Access to safe breast-feeding alternatives for HIV-infected mothers and their infants in many settings is limited. We compared the rates of early postpartum hospitalization of infants born to HIV-infected mothers using different infant-feeding practices in a large government hospital in Pune, India. From March 1, 2000 to November 30, 2001, infants born to HIV-infected mothers were followed in a postpartum clinic. All mothers had received a standard short course of antenatal zidovudine. Infant-feeding practices were assessed within 3 d of delivery, prior to postpartum hospital discharge. Sixty-two of 148 mothers (42%) were breast-feeding their infants. Eighty-six of the mothers (58%) were providing replacement feeding, primarily diluted cow, goat or buffalo milk (top feeding). Twenty-one of the 148 participating infants (14.2%) born during the study period required hospitalization within the 1st 6 mo of life and 6 infants required repeat hospitalization. All hospitalized infants were receiving replacement feeding with a rate of 0.093 hospitalizations per 100 person-days (95% CI, 0.062 to 0.136). The reasons for hospitalization included acute gastroenteritis (48.1%), pneumonia (18.5%), septicemia (11.1%) and jaundice (11.1%). A high risk for early postpartum hospitalization was seen in replacement-fed infants born to HIV-infected mothers in Pune, India. In settings such as India, where access to safe replacement feeding is limited, interventions making exclusive breast-feeding safer for HIV-infected mothers and infants are needed. Such interventions would be valuable additions to the very effective national prevention programs that currently rely on the provision of short-course zidovudine and nevirapine.

Studies on the mechanism of action on intra-uterine foreign bodies are gaining importance in the field of reproductive biology. Doyle & Margolis (1963, 1964a, b) found in the rat that, following ovulation and fertilization, implantation did not occur in the threaded uterine horn due to a hostile uterine environment and interference with the normal decidual reaction. Buch, Shukla & Hawk (1964) showed that in the Surti water buffalo an intra-uterine polyethylene loop prevented ovulation. In cows, Hawk, Conley, Brinsfield & Righter (1964) observed that the loop acted as a contraceptive device within 3 days of breeding, possibly by interfering with one or more of the following processes: fertilization, cleavage, ovum transport and corpus luteum formation.The action of ovarian hormones on the histology of the uterus following ovariectomy has been studied by many workers. Among them, Cleveland (1941) studied the ovariectomized monkey and both Bell, Casida & Darlow (1941) and Ryle (1962) the ovariectomized ewe. Distinct morphological changes due to treatment with ovarian hormones in these species have been established. Oestrogens bring about cell proliferation and the combination of oestrogen and progesterone produces a secretory phase of the endometrium.A trial was performed with seven goats ovariectomized during anoestrus in order to observe the effects of intra-uterine polyethylene spirals, a combination of oestradiol-17\g=b\ and progesterone and their interactions on the histology of the goat uterus.

The bonnet monkey (Macaca radiata) of