Nutrition reports international最新文献

46 of 74 children with chronic diarrhea of unknown etiology between the ages of 44-627 days were studies. They were assigned, by single randomization, to 3 dietary treatments: a) cow's milk, b) a sucrose- free (SED-S), and c) a sucrose containiNG semi-element diet (SED+S), for 15 days. The authors registered the daily increase of body weight, daily amount of ingested kcal, and the increase of body weight/1000 kcal. The number of days with diarrhea before hospitalization, the age and weight of each child before treatment were recorded and analyzed as covariates. Maltase, sucrase, and lactase activity values were compared before treatment, but were not different among the 3 groups. A significant increase of body weight/1000 kcal ingested was observed in children fed the SED-S diet compared to that observed in children on cow's milk (P=.013 in ANCOVA; P+.053 in RANCOVA), and those fed SED+S (P=.009 in Ancova; p.001 in RANCOVA). The covariates did not have any apparent effect on these results. Only 7 of 24 children receiving cow's milk completed the assigned diet. The carbohydrate composition of the semi-elemental diets proved to be fundamental in the nutritional recovery of these patients.

The nutritional status in 43 cases of repeated spontaneous (habitual and threatened) abortion with both favorable and unfavorable results was assessed by the 24-hour recall method, as compared to 19 normal terminating pregnancies, all of which were in women of low socioeconomic class and who were considered to be malnourished. All pregnant women were monitored at 2 points during gestation, namely 6-12 weeks and 12-16 weeks, by measuring human chorionic gonadotropin as the main hormonal marker in pregnancy and by total and fractional serum protein estimation as a biochemical probe to both the nutritional status and to the course and outcome of pregnancy. Chorionic gonadotropin was significantly decreased in cases of unfavorable outcome in both gestational periods. Apart from the usual physiological changes of pregnancy in total serum protein and its fractions, a significant increase of the beta globulin fraction in the earlier gestational period only was observed. This increase corresponded to and was inversely proportional to the decreased levels of hCG. The authors therefore suggest the introduction of serum protein electrophoresis as a simple routine procedure for screening high risk pregnancies and thus, the early prediction of unfavorable pregnancy outcome.

The cytotoxicity of vitamin E, gossypol, and mixture of both was determined in lymphocytes and spermatozoa using different concentrations of the substances. The cellular viability was assessed by means of the trypan blue exclusion test at 0, 60, and 120 minutes. Spermatozoa exhibited a higher sensitivity to these compounds, which was proportional to the length of exposure and the dose.

The effect of the chronic use of combined oral contraceptives (OCs) on the "activity coefficients" (alpha = coenzyme-stimulated activity/basal activity) of erythrocytic glutathione reductase and aspartate aminotransferase was studied in 2 groups of 90 female volunteers each; 1 of the groups, from the state of Yucatan in southeast Mexico, presented clinical lesions of vitamin deficiency, while the other group, from Mexico City, did not have any clinical evidence of vitamin deficiency. One half of the women (45) in each group were chronic OC users and the other half were not. The results were analyzed comparing OC users with non-users in each location. For both glutathione reductase and aspartate aminotransferase, the Mexico City OC users had significantly higher (p 0.001) alpha values than nonusers, while in the Yucatan women, the alpha values were similarly high independent of OC use.

Riboflavin content of breast milk was determined in 100 lactating Nigerian women attending the clinic 6 weeks post partum. The women, from different ethnic groups, were fully breastfeeding at the time of the study and consisted of primi and multigravidae. Urine and milk samples were obtained at the clinic and analyzed for riboflavin. Parity had no effect of breast milk riboflavin (P0.05), the mean riboflavin content was 0.34 + or - 0.07 mg/1 (range 0.22-0.47 mg/1) with 27% of the mothers secreting above 0.4 mg riboflavin/1. There was no association between urinary riboflavin excretion and milk riboflavin. A greater number of infants, if exclusively breast fed without vitamin supplementation, may not meet their daily need for riboflavin. Storage of breast milk samples in the refrigerator for as long as 2 weeks had no effect on the component riboflavin. This may be an advantage where breast milk banks are operated.

The feeding pattern of 915 children from the low income areas of Ibadan were determined with the aid of a questionnaire administered on their mothers. All the 915 infants were breast-fed for varying periods starting from birth. About 80% of the infants were breast-fed within 48 hours of delivery but most of the mothers in all areas claimed to have discarded the colostrum produced in the first 24 hours postpartum. Infants not breast-fed until a few days postpartum were fed on glucose water or herbal preparations. Culture played no significant role in infant feeding practices.

380 milk samples (96 colostrum and 284 mature milk samples) collected from 240 lactating Nigerian women within the first 9 months of lactation were analyzed for zinc, copper, iron, calcium, and magnesium concentrations by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Mean levels of zinc, copper, iron, calcium, and magnesium in colostrum were 5.83, 0.52, 0.55, 400, and 33 mcg/ml, respectively; the levels for the same minerals in mature milk collected in the 8th and 12th week of lactation were 3.08, 0.29, 0.38, 300, and 31 mcg/ml, respectively. While milk levels of all minerals decreased with increase in lactation age, zinc levels showed the fastest rate of decrease. Milk zinc levels at the 9th month were only 13% of that in colostrum. Similar percentages for copper, iron, calcium, and magnesium were 49, 60, 34, and 74%, respectively. Estimates of intake by solely breastfed infants during the first 6 months showed gross inadequacies when compared with Recommended Daily Allowances. Results suggest the need for early supplementation, especially as zinc deficiencies as well as a high incicdence of iron deficiency anemia has been reported in Nigerian infants.