The aim of this study was to assess surgically restored facial mobility using an optical 3D instrument. Eleven patients (age range 42-76 years) with unilateral facial palsy, treated by triple innervation procedure (masseteric and partial hypoglossal reinnervation, plus double cross-face facial grafting), performed five facial animations: rest position, smiling by contracting the healthy side, clenching the teeth, and pushing the tongue against the lower incisors and Mona Lisa smiling. These were recorded by stereophotogrammetry. Sixty healthy subjects were also recorded. The 3D reconstruction of each facial expression was registered onto the rest position scan, and the root mean square (RMS) point-to-point distance between the two 3D surfaces was calculated automatically for the facial thirds. RMS values on the rehabilitated hemiface were 74.8% (upper third), 46.6% (middle third), and 54.1% (lower third) of those recorded in healthy subjects. RMS values were higher in the middle and lower thirds than in the upper third, and during smile provided by masseteric stimulus (P < 0.05). The rehabilitated hemiface differed more from healthy subject values than the healthy hemiface did (P < 0.05). On average, patients were more asymmetric than healthy subjects (P = 0.004). The proposed method is non-invasive and non-contact, and it can quantify localized facial movements after surgical procedures.

To assess the relationship between birthweight and the child's development at 18 months of age, we sent a postal questionnaire to the parents of 861 singleton children, born in the framework of the Italian Study of Aspirin in Pregnancy, 18 months after delivery. A total of 623 (72.4%) were returned. There were 94 children weighing < 2500-1500 g at birth and 19 < 1500 g. Children with weight and height less than the 10th percentile at 18 months were significantly more frequent in the low birthweight group (p < 0.01). Motor problems were about six times more common in children with birthweight less than 2500 g than in those with birthweight > or = 2500 g (p < 0.001). A larger proportion of children with birthweight < 2500 g than > or = 2500 g had respiratory problems (15% vs 11%, p = ns). Finally admission to hospital was more common in children with birthweight less than 2500 g (p < 0.01). This study confirms the differences in growth and development for children in low and normal birthweight groups.

To analyze determinants of the risk of pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) with or without proteinuria, we compared characteristics of women enrolled in the Italian Study of Aspirin in Pregnancy who developed PIH and those who did not. A total of 756 women were included in the present analysis; of these, 132 women (17%) developed PIH during the trial. The risk of developing PIH tended to increase with maternal age: in comparison with women age 20-25 years, the odds ratio (OR) estimates of risk ratio were 3.5 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6-7.1] in women age 26-30 years and 4.2 (95% CI = 1.9-8.8) in those age >30 years. There was little relation between development of PIH and education. PIH risk increased according to nonpregnant body mass index; in comparison with women with Quetelet's index (kg per m(2)) <25, the OR estimates were 1.7 (95% CI = 1.1-2.7) and 2.1 (95% CI = 1.3-3.6), respectively, for women with a value for Quetelet's index of >25-30 and >30. Parous women were at decreased risk of PIH: in comparison with nulliparas, the ORs were 0.7 (95% CI = 0.4-1.0) and 0.5 (95% CI = 0.3-0.9), respectively, in women reporting 1 or greater than or equal to 2 births. There was no important relation between previous spontaneous or induced abortion and PIH risk.

Background. We examined the validity of self‐reported cigarette smoking during the third trimester of pregnancy using saliva cotinine as a markerMethods. Eligible for the study were 109 pregnant women attending the outpatient Prenatal Service of the Luigi Mangiagalli Clinic (the largest maternity clinic in Milan) for routine prenatal visits during the third trimester of pregnancy on twenty days in 1994. Women self‐reporting current smoking or quitting smoking in pregnancy were asked to provide a saliva sample. Cotinine concentration was analyzed and classified as follows: cotinine not detectable, not probable nicotine use or passive exposure; cotinine <10 ng/ml, not probable nicotine use/probable passive exposure; cotinine, $10 ng/m. probable occasional or regular nicotine use. Results. A total of 57 (52.3%) women were non‐smokers at conception and were excluded from any subsequent analysis. Of the remaining 52 women, 25 self‐reported quitting smoking in pregnancy and 27 were current smokers. Saliva cotinine levels were below 10 in 20 of the 25 subjects reporting quitting smoking in pregnancy. The five cases with cotinine $10 reported a husband smoking more than 10 cigarettes per day. Among the 26 current smokers, seven had a cotinine level $10 ng/ml (four reported smoking fewer then five cigarettes per day and two reported smoking five or more per day); in 20 cases the cotinine value was $10 ng/ml. Conclusions. These findings provide evidence of a satisfactory validity of self‐reported smoking habits in pregnancy.

Objective: To identify the epidemiologic characteristics of women who have mild dyskaryosis on cervical smear but cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade II or III at biopsy.Methods: We analyzed information from 291 women (median age 33 years, range 17-69) observed for the first time with a single smear test showing mild dyskaryosis. All subjects underwent colposcopy, and histologic confirmation was obtained by biopsy. We compared the characteristics of women who had CIN I or no evidence of CIN with those of women with CIN II or III at biopsy.Results: Twenty-eight women (10%) had CIN I at biopsy, 46 (15%) CIN II, and 23 (8%) CIN III. The frequency of CIN II or III tended to decrease with increasing education; compared with women reporting 11 or fewer years of education, the multivariate odds ratios (OR) of CIN II or III lesions was 0.5 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.3-0.9) in those reporting 11 years of education or more. Compared with nulliparas, the OR of CIN II or III was 1.8 (95% CI 1.1-3.5) for parous women. Furthermore, compared with never-smokers, the OR of CIN II or III was 2.3 (95% CI 1.0-5.4) for current smokers. Ex-smokers were at increased risk, too; the estimated multivariate OR was 3.8 (95% CI 1.9-7.6). Compared with women reporting one sexual partner, the multivariate ORs of CIN II or III were 1.4 and 2.3 for women reporting two to three or four or more sexual partners, respectively (chi(1)(2) trend = 6.65, P<.05).Conclusion: Our results show that smoking is a risk indicator of CIN II or III in women with a single smear showing mild dyskaryosis. Parous women, those of low social standing, and those reporting multiple sexual partners also are at increased risk of CIN II or III.

Over the last decades the frequency of multiple births has been on the decline in most developed countries. This trend, however, has been restricted to dizygotic twins, while monozygotic rates have remained stable or risen slowly. In more recent years, however, the fall in multiple dizygotic birth rates has ceased and a slight increase is observed. This trend and the increased frequency of triplets or higher-order births, registered from the early 1980s onwards, are essentially related to treatments for infertility. No single risk factor, such as maternal age, parity, oral contraceptive use, or declining fertility rates can explain the overall declining trends. In this paper we review the descriptive epidemiology and the main risk factors for multiple pregnancies.

Journal Article Trend in legitimate and illegitimate multiple births Get access Fabio Parazzini, Fabio Parazzini 3 1Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche 'Mario Negri', via Eritrea62–20157 Milan2Prima Clinica Osterico Ginecologia, Università di MilanoMilano Italy 3To whom correspondence should be addressed Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Simona Restelli, Simona Restelli 1Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche 'Mario Negri', via Eritrea62–20157 Milan Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Simona Moroni, Simona Moroni 2Prima Clinica Osterico Ginecologia, Università di MilanoMilano Italy Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Pier Giorgio Crosignani Pier Giorgio Crosignani 2Prima Clinica Osterico Ginecologia, Università di MilanoMilano Italy Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Human Reproduction, Volume 9, Issue 9, 1 September 1994, Pages 1784–1785, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a138797 Published: 01 September 1994

Objective. To analyze the trends in vaginal operative deliveries in Italy. Design. Analysis of information on all deliveries after the 28th week of gestation. Routinely collected by the Italian Central Institute of Statistics using a standard form. Setting. National data on all Italian deliveries in the period 1981‐85. Subjects. All deliveries occurred in Italy in the period. Results. Forceps and vacuum delivery were reported in 1981 respectively in 0.9 and 2.1/100 deliveries. Similar percentages were observed during the whole considered quinquennium for viicuum extraction, but the forceps delivery rate decreased to 0.6/100 in 1985. Nulliparous women more frequently had an operative vaginal delivery: the rates of forceps and vacuum deliveries were respectively 1.1 and 3.7/100 in nulliparae and 0.3 and 1.0 in women reporting one or more previous births. There was a direct relationship between vacuum delivery rate and birth weight: vacuum deliveries were reported for respectively 0.9 and 2.3/100 infants weighing less than 2500 g and 22500 g. Likewise. vaginal operative deliveries were more frequent in term or post‐term births, and vacuum deliveries among singleton births than multiple ones (2.3 vs 1.71100 deliveries). Conclusions. Operative vaginal delivery rates in Italy in the mid 1980′s were lower than in most developed countries. The reasons for forceps and vacuum extraction were similar to other developed countries with regard to obstetric determinants, but some differences emerged for socio‐demographic factors.

The objective of this study was to assess the association between alcohol drinking before and during pregnancy and the risk of spontaneous abortion using data from a case-control study conducted in Milan, Italy. A total of 462 women (median age 30 years) were admitted for spontaneous abortion (within the 12th week of gestation) to a network of obstetrics departments in the greater Milan area. Of these, 148 (32%) were between the fourth and the eighth week of gestation and 314 (68%) between the ninth and the 12th week. A control group was made up of 814 women (median age 29 years) who gave birth at term (> 37 weeks gestation) to healthy infants (Apgar 5th minute > or = 8, weight > or = 3000 g) on randomly selected days at the same hospitals where cases had been identified. A total of 212 cases (46%) and 355 controls (47%) reported alcohol drinking before conception. Considering non-drinkers as the reference category, the relative risks (RR) of spontaneous abortion were 1.2 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.9-1.6] and 0.8 (95% CI, 0.6-1.1), respectively, in drinkers of one to seven and more than seven drinks per week before conception. No association emerged between the duration of alcohol drinking and the risk of spontaneous abortion. A total of 166 cases (35.9%) and 263 (32.3%) controls reported any alcohol drinking during the first trimester of pregnancy. The corresponding relative risk was 1.1 (95% CI, 0.9-1.4) and no relationship emerged between the number of drinks per week and the risk of abortion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)