São Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina
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The term biological clock is usually used by physicians and psychologists to refer to the declining fertility, increasing risk of fetal birth defects and alterations to hormone levels experienced by women as they age. Female fecundity declines slowly after the age of 30 years and more rapidly after 40 and is considered the main limiting factor in treating infertility. However, there are several scientific reports, chapters in books and review articles suggesting that men may also have a biological clock. ⋯ Thus, paternal age is a further factor to be taken into account when deciding on the prognosis for infertile couples. Also, increasing male age is associated with a significant decline in fertility (five times longer to achieve pregnancy at the age of 45 years). Patients and their physicians therefore need to understand the effects of the male biological clock on sexual and reproductive health, in that it leads to erectile dysfunction and male infertility, as well as its potential implications for important medical conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
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Accurate fetal weight estimation is important for labor and delivery management. So far, there has not been any conclusive evidence to indicate that any technique for fetal weight estimation is superior to any other. Clinical formulas for fetal weight estimation are easy to use but have not been extensively studied in the literature. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of clinical formulas for fetal weight estimation compared to maternal and ultrasound estimates. ⋯ Clinical formulas for fetal weight prediction are as accurate as maternal and ultrasound estimates.
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Comparative Study
Estimation of absolute renal uptake with technetium-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid: direct comparison with the radioactivity of nephrectomy specimens.
Studies using radionuclides are the most appropriate method for estimating renal function. Dimercaptosuccinic acid chelate labeled with technetium-99m (99mTc-DMSA) is the radiopharmaceutical of choice for high-resolution imaging of the renal cortex and estimation of the functional renal mass. The aim of this study was to evaluate a simplified method for determining the absolute renal uptake (ARU) of 99mTc-DMSA prior to nephrectomy, using the radioactivity counts of nephrectomy specimens as the gold standard. ⋯ ARU estimation using the proposed method before nephrectomy seems to be accurate and feasible for routine use.
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The success of vaccination campaigns depends on the degree of adherence to immunization initiatives and schedules. Risk factors associated with children's failure to receive the measles vaccine at the correct age were studied in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. ⋯ It is clear that there is no compliance with the government's recommended measles vaccination schedule (i.e. first dose at nine and second at 15 months of age, as recommended in 1999 and 2000). Feeling sorry for the children receiving shots can delay vaccination taking.
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Overexpression of the multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1) gene has been linked with resistance to chemotherapy in vitro, but little is known about its clinical impact on acute leukemia patients. Our aim was to investigate the possible association between MRP1 gene expression level and clinical outcomes among Iranian leukemia patients. ⋯ The findings suggest that high MRP1 expression was associated with poor clinical outcome and was correlated with the M5 subtype and poor cytogenetic subgroups among AML patients but not among ALL patients.