[The partial parenteral nutrition of preterm infants with a body weight < 1000 g: the effects of an infusion of human albumin on plasma amino acid concentration].
This paper concerns with the changes of plasma amino acid (AA) concentrations of N. 10 ELBW infants receiving a regimen of partial parenteral nutrition including human serum albumin (HSA) as a protein supply. The plasma AA concentration has been compared with VLBW infants orally fed with human milk (HM) or human milk supplemented with human milk protein (HMP). As for the essential AA: in comparison to VLBW infants fed HM, the plasma concentration of VAL, PHE and LYS is significantly higher, that of THR, MET, LEU and HIS is similar, whereas that of ILE is significantly lower; in comparison to VLBW infants fed HMP, with the exception of PHE whose plasma concentration is higher, concentration of essential AA significantly lower; the percentage ratio between plasma concentration and intake is in the range of 1,4 to 3,3, except for LYS (= 0.83), indicating a good efficacy of the i.v. administered HSA as AA source, or a slow plasma clearance or a sustained flux of AA from body protein catabolism. Further researches are needed to investigate these aspects and the intermediate steps between i.v. infusion of HSA and the utilization of the component AA for body protein synthesis.