Calvin W. Woodruff

Serum Lipids in Breast-Fed Infants and in Infants Fed Evaporated Milk

R ECENT investigations into the role of the lipid components of diets fed human infants have revealed a paucity of data concerning serum lipid patterns in infants fed the foods most commonly used in the United Stateshuman milk and evaporated whole cow’s milk. The purpose of the present study is to document the lipid patterns in infants fed these two diets between birth and six months of age, including as many lipids and lipid-soluble substances as could be readily measured when these studies were begun in 1957. The infants in this study were selected after interviewing mothers in the last trimester of pregnancy in the prenatal clinic at Vanderbilt Hospital and choosing those either planning to nurse their infants or willing to use the evaporated milk provided. Premature infants and twins were excluded from the study as were all infants having any illness other than mild infection of the respiratory tract. The infants were seen regularly in the Well Baby Clinic and in all growth, development and state of health were within the limits of clinical normal.

Citrovorum factor and folic acid in treatment of megaloblastic anemia in infancy.

Summary 1. Citrovorum factor in parenterally administered doses of 75 μg daily produced a remission in 2 patients with megaloblastic anemia of infancy. 2. Folic acid was effective in 2 cases of this syndrome at oral dose levels of 500 μg and 200 μg daily.

Nutritional Assessment of Infants with Hypochromic Anemia

I RON deficiency in infancy is almost always due to nutritional factors rather than to loss of blood. The occurrence of iron deficiency in infants between six months and five years of age can be attributed to either an increased requirement or an inadequate intake. In a previous publication’ it was pointed out that iron deficiency developed more frequently in infants of low birth weight, twins, males and infants born to multiparous mothers, than would have been expected. These findings were interpreted as evidence that their relatively greater growth rate and/or reduced iron “stores” at birth predisposes them to the development of iron deficiency. The present study is concerned with a dietary and biochemical assessment of the nutritional status of a similar group of infants in order to evaluate the role of iron intake in the pathogenesis of their deficiency.

Occurrence of renal lesions in guinea pigs given parenteral PGA.

Summary 1. The administration of PGA to the guinea pig may lead to the development of casts in the renal tubules and to dilation of the obstructed nephrons. 2. The lesions may develop with parenteral doses of 1 mg of PGA daily for 21 days. 3. With daily parenteral doses of 5 mg of PGA the lesions may develop in 5 days. 4. The formation of these casts is not related to the feeding of tyrosine. 5. Scurvy is not a prerequisite for the appearance of the injury. 6. The lesions were not observed to occur on a stock diet containing cabbage. It appears that such a diet offers some protection against the development of the injury.