This study evaluated the success of a national program for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV-1 in 874 mother-infant pairs from Buenos Aires and surroundings. This population was referred to the National Reference Center for AIDS for diagnosis of neonatal infection during 1993-2000. The data revealed an increase in the use of antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy from 3.2% in 1993-1994 to 73.1% in 1999-2000 and in the use of cesarean delivery (reaching 54.8% in 1999-2000). However, the proportion of HIV-infected women who continued to breast-feed their children remained steady (around 12%). General improvement of the conditions for decreasing MTCT resulted in a significant decrease in the proportion of infected infants from 37.3% before 1995 to 10.7% in 1999-2000 and even 6.5% during 2001. Data on the time of diagnosis indicated that only 42.7% of the women knew about their HIV status before pregnancy, 44.8 knew during pregnancy, and 12.3% knew after the birth of their child. The main risk factor for HIV infection in the mothers was heterosexual contact (73%), and in the fathers, it was injection drug use (67%). These results point out the urgent need to develop additional strategies for prevention of MTCT of HIV-1 to generalize education, counseling, and testing of young women.

The aim of this preliminary study was to assess variation in thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone; TSH) levels using an immunoradiometric assay during the first 6 months of life of normal infants. One hundred and five normal newborns (59 females, 46 males) were evaluated for TSH, triiodothyronine and thyroxine at 48 h of life, and TSH was additionally determined at 15 days (n = 42), 30 days (n = 38), 60 days (n = 24), 90 days (n = 28), and 180 days (n = 30). Complete determinations during the total period of the study were obtained in 17 infants. Samples corresponding to the 48-hour period did not exhibit a normal distribution. In this group, percentile 3 corresponded to 0.9 mU/1, the median to 4.2 mU/1 and percentile 97 to 17.7 mU/1. Levels of TSH similar to those of the normal adult population were reached between 30 and 60 days of life. Nevertheless, TSH levels of some of the children remained at higher values for a longer period. In summary, our results suggest that high TSH levels might not always indicate an underlying pathology. A critical evaluation of the normality criteria could avoid unnecessary studies and treatments.

H O I P I I~~. B Y~~O S~l r e s , A r g e n r l n a obleflue t o dererm>ne r h e ~n c~d e n c e o f ENS ~n c h l l d r e n born m o r e t h a n 2L h i a i r e r PRM, and 1 0 e v a l u a r e t h e d l a g n o r t l c r e l l a b > l l r y o f 3 r e i r r a l t e r n a r l v e r o b l o o d c u l t u r e , namely c u l t u r l n s e x t e r n a l a u d > o v e c a n a l 1EAC) ruab, n a r a p h a r y n g e a l a i p l r a t e (NPII) and Blood c u l t u r e war p e r i a r m e d u > r h l n t h e f~r r t 3 h o u r s of l l f e and EAC. NPA and 64 c u l t u r e s and b~i t h ENS uar c o n r~d e r e d p r e s e n t uhen c l l n r c a l m a n~f e r t a t ? a n r o f i e p s l r v e r e e u > d e n r u~i h > n t h e t > r r r A8 h i and b l o o d c u l t u r e proved p o r~i > u e Newborn f r o m motherr on p r i o r a n r > b l a t l c t h e r a p y were e x c l u 1101146) u l r h preterm b , r t h ~r o l a r e d = r a n porir,ue m~i r a o r g a n~r m s v e r e s a u r e u r ( n = 9 ) , s pneuma-nlae ( n = 3 ) , s " > r~d a n r ( n =~) , p n t e r o c o c i u r l n = l ) and L m o n r i y r o g e n e i ( n = l ) .~r a m n e g a i~v e were K pneumon;ae l n = 5 ) . E c o t , l n = 2 ) and H ~n f l u e n l a e l n = l ). None o f t h e o p r l o n a l r e n t s e v a l u a t e d r e a c h e d r h e i e q u~r e d d l a g n o r r~c r e l l a b l l l t y ( i e n i i " , f y p l u s r p e c l f , c l r y , ra be employed as a n a1rernar,,, D~stance standars for height were constructed on a sample of 254 girls with T.S.. with different cariotypes (47% XO. 53% other types) and treated with oestrogens during puberty from a mean age of 13.98 yr. (SD 2.0). Patients were measured at intervals ranging from 0,5 to 1.5 years dur~ng 1 to 11 years at the division of Endocrinology Htal R. Gutierrez.Fiflieth centile was estimated by adjusting a 5 degree polynomial to the mean height obtained at each 0.5 year interval. Residual SD of the fitting was very low (0.8 cm ). First derivative of the median distance curve showed that adult he~ght (height velocity less than 0.2 cmlyear) is atta~ned at 18.2 yr. Mean adult height was 137.9 cm. with SD of 5,7 cm , very similar to the SD found in healthy argentine female population. Chi Square test for d~fferences between distribution of raw date among selected centiles and theoretical expected distribution was not significant The differences between adult height of local Turner girls and adult height of Turner girls from other population are similar to the population differences between normal girls Voto, M.Margulies. Neonatology Unit, Obstetrics Division, J u a n A.Fernandez Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentma.Introduction: S e v e r e anti-D hemolytlc disease c a r r i e s a high n s k of fetal a n d neonatal moribidity a n d mortality. Objective: To p r e s e n t t h e r e s u l t s of management of neonates with Rh incompatibility t r e a t e d in-utero with transfusions. Mate& & Methods: A total of 30 neonates were studied. The level of hemoglobin a n d bilirubm at birth, t h e p r e s e n c e of h...

Neonatal reference values for serum thyrotropin are scarce and comprise only small numbers of patients. During 2006, changes were made in IMMULITE kits for TSH measurement. To validate methodological changes, 80 serum samples from patients were evaluated and to establish reference intervals, 334 neonates and infants were analyzed (divided into 4 groups). (n =81). Current kits overestimate TSH results by 26 to 37%; TSH (mIU/L) reference intervals (percentile 2.5 -97.5) were G1 (1.1-12.7), G2A (1.8-9.8), G2B (1.1-7.1) (p<0.03 vs G2A), G3 (1.2-6.9). We suggest that during the second week of life, reference values should be divided into an early stage and a late stage, at least, for there to be an adequate interpretation of borderline measurements in newborn thyroid screening.