Is taranjebin a prophylactic agent for neonatal jaundice?

Taranjebin is a plant resin obtained from camel's thorn, a shrub abundant in desert areas of Iran. It contains saccharose and has been traditionally used by grandmothers to treat neonatal jaundice. This study was conducted to test the effectiveness of taranjebin in reducing bilirubin in physiologic ranges when used prophylactically in normal full-term newborns. 95 term healthy newborns were given 10,20, or 30% taranjebin starting at4 hours of age for 3 days, while 90 infants were given placebo. Mean serum bilirubin levels were determined on day 5 for both study groups, as were daily transcutaneous bilirubin indices. In the 30% taranjebin group, 5 of 29 treated infants developed jaundice [bilirubin 16 mg per dl] compared to none in the control group [p< 0.05]. Taranjebin was thus not found to be effective in preventing hyperbilirubinemia in normal healthy term newborns

Incidence of minor anomalies versus normal variation in Iranian newborns

One thousand, one hundred and thirty four Iranian newborn infants were examined for 44 Physical features to identify which constitute minor anomalies in our population. Twenty four of the 44 Physical features occurred at a rate of 4% or less, and were hence designated minor anomalies, the commonest of these being simian crease [frequency 2.68%]. Of the study population, 13.1% had at least one minor anomaly while only 0.35% had three or more. Surprisingly, low set ears with a posterior slant was a common occurrence in our newborns