Status of cis and trans fatty acids in Brazilian adolescent mothers and their newborns.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The objective was to quantify cis and trans fatty acids in maternal plasma and infant cord plasma from adolescent mothers. DESIGN: From 80 adolescent healthy mothers, we sampled postpartum maternal blood and umbilical cord blood at birth. Trans fatty acids (tFAs), linoleic (18:2), and arachidonic (AA, 20:4) acids of the n-6 family, and α-linolenic (18:3), eicosapentaenoic (20:5) and docosahexaenoic (22:6) acids of the n-3 family were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography. Results were expressed as a percentage of total fatty acids. RESULTS: Linoleic fatty acid was present in greater proportions in the maternal plasma than in that of the umbilical cord, whereas AA was present in greater proportions in the total lipids of umbilical cord blood. Docosahexaenoic acid was the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid of the n-3 family that was predominant in both maternal and umbilical cord plasma. The tFAs in the maternal plasma had a negative correlation with oleic acid and linoleic acid. Linolenic acid had a positive correlation with cephalic perimeter upon birth. A tendency for a negative correlation between trans isomers and gestational age at birth (P = .05) was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are important to fetal growth and development, were found in greater quantities in the cord blood of newborns of adolescents than in the maternal blood, indicating a priority of transfer of AA and docosahexaenoic fatty acids to the fetus. Despite the lower levels of tFAs found in maternal blood, we verified potential risk for premature birth.

Perfil do desenvolvimento puberal e do estado nutricional de adolescentes / Transversal study to ecvaluate puberal development and nutritional status of the adolescents

Realizou-se estudo transversal retrospctivo de 116 adolescentes dos sexos masculino e feminino, acompanahados no Ambulatório de Adolescência Clínica do NUNADI do CRSMNADI, com o objetivo de avaliar o estado nutricional e o desenvolvimento puberal, considerando-se que os critérios habitualmente utilizados para avaliaçäo nutricional nesse período da vida, talvez näo reflitam adequadamente as profundas mudanças que estäo ocorrendo, podendo causar viés de interpretaçäo. A média de idade foi 12 anos e 10 meses , variando de 10 anos a 17 anos e 10 meses, sendo que 57,8 por cento dos participantes eram do sexo feminino e 42,2 por cento do sexo masculino...

[Tissue and serum copper concentration in malnourished pregnant rats and in their offspring]. / Cobre sérico e tecidual em rata gestante desnutrida e em sua prole.

OBJECTIVE: To study copper status in malnourished pregnant rat and its offspring. METHODS: Female Wistar rats at age of 90 days and body weight of 200-/+20g were studied. These animals were randomly assigned to one of the 3 pregnant groups: control-PC, malnourished-MP1 (severe malnutrition) and MP2 (mild malnutrition), and their offspring, born by cesarean section, constituted the newborn groups: NBC, MNB1 and MNB2, respectively. The collected tissues (liver, muscle, bone, placenta and carcass) suffered previous liquid digestion, and the copper level, also in serum, was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. RESULTS: The copper level in serum, bone, placenta and liver showed a significant difference between the pregnant groups; in the liver this difference was also significant between newborn groups. The values of the copper in the carcass were statistically lower in the newborn control animals. CONCLUSIONS: There is appropriate offer of maternal copper to the fetus which does not depend on the nutritional state of the mother, because there is a mobilization of the hepatic copper in the pregnant control group and also a mobilization of bone copper in the malnourished pregnant groups; however the intrauterine malnutrition is the one that determines inappropriate utilization of this ion by the fetus.

Comparaçäo de conhecimentos sobre nutriçäo entre mäes de crianças desnutridas e eutróficas / Comparison of knowledge about nutrition between mothers of malnourished and euthophic children

A fim de relacionar os conhecimentos maternos sobre nutriçäo e práticas alimentares com o estado nutricional de crianças menores de 24 meses, 40 mäes de crianças atendidas e/ou internadas no Centro de Referência da Saúde da Mulher e Nutriçäo, Alimentaçäo e Desenvolvimento Infantil da Secretaria de Estado da Saúde e/ou Unidade Básica de Saúde do município de Säo Paulo, nos meses de outubro e novembro de 1993, foram submetidas a um questionário do tipo certo/errado contendo questöes referentes a: conhecimentos de nutriçäo, aleitamento materno, técnica dietética, educaçäo e higiene alimentar. Os resultados foram analisados estatisticamente pelos testes de Fischer e Cochran näo sendo encontradas diferenças significantes entre as mäes de crianças eutróficas(grupo 1) e mäes de desnutridas(grupo 2). Pode-se verificar diferenças de acerto para algumas questöes que näo foram consideradas relevantes à gênese da desnutriçäo...

Inappropriate breast secretions of possible bacterial etiology in the parous nonpuerperal female.

This article presents two cases of spontaneous green breast secretions of parous nonpuerperal patients. To understand the nature of these secretions, bacterial evaluations and subsequent treatment were undertaken. Case 1 culture and sensitivity studies from breast secretions were commenced within 24 hours yielding an isolate identified as Staphylococcus epidermidis, with sensitivity to cephalothin, erythromycin, and tetracycline but resistant to penicillin. Cephalothin, 500 mg four times a day for 10 days, followed by erythromycin 100 mg twice a day for 10 days and doxycycline 100 mg twice a day for 10 days, did not alter the breast secretions. Four weeks later, ciprofloxacin HCI 500 mg twice a day for 6 weeks caused a 50% decrement in breast secretion at 4 weeks but increased clinical depression. At 6 weeks, no evidence of breast secretions persisted. Mental depression decreased within 2 weeks postciprofloxacin treatment. In Case 2, a total of 35 minutes elapsed between sample collection and initiation of culture and sensitivity studies. Moraxella osloensis was identified and found sensitive to ampicillin and tetracycline but resistant to trimethoprim. Ampicillin 500 mg four times a day for 10 days and doxycycline 100 mg twice a day by mouth for 10 days were administered at 2-week intervals with no effect on breast discharge. After 4 weeks of treatment failure, ciprofloxacin HCI 500 mg twice a day for 6 weeks caused a 50% decrease in discharge at 2 weeks and total elimination at 6 weeks. Lethargy during treatment ceased with termination of therapy. These results support the importance of bacterial evaluation of breast secretions with subsequent antibiotic therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)