Objectives-This report presents 1998 period infant mortality statistics from the linked birth/infant death data set (linked file) by a variety of maternal and infant characteristics.Methods-Descriptive tabulations of data are presented.

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t~, William F. ~e r r n k i n d~, Michael J. childress3, Rodney ~e r t e l s e n~, William sharp2, Thomas ~a t t h e w s~, J e n n i f e r M. Field4, Harold G. ~a r s h a l l ' is experiencing an unprecedented series of ecological disturbances. In 1991, following reports of other ecosystem perturbations, we observed widespread and persistent blooms of cyanobacteria that coincided with the decimation of sponge communities over hundreds of square kilometers. Juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters Panulirus argus, among other animals, rely on sponges for shelter; the impact of sponge loss on the abundance of lobsters and their use of shelter, in particular, has been dramatic. The loss of sponges on 27 experimental sites in hard bottom habitat in central Florida Bay resulted in the redistribution of juvenile lobsters among the remaining shelters, an influx of lobsters into sites where artificial shelters were present, and a decline in lobster abundances on sites without artificial shelters. Diver surveys of sponge damage at additional sites in central Florida Bay confirmed that the sponge die-off was widespread and its occurrence coincided with areas that had been exposed to the cyanobacteria bloom. This cascade of disturbances has dramatically altered the community structure of affected hard bottom areas and demonstrates the coupled dynamics of this shallow marine ecosystem.

The antiherpetic effects of a novel purine acyclic nucleoside, 9-(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxymethyl)guanine (DHPG), were compared with those of acyclovir in cell culture § and in mice. The

The synthesis of a new acyclic analogue of deoxyguanosine, 9-[(1,3-dihydroxy-2-propoxy)methyl]guanine (DHPG, 1), is described starting from epichlorohydrin via condensation of 2-O-(acetoxymethyl)-1,3-di-O-benzylglycerol (5) with N2,9-diacetylguanine (6). In vitro studies indicate that DHPG is a potent and broad-acting (herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, cytomegalovirus, and Epstein-Barr virus) antiherpetic agent. In vivo studies indicate its lack of toxicity [LD50 (mice) = 1-2 g/kg, ip] and its superiority over acyclovir [oral ED50 = 7 (mg/kg)/day vs. 550 (mg/kg)/day in HSV-2 infected mice].