Published in Biology of the neonate
Ascorbic acid (AA) is a powerful antioxidant required for the defense against oxidative stress. At present it is not known whether AA may play a role in the developmental process of the fetus. We therefore determined the relationship of AA levels between the umbilical cord vein (UCV) and umbilical cord artery (UCA) of preterm ( or = 37 weeks of ge...
Published in Biology of the neonate
1a,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3], the hormonal form of vitamin D3, has been shown to play a role in the regulation of growth of the regenerating adult rat liver following partial hepatectomy. In addition, a recent study implicated the neonatal liver as a possible extrarenal site of 1,25(OH)2D3 synthesis. Therefore, in our present study we us...
Published in Biology of the neonate
Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity is important in the gastrointestinal tract, but detailed information about the different PLA2 isoenzymes present in the gastrointestinal mucosa is yet lacking. In the present study, we have investigated the postnatal development of group II phospholipase A2 (PLA2 II) gene expression in the forestomach, glandular sto...
Published in Biology of the neonate
Embryogenesis is the fundamental process of differentiation of all tissues from a fertilized egg. This process involves establishment of distinct stem cells that will later differentiate to all cell types. Recently, lines of embryonic stem cells have been established in culture from blastocysts. The cells are pluripotent and can differentiate in vi...
Published in Biology of the neonate
The growing knowledge on the pathological role of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and nitric oxide in septic shock stimulated efforts to control their generation pharmacologically in clinical situations. Pentoxifylline (PTXF) is well known as an inhibitor of TNF synthesis, whereas information about its role in suppression of NO generation i...
Published in Biology of the neonate
Reactive drug metabolites have been implicated in the pathogenesis of adverse reactions to the aromatic anticonvulsants. A patient presented with a hypersensitivity reaction to the aromatic anticonvulsants which evolved into Stevens-Johnson syndrome and was complicated by the presence of adult respiratory distress syndrome. When the patient's cells...
Published in Biology of the neonate
The mechanism for the preferential distribution of bilirubin to basal ganglia ('kernicterus') is unknown. We hypothesized that differences in bilirubin clearance rates between brain regions might explain this phenomenon. Bilirubin [30 mg/kg over 5 min, with 370-740 kBq (10-20 mu Ci) tritiated bilirubin] was infused into a peripheral vein in unanest...
Published in Biology of the neonate
To determine the changes in alveolar PCO2 (PACO2) and PO2 (PAO2) during periodic and regular breathing epochs in the same infants, we studied 11 preterm infants during quiet sleep (birth weight 1,630 +/- 94 g; gestational age 31 +/- 1 weeks; postnatal age 32 +/- 3 days). A total of 94 breathing/apneic cycles were analyzed and compared with regular ...
Published in Biology of the neonate
Published in Biology of the neonate
Nitric oxide (NO) is thought to be a primary mediator of the reduction in pulmonary vascular resistance which occurs in the newborn period. L-arginine is the precursor for the formation of nitric oxide in the pulmonary endothelium. Low serum arginine levels have been reported in infants with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). ...
