Cord blood vitamin A and vitamin D levels in relation to physical growth in exclusively breastfed infants aged 0-6 months.

Background: Vitamins A and D are essential for the health of pregnant women and infants. Nevertheless, the relationship between umbilical cord blood vitamins A and D levels and the physical growth of exclusively breastfed infants remains uncertain. Objective: This cohort study aims to examine the relationship between cord blood vitamins A and D levels and the physical growth of exclusively breastfed infants aged 0-6 months. Methods: 140 singleton mother-infant pairs were recruited in total. Questionnaires were used to collect maternal and infant information, and liquid chromatography was utilized to quantify the levels of vitamins A and D in the umbilical cord blood. Anthropometric measurements were conducted at birth, at 3 and 6 months of age, and the weight-for-age z-score (WAZ), length-for-age z-score (LAZ), head circumference-for-age z-score (HAZ), and BMI-for-age z-score (BMIZ) were calculated. Univariate and multivariate linear regression models were used for the analysis. Results: The average concentration of vitamins A and D in cord blood was 0.58 ± 0.20 µmol/L and 34.07 ± 13.35 nmol/L, both below the normal range for children. After adjusting for confounding factors, vitamin A levels in cord blood positively correlated with HAZ growth in infants aged 3-6 months (ß= 0.75, P < 0.01) while vitamin D levels negatively correlated with LAZ growth (ß= -0.01, P = 0.01) and positively correlated with BMIZ growth (ß= 0.02, P < 0.01). Conclusion: Higher Vitamin A levels at birth promote HAZ growth in infants aged 3-6 months while higher vitamin D levels at birth promote BMIZ growth in infants aged 3-6 months. Clinical trial registration: https://register.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT04017286.

[Raman spectroscopy analysis of carbon structural evolution of diesel particulate matters with the treatment of nonthermal plasma].

Original and nonthermal plasma treated particulate matters (PM) samples of a diesel were obtained and characterized by Raman spectroscopy. A five-bands model was adopted for Raman spectrum curve fitting. As parameters involving most information about carbon structure, variation of FWHM of D1 band and D3 relative intensity were analyzed. It was found that original PM presented higher graphical structural order and lower chemical heterogeneity with the increase in the diesel load. After the treatment of NTP, the graphical structural order and chemical heterogeneity of PM kept at a relative stable level, affected very slightly by diesel load. Meanwhile, the amount of molecular carbon in PM increased. Further study for relation between structural evolution and chemical reactivity of PM with chemical kinetics would make Raman spectroscopy of great promise to become an important method for PM characterization, which could provide basis for more effective removal.