The impact a Mediterranean Diet in the third trimester of pregnancy has on neonatal body fat percentage.

Maternal diet during pregnancy has long been recognised as an important determinant of neonatal outcomes and child development. Infant body composition is a potentially modifiable risk factor for predicting future health and metabolic disease. Utilising the Mediterranean Diet Score, this study focused on how different levels of Mediterranean Diet adherence (MDA) in pregnancy influence body fat percentage of the infant. Information on 458 pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy and their infants was obtained from The ORIGINS Project. The data included MDA score, body composition measurements using infant air displacement plethysmography (PEA POD), pregnancy, and birth information. Infants born to mothers with high MDA had a body fat percentage of 11.3%, whereas infants born to mothers with low MDA had a higher body fat percentage of 13.3% (p = 0.010). When adjusted for pre-pregnancy body mass index and infant sex, a significant result remained between high vs. low MDA and infant fat mass (FM) (2.5% less FM p = 0.016). This study suggests that high MDA in pregnancy was associated with a reduced body fat percentage in the newborn. Future studies are needed to understand whether small but significant changes in FM persist throughout childhood.

The effects of gender, age and region on macro- and micronutrient contents and fatty acid profiles in the muscles of roe deer and wild boar in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Germany).

Samples of M. longissimus were collected from a total of 203 feral roe deer (n=118) and wild boar (n=85) in two regions of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Germany). The muscle lipid saturated fatty acid proportions of roe deer and wild boar ranged between 33 and 49g/100g total fatty acids and 31 and 35g/100g total fatty acids, respectively. The total n-3 PUFA proportions in roe deer muscle varied between 8.0 and 14g/100g fatty acids, and in wild boar muscle between 2.6 and 6.0g/100g fatty acids. The major vitamin E homologue, α-tocopherol, was determined to be between 5.8 and 13.1mg/kg in roe deer muscles. Lower levels between 1.2 and 4.7mg/kg were measured in wild boar muscles. The iron and zinc concentrations in roe deer and wild boar muscle ranged from 26.3 to 33.9mg/kg and from 17.0 to 21.7mg/kg, and from 13.6 to 39.3mg/kg and 18.1 to 31.9mg/kg, respectively.

Effects of diet and storage on fatty acid profile, micronutrients and quality of muscle from German Simmental bulls.

This study evaluated the effect of diet on fatty acid profile, vitamins, trace elements, lipid peroxidation, and quality of longissimus muscle of German Simmental bulls. The effect of storage on fatty acid profile and vitamins was also included. A control group was fed concentrate including soybean, and maize silage/grass silage. Treatment group I (unrestricted) was fed concentrate including rapeseed, and grass silage. Treatment group II (restricted) was fed like treatment group I with a feed restriction period. The treatment diet was not effective to give similar daily live weight gain to the control diet, but it was successful in improving beef fatty acid composition without affecting tenderness and colour (under unrestricted conditions). There were no differences in vitamins and cooking loss, but selenium decreased in treatment groups. Stimulated lipid peroxidation, in samples taken immediately post-mortem, was higher in treatment groups. Polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased, saturated fatty acids and intramuscular fat increased after 14days of storage while vitamins had no significant reduction.

The effect of feeding a diet naturally contaminated with deoxynivalenol (DON) and zearalenone (ZON) on the spleen and liver of sow and fetus from day 35 to 70 of gestation.

Pregnant sows were fed a control diet (CON, 0.15 mg deoxynivalenol (DON) and 0.0035 mg zearalenone (ZON) per kg diet) or diet containing 15% of Fusarium toxin contaminated triticale (MYCO, 4.42 mg DON and 0.048 mg ZON per kg diet) during days 35-70 of gestation. All sows were fed in a restricted feeding regimen with the same amount of feed (2000 g/d) over the whole study. At the end of the experiment, fetuses were delivered by Caesarian section and samples of spleen and liver of euthanized sows and fetuses were analyzed. At terminal necropsy, no macroscopic lesion was observed in any organ of either sows or fetuses. The histopathological data indicated significant alteration only in elevated iron staining in the red pulp of spleens in sows of MYCO group after 35 days of feeding. The presence of hemosiderin particles in the spleen sections was confirmed by transmission electron microscopical investigation and by an enhanced Fe2+ concentration in spleen. A glycogen increase (p<0.05) was found in liver cells of fetuses in the experimental group. Together, the results provide evidence of spleen dysfunction (hemosiderosis) in sows fed a Fusarium toxin-contaminated wheat, however, with absence of clinical signs. Enhanced glycogen and an impairment of mitochondria in liver of fetuses was present when their mothers consumed the MYCO diet.

Intramuscular ephedrine reduces emesis during the first three hours after abdominal hysterectomy.

BACKGROUND: We tested the hypothesis that intramuscularly administered ephedrine prevents postoperative nausea and vomiting. Ephedrine is cheap, and for this indication poorly documented. METHODS: One hundred and nine patients undergoing elective abdominal hysterectomy under general anaesthesia were studied in a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study. Ten minutes before the end of the procedure patients received either ephedrine 0.5 mg/kg i.m. or placebo. The patients were closely observed for 24 h for postoperative nausea or vomiting (PONV) and received a standardized two-step antiemetic treatment of i.v. metoclopramide 10 mg, supplemented with ondansetron 4 mg i.v. if needed. RESULTS: The ephedrine treated patients had significantly less nausea, retching and vomiting, and need of antiemetic rescue during the first 3 h postoperatively compared with the placebo patients. No difference between the groups was evident in the 3-24 h postoperative observation period. All the patients with PONV during 0-3 h experienced PONV in the 3-24 h period. Treatment or prophylaxis with one drug was less efficient than two or more drugs combined. No significant differences in hypotension, tachycardia or other side-effects between the groups were noted. CONCLUSION: Ephedrine 0.5 mg/kg i.m. administered at the end of abdominal hysterectomy has a significant antiemetic effect during the first 3 h after administration with no evident side-effects.