The overall incidence of anencephaly and spina bifida (ASB) in 69,056 pregnancies was 4.7/1000 births. ASB was more common (8.4/1000 births) among children of mothers who had had two or more abortions, but the increased risk was confined to spina bifida. A history of abortion was more common in older women and women of higher parity, but this was not matched by a similar increase in the inciden...

While exploring the association of the sex ratio of stillbirths with cause and duration of gestation, McKeown and Lowe (1951) noted that for anencephalus sex ratio increased with duration of gestation. No explanation was offered for this observation, which is here considered briefly. In Birmingham, during the years 1940-51, 454 stillbirths and 28 infant deaths were attributed to anencephalus (4...

In an area which had a high incidence of anencephalus, 3.2 per 1000 births, there was a significant drop to 1.3 per 1000, below the national average of 1.7 to 1.8, among conceptions after 1967. In the northern part of the area this drop was greater in summer than winter conceptions, providing additional evidence of a different process underlying case occurrences in the north of the area from th...

Pediatric organ transplantation offers an increasing number of seriously ill children the opportunity for a healthy life. However, there is currently a severe shortage of pediatric organs. Young children rarely die in circumstances that would make them medically acceptable sources of organs. Among the children younger than 2 years of age registered to receive transplants, an estimated 30% to 50...

Pediatric organ transplantation offers an increasing number of seriously ill children the opportunity for a healthy life. However, there is currently a severe shortage of pediatric organs. Young children rarely die in circumstances that would make them medically acceptable sources of organs. Among the children younger than 2 years of age registered to receive transplants, an estimated 30% to 50...

Neural tube defects (NTD), specifically spina bifida and anencephaly, affect approximately 4,000 live births and pregnancies each year in the United States.1 Of these, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that 1500 infants are born with spina bifida, 1000 are born with anencephaly, and an estimated 1500 fetuses are aborted annually.2 NTDs are implicated in 1.3% of all inf...