Folic acid and the prevention of neural tube defects: A survey of awareness among Latina women of childbearing age residing in southeast Michigan.

Periconceptional intake of folic acid is known to reduce the risk for neural tube defects (NTDs). To inform southeast Michigan Latina women of childbearing age about the benefits of food and supplemental sources of the micronutrient in the prevention of NTDs, Spanish-English bilingual health educators carried out 20 education events in supermarkets and community organizations serving Latina women. One hundred and sixty Latina women ages 19 to 50 years indicated their current folic acid awareness and stated their future intentions regarding folic acid. Of 160 women surveyed, 114 (71%) had heard of folic acid, 84 (74%) knew that folic acid prevents birth defects, 63 (55%) knew the critical time to take folic acid, and 76 (67%) identified at least one source of folic acid. After participating in the education events, 136 women (85%) reported planning to eat more folate and/or folic acid-rich foods. Although general folic acid awareness is fairly high, health promotion efforts must be coordinated at community locations serving Latina women to share folic acid's specific protective effects in the prevention of NTDs, the critical timing of intake, and its food and supplement sources.

Mass spectrometric analysis of leukotriene A4 and other chemically reactive metabolites of arachidonic acid.

The biosynthesis of prostaglandins and leukotrienes proceeds through the formation of chemically reactive intermediates leukotriene A4 (LTA4) and prostaglandin H2 (PGH2) which in aqueous solutions have chemical half-lives of 3 s and 3 min, respectively. Prostacyclin (PGI2) is another chemically reactive prostanoid that has a chemical half-life of 3-4 min. The recent development of reversed phase HPLC stationary phases that are stable to elevated pH (pH 10-12) without significant column damage has permitted direct analysis of these acid-sensitive eicosanoids. Using electrospray ionization, molecular anions [M - H]- of these compounds were observed at m/z 317 for LTA4 and m/z 351 for both PGH2 and PGI2. The mechanism of formation of ions derived from collisional activation of LTA4 was studied using stable isotope labeled and chemical analogs of LTA4 and found to involve formation of highly conjugated anions at m/z 261 and 163. The collisional activation of the molecular anion of PGH2 yielded a product ion spectrum identical to that observed for the isomeric prostaglandins PGE2 and PGD2. However, it was possible to baseline separate PGE2, PDG2, and PGH2 by reversed phase HPLC using basic HPLC mobile phases. The collisional activation of PGI2 led to a family of abundant ions including highly conjugated carbon-centered and oxygen-centered radical species (m/z 245 and 205) likely derived from the attack of the carboxylate anion on the cyclic enolether of PGI2 as well as the most abundant product ion (m/z 215) which formed following loss of neutral hexanal and water. The structures of these product ions were consistent with high resolution measurements measured in a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer.