. Only 22% said that EC can be purchased in advance of need. Many felt uncomfortable dispensing to adolescents (61%) and men (58%). Knowledge about EC was the most important predictor of dispensing [odds ratio (OR)=1.57, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.22-2.03]. In particular, pharmacists who reported that EC does not act as an abortifacient were more likely to dispense it (OR=4.64, 95% CI 2.15-10.00). Correct information about EC was the most important predictor of pharmacists' dispensing EC. To expand availability of EC, pharmacists will have to become better informed. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. [Epidemiological and financial considerations for the control of Neospora caninum on Swiss dairy farms].

    PubMed

    Häsler, B; Stärk, K; Gottstein, B; Reist, M

    2008-06-01

    Neospora caninum is widely recognized as one of the most important abortifacients in cattle and causes substantial financial losses to bovine livestock production. This study aimed to calculate the losses caused by N. caninum on Swiss dairy farms and to evaluate the efficacy and profitability of the control strategies culling, not breeding replacements and chemotherapy of calves on farm level. Three different farm sizes with high, medium and low herd prevalences were defined. Epidemiological and financial models were used to simulate the effect of control strategies on the prevalence over time and to perform a cost-benefit analysis. The median annual losses on farm level ranged between CHF 3094.- (= Euro 1875; 60 dairy cattle, high prevalence) and CHF 134.- (= Euro 81; 15 dairy cattle, low prevalence). Culling of animals that had any abortion or a N. caninum abortion, or not breeding replacements from such animals, respectively, were neither effective nor profitable. Only the strategy "not breeding replacements from N. caninum seropositive cows" on farms with a high prevalence was financially attractive. The strategy "chemotherapy of calves" should be re-evaluated as soon as new data regarding the efficacy of treatment and a corresponding protocol have been scientifically validated.

  14. Continuity and change in the Mediterranean medical tradition: Ruta spp. (rutaceae) in Hippocratic medicine and present practices.

    PubMed

    Pollio, A; De Natale, A; Appetiti, E; Aliotta, G; Touwaide, A

    2008-03-28

    Ruta is a genus of Rutaceae family. It features mainly shrubby plants, native to the Mediterranean region and present in traditional medicine of this region since Antiquity. The three most diffused species Ruta chalepensis L., Ruta graveolens L., and Ruta montana (L.) L., are morphologically poorly differentiated and were probably interchangeably used during Antiquity. Hippocratic and contemporary medical applications of the Ruta genus in the Mediterranean were compared to check if they result from a continuity of use from the ancient times to nowadays. Ruta spp. was mainly employed in medical preparations by Hippocratic physicians as an abortifacient and emmenagogue. In addition to gynaecological conditions, in several treatises of the Corpus HippocraticumRuta spp. were also recommended as a specific remedy against pulmonary diseases. Ruta spp. leaves and also roots and seeds, were administered for internal use by Hippocratic physicians after having been soaked in wine or mixed with honey or its derivatives. Contemporary traditional uses of Ruta spp. have been assessed in detail in the whole Mediterranean area. Nowadays, Ruta spp. is used to treat different conditions but, as a general rule, the external uses are preferred as the toxicity of the plant is widely acknowledged.

  15. Smallpox infections during pregnancy, lessons on pathogenesis from nonpregnant animal models of infection.

    PubMed

    Hassett, Daniel E

    2003-10-01

    Both vaccinated and unvaccinated women during pregnancy who contract variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, suffer much higher mortality rates than nonpregnants. Furthermore, acute maternal smallpox leads to spontaneous abortion, premature termination of pregnancy and early postnatal infant mortality. The mechanisms governing the abortifacient activity of smallpox, as well as the enhanced susceptibility of gestating women to lethal disease, have remained largely unexamined. Experimental poxvirus infections in nonpregnant small animal models have revealed that T helper type 1 (TH1) cytokines promote efficient resolution of these infections whereas type 2 (TH2) cytokines enhance viral pathogenesis. These data, combined with recent understanding of how the immune system is modulated by pregnancy, may offer important clues as to the increased pathogenesis of variola in pregnant women. The aim of this review is to bring together the current literature on the effects of poxvirus infections in nonpregnant hosts, as well as the effects of pregnancy on the immune system, in order to develop unifying concepts that may provide insight into the pathogenesis of variola during pregnancy and why prior vaccination with vaccinia virus the live anti-variola vaccine offers less protection to pregnant women and their unborn children.

  16. So near, yet so far: access to safe abortion services remains elusive for poor women in India.

    PubMed

    Bhattacharya, Sudip; Bashar, Mohammad Abu; Singh, Amarjeet

    2017-10-13

    In this case study, we describe our experiences with a woman employed as a housemaid who sought unsafe abortion services from a private doctor. This was her sixth pregnancy, after previously giving birth to one son and two daughters and undergoing two induced abortions. Her husband remained opposed to the use of contraception. Initially, she had sought medical termination of pregnancy through a government hospital but was denied because of procedural delays, specifically the non-availability of an ultrasonography report consequent to a lack of proof of identity (ie, the AADHAAR card, a unique identification card for recording biometric and demographic data in India). She finally sought the services of an unqualified private physician and received oral abortifacient agents. Consequently, she was required to seek treatment for bleeding per vaginum from the dispensary staff at a government hospital. We note that many such incidents occur in our daily practice but remain unnoticed and undocumented. Although this patient was eligible for sterilisation (ie, tubectomy), her husband was uncooperative. This case illustrates the lack of decision-making power experienced by Indian women who have a low societal status. © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  17. Roussel-Uclaf to transfer RU 486 rights.

    PubMed

    1997-04-18

    On April 8, the German pharmaceutical firm Hoechst, under pressure from anti-abortion groups that were boycotting its new allergy medication, Allegra, announced the transfer of the patent rights for the abortifacient mifepristone (RU-486), from Roussel-Uclaf, its subsidiary, to Dr. Edouard Sakiz, a former executive who had been involved in the development of the drug. Dr. Sakiz has established a new company, Exelgyn, to market the drug, which, due to strict company guidelines, is currently available only in France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Residency requirements prevent women from traveling to these countries for treatment. Other countries desiring access to RU-486 must meet standards established by Dr. Sakiz: the government must make a formal request and provide a secure means of distribution and good follow-up care. A European manufacturer or distributor has not yet been found. In the United States, the Population Council, a nonprofit organization, has been licensed to manufacture and distribute the drug; it should be available to the general public by the end of this year. Anti-abortion groups continue to boycott all Hoechst products. The Allegra boycott was launched with an April 2 press conference; the groups, which include the National Right to Life Committee, bought full-page ads in "USA Today" and "The Washington Post."

  18. Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Diethyl Ether and n-Hexane Extract of Polyalthia suberosa Leaves

    PubMed Central

    Yasmen, Nelufar; Tajmim, Afsana; Akter, Mst. Irin; Hazra, Amit Kumar; Rahman, S. M. Mushiur

    2018-01-01

    In folk medicine, Polyalthia suberosa is used as abortifacient, laxative, febrifuge analgesic, filler of tooth cavities, and anti-HIV drug and for rheumatism and various skin infections. The present study was directed to evaluate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of diethyl ether and n-hexane extracts of Polyalthia suberosa leaves (PSDE and PSNH). A variety of tests including formalin-induced paw licking test, acetic acid induced writhing test, and tail immersion test were used to assess the analgesic activity. In addition, xylene-induced ear edema test was used to evaluate anti-inflammatory activity of PSDE and PSNH. PSDE and PSNH at 200 and 400 mg/kg doses expressed analgesic as well as anti-inflammatory activities in mice. In formalin-induced paw licking test, acetic acid induced writhing test, and xylene-induced ear edema test, the extracts exhibited significant inhibition (⁎P < 0.05 versus control) of pain and inflammation. Alternatively, in tail immersion test, PSDE 400 mg/kg showed significant (⁎P < 0.05 versus control) latency at 30 min but another tested sample had no significant latency. From this study, it could be shown that Polyalthia suberosa leaves may contain analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents which support its use in traditional medicine. PMID:29599807

  19. Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Diethyl Ether and n-Hexane Extract of Polyalthia suberosa Leaves.

    PubMed

    Yasmen, Nelufar; Aziz, Md Abdullah; Tajmim, Afsana; Akter, Mst Irin; Hazra, Amit Kumar; Rahman, S M Mushiur

    2018-01-01

    In folk medicine, Polyalthia suberosa is used as abortifacient, laxative, febrifuge analgesic, filler of tooth cavities, and anti-HIV drug and for rheumatism and various skin infections. The present study was directed to evaluate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of diethyl ether and n-hexane extracts of Polyalthia suberosa leaves (PSDE and PSNH). A variety of tests including formalin-induced paw licking test, acetic acid induced writhing test, and tail immersion test were used to assess the analgesic activity. In addition, xylene-induced ear edema test was used to evaluate anti-inflammatory activity of PSDE and PSNH. PSDE and PSNH at 200 and 400 mg/kg doses expressed analgesic as well as anti-inflammatory activities in mice. In formalin-induced paw licking test, acetic acid induced writhing test, and xylene-induced ear edema test, the extracts exhibited significant inhibition ( ⁎ P < 0.05 versus control) of pain and inflammation. Alternatively, in tail immersion test, PSDE 400 mg/kg showed significant ( ⁎ P < 0.05 versus control) latency at 30 min but another tested sample had no significant latency. From this study, it could be shown that Polyalthia suberosa leaves may contain analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents which support its use in traditional medicine.

  20. A Novel Highly Divergent Protein Family Identified from a Viviparous Insect by RNA-seq Analysis: A Potential Target for Tsetse Fly-Specific Abortifacients

    PubMed Central

    Benoit, Joshua B.; Attardo, Geoffrey M.; Michalkova, Veronika; Krause, Tyler B.; Bohova, Jana; Zhang, Qirui; Baumann, Aaron A.; Mireji, Paul O.; Takáč, Peter; Denlinger, David L.; Ribeiro, Jose M.; Aksoy, Serap

    2014-01-01

    In tsetse flies, nutrients for intrauterine larval development are synthesized by the modified accessory gland (milk gland) and provided in mother's milk during lactation. Interference with at least two milk proteins has been shown to extend larval development and reduce fecundity. The goal of this study was to perform a comprehensive characterization of tsetse milk proteins using lactation-specific transcriptome/milk proteome analyses and to define functional role(s) for the milk proteins during lactation. Differential analysis of RNA-seq data from lactating and dry (non-lactating) females revealed enrichment of transcripts coding for protein synthesis machinery, lipid metabolism and secretory proteins during lactation. Among the genes induced during lactation were those encoding the previously identified milk proteins (milk gland proteins 1–3, transferrin and acid sphingomyelinase 1) and seven new genes (mgp4–10). The genes encoding mgp2–10 are organized on a 40 kb syntenic block in the tsetse genome, have similar exon-intron arrangements, and share regions of amino acid sequence similarity. Expression of mgp2–10 is female-specific and high during milk secretion. While knockdown of a single mgp failed to reduce fecundity, simultaneous knockdown of multiple variants reduced milk protein levels and lowered fecundity. The genomic localization, gene structure similarities, and functional redundancy of MGP2–10 suggest that they constitute a novel highly divergent protein family. Our data indicates that MGP2–10 function both as the primary amino acid resource for the developing larva and in the maintenance of milk homeostasis, similar to the function of the mammalian casein family of milk proteins. This study underscores the dynamic nature of the lactation cycle and identifies a novel family of lactation-specific proteins, unique to Glossina sp., that are essential to larval development. The specificity of MGP2–10 to tsetse and their critical role during lactation suggests that these proteins may be an excellent target for tsetse-specific population control approaches. PMID:24763277

  1. A novel highly divergent protein family identified from a viviparous insect by RNA-seq analysis: a potential target for tsetse fly-specific abortifacients.

    PubMed

    Benoit, Joshua B; Attardo, Geoffrey M; Michalkova, Veronika; Krause, Tyler B; Bohova, Jana; Zhang, Qirui; Baumann, Aaron A; Mireji, Paul O; Takáč, Peter; Denlinger, David L; Ribeiro, Jose M; Aksoy, Serap

    2014-04-01

    In tsetse flies, nutrients for intrauterine larval development are synthesized by the modified accessory gland (milk gland) and provided in mother's milk during lactation. Interference with at least two milk proteins has been shown to extend larval development and reduce fecundity. The goal of this study was to perform a comprehensive characterization of tsetse milk proteins using lactation-specific transcriptome/milk proteome analyses and to define functional role(s) for the milk proteins during lactation. Differential analysis of RNA-seq data from lactating and dry (non-lactating) females revealed enrichment of transcripts coding for protein synthesis machinery, lipid metabolism and secretory proteins during lactation. Among the genes induced during lactation were those encoding the previously identified milk proteins (milk gland proteins 1-3, transferrin and acid sphingomyelinase 1) and seven new genes (mgp4-10). The genes encoding mgp2-10 are organized on a 40 kb syntenic block in the tsetse genome, have similar exon-intron arrangements, and share regions of amino acid sequence similarity. Expression of mgp2-10 is female-specific and high during milk secretion. While knockdown of a single mgp failed to reduce fecundity, simultaneous knockdown of multiple variants reduced milk protein levels and lowered fecundity. The genomic localization, gene structure similarities, and functional redundancy of MGP2-10 suggest that they constitute a novel highly divergent protein family. Our data indicates that MGP2-10 function both as the primary amino acid resource for the developing larva and in the maintenance of milk homeostasis, similar to the function of the mammalian casein family of milk proteins. This study underscores the dynamic nature of the lactation cycle and identifies a novel family of lactation-specific proteins, unique to Glossina sp., that are essential to larval development. The specificity of MGP2-10 to tsetse and their critical role during lactation suggests that these proteins may be an excellent target for tsetse-specific population control approaches.

  2. Listening and learning from women about mifepristone: implications for counseling and health education.

    PubMed

    Castle, M A; Harvey, S M; Beckman, L; Coeytaux, F; Garrity, J M

    1995-01-01

    The careful, reflective, and honest way in which the women in the study analyzed, questioned, and explored the benefits and disadvantages of a mifepristone abortion compared with vacuum aspiration yielded an extensive list of information needed by women to make informed choices as well as an understanding of the diverse social contexts in which choices are made. Needed information identified by this study included technical information about the drugs themselves and their mechanisms of action, roles and responsibilities of health personnel, and descriptions of other women's experiences with mifepristone. A multiplicity of factors entered the decision-making process, demonstrating at the same time a complexity and flexibility of thought. In their hypothetical evaluation of mifepristone, women weighed such factors as experience with childbirth, spontaneous abortion and vacuum aspiration, specific issues for teenagers, lack of a support system, experience with herbal emenagogues and nonprescription drugs intended as abortifacients, and the relative dependence on health care providers. Social, personal, and cultural factors entered into women's interpretation of the different options. These socio-cultural contexts can profoundly influence decisions and potentially affect clinical outcomes. If health care professionals are not proactive, do not fully provide answers to questions (even if unasked), and fail to probe for specific life circumstances, then poor choices and poor outcomes may follow with long term negative consequences for clients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

  3. Identification, occurrence and activity of quinazoline alkaloids in Peganum harmala.

    PubMed

    Herraiz, Tomás; Guillén, Hugo; Arán, Vicente J; Salgado, Antonio

    2017-05-01

    Peganum harmala L. is a medicinal plant from the Mediterranean region and Asia currently used for recreative psychoactive purposes (Ayahuasca analogue), and increasingly involved in toxic cases. Its psychopharmacological and toxicological properties are attributed to quinazoline and β-carboline alkaloids. In this work three major quinazoline alkaloids were isolated from P. harmala extracts and characterized as peganine (vasicine), deoxypeganine (deoxyvasicine) and a novel compound identified by HPLC-DAD-MS and NMR as peganine β-d-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (peganine glycoside). Peganine appeared in flowers and leaves in high levels; high amounts of deoxypeganine and peganine were found in immature and green fruits whereas peganine and peganine glycoside accumulated in high amount in dry seeds reaching up to 1 and 3.9% (w/w), respectively. Roots and stems contained low amount of quinazolines. Seeds extracts containing both quinazoline and β-carboline alkaloids potently inhibited human monoamine oxidase (MAO)-A. However, quinazoline alkaloids did not contribute to MAO inhibition that was due to β-carbolines, suggesting that MAO-related psychoactive or toxic actions do not arise from quinazolines. Quinazoline alkaloids were poor radical scavengers in the ABTS assay whereas seed extracts had good activity. Quinazoline alkaloids are known to exert bronchodilator and abortifacient actions, and could contribute to such effects reported in P. harmala. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Evaluation of early fetal loss induced by gavage with eastern tent caterpillars in pregnant mares.

    PubMed

    Bernard, William V; LeBlanc, Michelle M; Webb, Bruce A; Stromberg, Arnold J

    2004-09-01

    To determine whether gavage of pregnant mares (housed without access to pasture) with starved eastern tent caterpillars (ETCs) or their excreta is associated with early fetal loss (EFL), panophthalmitis, or pericarditis. Randomized clinical trial. 15 mares. 15 mares with fetuses from 40 to 80 days of gestation (dGa) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups and received 2.5 g of ETC excreta, 50 g of starved ETCs, or 500 mL of water, respectively, once daily for 10 days. Mares were housed in box stalls, walked twice daily, and not allowed access to pasture for 12 days before or during the 21-day trial. 4 of 5 mares gavaged with starved ETCs (group 2) aborted on trial days 8 (2 mares), 10, and 13. No control mares or mares that received excreta aborted. Differences between the ETC group and other groups were significant. Abortion occurred on 49, 64, 70, and 96 dGa. Allantoic fluids became hyperechoic the day before or the day of fetal death. Alpha streptococci were recovered from 1 fetus and Serratia marcescens from 3 fetuses. Neither panophthalmitis nor pericarditis was seen. The abortifacient component of the ETCs was not elucidated. These findings suggest that mares with fetuses from 40 to 120 days of gestation should not be exposed to ETCs because they may induce abortion.

  5. The state-of-the-art of emergency contraception with the cutting edge drug.

    PubMed

    Sarkar, Narendra Nath

    2011-01-01

    The objective of this study is to evaluate and elucidated the potential of selective progesterone receptor modulators (SPRMs) to be an effective emergency contraception (EC). The data are extracted from the literature through the MEDLINE database service from 2000-2010. The SPRMs are in fact progesterone receptor ligands that could bind to progesterone receptor (PR) and exert antagonistic, agonistic or mixed agonist-antagonistic effects. These SPRMs are mifepristone, onapristone, asoprisnil, ulipristal, proellex among other compounds. Currently developed SPRMs may exert contraceptive effects by inhibiting ovulation and retarding endometrial synchronization. Low-doses of progesterone antagonists retard endometrial maturation without affecting ovulation. Mifepristone being a SPRM is effective for prevention of pregnancy but with prostaglandin acts as an excellent abortifacient; yet could not compete with levonorgestrel as EC. However, a single dose of 30 mg ulipristal acetate, another SPRM with similar effectiveness and side effect profiles as 1.5 mg levonorgestrel EC, has shown wider 'window of effect' by inhibition of the LH peak even if administered at the advanced pre-ovulatory phase, a time when use of levonorgestrel EC is no longer effective. Thus, ulipristal acetate goes one-step ahead of levonorgestrel in the field of emergency contraception treatment. Further studies are needed to explore the potential of other SPRMs to be cutting edge emergency contraceptive drugs.

  6. Early pregnancy termination with intravaginally administered sodium chloride solution-moistened misoprostol tablets: historical comparison with mifepristone and oral misoprostol.

    PubMed

    Jain, J K; Meckstroth, K R; Mishell, D R

    1999-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the abortifacient effect of intravaginally administered moistened misoprostol tablets with that of the combination regimen of mifepristone and oral misoprostol. One hundred women at

  7. Critical role of LuxS in the virulence of Campylobacter jejuni in a guinea pig model of abortion.

    PubMed

    Plummer, Paul; Sahin, Orhan; Burrough, Eric; Sippy, Rachel; Mou, Kathy; Rabenold, Jessica; Yaeger, Mike; Zhang, Qijing

    2012-02-01

    Previous studies on Campylobacter jejuni have demonstrated the role of LuxS in motility, cytolethal distending toxin production, agglutination, and intestinal colonization; however, its direct involvement in virulence has not been reported. In this study, we demonstrate a direct role of luxS in the virulence of C. jejuni in two different animal hosts. The IA3902 strain, a highly virulent sheep abortion strain recently described by our laboratory, along with its isogenic luxS mutant and luxS complement strains, was inoculated by the oral route into both a pregnant guinea pig virulence model and a chicken colonization model. In both cases, the IA3902 luxS mutant demonstrated a complete loss of ability to colonize the intestinal tract. In the pregnant model, the mutant also failed to induce abortion, while the wild-type strain was highly abortifacient. Genetic complementation of the luxS gene fully restored the virulent phenotype in both models. Interestingly, when the organism was inoculated into guinea pigs by the intraperitoneal route, no difference in virulence (abortion induction) was observed between the luxS mutant and the wild-type strain, suggesting that the defect in virulence following oral inoculation is likely associated with a defect in colonization and/or translocation of the organism out of the intestine. These studies provide the first direct evidence that LuxS plays an important role in the virulence of C. jejuni using an in vivo model of natural disease.

  8. Usage patterns and attitudes towards emergency contraception: the International Emergency Contraception Research Initiative.

    PubMed

    Krassovics, Miklós; Virágh, Gabriella

    2016-08-01

    The aim of the survey was to gain understanding of women's usage patterns and attitudes towards emergency contraception (i.e., the 'morning after pill') and to gain insight into the role and attitudes of pharmacists as providers of emergency contraception. As part of the International Emergency Contraception Research Initiative, approximately 6500 women (15-49 years) and nearly 500 pharmacists from 14 countries in Western, Central and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia completed questionnaires via web-based interrogation or computer-assisted/paper-assisted personal interviews. Common to almost all countries and cultures was that, while awareness of emergency contraception was high (≥84% of respondents, except in Kazakhstan), usage was generally low (4-18%). In Austria, the Czech Republic, Spain, and the UK, better underlying protection with hormonal contraceptives or male condoms would have meant less need for emergency contraception. In Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania, and Russia, greater dependence on less reliable contraceptive methods such as calendar + withdrawal was associated with higher use of the emergency contraceptive pill (11-18%) but also with higher abortion rates (19-21%). Overt rejection of emergency contraception in the event of an accident was low, except in countries (e.g., Austria, Poland) where the misperception that it acts as an abortifacient was common. Except for Bulgaria, pharmacists elsewhere tended to have limited knowledge and moralistic attitudes towards emergency contraception. Improved educational efforts, probably country-specific, are required to increase the use of highly effective methods of regular contraception and overcome barriers to acceptance of emergency contraception as a suitable postcoital solution to avoid unwanted pregnancy or abortion.

  9. Cuscuta chinensis Lam.: A systematic review on ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of an important traditional herbal medicine.

    PubMed

    Donnapee, Sineeporn; Li, Jin; Yang, Xi; Ge, Ai-hua; Donkor, Paul Owusu; Gao, Xiu-mei; Chang, Yan-xu

    2014-11-18

    Cuscuta chinensis Lam. has found its use as a traditional medicine in China, Korea, Pakistan, Vietnam, India and Thailand. It is commonly used as an anti-aging agent, anti-inflammatory agent, pain reliever and aphrodisiac. To provide an overview of the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacokinetics, pharmacology and clinical applications of Cuscuta chinensis, as well as being an evidence base for further research works of the plant. The present review covers the literature available from 1985 to 2014. The information was collected from journals, books, theses and electronic search (Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, ESBCO, Springerlink and CNKI). Literature abstracts and full-text articles were analyzed and included in the review. Many phytochemicals have been isolated, identified and published to date, including: at least 18 flavonoids; 13 phenolic acids; 2 steroids; 1 hydroquinone; 10 volatile oils; 22 lignans; 9 polysaccharides; 2 resin glycosides; 16 fatty acids. These phytochemicals and plant extracts exhibit a range of pharmacological activities that include hepatoprotective, renoprotective, antiosteoporotic, antioxidant, anti-aging, antimutagenic, antidepressant, improve sexual function, abortifacient effects, etc. This present review offers primary information for further studies of Cuscuta chinensis. The in vitro studies and in vivo models have provided a bioscientific explanation for its various ethnopharmacological uses and pharmacological activities (most notably antioxidant effects) especially in the prevention of hepatic disease and renal failure. It is necessary and important to do more pharmacokinetic and toxicological research works on human subjects in order to inform the possible active compounds in the body and validate its safety in clinical uses. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. A randomized trial of hospital vs home self administration of vaginal misoprostol for medical abortion.

    PubMed

    Shrestha, A; Sedhai, L B

    2014-01-01

    A combination of mifepristone followed after 24 hrs by misoprostol has proved a safe and effective abortifacient for termination of early pregnancy. Home use of misoprostol for medical abortion is still controversial in many countries including ours where women's literacy rate is low. Particularly in developing countries, this method markedly decreased the hospital visit which would be beneficial to patients and hospital staff. To see whether the home self administration of vaginal misoprostol was equally effective as administered by trained staff in terms of successful termination of early pregnancy. Secondary outcomes were bleeding and pain duration during medical abortion, side effects, reason for termination of pregnancy and women's acceptability of the procedure. One hundred and eighty eight women requesting medical abortion with pregnancy less than 63 days gestation were randomized into two groups either self administration of vaginal misoprostol (800 mcg) at home or hospital administration 24 hours after oral 200 mg mifepristone. Ultrasound was performed after 14 days to confirm complete abortion. The overall success rate was similar in two groups: 89.13% on home group Vs 86.9% in hospital group. Eleven out of 18 women (61.1%) having incomplete abortion had successful termination after 2nd dose misoprostol( 400 mcg). None of the women had continued pregnancy. Multigravida had slightly higher risk of failure (R.R: 1.04). Home self administration of vaginal misoprostol was safe and effective for early termination of medical abortion and was acceptable. Use of extra dose of misoprostol has advantage of higher completion rate of abortion.

  11. Alkaloids from piper: a review of its phytochemistry and pharmacology.

    PubMed

    Gutierrez, Rosa Martha Perez; Gonzalez, Adriana Maria Neira; Hoyo-Vadillo, Carlos

    2013-02-01

    Piper has been used for long timelike condiment and food, but also in traditional medicine around of the world. This work resumes the available and up to date work done on members of the Piperaceae family and their uses for therapeutic purposes. Information on Piper genus was gathered via internet using scientific databases such as Scirus, Google Scholar, CAB-abstracts, MedlinePlus, Pubmed, SciFinder, Scopus and Web of Science. The largeleafed perennial plant Piper is used for its spicy aromatic scent and flavor. It has an important presence in the cuisine of different cultures. Another quality of these plants is their known medicinal properties. It has been used as emollient, antirheumatic, diuretic, stimulant, abortifacient, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and antidermatophytic. A survey of the literature shows that the genus Piper is mainly known for its alkaloids with cytotoxic, chemopreventive, antimetastatic and antitumor properties in several types of cancer. Studies of its alkaloids highlight the existence of various potential leads to develop new anti-cancer agents. Modern pharmacology studies have demonstrated that its crude extracts and active compounds possess wide pharmacological activities, especially asantioxidant, anti-depressive, hepatoprotective, antimicrobial, anti-obesity, neuropharmacological, to treat cognitive disorders, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-feedant, cardioactive, immuno-enhancing, and anti-inflamatory. All this evidence supporting its traditional uses. This review summarizes the up-to-date and comprehensive information concerning the botany, traditional use, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Piper together with its toxicology, and discusses the possible trend and scope for further research on Piper in the future.

  12. Pharmacy provision of sexual and reproductive health commodities to young people: a systematic literature review and synthesis of the evidence.

    PubMed

    Gonsalves, Lianne; Hindin, Michelle J

    2017-04-01

    We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature on youth access to, use of and quality of care of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) commodities through pharmacies. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, we searched for publications from 2000 to 2016. To be eligible for inclusion, articles had to address the experiences of young people (aged 25 years and below) accessing SRH commodities (e.g., contraception, abortifacients) via pharmacies. The heterogeneity of the studies precluded meta-analysis - instead, we conducted thematic analysis. A total of 2842 titles were screened, and 49 met the inclusion criteria. Most (n=43) were from high-income countries, and 33 examined emergency hormonal contraception provision. Seventeen focused on experiences of pharmacy personnel in provision, while 28 assessed client experiences. Pharmacy provision of SRH commodities was appealing to and utilized by youth. Increasing access to SRH commodities for youth did not correspond to increases in risky sexual behavior. Both pharmacists and youth had reservations about the ease of access and its impact on sexual behaviors. In settings where regulations allowing pharmacy access were established, some pharmacy personnel created barriers to access or refused access entirely. With training and support, pharmacy personnel can serve as critical SRH resources to young people. Further research is needed to better understand how to capitalize on the potential of pharmacy provision of SRH commodities to young people without sacrificing qualities which make pharmacies so appealing to young people in the first place. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Enzymatic, antimicrobial and toxicity studies of the aqueous extract of Ananas comosus (pineapple) crown leaf.

    PubMed

    Dutta, Sangita; Bhattacharyya, Debasish

    2013-11-25

    Various parts of the plant pineapple (Ananas comosus) are used in traditional medicine worldwide for treatment of a number of diseases and disorders. In folk medicine, pineapple leaf extract was used as an antimicrobial, vermicide, purgative, emmenagoogue, abortifacient, anti-oedema and anti-inflammatory agent. Compared to the fruit and stem extracts of pineapple, information about its leaf extract is limited. The potential of pineapple crown leaf extract as an ethno-medicine has been evaluated in terms of its enzymatic activities related to wound healing, antimicrobial property and toxicity. Major protein components of the extract were revealed by 2-D gel electrophoresis followed by MS/MS analysis. Zymography, DQ-gelatin assay were performed to demonstrate proteolytic, fibrinolytic, gelatinase and collagenase activities. DNase and RNase activities were revealed from agarose gel electrophoresis. Antimicrobial activity was evaluated spectrophotometrically from growth inhibition. Sprague-Dawley rat model was used to measure acute and sub-acute toxicity of the extract by analyzing blood markers. The extract contains several proteins that were clustered under native condition. Proteomic studies indicated presence of fruit bromelain as major protein constituent of the extract. It showed nonspecific protease activity, gelatinolytic, collagenase, fibrinolytic, acid and alkaline phosphatase, peroxidase, DNase and RNase activities along with considerable anti-microbial property. The leaf extract did not induce any toxicity in rats after oral administration of acute and sub-acute doses. Pineapple leaf extract is nontoxic, contains enzymes related to damage tissue repairing, wound healing and possibly prevents secondary infections from microbial organisms. © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Safety and efficacy of blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) during pregnancy and lactation.

    PubMed

    Dugoua, Jean-Jacques; Perri, Daniel; Seely, Dugald; Mills, Edward; Koren, Gideon

    2008-01-01

    There is a lack of basic knowledge on the part of both clinicians and patients as to the indications for use and safety of herbal medicines in pregnancy and lactation. This is one article in a series that systematically reviews the evidence for commonly used herbs during pregnancy and lactation. To systematically review the literature for evidence on the use, safety and pharmacology of blue cohosh, focusing on issues pertaining to pregnancy and lactation. We searched 7 electronic databases and compiled data according to the grade of evidence found. According to a survey of midwives in the United States, approximately 64% of midwives reported using blue cohosh as a labour-inducing aid. There are three case reports in the scientific literature that blue cohosh taken at the time of delivery may cause; 1) perinatal stroke, 2) acute myocardial infarction, profound congestive heart failure and shock and 3) severe multi-organ hypoxic injury. There is one case report that blue cohosh possesses abortifacient properties. There is in vitro evidence that blue cohosh may have teratogenic, embryotoxic and oxytoxic effects. In lactation, the safety of blue cohosh is unknown. Based on the available scientific information, blue cohosh should; 1) be used with extreme caution during pregnancy, 2) be used only under medical professional supervision and 3) not be available to the public as an over-the-counter product. There is an urgent need to conduct a retrospective or prospective cohort study of midwifes using blue cohosh in order to determine its safety. Key words: Blue cohosh, caulophyllum thalictroides, pregnancy, lactation, breastfeeding, systematic review.

  15. Phytochemical screening of Artemisia arborescens L. by means of advanced chromatographic techniques for identification of health-promoting compounds.

    PubMed

    Costa, Rosaria; Ragusa, Salvatore; Russo, Marina; Certo, Giovanna; Franchina, Flavio A; Zanotto, Antonio; Grasso, Elisa; Mondello, Luigi; Germanò, Maria Paola

    2016-01-05

    Artemisia arborescens, also known as tree wormwood, is a typical species of the Mediterranean flora. It has been used in folk medicine for its antispasmodic, anti-pyretic, anti-inflammatory, and abortifacient properties. In the current study, the application of multidimensional comprehensive gas chromatography (GC×GC), allowed to obtain a detailed fingerprint of the essential oil from A. arborescens aerial parts, highlighting an abundant presence of chamazulene followed by camphor, β-thujone, myrcene, and α-pinene. Moreover, flavonoids in the dichloromethane extract were analyzed by means of liquid chromatography with photodiode array and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry detections (HPLC-PDA and HPLC-APCI-MS). Six polymethoxyflavones were identified and three of them, including chrysosplenetin, eupatin, and cirsilineol, were described in this species for the first time. The anti-angiogenic activity was investigated in the dichloromethane extract by two in vivo models, chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and zebrafish embryos. Results showed that this extract produced a strong reduction on vessel formation, both on zebrafish (57% of inhibition, 0.1 mg/mL) and chick chorioallantoic membrane (58% of inhibition, 0.8 mg/mL). The high separation power and sensitivity of the analytical methodology applied confirmed the safety of A. arborescens essential oil for human consumption, due to the very low level of the psychotrope α-thujone determined. Moreover, the knowledge of the flavonoidic profile holds a great significance for the use of A. arborescens as a valuable source of anti-angiogenic compounds that might contribute to the valorization of the phytotherapeutic potential of this plant. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Round table on RU486.

    PubMed

    Shallat, L

    1993-01-01

    As a non-invasive means of early abortion, RU-486 has the potential to increase women's reproductive options; at the same time, the "abortion pill" has stimulated debate about the ethics and safety of new medical technologies. When combined with a prostaglandin (PG), the success rate for RU-486 is 96% for pregnancies of up to 9 weeks' gestation. In France, over 120,000 women have used RU-486/PG to terminate pregnancy, and this regimen is now used in about 25% of abortions. Clinical trials of RU-486 are underway in Cuba, China, India, Singapore, and Zambia. The Program for Appropriate Technology has identified four considerations for introducing RU-486 to developing countries: whether abortion or menstrual regulation is legal; whether women find the method acceptable and can comply with the multiple visit treatment regimen; whether the health infrastructure can support safe method use, including prevention of misuse and provision of appropriate medical backup personnel and facilities; and whether the cost of the regimen is affordable to individuals and/or programs --conditions unlikely to be met in most such countries. Ideal would be development of a medical abortifacient that is single dose and the lowest possible dose of each drug, provokes miscarriage within a more predictable time frame with less acute and prolonged bleeding, is safe and effective beyond two months, has minimal side effects, and maximizes short-term safety and minimizes long-term effects. Technological advances are being undermined, however, by political and religious attacks on the method. Even some feminists have expressed concerns about potential long-term effects of RU-486 use.

  17. Evaluation of the implantation site morphology in spontaneous abortion.

    PubMed

    Manolea, Maria Magdalena; Dijmărescu, Anda Lorena; Popescu, Florina Carmen; Novac, Marius Bogdan; DiŢescu, Damian

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was the characterization of the implantation site through histological and immunohistochemical exams and the evaluation of the changes that appear in the pregnancies ended by spontaneous abortion compared to normal pregnancies ended by requested abortion. One hundred eight patients were divided in two groups: the study group that included 58 patients with spontaneous abortion and the control group that included 50 patients with requested abortion. There has been made uterine curettage in all the cases after a complete preoperative evaluation and the obtained product was sent for histopathological evaluation and immunohistochemical study using a VEGF antibody. Studying the histological sections, we noticed the vasculogenesis stages chronology and then according to the histological aspects of normal pregnancy we noticed the histological changes that occurred at the site of implantation in the cases with pathological pregnancies ended by miscarriage. Our results from this study seem to indicate a correlation between decidual vascular changes and the appearance of miscarriage. In pregnancies ended by miscarriage, we found delays in the trophoblast development according to the gestational age at which the event abortifacient happened. The study emphases the temporal differentiation of utero-placental angiogenesis comparing to villous vasculogenesis and angiogenesis in the first trimester miscarriage and normal pregnancy. At the control group, VEGF expression was positive in 88% of cases, while in the study group, pregnancies ended by spontaneous abortion, positive expression of VEGF was present in only 31% of cases. Our data suggest vascular disorders and are in concordance with other histological and ultrasound studies postulating the idea of a link between miscarriage and placental vascular bed pattern changes.

  18. Prepare now to counsel patients on RU486. Women speak about the abortion pill.

    PubMed

    1995-04-01

    The advantages of RU-486 to most women who are educated about it are obvious, but the experience can be both empowering and traumatic because they are essentially performing the abortion on themselves. A research organization in Los Angeles initiated eight focus groups with 73 sexually active women ages 18-34 in Los Angeles, Portland, and New York City to find out about the acceptability of this new abortifacient. 63% of the participants had heard about it but were not quite sure about what it was. After the counseling sessions they were given the option of choosing a method of abortion. 38% chose RU-486 (mainly to avoid surgery and anesthesia), 34% chose vacuum aspiration, and 26% remained undecided. Some providers of family planning predict that RU-486 would be preferred because of the avoidance of surgical abortion and the comfort of doing the procedure in their own homes. At an abortion clinic in Paris, France, only a few women would not choose RU-486 because of the emotional impact of seeing the expelled conceptus. Others were relieved to realize that the expelled embryo was only a mass of cells not a baby. Seeing the expelled embryo could, in fact, prevent pregnancies in the future, because surgical abortions, in which tissues taken are not seen, are often easier to forget. More information will be forthcoming about this procedure from a US study initiated by the Population Council at 12 sites involving 2100 women. The trials will be finished by mid-1995 and approval of the Food and Drug Administration will be expected in time for marketing in 1996.

  19. "Right tool," wrong "job": Manual vacuum aspiration, post-abortion care and transnational population politics in Senegal.

    PubMed

    Suh, Siri

    2015-06-01

    The "rightness" of a technology for completing a particular task is negotiated by medical professionals, patients, state institutions, manufacturing companies, and non-governmental organizations. This paper shows how certain technologies may challenge the meaning of the "job" they are designed to accomplish. Manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) is a syringe device for uterine evacuation that can be used to treat complications of incomplete abortion, known as post-abortion care (PAC), or to terminate pregnancy. I explore how negotiations over the rightness of MVA as well as PAC unfold at the intersection of national and global reproductive politics during the daily treatment of abortion complications at three hospitals in Senegal, where PAC is permitted but induced abortion is legally prohibited. Although state health authorities have championed MVA as the "preferred" PAC technology, the primary donor for PAC, the United States Agency for International Development, does not support the purchase of abortifacient technologies. I conducted an ethnography of Senegal's PAC program between 2010 and 2011. Data collection methods included interviews with 49 health professionals, observation of PAC treatment and review of abortion records at three hospitals, and a review of transnational literature on MVA and PAC. While MVA was the most frequently employed form of uterine evacuation in hospitals, concerns about off-label MVA practices contributed to the persistence of less effective methods such as dilation and curettage (D&C) and digital curettage. Anxieties about MVA's capacity to induce abortion have constrained its integration into routine obstetric care. This capacity also raises questions about what the "job," PAC, represents in Senegalese hospitals. The prioritization of MVA's security over women's access to the preferred technology reinforces gendered inequalities in health care. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Evaluation of vaccine candidate potential of deltaaroA, deltahtrA and deltaaroAdeltahtrA mutants of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Abortusequi in guinea pigs.

    PubMed

    Singh, Bhoj Raj; Chandra, Mudit; Hansda, Dhananjoy; Alam, Javed; Babu, Narayanan; Siddiqui, Mehtab Z; Agrawal, Ravi K; Sharma, Gautam

    2013-04-01

    Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Abortusequi (S. Abortusequi), a host adapted Salmonella causes abortions, still births and foal mortality in equids. Though known since more than 100 years, it is still a problem in many of the developing countries including India. There is dearth of really good vaccine affording immunity lasting at least for one full gestation. In search of a potential vaccine candidate, three defined deletion mutants (deltaaroA, deltahtrA and deltaaroAdeltahtrA) of S. Abortusequi were tested in guinea pig model for attenuation, safety, immunogenicity, humoral immune response, protective efficacy and persistence in host. The deltahtrA and deltaaroAdeltahtrA mutants were found to be safe on oral inoculation in doses as high as 4.2 x 10(9) cfu/animal. Also through subcutaneous inoculation deltaaroAdeltahtrA mutant did not induce any abortion in pregnant guinea pigs. All the three mutants did not induce any illness or death in 1-2 week-old baby guinea pigs except deltahtrA mutant which caused mortality on intraperitoneal inoculation. Inoculation with mutants protected against challenge and increased breeding efficiency of guinea pigs. After >4.5 months of mutant inoculation, guinea pigs were protected against abortifacient dose of wild type S. Abortusequi and mother guinea pigs also conferred resistance to their babies to the similar challenge. Early humoral immune response of S. Abortusequi mutants was characteristic. Faecal excretion of deltaaroA and htrA mutants was detected up to 45 days of inoculation in guinea pigs while deltaaroAdeltahtrA mutant could not be detected after 21 days of inoculation. The results indicated that the double deletion mutant (deltaaroAdeltahtrA) was the most effective and safe candidate for vaccination against S. Abortusequi through mucosal route of inoculation.

  1. [About da tai - abortion in old Chinese folk medicine handwritten manuscripts].

    PubMed

    Zheng, Jinsheng

    2013-01-01

    Of 881 Chinese handwritten volumes with medical texts of the 17th through mid-20th century held by Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin and Ethnologisches Museum Berlin-Dahlem, 48 volumes include prescriptions for induced abortion. A comparison shows that these records are significantly different from references to abortion in Chinese printed medical texts of pre-modern times. For example, the percentage of recipes recommended for artificial abortions in handwritten texts is significantly higher than those in printed medical books. Authors of handwritten texts used 25 terms to designate artificial abortion, with the term da tai [see text], lit.: "to strike the fetus", occurring most frequently. Its meaning is well defined, in contrast to other terms used, such as duo tai [see text], lit: "to make a fetus fall", xia tai [see text], lit. "to bring a fetus down", und duan chan [see text], lit., to interrupt birthing", which is mostly used to indicate a temporary or permanent sterilization. Pre-modern Chinese medicine has not generally abstained from inducing abortions; physicians showed a differentiating attitude. While abortions were descibed as "things a [physician with an attitude of] humaneness will not do", in case a pregnancy was seen as too risky for a woman she was offered medication to terminate this pregnancy. The commercial application of abortifacients has been recorded in China since ancient times. A request for such services has continued over time for various reasons, including so-called illegitimate pregnancies, and those by nuns, widows and prostitutes. In general, recipes to induce abortions documented in printed medical literature have mild effects and are to be ingested orally. In comparison, those recommended in handwritten texts are rather toxic. Possibly to minimize the negative side-effects of such medication, practitioners of folk medicine developed mechanical devices to perform "external", i.e., vaginal approaches.

  2. Mifepristone (RU 486) in the United States. What does the future hold?

    PubMed

    Rosenfield, A

    1993-05-27

    RU-486 or mifepristone developed by Roussel-UCLAF was approved in France in September 1988. Mifepristone coupled with a prostaglandin and administered within 49 days of the last menstrual period produces a complete abortion in about 95% of cases. A new regimen involves supplementing mifepristone with an oral prostaglandin, misoprostol. Mifepristone has been also reported to be effective as a postcoital agent, and it is being evaluated in the treatment of meningioma, recurrent breast cancer, Cushing's syndrome, and glaucoma. Despite these potentially important medical uses, the drug is not available in the US, although its popularity is demonstrated by the large number of women in France who have chosen it over 1st trimester surgical curettage. Many American women prefer a medical abortifacient to be taken privately because of harassment of patients outside abortion facilities; 83% of US countries do not have an abortion facility; a diminishing number of physicians are willing to provide abortion because of the violent protests by antiabortion groups (e.g., the recent murder of Dr. David Gunn); and few residency programs in obstetrics and gynecology routinely offer training in abortion procedures. The manufacturer has restricted the distribution of mifepristone, thus it is available only in France, the UK, and Sweden. The Clinton administration has a pro-choice position, hence Roussel had agreed to grant a license to the Population Council and to provide the Food and Drug Administration with toxicologic and chemical data on mifepristone. Approval will likely take place within 2-3 years. The drug should be used by obstetrician-gynecologists and perhaps by family practitioners and nurse-midwives. Physicians should provide counseling about the side effects and potential complications of abortion. Misoprostol is marketed in the US under the trade name Cytotec, thus its review for use with mifepristone should be simple.

  3. Tiff over anti-tetanus vaccine now erupted into battle. International / Philippines.

    PubMed

    1995-07-24

    Anti-abortionists in the Philippines have generated widespread fears in the country that tetanus toxoid used in the anti-tetanus vaccine campaign contains trace amounts of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) to induce abortion. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes that this widespread, unfounded fear has already resulted in a 45% drop in tetanus toxoid coverage during national immunization days in 1995 compared to 1994. Since up to 5 million women were not immunized in 1995, 300-400 more babies will contract tetanus and die in the year to come. Pro-life Philippines is ostensibly the creator and supporter of these newly-generated fears about tetanus toxoid. The mass hysteria is, however, most likely part of a church-led campaign against the government's population policies and the popularity of former Health Secretary Juan Flavier. Millions of Filipino women have for years received anti-tetanus vaccines to prevent tetanus in both mothers and their newborn children. Tetanus remains a problem for newborns in the Philippines where local midwives often use unsanitary knives to sever the umbilical cord at birth. Since the immunization drive was stepped up in 1990, the number of babies affected by tetanus has fallen from more than 25 per day in the mid-1980s to four currently. The vaccine currently supplied by UNICEF has been used for more than 50 years in many countries and is one of the basics in immunization. The Department of Health notes no unusual increase in abortions since 1990, the year the anti-tetanus drive was accelerated. Prior to 1990, anti-tetanus vaccination had been going on in the Philippines since 1983. Even WHO assurances that tetanus toxoid contains no abortifacients have failed to allay public fear. It is unfortunate that the people and groups behind this misinformation campaign have done so much damage to a decidedly beneficial and needed health program.

  4. “Right tool,” wrong “job”: Manual vacuum aspiration, post-abortion care and transnational population politics in Senegal

    PubMed Central

    Suh, Siri

    2015-01-01

    The “rightness” of a technology for completing a particular task is negotiated by medical professionals, patients, state institutions, manufacturing companies, and non-governmental organizations. This paper shows how certain technologies may challenge the meaning of the “job” they are designed to accomplish. Manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) is a syringe device for uterine evacuation that can be used to treat complications of incomplete abortion, known as post-abortion care (PAC), or to terminate pregnancy. I explore how negotiations over the rightness of MVA as well as PAC unfold at the intersection of national and global reproductive politics during the daily treatment of abortion complications at three hospitals in Senegal, where PAC is permitted but induced abortion is legally prohibited. Although state health authorities have championed MVA as the “preferred” PAC technology, the primary donor for PAC, the United States Agency for International Development, does not support the purchase of abortifacient technologies. I conducted an ethnography of Senegal's PAC program between 2010 and 2011. Data collection methods included interviews with 49 health professionals, observation of PAC treatment and review of abortion records at three hospitals, and a review of transnational literature on MVA and PAC. While MVA was the most frequently employed form of uterine evacuation in hospitals, concerns about off-label MVA practices contributed to the persistence of less effective methods such as dilation and curettage (D&C) and digital curettage. Anxieties about MVA's capacity to induce abortion have constrained its integration into routine obstetric care. This capacity also raises questions about what the “job,” PAC, represents in Senegalese hospitals. The prioritization of MVA's security over women's access to the preferred technology reinforces gendered inequalities in health care. PMID:25948127

  5. Investigation of infectious reproductive pathogens of large ruminants: Are neosporosis, brucellosis, leptospirosis and BVDV of relevance in Lao PDR?

    PubMed

    Olmo, L; Dye, M T; Reichel, M P; Young, J R; Nampanya, S; Khounsy, S; Thomson, P C; Windsor, P A; Bush, R D

    2018-01-01

    N. caninum, bovine viral diarrhoea virus, Brucella abortus and Leptospira interrogans serovar Hardjo are globally significant reproductive pathogens that cause abortion and reproductive loss in large ruminants. Prevalence information is lacking in Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos) despite the poor reproductive performance of cattle and buffalo. Serological examination of frozen cattle (n=90) and buffalo (n=61) sera by commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays provided the first reported screening of some of these pathogens in Laos. Seroprevalence differed amongst these large ruminant species, with N. caninum, BVDV and L. interrogans serovar Hardjo antibodies found in 68.9% (95% CI±11.6), 4.9% (95% CI±5.4) and 3.3% (95% CI±4.5) of buffalo sera, respectively, and in 7.8% (95% CI±5.5), 10.0% (95% CI±6.2) and 22.2% (95% CI±8.6) of cattle sera, respectively. Buffalo sera had a significantly higher seroprevalence of N. caninum compared to cattle (p<0.001) and cattle sera had a significantly higher seroprevalence of L. interrogans serovar Hardjo compared to buffalo (p=0.003). Variability was also observed across provinces for N. caninum in buffalo (p=0.007) and for L. interrogans serovar Hardjo in cattle (p=0.071), suggesting provincial risk factors conducive to pathogen transmission. BVDV and N. caninum seropositivity were negatively associated in buffalo (p=0.018) and cattle (p=0.003). In buffalo, L. interrogans serovar Hardjo and BVDV seropositivity were associated (p=0.035, p=0.039). The identification of antibodies against three major abortifacient pathogens in Laos prompts further research to determine if infection is associated with low reproductive efficiency and the risk factors for infection. This is needed for the development of evidence based prevention strategies for improved large ruminant reproductive management among smallholders in Laos. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Knowledge and provision of misoprostol among pharmacy workers in Senegal: a cross sectional study.

    PubMed

    Reiss, Kate; Footman, Katharine; Burke, Eva; Diop, Nafissatou; Ndao, Ramatoulaye; Mane, Babacar; van Min, Maaike; Ngo, Thoai D

    2017-07-03

    Making misoprostol widely available for management of postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) and post abortion care (PAC) is essential for reducing maternal mortality. Private pharmacies (thereafter called "pharmacies") are integral in supplying medications to the general public in Senegal. In the case of misoprostol, pharmacies are also the main supplier to public providers and therefore have a key role in increasing its availability. This study seeks to understand knowledge and provision of misoprostol among pharmacy workers in Dakar, Senegal. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Dakar, Senegal. 110 pharmacy workers were interviewed face-to-face to collect information on their knowledge and practice relating to the provision of misoprostol. There are low levels of knowledge about misoprostol uses, registration status, treatment regimens and side effects among pharmacy workers, and corresponding low levels of training on its uses for reproductive health. Provision of misoprostol was low; of the 72% (n = 79) of pharmacy workers who had heard of the product, 35% (n = 27) reported selling it, though rarely for reproductive health indications. Almost half (49%, n = 25) of the respondents who did not sell misoprostol expressed willingness to do so. The main reasons pharmacy workers gave for not selling the product included stock outs (due to product unavailability from the supplier), perceived lack of demand and unwillingness to stock an abortifacient. Knowledge and availability of misoprostol in pharmacies in Senegal is low, posing potential challenges for delivery of post-abortion care and obstetric care. Training is required to address low levels of knowledge of misoprostol registration and uses among pharmacy workers. Barriers that prevent pharmacy workers from stocking misoprostol, including weaknesses in the supply chain and stigmatisation of the product must be addressed. Low reported sales for reproductive health indications also suggest limited prescribing of

  7. Benten v. Kessler: the RU 486 import case.

    PubMed

    Pine, R N

    1992-01-01

    On July 1, 1992, the case of Benten v. Kessler was filed in the US District Court in New York. The case arose out of an attempt by abortion rights activist Lawrence Lader to call public attention to the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) ban on importation of the abortifacient drug mifepristone known as RU-486. The ban expresses the anti abortion stance of the Reagan and Bush administrations and creates a hostile climate for the development of new drugs related to reproductive health and reproductive choice. Plaintiffs in the Benten case sought public accountability by the FDA for its adoption of a ban of a safe and effective drug for unwanted pregnancy. Although the case did not succeed in retrieving the confiscated RU-486 pills for Leona Benten, in its opinion issued on July 14, 1992, the New York district court judge concluded that the import ban did not appear to be based on concern with the safety or effectiveness of RU-486, describing the FDA's process of adopting the import ban as a sink of illegality. On July 17, 1992, 7 Justices of the Supreme Court, with justices Blackmun and Stevens dissenting, joined in a per curiam opinion denying the application and foreclosing further personal relief for Leona Benten. This was the best result possible short of an all out victory for Leona Benten. The Court ruled against plaintiffs in their argument that notice and comment were required, but left entirely open plaintiffs' claims that the import ban is arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act and that the ban is unconstitutional in that it unduly burdens the right to terminate pregnancy. This backdrop creates a healthy skepticism about the prospects for the introduction of RU-486 into the US in the near future as well as about the fairness of government processes in areas of concern to women. Public health considerations, not politics, should determine access to health care.

  8. Purification, characterization and molecular cloning of trichoanguin, a novel type I ribosome-inactivating protein from the seeds of Trichosanthes anguina.

    PubMed Central

    Chow, L P; Chou, M H; Ho, C Y; Chuang, C C; Pan, F M; Wu, S H; Lin, J Y

    1999-01-01

    The seeds of the plant Trichosanthes anguina contain a type I ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP), designated trichoanguin, which was purified to apparent homogeneity by the combined use of ion-exchange chromatographies, i.e. first with DE-52 cellulose and then with CM-52 cellulose. The protein was found to be a glycoprotein with a molecular mass of 35 kDa and a pI of 9.1. It strongly inhibits the protein synthesis of rabbit reticulocyte lysate, with an IC50 of 0.08 nM, but only weakly that of HeLa cells, with an IC50 of 6 microM. Trichoanguin cleaves at the A4324 site of rat 28 S rRNA by its N-glycosidase activity. The cDNA of trichoanguin consists of 1039 nt and encodes an open reading frame coding for a polypeptide of 294 amino acid residues. The first 19 residues of this polypeptide encode a signal peptide sequence and the last 30 residues comprise an extension at its C-terminus. There are four potential glycosylation sites, located at Asn-51, Asn-65, Asn-201 and Asn-226. A comparison of the amino acid sequence of trichoanguin with those of RIPs such as trichosanthin, alpha-momorcharin, ricin A-chain and abrin A-chain reveals 55%, 48%, 36% and 34% identity respectively. Molecular homology modelling of trichoanguin indicates that its tertiary structure closely resembles those of trichosanthin and alpha-momorcharin. The large structural similarities might account for their common biological effects such as an abortifacient, an anti-tumour agent and anti-HIV-1 activities. Trichoanguin contains two cysteine residues, Cys-32 and Cys-155, with the former being likely to be located on the protein surface, which is directly amenable for conjugation with antibodies to form immunoconjugates. It is therefore conceivable that trichoanguin might be a better type I RIP than any other so far examined for the preparation of immunotoxins, with a great potential for application as an effective chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of cancer. PMID:9931318

  9. [Determinants of induced abortion among poor women admitted to hospitals in a locality of northeastern Brazil].

    PubMed

    Fonseca, W; Misago, C; Correia, L L; Parente, J A; Oliveira, F C

    1996-02-01

    In Brazil, abortion is legally allowed only when it is necessary to save a woman's life or when pregnancy has occurred following rape. Despite this law, induced abortion is widely carried out. This study presents the findings as to the determinants of 2,084 abortions admitted to two major obstetric hospitals in Fortaleza, Brazil, between October 1992 and September 1993. Most of these women (2,074) have admitted an attempt to terminate pregnancy and 10 women were classified as induced abortion cases based on the findings of signs of intervention such as cervical laceration, perforation or foreign bodies in the vagina or uterus. The study findings indicate that self-administration of medicines plays an important role in terminating pregnancy. Among the 2,074 women who admitted to terminating the pregnancy 66% reported using misoprostol to induce abortion. Misoprostol, a prostaglandin E1 analogue indicated for ulcer treatment, has been widely used as an abortifacient by women in Brazil. Misoprostol has some uterine effects but it is not effective in inducing abortion. Among women who were hospitalized for complications resulting from abortion about 59.7% were 20 to 29 years old and 22.6% were aged less than 20. The majority of the women (91.6%) were Catholic and only 4.3% were illiterate. About 62% of the abortion cases lived alone or did not have a stable partner. Most of the women (59.2%) reported less than 2 live births and 11.8% had experienced a previous abortion; 61.1% of the women were not using a contraceptive method at the time of conception. The main reasons for this were "fear of side effects", "did not expect to have sexual intercourse" and "did not expect to get pregnant". The authors suggest that the situation of a high rate of self-inflicted abortion may be changed by the application of an appropriate contraceptive and reproductive health programme.

  10. [Prostaglandins in gynecology and obstetrics].

    PubMed

    Klausch, B; Kyank, H

    1972-06-03

    A review of early research (up through 1970) on prostaglandins (PGs) is presented. Their chemical structure and classification based on their ring-structure is detailed as well as various analytic methods of mammalian tissues and body fluids. For clinical use PGE1 and 2, PGF2alpha and PGA1 are the most significant ones because of their properties. PGs have many physiological activities encompassing many organ systems. Their pharmacological actions include: 1) stimulation of nonvascular smooth muscle; 2) peripheral vasodilation (excluding PGFs which cause vasoconstriction); 3) inhibition of lipolysis; 4) inhibition of platelet aggregation; 5) inhibition of gastric peristalsis and gastric juice secretion; 6) bronchodilation; and 7) inhibition of spontaneous CNS activity. The level of PGEs in semen is closely related to the degree of fertility; normally fertile men have 55 mcg PGE/ml and never less than 11 mcg/ml. Current studies are under way on the effect of PGE in artificial insemination of sperm of subfertile men. PGF2alpha and PGE2 stimulate menstruation and uterine contraction; other PGs inhibit uterine contraction. PGs from semen have a role in sperm transport and possibly act on fallopian tube motility aiding sperm capacitation, and ovum retention and transport. Early trials with PGs point to a possible action as an abortifacient, as a once-a-month contraceptive, or a postconception contraceptive agent. PGF2alpha is found in variable concentrations in maternal blood during contraction of the pregnant uterus; levels increase as labor progresses. PGs have been used for labor induction, for induction of abortion and in mole pregnancy. Given as a constant intravenous infusion they produce regular contractions leading to natural expulsion of the fetus and causing very few side effects in the woman with no adverse effects on the fetus. PGs' action compares favorably with that of oxytocin and is preferable for labor induction in certain pregnancy complications. PGE1

  11. Nonsteroidal, antiinflammatory drug-induced gastrointestinal injuries and related adverse reactions: epidemiology, pathogenesis and management.

    PubMed

    Al Mofleh, Ibrahim A; Al Rashed, Rashed S

    2007-01-01

    A large proportion of the population all over the world consumes acetylsalicylic acid (ASA: aspirin) or other nonsteroidal, antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). This is associated with a considerable morbidity and mortality. Elderly patients, patients with prior history of peptic ulcer disease (PUD) or its complications, those who require high doses of NSAIDs and those undergoing concomitant therapy with corticosteroids or anticoagulants, are at particularly high risk of developing gastroduodenal injuries and related adverse reactions. Gastroduodenal mucosal injuries induced by NSAIDs vary from subtle microscopic to gross macroscopic changes including ulcers. These injuries are induced by both topical and systemic actions of NSAIDs. Inhibition of gastroduodenal cyclooxygenase (COX) enzyme by NSAIDs is considered to be a major pathogenetic factor. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) appear also to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of mucosal injury. Withdrawal of NSAIDs is preferably the first therapeutic option; however, it is not feasible in the majority of patients. Therefore, several drugs including antisecretory drugs (ASDs-proton pump inhibitors and Histamine-2 receptor antagonists) and misoprostol, a prostaglandin analog are used for the prevention and treatment of NSAID-induced gastroduodenal injuries. Among ASDs, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the most commonly used drugs. The antiulcerogenic effect of PPIs is similar to that of misoprostol and superior to standard doses of histamine-2 receptor antagonists (H2-RAs). The adverse effects of m, isoprostol such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, flatulence, headache, dyspepsia, vomiting, constipation, abortifacient and teratogenicity limit its general use. Aside from their antisecretory action, PPIs also possess an antioxidative effect. PPI maintenance is recommended in chronic NSAID treatment in those with an increased risk of complications and is more effective than Helicobacter pylori eradication. Low

  12. [Emergency contraception in Latin America and the Caribbean].

    PubMed

    Martin, Antonieta

    2004-12-01

    Introducing the post-coital birth control method in the family-planning services of Latin American countries has not been an easy task. Catholic and other conservative groups with great influence in the political arena have time and again stopped it from being adopted as an alternative method and have even succeeded in having it removed from official directives after formal acceptance by health authorities. The main objections are triggered by the erroneous supposition that "emergency contraception" pills are abortifacients. However, a large dose of cultural discrimination against women seems also to be involved. It has been extremely difficult to register dedicated products and make them available in drug-stores and even more difficult to distribute them without charge at public health centers. They are hard to find, expensive, and unavailable to adolescents at risk for unwanted pregnancies and to most low-income women, especially in rural areas. Dissemination of appropriate information has been scarce and slow and there are still great numbers of people that do not understand how or why the method works. Brazil has been the only exception, as its open society has readily accepted this method of contraception. The Latin American Consortium on Emergency Contraception founded in the year 2000 and its regional conference two years later had an important impact on the situation, as they encouraged the coordination of efforts by governmental and nongovernmental entities with those of women's groups to fight for sexual and reproductive rights. A number of studies have shown that the more people learn about emergency contraception, the more they find it acceptable and necessary, and radio spots and other media techniques have begun to educate the public about this matter. In spite of the many difficulties encountered, in the last few years several countries have made strides to include this method in their public health guidelines. However, because of the powerful forces

  13. Letrozole pretreatment prior to medical termination of pregnancy: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Nash, Christopher M; Philp, Lauren; Shah, Prakesh; Murphy, Kellie E

    2018-06-01

    The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the efficacy of pretreatment with letrozole prior to either a first- or second-trimester medical termination of pregnancy. We searched letrozole, femara, aromatase inhibitors, abortifacient agents, termination of pregnancy and labor induction in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Database, Google Scholar and PubMed from inception of each database until September 2015 with no language limitation. A systematic review of all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed where women received either letrozole and misoprostol or placebo and misoprostol for termination of pregnancy. The primary outcome was complete abortion rate, defined as complete evacuation of the products of conception from the uterus. Relative risk with 95% confidence intervals was used to report data. Our systematic review identified 7 studies; 4 RCTs were included in the review. Two RCTs evaluated terminations of pregnancy up to 9 weeks' gestation, while 2 evaluated terminations over 9 weeks' gestation. For each gestational age group, one trial supported an increase in complete abortion rate, while the other showed no difference, with letrozole and misoprostol compared with placebo and misoprostol. Time-to-abortion interval for terminations up to 9 weeks' gestation was not improved with the addition of letrozole to misoprostol. For terminations over 9 weeks' gestation, one trial supported and one trial refuted a decrease in time-to-abortion interval with letrozole and misoprostol. Similarly, for each gestational age group, one study supported a decrease and one study showed no difference in rate of dilation and curettage (D&C) with letrozole and misoprosol. Medication side effects were similar between both treatment groups. There was significant heterogeneity between the trials, and therefore, the results were not meta-analyzed. Some studies and trials report better outcomes (i.e., complete abortion rates, time-to-abortion and D&C rates) in women

  14. Bovine herpesvirus 1 modified live virus vaccines for cattle reproduction: Balancing protection with undesired effects.

    PubMed

    Chase, Christopher C L; Fulton, Robert W; O'Toole, Donal; Gillette, Benjamin; Daly, Russell F; Perry, George; Clement, Travis

    2017-07-01

    approaches that use non-abortifacient, nonlatent BoHV-1 vaccines that develop lifelong immunity, protecting the animal while doing no harm to the fetus. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. A caravan for women's lives.

    PubMed

    Bader, E J

    1990-04-01

    The war on the women of America is being actively repelled through the efforts on Molly Yard and the National Organization for Women (NOW), Tamar Abrams and the National Abortion Rights Action League, the Freedom Caravan for Women's Lives, and the many women actively supporting pro-choice. At issue is the Supreme Court decision in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services which limits women's right to choose. It is feared that the Court will proceed with overturning Roe v. Wade, which gives women the right to terminate unwanted pregnancies; 7 states are attempting to ban abortion entirely: Arkansas, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and South Dakota. 6 are expected to maintain legal rights: Alaska, Hawaii, Main, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. The political pro-choice strategy has been to organize protest activities where there was a challenge to pro-choice--in Florida, California, and in gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia. Voters were mobilized by telephone, newspaper ads, and cable television promotions outlining pro-choice positions. Success was achieved in both state gubernatorial elections, and in California's replacement assemblyman race with Tricia Hunter winning against 7 anti-choice contenders. The Caravan which began on Women's Equality day on August 26, 1989 in Atlantic City, New Jersey (NJ) raised $10,000 for the NJ lobbying effort; walkathons and lobbying activity maximized the impact. For example, there was a rally in a solidly Republican city where the antiabortion candidate support was strong; the pro-choice support was evident. The RU-486, an effective abortifacient, manufacturer with offices in NJ was approached with 1000 cards of support. The Florida special legislative session antiabortion effort was defeated, but pressure will be maintained on the Governor and antichoice legislators. Pro-choice Democrat Douglas Wilder of Virginia, who was the state's 1st black legislator, was supported and won the election. Even though

  16. The genus Sida L. - A traditional medicine: Its ethnopharmacological, phytochemical and pharmacological data for commercial exploitation in herbal drugs industry.

    PubMed

    Dinda, Biswanath; Das, Niranjan; Dinda, Subhajit; Dinda, Manikarna; SilSarma, Indrajit

    2015-12-24

    Sida L. (Malvaceae) has been used for centuries in traditional medicines in different countries for the prevention and treatment of different diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, gastrointestinal and urinary infections, malarial and other fevers, childbirth and miscarriage problems, skin ailments, cardiac and neural problems, asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems, weight loss aid, rheumatic and other inflammations, tuberculosis, etc. To assess the scientific evidence for therapeutic potential of Sida L. and to identify the gaps of future research needs. The available information on the ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of Sida species was collected via a library and electronic searches in SciFinder, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar for the period, 1933-2015. A variety of ethnomedicinal uses of Sida species have been found in India, China, Afrian and American countries. Phytochemical investigation of this genus has resulted in identification of about 142 chemical constituents, among which alkaloids, flavonoids and ecdysteroids are the predominant groups. The crude extracts and isolates have exhibited a wide spectrum of in vitro and in vivo pharmacological effects involving antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, abortifacient, neuroprotective, cardiovascular and cardioprotective, antimalarial, antitubercular, antidiabetic and antiobesity, antioxidant and nephroprotective activities among others. Ethnopharmacological preparations containing Sida species as an ingredient in India, African and American countries possess good efficacy in health disorders. From the toxicity perspective, only three Sida species have been assessed and found safe for oral use in rats. Pharmacological results supported some of the uses of Sida species in the traditional medicine. Alkaloids, flavonoids, other phenolics and ecdysteroids were perhaps responsible for the activities of extracts of the plants of this genus. No clinical study

  17. Accuracy of Information about the Intrauterine Device on the Internet

    PubMed Central

    Madden, Tessa; Cortez, Sarah; Kuzemchak, Marie; Kaphingst, Kimberly A.; Politi, Mary C.

    2015-01-01

    stated that IUDs are an abortifacient. More than a quarter of sites listed an inaccurate contraindication to the IUD such as nulliparity, history of pelvic inflammatory disease, or history of an ectopic pregnancy. Conclusions The quality of information about IUDs available on the Internet is variable. Accurate information was mixed with inaccurate or outdated information that could perpetuate myths about IUDs. Clinicians need knowledge about accurate,, evidence-based Internet resources to provide to women given the inconsistent quality of information available through online sources. PMID:26546848

  18. [Clinical use of RU 486: control of the menstrual cycle and effect on the hypophyseal-adrenal axis].

    PubMed

    Gaillard, R C; Herrmann, W

    1983-01-01

    RU 486 is a synthetic 19 norsteroid with a great affinity for progesterone and glucocorticosteroid receptors. The antiprogesterone activity of RU 486 permits interruption of the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and of early pregnancy, while the antiglucocorticosteroid activity interrupts the feedback mechanisms of cortisol at the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. 11 women aged 18-34 years who were 6-8 weeks pregnant were given daily doses of 200 mg of sensation of lipothymia. Blood pressure and laboratory test results remained normal. The daily increase of beta human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and progesterone was stopped by the antiprogesterone. It has been demonstrated in vitro that RU 486 inhibits secretion of beta HCG by cells of trophoblastic origin. 2 weeks after expulsion of the products of conception, the blood levels of beta HCG, progesterone, and estradiol had returned to nonpregnant values and ovarian activity was normal in women not using oral contraceptives. The reason for failure of expulsion in 2 cases was not known. RU 486 was also used to interrupt the luteal phase of normal menstrual cycles in 3 young women. 50 mg/day of RU 486 starting on the 22nd day was sufficient to induce bleeding within 48 hours. Studies using RU 486 50 mg/day beginning on the 10th cycle day indicate that progesterone plays a central and follicular role during the preovulatory period. The antiglucocorticosteroid activity of RU 486 was observed in pregnant women who received the abortifacient dose of 200 mg/day. The 8 a.m. plasma level of ACTH and beta-LPH cortisol remained elevated for thee 4 days of treatment. Nonpregnant women receiving 50 mg of RU 486 for 4 days beginning on the 22nd cycle day had no change in the level of hypophyseal-adrenal hormones.dd Tests in young male volunteers showed that RU 486 amplified circadian rhythms of the hypophysealadrenal axis, affecting specifically the morning hormonal levels without influencing afternoon levels. A test in which RU 486

  19. Accuracy of information about the intrauterine device on the Internet.

    PubMed

    Madden, Tessa; Cortez, Sarah; Kuzemchak, Marie; Kaphingst, Kimberly A; Politi, Mary C

    2016-04-01

    Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are highly effective methods of contraception, but use continues to lag behind less effective methods such as oral contraceptive pills and condoms. Women who are aware of the actual effectiveness of various contraceptive methods are more likely to choose the IUD. Conversely, women who are misinformed about the safety of IUDs may be less likely to use this method. Individuals increasingly use the Internet for health information. Information about IUDs obtained through the Internet may influence attitudes about IUD use among patients. Our objective was to evaluate the quality of information about IUDs among World Wide Web sites providing contraceptive information to the public. We developed a 56-item structured questionnaire to evaluate the quality of information about IUDs available through the Internet. We then conducted an online search to identify web sites containing information about contraception and IUDs using common search engines. The search was performed in August 2013 and web sites were reviewed again in October 2015 to ensure there were no substantial changes. Our search identified >2000 web sites, of which 108 were eligible for review; 105 (97.2%) of these sites contained information about IUDs. Of sites, 86% provided at least 1 mechanism of the IUD. Most web sites accurately reported advantages of the IUD including that it is long acting (91%), highly effective (82%), and reversible (68%). However, only 30% of sites explicitly indicated that IUDs are safe. Fifty percent (n = 53) of sites contained inaccurate information about the IUD such as an increased risk of pelvic inflammatory disease beyond the insertion month (27%) or that women in nonmonogamous relationships (30%) and nulliparous women (20%) are not appropriate candidates. Among sites, 44% stated that a mechanism of IUDs is prevention of implantation of a fertilized egg. Only 3% of web sites incorrectly stated that IUDs are an abortifacient. More than a quarter of

  20. Research on ribosome-inactivating proteins from angiospermae to gymnospermae and cryptogamia

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Wang-Yi

    2017-01-01

    Ribosome-inactivating Proteins (RIPs) are a group of cytotoxin proteins that usually contain a RNA N-glycosidase domain, which irreversibly inactivates ribosome, thus inhibiting protein synthesis. During the past 14 years (1990-2004), the studies conducted in our laboratory had been focusing on the structure and enzymatic mechanism of several PIPs. Herein, we briefly described a summary of the studies conducted mainly in our laboratory on RIPs from angiospermae to gymnospermae and cryptogamia as follows. (1) Cinnamomin is a novel type II RIP isolated from mature seeds of camphor tree. Like ricin, it specifically removes the adenine at A4324 in rat liver 28S rRNA. We systematically studied this low-toxic RIP in term of its enzymatic mechanism, the primary and crystal structure and the nucleotide sequence of its gene, the genetic expression, and its physiological role in the seed cell and the toxicity to human cancer cells and insect larvae. The cleavage of supercoiled double-stranded DNA was its intrinsic property of cinnamomin A-chain, its N- and C-terminal regions were found to be required for deadenylation of rRNA and also necessary for deadenylation of supercoiled double-stranded circular DNA. These results strongly excluded the possibility that cleavage of supercoiled DNA was due to nuclease contamination. (2) Trichosanthin, an abortifacient protein, was purified from the Chinese medicinal herb, Tian-hua-fen, obtained from root tubers of Chinese trichosanthes plant. We proved that trichosanthin was a RNA N-glycosidase, inactivating eukaryotic ribosome by hydrolyzing the N-C glycosidic bond of the adenose at site 4324 in rat 28S rRNA, and inhibited protein synthesis in vitro. (3) A unique Biota orientalis RNase (RNase Bo) was extracted from the mature seeds of the cypress cypress tree (Oriental arborvita), which was gymnospermae plant. It cleaved only a specific phosphodiester bond between C4453 and A4454 of 28S RNA in rat ribosomes, producing a small RNA

  1. Health management of ewes during pregnancy.

    PubMed

    Fthenakis, G C; Arsenos, G; Brozos, C; Fragkou, I A; Giadinis, N D; Giannenas, I; Mavrogianni, V S; Papadopoulos, E; Valasi, I

    2012-02-01

    The objectives of health management of ewes during pregnancy are as follows: (i) successful completion of pregnancy at term, (ii) birth of healthy and viable lambs, with optimal birth and potential weaning bodyweight, (iii) optimum milk production during the subsequent lactation and (iv) improved management in relation to drug residues in animal products. Knowledge of the physiological background of pregnancy in ewes: changes, mechanisms and interactions, during pregnancy is important for the overall health management of ewes during pregnancy. Health management of pregnant ewes includes diagnosis of pregnancy and evaluation of the number of foetuses borne, which will support strategies for subsequent management of the flock. Nutritional management of ewes depends upon the stage of lactation and specifically aims to (i) prevention of pregnancy toxaemia and other metabolic diseases during the peri-partum period, (ii) formation of colostrum in appropriate quantity and quality, (iii) production of lambs with normal future birth bodyweight and (iv) support of increased milk yield during the subsequent lactation. At the end of lactation, udder management of pregnant ewes includes its clinical examination, culling of ewes considered unsuitable for lactation and, possibly, the intramammary administration of antibiotics; objectives of that procedure are (i) to cure infections which have occurred during the previous lactation and (ii) to prevent development of new mammary infection during the dry period. Management of abortions includes the correct and timely diagnosis of the causative agent of the disorder, as well as the strategic administrations of chemotherapeutic agents, aiming to prevent abortions in flocks with confirmed infection with an abortifacient agent, especially if no appropriate vaccinations had been carried out before the mating season. During the final stage of pregnancy, health management of ewes includes administration of appropriate anthelmintic drugs

  2. Integrity and virtue: The forming of good character

    PubMed Central

    Mitchell, Louise A.

    2015-01-01

    Moral character is formed by one's actions. The habits, actions, and emotional responses of the person of good character all are united and directed toward the moral and the good. Because human beings are body/soul unities, actions of the body are actions of the self, that is, human beings are self-possessing, self-governing, and self-determining. In order to be of good character, one must know the good, act in morally good ways, and be disposed and inclined toward the good through the development of virtues. Character and action are intertwined so intimately that one's professional duties, or even what is perceived by others as one's duties, cannot override one's conscience without negatively affecting (and changing) one's character. For the physician to be of good character, it is vital that he or she follow his or her conscience in all things: in private life and also in his or her profession, i.e., in the treatment of patients. Lay summary: Character cannot be separated from the person. To be of good character means that one’s habits, actions, and emotional responses all are united and directed toward the moral and the good. In this, public actions cannot be separated from private actions. Both sets of actions affect one’s character. For example, a physician believes use of contraceptives to be immoral yet prescribes them in the office because he or she feels a duty to provide what the patient asks for, or a pharmacist who believes abortion to be immoral fills prescriptions for the abortifacient RU-486. These public acts affect one’s character even if one’s private belief is the opposite of the action. They leave traces on one’s character. Not only do actions reflect the goodness or badness of one’s character, one’s actions also change one’s character. The more one does an immoral action or recommends an immoral action for others, the more it becomes part of one’s character to be the type of person who condones that immoral action. In order to

  3. Law: participate or not?

    PubMed

    Finch, J

    1983-05-04

    2 separate and important features of abortion law and practice in the UK which are particularly relevant to nurses participating in the procedure are examined: the nurse's participation in an abortion induced by the injection of prostaglandin into the womb; and the nurse's right to refuse to participate in any form of abortion on the basis of reasons of conscience. Focus is on the position of a predecessor of Karen Smith on a female surgical ward in the mid 1970s. It was then that abortions by the use of prostaglandin solution were becoming prevalent. When the Abortion Act became law in 1967 the most usual abortion method involved surgical intervention, and no legal problem was involved for the surgical intervention would always be performed by a physician. Around 1970 the prostaglandin method of inducing abortion began to be written about in the journals. The method was found to have several advantages, including the deployment of medical and nursing staff. The process is initiated by a registered medical practitioner, as it must be according to the Abortion Act. A catheter is inserted through which prostaglandin solution is administered to the patient. From that time the nurse assumes a crucial role. Nurses carry out in whole or in part the subsequent steps in the process. A prostaglandin pump is connected up with the catheter in order to give the patients the abortifacients. Nurses monitor the process, which can last between 15-30 hours. It usually takes about 18 hours for this method to produce the abortion, and the nurses are involved with the patient during this time. Doctors or "registered medical practitioners," are frequently absent. Following questions raised in senior nursing circles regarding the propriety and legality of this process, the DHSS issued a circular to allay fears. The department advised that, providing a registered medical practitioner personally made the decision and initiated the medical induction process and remained responsible for it

  4. Antiprogestin drugs: ethical, legal and medical issues.

    PubMed

    Cook, R J; Grimes, D A

    1992-01-01

    RU 486 allows women the choice of a medical rather than a surgical abortion, and, for most women, the choice is one of procedure, not of whether to have an abortion. Issues surrounding RU 486 were explored in an American Society of Law and Medicine conference in December 1991 entitled "Antiprogestin Drugs: Ethical, Legal and Medical Issues." An introduction to 14 conference papers provides an overview of the proceedings. Baulieu, the father of RU 486, described updated developments in its use and the medically supervised method of abortion. Bygdeman and Swahn presented their work in Sweden on combining RU 486 with a prostaglandin to make abortion more effective. They suggested that the drug may be an attractive postovulation contraceptive. Greenslad et al. discussed service delivery aspects of the use of RU 486. Holt considered the implications of use of the drug in low-resource settings. A survey of obstetricians and gynecologists, presented by Heilig, indicates that 22% more physicians would perform a medical abortion. Patient perspectives were addressed by David, who stated that measuring acceptability of an abortion technique is difficult; women have historically used whatever method is available. A collaborative research project in India and Cuba on why women chose certain methods was reported by Winikoff et al. (90% of women would choose medical abortion if faced with the choice again). Berer analyzed French data on women's perspectives on medical vs. surgical abortion. The question of adolescent use of the drug was considered by Senderowitz, who lamented the lack of data on the subject and described what is known about adolescent pregnancy. Macklin proposed a framework for ethical analysis and used facts to address ethical questions. Weinstein provided another ethical framework, to analyze whether pharmacists have a right to refuse to provide abortifacient drugs. Buc approached the subject from a legal point of view and concluded that, whereas legal problems

  5. Final report on the safety assessment of Juniperus communis Extract, Juniperus oxycedrus Extract, Juniperus oxycedrus Tar, Juniperus phoenicea extract, and Juniperus virginiana Extract.

    PubMed

    2001-01-01

    derived from J. communis and J. virginiana and Juniperus Oxycedrus Tar were not skin irritants in animals. The oil from J. virginiana was not a sensitizer, and the oil from J. communis was not phototoxic in animal tests. Juniperus Oxycedrus Tar was genotoxic in several assays. No genotoxicity data were available for any of the extracts. Juniperus Communis Extract did affect fertility and was abortifacient in studies using albino rats. Clinical tests showed no evidence of irritation or sensitization with any of the tested oils, but some evidence of sensitization to the tar. These data were not considered sufficient to assess the safety of these ingredients. Additional data needs include current concentration of use data; function in cosmetics; methods of manufacturing and impurities data, especially pesticides; ultraviolet (UV) absorption data; if absorption occurs in the UVA or UVB range, photosensitization data are needed; dermal reproductive/developmental toxicity data (to include determination of a no-effect level); two genotoxicity assays (one in a mammalian system) for each extract; if positive, a 2-year dermal carcinogenicity assay performed using National Toxicology Program (NTP) methods is needed; a 2-year dermal carcinogenicity assay performed using NTP methods on Juniperus Oxycedrus Tar; and irritation and sensitization data on each extract and the tar (these data are needed because the available data on the oils cannot be extrapolated). Until these data are available, it is concluded that the available data are insufficient to support the safety of these ingredients in cosmetic formulations.

  6. Final report on the safety assessment of AloeAndongensis Extract, Aloe Andongensis Leaf Juice,aloe Arborescens Leaf Extract, Aloe Arborescens Leaf Juice, Aloe Arborescens Leaf Protoplasts, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice,aloe Barbadensis Leaf Polysaccharides, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water, Aloe Ferox Leaf Extract, Aloe Ferox Leaf Juice, and Aloe Ferox Leaf Juice Extract.

    PubMed

    2007-01-01

    in acute oral studies using mice and rats. In parenteral studies, the LD(50) using mice was > 200 mg/kg, rats was > 50 mg/kg, and using dogs was > 50 mg/kg. In intravenous studies the LD(50) using mice was > 80 mg/kg, rats was > 15 mg/kg, and dogs was > 10 mg/kg. The 14-day no observed effect level (NOEL) for the Aloe polysaccharide, acemannan, in the diet of Sprague-Dawley rats, was 50,000 ppm or 4.1 to 4.6 g/kg day(-1). In a 3-month study using mice, Aloe vera (extracted in ethanol) given orally in drinking water at 100 mg/kg produced reproductive toxicity, inflammation, and mortality above that seen in control animals. Aloe vera extracted in methanol and given to mice at 100 mg/kg in drinking water for 3 months caused significant sperm damage compared to controls. Aloe barbadensis extracted with water and given to pregnant Charles Foster albino rats on gestational days (GDs) 0 through 9 was an abortifacient and produced skeletal abnormalities. Both negative and positive results were found in bacterial and mammalian cell genotoxicity assays using Aloe barbadensis-derived material, Aloe Ferox-derived material, and various anthraquinones derived from Aloe. Aloin (an anthraquinone) did not produce tumors when included in the feed of mice for 20 weeks, nor did aloin increase the incidence of colorectal tumors induced with 1,2-dimethylhydrazine. Aloe-emodin (an anthraquinone) given to mice in which tumor cells had been injected inhibited growth of malignant tumors. Other animal data also suggest that components of Aloe inhibit tumor growth and improve survival. Various in vitro assays also demonstrated anticarcinogenic activity of aloe-emodin. Diarrhea was the only adverse effect of note with the use of Aloe-derived ingredients to treat asthma, ischemic heart disease, diabetes, ulcers, skin disease, and cancer. Case reports include acute eczema, contact urticaria, and dermatitis in individuals who applied Aloe-derived ingredients topically. The Cosmetic Ingredient