BACKGROUND The presence of the adipokines adiponectin and leptin in cord blood and placental and fetal tissues suggests a possible role in fetal development. METHODS We measured concentrations of adiponectin and leptin in maternal serum, cord blood, and breast milk and examined their correlations within a large, population-based study. Between November 2000 and November 2001, we recruited all...

PURPOSE To investigate the efficacy of umbilical cord serum eyedrops for the treatment of neurotrophic keratitis. DESIGN Prospective noncomparative case series. PARTICIPANTS Twenty-eight eyes of 28 patients with neurotrophic keratitis who were refractory to conventional treatment. METHODS The patients with neurotrophic keraitis were treated with 20% umbilical cord serum eyedrops 6 to 10 t...

BACKGROUND Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) reduce T-cell activation and dampen inflammation. They might thereby counteract the neonatal immune activation and hamper normal tolerance development to harmless environmental antigens. We investigated whether fatty acid composition of cord serum phospholipids affects allergy development up to age 13 years. METHODS From a population...

INTRODUCTION Adipose tissue can release hormones into the blood stream in response to specific extracellular stimuli or changes in metabolic status. Resistin, an adipose-secreted factor, is primarily involved in the modulation of insulin sensitivity and adipocyte differentiation. Adiponectin, an adipocyte-specific hormone with insulin sensitizing, anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic effects,...

A complex of trehalose-6, 6'-dimycolate (cord factor) and methylated bovine serum albumin was prepared, and its effect on the toxicity of cord factor in mice was studied. Either the active immunization with cord factor-methylated bovine serum albumin complex or the passive transfer of sera of rabbits vaccinated with the complex protected mice against the toxic action of cord factor. The antiser...

background: a close relationship has been reported between level of serum iron and ischemic heart diseases which is either brought about through direct effect of serum iron on myocardial cells or as an indirect result of elevated serum lipid profile. a widespread use of iron supplements has been observed due to the high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia. yet an elevated serum lipid is strong...

By using a labelled ketone body, D-3-hydroxy[3-14C]butyrate, or a ketone-body precursor, L-[4,5-3H]leucine, preferential labelling of spinal-cord cholesterol was demonstrated. In contrast, the phospholipid fraction was more heavily labelled in the liver. In both tissues phosphatidylcholine was the major labelled complex lipid. Incorporation ob both substrates into total lipid, on a tissue-weigh...

Myelin was prepared from the brachial plexus and cervical spinal cord of adult squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus). Brachial plexus myelin contained a larger amount of sphingomyelin and smaller amounts of cholesterol, lipid galactose, ethanolamine phosphoglyceride, choline phosphoglyceride, and alk-1-enyl ether than spinal cord myelin when compared as ratios to total lipid phosphorus. The perip...