ABSTRACT
Background: Low birth weight has been observed in offspring of alcoholic mothers due likely to unresolved inflammation and oxidative injury. Dietary lipids play a role in inflammation and its resolution. The primary objective was to investigate the effect of DHA and olive oil on the birth weight of pups born to alcohol-exposed dams. Methods: Pregnant rats were randomized to the control or three treatment (alcohol) groups. From gestational days (GD) 8-19, the control group received daily olive oil and malto/dextrose, whereas groups 2 and 3 received olive oil and low-dose alcohol or high-dose alcohol, respectively. Group 4 received daily DHA and high-dose alcohol. The dam's blood was collected on GD 15 and 20 for cytokine analysis. Dams were sacrificed on GD 20. The mean birth weight of pups was compared by one-way ANOVA with post hoc Duncan's test. Results: There was a significant increase in the pups' mean birth weight in the high-dose alcohol/DHA and high-dose alcohol/olive oil. Higher pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß and IL-12p70) were noted in the alcohol-exposed dams. Conclusions: DHA and olive oil supplementation in alcohol-exposed pregnant rats significantly increased their pups' birth weight despite having high pro-inflammatory cytokines. The mechanism of this effect remains to be determined.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the Minolta/Hill-Rom Air-Shields Transcutaneous Jaundice Meter model JM-103. METHODS: We studied a convenience sample of 849 newborns > or =35 weeks of gestation in 3 hospitals. These infants had total serum bilirubin (TSB) levels measured on clinical indication, and transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) levels were obtained within 1 hour of the TSB levels. The population was 59.2% white, 29.8% black, 4.5% East Asian, 3.8% Middle Eastern, 1.6% Indian/Pakistani, and 1.1% Hispanic. RESULTS: There was a close correlation between TSB and TcB values in all of the population groups: white (n = 503, r =.949); black (n = 253, r =.822); and East Asian, Indian/Pakistani, and Hispanic (n = 93, r =.926). In the black population, the correlation was less close than in the other groups, and differences between the TcB and TSB measurements tended to increase with rising TSB values. JM-103 values differed from TSB values by 3 mg/dL or more in 2% of white, 3.2% of other, and 17.4% of black infants. In these black infants, the JM-103 value was always greater than the TSB value. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that TcB measurements using the JM-103 jaundice meter correlate very closely with TSB levels over the range of TSB encountered in this study. Because only 3.3% of our infants had TSB values >15 mg/dL (257 micro mol/L), more data are needed in this range of TSB concentration. The correlation in black infants is not as close as in other groups, but because the tendency in blacks is for the JM-103 to overestimate serum bilirubin levels, dangerous clinical errors are unlikely to occur. The measurement technique is rapid and simple, and it is easy to perform repeated measurements over time, thus reducing the likelihood of error. TcB measurements with the JM-103 jaundice meter should obviate the need for most serum bilirubin levels in newborn infants > or =35 weeks of gestation, although serum bilirubin measurements are still required when treatment with phototherapy or exchange transfusion is being considered.