Pyridoxal phosphate in cord blood of pre-eclamptic infants

Pyridoxal phosphate [vitamin B[6]] was measured in maternal and cord blood. The average plasma concentration in thirty women with normal pregnancy was 3.8 +/- 1.3 ng/ml, in thirty women with preeclampsia 2.5 +/- 0.8 ng/ml and in non pregnant women 6.2 +/- 1.7 ng/ml. The average cord blood concentration of normal infants was 12.65 +/- 3.09 ng/ml whereas that of infants of preeclamptic mothers was 6.02 +/- 7.6 ng/ml. This two fold difference of the concentrations was statistically significant. A positive correlation was found between Apgar scores and cord vitamin B[6] as well as maternal vitamin B[6] in the normal fullterm newborn and the newborn of preeclamptic pregnancy. We suggest that dietary supplementation with vitamin B[6] should be instituted in women at high risk for development of toxemia of pregnancy as one step in protecting the neurologic development of the fetus

study on serological survey of Malta fever [brucellosis]

Brucellosis is mainly an occupational disease, a highly significant difference could he detected between workers in contact with dairy animals and those not in contact with animals by Standard Tube Agglutination Test [S.A.T] and Rose Bengal Plate Agglutination. [R.B.P.A.] Children are affected very much less often than adults, the odd low incidence in children is unexplained, the age group of 14-53 years showed higher positivity rate than the other groups. Brucella agglutinating antibodies are found in a high proportion of the studied population [25.5 percent] which may suggest that exposure to brucella organisms is widespread in Egypt

Cord transferrin and ferritin values in newborn infants

Transferrin, ferritin concentrations were determined in seventy four newborn infants. The cord transferrin levels were positively correlated with gestational age and birth weight. Preterm infants had significantly lower concentrations of ferritin than term infants and the Low birth weight had even lower levels. Cord transferrin levels were inversely correlated with ferritin levels in infants of preeclamptic mothers and infants of diabetic mothers. So cord transferrin when associated with decreased cord ferritin levels in newborn infants with possible uteroplacental insufficiency or chronic hypoxia, this may point to impaired iron stores in these infants