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Maternal pregnancy weight gain and cord blood iron status are associated with eosinophilia in infancy.
Weigert, R, Dosch, NC, Bacsik-Campbell, ME, Guilbert, TW, Coe, CL, Kling, PJ
Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association. 2015;(8):621-6
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE Allergic disease is multifactorial in origin. Because iron nutrition affects immune responses and maternal pregnancy weight gain impairs fetal iron delivery while increasing fetal demands for growth, the study examined maternal pregnancy weight gain, newborn iron status and an index of atopic disease, infant eosinophilia. STUDY DESIGN Within a larger prospective study of healthy newborns at risk for developing iron deficiency anemia, umbilical cord iron indicators were compared to infant eosinophil counts. RESULT Infants who developed eosinophilia exhibited higher cord reticulocyte-enriched zinc protoporphyrin/heme ratio, P<0.05 and fewer cord ferritin values in the highest (best) quartile, P<0.05. If cord ferritin was in the upper three quartiles, the negative predictive value for infant eosinophilia was 90%. High maternal pregnancy weight gain predicted infant eosinophil counts, P<0.04, and contributed to cord ferritin predicting eosinophilia, P<0.003. CONCLUSION Poor fetal iron status may be an additional risk factor for infant eosinophilia.
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Fortification of human milk in very low birth weight infants (VLBW <1500 g birth weight).
Adamkin, DH, Radmacher, PG
Clinics in perinatology. 2014;(2):405-21
Abstract
The American Academy of Pediatrics supports the feeding of human milk for all infants. Very-low-birth-weight and extremely low-birth-weight infants especially can benefit from the immune and neurodevelopmental effects of human milk. However, human milk alone is nutritionally inadequate for the rapid growth of the very-low-birth-weight infant during a critical window for brain development and requires fortification to meet current recommendations. There are a variety of products, devices, and strategies that can be used to fine tune nutritional support of these very vulnerable infants.
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Zinc supplementation in children and adolescents with acute leukemia.
Consolo, LZ, Melnikov, P, Cônsolo, FZ, Nascimento, VA, Pontes, JC
European journal of clinical nutrition. 2013;(10):1056-9
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Zinc is known as an essential micronutrient for human health because of its structural and biochemical functions, influencing growth and affecting multiple aspects of the immune system. Zinc has been extensively studied in neoplastic processes but its role in children with leukemia still remains to be elucidated in several aspects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of oral zinc supplementation on weight gain and infectious episodes in children and adolescents with acute leukemia. SUBJECTS/METHODS This study included 38 patients, and was carried out as a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled investigation. The dosage of plasma zinc levels and the evaluation of nutritional status were performed during a period of 60 days. Zinc was supplemented orally, 2 mg/kg/day, in the form of amino acid salt. RESULTS The results showed that plasma zinc concentrations did not increase significantly with the addition of the micronutrient. However, from a clinical point of view, it has become evident that supplementary zinc exerts a positive effect on nutritional status as positive weight gain. Moreover, the number of infection episodes was significantly reduced, possibly because of the immune stimuli. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, zinc supplementation can prevent some of the chemotherapy adverse effects in children with leukemia, improving their quality of life.