Elsie Z. Moyer

Physiological adaptation and nutritional status during and after pregnancy.

The physiological adaptation of women to pregnancy and the postpartum and their nutritional status was studied and related literature is discussed. Those aspects studied and discussed included differences in capillary and venous blood samples blood changes in the postpartum methods for analyzing hemoglobin total serum protein serum Vitamin-C serum Vitamin-A and carotenoids and serum alkaline phosphatase the quality of dietary intake the usual physiological changes during pregnancy clinical dietary and seriatim biochemical assessment of nutritional status biochemical assessment of hemoglobin total serum protein serum Vitamin-C serum Vitamin-A and carotenoids and serum alkaline phosphatase and maternal and infant blood components and their relationships. The results are discussed with regard to nutritional status clinical symptoms dietary intakes race socioeconomic factors and other influences.

Composition of the human placenta: II. Lipid content

Abstract The total lipid (phospholipid [cephalin, lecithin and sphingomyelin] free and combined cholesterol, cerebrosides and neutral fat) distribution in nine human placentas is reported. No great individual variations in the lipid pattern were noted. Of the total lipid, one-fourth was neutral fat. Phospholipid comprised three-quarters of the essential lipid (total lipid minus neutral fat); and of the phospholipid content, one-half was lecithin, one-third was cephalin, and 14 per cent was sphingomyelin. The total lipid averaged 12.36 per cent of the dry weight, of which 3.51 per cent was neutral fat and 8.85 per cent was essential lipid. Of the dry weight, 0.53 per cent was cerebrosides, 0.99 per cent was free cholesterol, 0.54 per cent was cholesterol esters, and 6.79 per cent was phospholipid. Cephalin averaged 2.26 per cent of the dry weight of the placentas, lecithin was 3.55 per cent, and sphingomyelin was 0.98 per cent.

Plasma Proteins in Venous and Cord Blood at Delivery Following Uncomplicated and Complicated Pregnancies

Summary 1. Total protein, albumin, and 5 globulin fractions were determined by electrophoresis in the plasma of samples of cord blood and of venous blood from 11 women whose pregnancies were uncomplicated. Similar samples were obtained for electrophoretic analysis from 21 women whose pregnancies were complicated by toxemia of pregnancy and other diseases. 2. For the samples representing uncomplicated pregnancy total protein values for venous blood were higher than for cord blood. Greater average amounts of albumin and gamma globulin were found in cord blood than in the corresponding venous blood, coincident with lesser amounts of alpha, beta, and phi globulins. 3. In complicated pregnancies the ranges for total plasma protein in venous and cord blood were lower than for the normal group. Ranges of values for serum protein (calculated as plasma minus fibrinogen) fractions in cord blood following complicated pregnancies were, in general, higher for albumin and gamma globulin and lower for alpha, beta, and phi globulins than the ranges for venous blood.