Taurine supplementation prevents hyperaminoacidemia in growing term infants fed high-protein cow's milk formula.

Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and plasma and urine amino acid concentrations were compared between three cohorts of healthy growing term infants who were breast-fed (BF) or randomly assigned to one of two formulas either taurine non-supplemented (FF) or taurine supplemented (FF + T). The infants were studied from 2 to 12 weeks of age. Weight gain and growth in length was normal and similar in all three feeding groups during the study interval. At 12 weeks BUN was significantly higher in the FF group than in the BF and FF + T groups, 16.5 mg/dl vs 7.0 and 7.3 mg/dl, respectively. Total plasma amino acids (FF group: 240.5 +/- 110.1 mumoles/dl; BF group 180.1 +/- 28.7 mumoles/dl; FF + T group: 182.3 +/- 89.4 mumoles/dl) and total essential amino acids (FF group: 89.8 +/- 37.3 mumoles/dl; BF group: 56.1 +/- 16.3 mumoles/dl; FF + T group: 53.0 +/- 24.2 mumoles/dl). The urine amino acid concentrations reflected the plasma levels in all groups. These results indicate that taurine supplementation to a high protein formula lowers BUN levels and the plasma urine amino acid concentrations by some yet unknown mechanism to concentrations similar to those found in breast-fed infants with a much lower protein intake.

Milk protein quality in low birth weight infants: effects of protein-fortified human milk and formulas with three different whey-to-casein ratios on growth and plasma amino acid profiles.

Growth rates (weight, length, and head circumference) and selected biochemical indexes of protein metabolism (serum urea, acid-base status, and plasma amino acid concentrations) were determined in low birth weight (LBW) infants appropriate for gestational age (birth weight less than 1,650 g) fed three formulas differing only in the whey-to-casein ratios: 60/40, 50/50, and 35/65. A group of infants fed exclusively human milk protein (HMP)-fortified human milk was used as a control. All diets provided similar daily protein and energy intakes, which were 3.5 g/kg and 122 kcal/kg in the human milk-fed infants and 3.3 g/kg and 121 kcal/kg in the formula-fed infants. Neither weight gain nor rate of growth in length and head circumference differed between the feeding groups and reached intrauterine or better rates in all groups. Values for serum urea and acid-base status were normal and also did not differ among the groups. At the end of the study, plasma threonine concentrations were significantly higher in all formula-fed infants than in the infants fed human milk. The highest plasma threonine concentration was found in the infants receiving the whey-predominant formula. Plasma concentrations of valine, methionine, and phenylalanine were also significantly higher in all formula-fed groups when compared with the human milk group. Plasma total essential amino acid concentrations were also significantly higher in the formula-fed infants than in the human milk fed. The results show that protein quality does not affect growth rate or biochemical indexes of metabolic tolerance in LBW infants fed adequate protein and energy intakes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Tryptophan fortification of adapted formula increases plasma tryptophan concentrations to levels not different from those found in breast-fed infants.

Several recent studies have demonstrated significantly lower plasma total tryptophan concentrations in formula-fed than in breast-fed infants. We have measured preprandial plasma amino acid concentrations in infants breast-fed or fed a formula with a protein concentration of 1.57 g/dl and with a whey/casein ratio of 60:40 or a formula with a protein concentration of 1.37 g/dl and a whey/casein ratio of 40:60 and fortified with 10 mg/dl (15 mg/100 kcal) of tryptophan. Healthy term infants (10 per group) were either breast-fed from birth or randomly assigned to one of the two study formulas. At 4 and 12 weeks of age, anthropometric measurements were performed and blood samples were obtained. During the study period of 12 weeks, all infants showed normal growth (weight, length, and head circumference) and there were no statistically significant differences between the groups. The plasma concentrations of the essential amino acids phenylalanine, threonine, valine, and lysine were significantly lower in the breast-fed group than in both formula-fed groups. For tyrosine, methionine, leucine, histidine, isoleucine, and arginine, no significant differences could be found between the feeding groups. Concentration of total plasma tryptophan was significantly higher in the breast-fed group than in the group fed the tryptophan-unfortified formula, but no statistically significant difference could be found between the plasma tryptophan concentration in the breast-fed group versus the group fed the tryptophan-fortified formula. The results indicate that tryptophan fortification of adapted formula is necessary to achieve plasma total tryptophan concentrations similar to those found in breast-fed infants.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Epidemiological study on the assay of antibodies to anti-TORCH agents and to HBV in a group of mother/child pairs in Palermo]. / Studio epidemiologico per la ricerca di anticorpi anti-agenti TORCH e di HBV in un gruppo di coppie madre/figlio a Palermo.

The TORCH group: toxoplasma, rubeola, cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes virus hominis (HSV) and also the B-virus of hepatitis (HBV) determine congenital malformations in the newborns. For this reason, the Authors leaded an epidemiologic study testing with some antibodies (anti-TORCH and anti-HBV) the serum of groups of mother-newborn of the Obstetrical Clinic of Palermo. This study became manageable because now there are available high specific immunoenzymatic methods, for example ELISA, the passive haemoagglutination and the haemoagglutination-inhibition. In our people, high concentration of rubeola, HSV and CMV and very low concentration of toxoplasma and HBV are shown. The frequency of malformation is related with the subclinical infection. The Authors suggest to extend same investigation at an higher number of pregnant women to prevent these congenital malformations.