Zinc Deficiency: Cause of Hypoproteinemia or Its Result?

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-129
Author(s):  
SAVITRI P. KUMAR ◽  
ENDLA K. ANDAY
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Zinc Deficiency ◽  
Radioactive Isotopes ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Protein Loss ◽  
Low Birth Weight Infants ◽  
Fecal Samples

In Reply.— We agree with Weizman that quantification of enteric protein loss is best carried out by the use of51 Cr-albumin. Although this test has been used in adults and older children, there is no published study on the use of this method in neonates or low-birth-weight infants. The use of radioactive isotopes and the necessity of obtaining fecal samples without urinary contamination makes this an undesirable test in infants. Although the fecal clearance of α1-antitrypsin overcomes all the drawbacks of the 51Cr-albumin method, there are again no studies to date, on its use in neonates.

Edema, Hypoproteinemia, and Zinc Deficiency in Low-Birth-Weight Infants

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 327-329
Author(s):  
Savitri P. Kumar ◽  
Endla K. Anday
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Zinc Deficiency ◽  
Serum Proteins ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Normal Growth ◽  
Postnatal Growth ◽  
Protein Loss ◽  
Low Birth Weight Infants ◽  
Zinc Supplements

Three premature infants with zinc deficiency who had an unusual presentation with generalized edema and hypoproteinemia between 5 and 9 weeks of age are described. The infants were fed their own mother's milk, supplemented with a proprietary formula after the first 2 to 3 weeks of life. None of the infants had diarrhea, liver disease, or urinary protein loss. Treatment with oral zinc supplements led to rapid resolution of the edema, with an increase in values for serum proteins, alkaline phosphatase, and zinc. There was no recurrence of symptoms following discontinuation of zinc therapy 1 month later. At 1-year follow-up, all infants were doing well and had normal growth and development. As zinc plays a critical role in nucleic acid and protein synthesis, it is postulated that dietary zinc deficiency in the phase of rapid postnatal growth precipitated edema and hypoproteinemia in these infants. Zinc deficiency should be included in the list of causes of generalized edema in the low-birth-weight infant.

scholarly journals Colonization of Supplemented Bifidobacterium breve M-16V in Low Birth Weight Infants and Its Effects on Their Gut Microbiota Weeks Post-administration

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayako Horigome ◽  
Ken Hisata ◽  
Toshitaka Odamaki ◽  
Noriyuki Iwabuchi ◽  
Jin-zhong Xiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
16S Rrna Gene Sequencing ◽  
Fecal Microbiota ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Low Birth Weight Infants ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
Bifidobacterium Breve

The colonization and persistence of probiotics introduced into the adult human gut appears to be limited. It is uncertain, however, whether probiotics can successfully colonize the intestinal tracts of full-term and premature infants. In this study, we investigated the colonization and the effect of oral supplementation with Bifidobacterium breve M-16V on the gut microbiota of low birth weight (LBW) infants. A total of 22 LBW infants (12 infants in the M-16V group and 10 infants in the control group) were enrolled. B. breve M-16V was administrated to LBW infants in the M-16V group from birth until hospital discharge. Fecal samples were collected from each subject at weeks (3.7–9.3 weeks in the M-16V group and 2.1–6.1 weeks in the control group) after discharge. qPCR analysis showed that the administrated strain was detected in 83.3% of fecal samples in the M-16V group (at log10 8.33 ± 0.99 cell numbers per gram of wet feces), suggesting that this strain colonized most of the infants beyond several weeks post-administration. Fecal microbiota analysis by 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that the abundance of Actinobacteria was significantly higher (P < 0.01), whereas that of Proteobacteria was significantly lower (P < 0.001) in the M-16V group as compared with the control group. Notably, the levels of the administrated strain and indigenous Bifidobacterium bacteria were both significantly higher in the M-16V group than in the control group. Our findings suggest that oral administration of B. breve M-16V led to engraftment for at least several weeks post-administration and we observed a potential overall improvement in microbiota formation in the LBW infants’ guts.

Zinc and Low Birth Weight: Relationship Questioned

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 898-898
Author(s):  
UGO CARPENTIERI ◽  
C. W. DAESCHNER ◽  
LEIGH R. SMITH ◽  
MARY ELLEN HAGGARD
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Zinc Deficiency ◽  
Zinc Supplementation ◽  
Protein Supplementation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Low Birth Weight Infants ◽  
Weight Relationship

To the Editor.— Kumar and Anday1 recommended the addition of zinc deficiency to the list of causes of generalized edema in low-birth-weight infants. In our opinion, none of the three patients they described support this conclusion, although the conclusion itself may be true. One patient, in fact, improved with protein supplementation alone, although over a longer period of time, and the other two patients improved with protein and zinc supplementation over a period of four to five days.

Disseminated Fungal Infections in Very Low-Birth-Weight Infants: Therapeutic Toxicity

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-157
Author(s):  
Jill E. Baley ◽  
Robert M. Kliegman ◽  
Avroy A. Fanaroff
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Amphotericin B ◽  
Premature Infants ◽  
Antifungal Agents ◽  
Very Low Birth Weight ◽  
Fungal Infections ◽  
Invasive Procedures ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Low Birth Weight Infants

The improved survival of very low-birth-weight infants, who require prolonged hospitalization and many invasive procedures, increases the risks for nosocomial illnesses, such as disseminated fungal infections. In a 2-year period, systemic fungal infections were clinically diagnosed in ten infants. This necessitated the institution of antifungal therapy in extremely premature infants (mean birth weight 788 g, mean gestational age 28 weeks) despite the paucity of knowledge about the pharmacokinetics and toxicity of these drugs in the very immature patient. Despite the absence of reported toxicity in infants and older children, severe nephrotoxicity was commonly observed with oliguria/anuria, temporally related to the administration of amphotericin B in seven of these infants. Additional evidence of nephrotoxicity included either a rise in creatinine levels (≥1.3 mg/dL), an increase in BUN (≥30 mg/dL), hypokalemia (≤2.9 mEq/L), or hyperkalemia (≥6.0 mEq/L). Six of these seven drug-toxic infants died. Interruption of amphotericin B therapy, with reinstitution at a lower dose, was the most successful factor in alleviating the anuria. There is an urgent need for detailed pharmacokinetic and toxicity studies of antifungal agents in immature infants.

Frequency of Symptomatic Zinc Deficiency in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

2012 ◽  
Vol 225 (01) ◽  
pp. 13-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Wulf ◽  
A. Wilhelm ◽  
M. Spielmann ◽  
S. Wirth ◽  
A. Jenke
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Zinc Deficiency ◽  
Very Low Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight Infants
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