The effect of changing living standards on iron status in pregnancy in Calabar urban.

Reduced meat intake is often associated with iron deficiency anaemia. Reduced meat intake that arose from the frugality associated with a prolonged period of national economic reorientation policy, known as the "structural adjustment programme" (SAP), may have placed iron-stress on pregnancy in particular. Iron status of pre-SAP and SAP pregnancies were established from measurement of the haematological values of subjects. Indices such as haemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume, serum Fe were lower in pregnancy especially during SAP. However, SAP pregnancy serum ferritin did not respond significantly to iron depletion. Unlike PCV, Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) and serum transferrin values showed a reverse behaviour. The level of these values, however, portends a toll exerted on body iron status in pregnancy associated with reduced haem iron intake. The changes in these values did not, however, lead to any over symptoms of iron deficiency probably because increased sea food (molluscs) consumption ameliorates the iron-toll from low absorbed non-haem iron. For lower income rural women in non-coastal areas, the absence of seafood in their diets exacerbates the low iron status in Pregnancy.

Protein profiles and organoleptic properties of bread from wheat flour and full-fat or defatted fermented cocoa bean powder.

This study has shown that the protein in bread may be quantitatively increased significantly by addition of full-fat or defatted cocoa powder to white flour. The recipe in which white flour is incorporated with up to 10 percent defatted cocoa powder gives bread that is nearly as well accepted as white bread, but with a significantly higher protein content than the latter. However, organoleptic acceptability drops with increasing percentage of cocoa supplementation. The bitter taste of theobromine, which is normally present in high amounts in cocoa bean, is thought to be responsible for this problem of poor acceptability of high cocoa breads. This problem will have to be addressed in order to enhance the scope of increasing bread protein by cocoa supplementation.

Nutrient and antinutrient profiles of raw and fermented cocoa beans.

Freshly harvested cocoa bean was subjected to natural fermentation for 3, 6, 9 or 12 days. The proximate, mineral, hydrocyanate (HCN), oxalate and theobromine levels in the products were determined and compared with those of raw (unfermented) cocoa. The latter sample had the following composition: protein (N x 6.25), 17.5; lipid, 62.9; ash, 4.4; fibre, 5.9; and nitrogen-free extract (NFE), 9.3% dry matter. The effect of fermentation was variable, depending on duration and the nutrient under consideration. At day 3, protein content (17.6) was not different, but at day 6 (19.8) was higher (p <0.01), while days 9 and 12 (14.6 and 15.2, respectively) were lower (p <0.01) in comparison with the raw value. Inorganic P steadily decreased from 201.0 (raw) to 102.0 mg/100 g dry matter (day 12) but only the days 9 and 12 values were significantly different (p

Plasmodium falciparum malaria: its effects on some haematological parameters in normal and sickle cell Nigerian children.

The effect of Plasmodium falciparum malaria on the iron status was determined in 80 children: normal children without malaria (20) and with malaria (20), and sickle cell anaemia without malaria (17) and with malaria (23). Iron status was assessed using serum transferrin, serum iron, transferrin saturation and haemoglobin. The non-malaria sickle cell anaemia (SCA) group had lower transferrin (234.0 +/- 21.0) and haemoglobin (8.1 +/- 0.4) than non-malaria normal group (260.6 +/- 17.1 mg/100 ml, and 12.5% respectively). Serum iron was higher in sickle cell anaemia (125.1 +/- 17.1) than non-malaria normals (119.2 +/- 1 microgram/100 ml). Malaria caused an increase in serum transferrin, TIBC and serum iron in both normal and SCA children; these changes were more dramatic in normal than in SCA children.

The use of urine protein 1 as an indicator of renal tubular function in type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes.

One hundred male insulin-dependent diabetic patients, aged 16 to 85 (mean 51.9) years, with albumin excretion ranging from normal to gross excess were examined for glomerular and tubular functional alterations by estimating urinary levels of albumin and indicator proteins of tubular damage. Urine protein 1 (UP1), a newly-discovered low-molecular weight alpha-2 glycomicroglobulin, together with alpha 1-microglobulin was used to assess tubular function. 19% of the patients showed increased albumin excretion with normal levels of tubular proteins (glomerular proteinuria), 11% excreted only tubular proteins in excess (tubular proteinuria), while 40% had a mixed pattern of both increased albumin and tubular proteins (glomerulotubular or mixed proteinuria). 30% had normal albumin and tubular protein excretion in urine. UP1 was found to be a more sensitive indicator of tubular abnormality than alpha 1-microglobulin. It is concluded that, although glomerular changes may be responsible for the proteinuria seen in most diabetics (mixed proteinuria), in a small but significant proportion of diabetics, tubular functional alteration may occur before, or in the absence of, glomerular dysfunction, and may warn of subclinical tubular abnormality. This finding may have a direct bearing on the development and course of progression of diabetic nephropathy, and may question the reliability of the present prognostic interpretation of microalbuminuria.

Serum and urinary alpha-1 microglobulin levels in renal disease.

Serum and urinary levels of alpha 1-microglobulin (AM) were measured in healthy volunteers and patients with varying degrees of renal insufficiency (from mild impairment to functionally anephric patients). In all 33 healthy volunteers, 57 chronic renal disease and 22 functionally anephrics were studied. Serum creatinine (sCr) and 24-hour creatinine clearance (CCr) were used to assess renal function. Serum AM (SAM) increased with declining glomerular filtration and correlated well with CCr (r = -0.89, n = 90, P < 0.001) and sCr (r = 0.90, n = 112, P < 0.001). sAM increased faster than sCr as the filtration function diminished and may be a more sensitive indicator of impairment in renal glomerular filtration. Urinary AM (uAM) also increased as renal filtration decreased and the number of functional nephrons reduced. uAM correlated with sAM (r = 0.62, P < 0.001) and CCr (r = -0.50, P < 0.001). uAM had a higher percentage increase compared with sAM during the decline in renal function but was more poorly correlated with CCr or glomerular filtration function. It is concluded that AM is useful in assessing glomerular filtration function in addition to its well established relevance in tubular evaluation, and has potential in the longitudinal assessment of changes in renal function in renal disease and systemic diseases that affect the kidney.

Human retinol-binding protein: its relationship to renal function in renal diseases.

Human Retinol-binding protein (RBP) was measured in serum and urine of 30 healthy volunteers and 66 renal disease patients with varying degrees of renal insufficiency in order to establish its clinical relevance in evaluating renal function. 24-hour creatinine clearance (Ccr) was used to assess renal dysfunction in all cases, and the serum RBP related to Ccr. There was a good correlation between serum RBP and creatinine (r = 0.80, n = 96, p less than 0.001) and, on logarithmic scale, between serum RBP and Ccr(r = 0.77, n = 80, P less than 0.001). Serum RBP was more sensitive in detecting early changes in glomerular filtration than serum creatinine and it is suggested that RBP may be useful in predicting glomerular filtration rate without the need for a 24 hour or time urine collection. Urinary excretion levels of RBP may also be useful in monitoring renal tubular function. It is concluded that RBP is useful in assessing renal function for the purposes of diagnosis and monitoring the course of progression of renal disease.

Plasma alpha-2 glycomicroglobulin in monitoring allograft function and in predicting rejection episodes in kidney transplantation (preliminary results).

This study reports clinical evaluation of a newly-discovered protein, alpha-2 glycomicroglobulin (A2GM), for monitoring renal function and in the identification and characterization of rejection episodes in kidney transplant recipients. Using a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique, plasma levels of A2GM were measured prior to, and following, transplantation. There was an initial decrease in plasma A2GM in all patients following transplantation, but the decrease was significantly (P less than 0.023) greater in patients with initial good function than in those with initial poor function associated with initial acute tubular necrosis or rejection. The decrease in A2GM did not correlate with subsequent graft function and viability. Levels of A2GM were found to be sensitive to changes in renal function and correlated well with creatinine. A sustained rise in A2GM was indicative of rejection. A2GM predicted rejection episodes 48-72 h before any significant rise in plasma creatinine in five of seven rejections studied. It is concluded that plasma A2GM levels may be clinically useful in assessing allograft function and in predicting rejection crises in kidney transplant recipients.