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Biomedical subjects

R E Little

Publications and source records attributed to R E Little.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1980

Decreased birth weight in infants of alcoholic women who abstained during pregnancy.

Fifty infants born to women who reported total abstinence during pregnancy, but who had a history of alcoholism prior to conception, were compared to 50 infants born to alcoholic women who reported drinking heavily during pregnancy, and to 50 infants of nonalcoholic controls. Mean birth weight of infants born to the abstinent alcoholics was 258 gm less than mean birth weight of the control infants. Infants of drinking alcoholics weighed 493 gm less than the control infants. These differences in offspring birth weight were statistically significant after adjusting for maternal smoking, height, age, and parity, as well as gestational age and sex of child. This finding suggests that a history of maternal alcoholism may pose a risk to fetal growth independent of alcohol use during the pregnancy.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Vigilance paradigm for preschool children used to relate vigilance behavior to IQ and prenatal exposure to alcohol.

A methodology for investigating vigilance behavior in preschool children was developed. The administration of the task was adapted to young children and a scoring system was devised to adjust for the higher level of random responding found in this sample of preschoolers. 28 3- and 4-yr.-olds were given the Stanford-Biner Intelligence Test and a 12-min. vigilance task. The children, drawn from a sample used in a larger study, were the offspring of three groups of mothers: recovered alcoholics who drank during pregnancy, recovered alcoholics who did not drink during pregnancy, and nonalcoholics who drank litt or nothing during pregnancy. A significant correlation was found between the number of correct responses on the vigilance task and IQ (r26 = . 53, p less than .01). The conclusions that can be drawn regarding the relationship of vigilance to maternal alcohol use (chi 2 = 4.82, p less than .09) are limited by small sample size.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1980

Maternal alcohol and tobacco use and nausea and vomiting during pregnancy: relation to infant birthweight.

A recent report has documented a decreased probability of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) in women who were simultaneously both regular drinkers and smokers, especially if these habits existed before pregnancy. Maternal smoking and drinking have both been linked with decreased infant birthweight, as has absence of NVP. The question posed by these findings is whether the decrease in birthweight associated with absence of NVP is in fact due to regular maternal drinking and smoking. The data presented in this paper indicate that this is not the case; NVP is related to infant birthweight, even after adjustment for maternal alcohol and tobacco use.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1979

Maternal alcohol and tobacco consumption and their association with nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.

Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) has been associated with favorable pregnancy outcome, though little is known about factors influencing its occurrence. In this study, information on NVP in 210 patients at a west coast health maintenance organization was obtained. Smoking and alcohol consumption before and during pregnancy were also estimated in two personal interviews during gestation. In all, 72% of the subjects had NVP in the first 4 months of pregnancy. Smokers had significantly less NVP than non-smokers (52% vs. 79%). Furthermore, NVP in smokers was negatively associated with alcohol consumption before and during pregnancy, with the stronger relation being for alcohol reported in the 6 months before pregnancy; only 46% of smokers drinking more than 1/2 fl. oz. of absolute alcohol daily in this period reported NVP, while 68% of smokers drinking less had NVP. For non-smokers, there was no relation between alcohol use in any period and NVP. The risk of NVP associated with pre-pregnancy drinking was not related to any change in alcohol consumption after conception. These results suggest an interaction between NVP, smoking, and reported alcohol consumption. The association of favorable pregnancy outcome with NVP may be in part a reflection of moderation in maternal alcohol and tobacco use.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1978

Drinking during pregnancy in alcoholic women.

Assessment of specific periods of bringe drinking (including dates, duration, and amount consumed) would seem particularly important in research on the outcome of pregnancy. One study has already shown that brain malformations in stillborn and expired infants were more related to the pattern of drinking than to overall "AA score."

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1977

Moderate alcohol use during pregnancy and decreased infant birth weight.

Maternal alcoholism during pregnancy may result in severe prenatal growth deficiency. In this prospective study, the relationship of moderate maternal alcohol consumption to infant birth weight is explored. Subjects were 263 paying members of a health maintenance organization who delivered single live children. Their alcohol consumption before pregnancy, and in early and late pregnancy, was estimated. In order to control for smoking, which is strongly related to both infant birth weight and maternal alcohol use, the sample was selected so that similar proportions of smokers were represented in both light and heavier drinkers. Multiple linear regression was employed. A regression equation was computed for each of the three periods in which drinking was estimated. Independent variables entered into the equation were maternal age, height, parity, daily cigarettes, alcohol use in the period, and gestational age and sex of child. The regression of birth weight on these variables revealed a significant relationship (p less than or equal to .01) with alcohol consumption in two of the periods. Ingestion of an average of one ounce of absolute alcohol daily before pregnancy was associated with an average decrease in birth weight of 91 grams; the same amount ingested in late pregnancy was associated with a decrease of 160 grams. The associations were independent of the other variables entered into the equation, and in particular, of tobacco use.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1976

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy as reported to the obstetrician and to an independent interviewer.

Data on the 67 women asked by this study and by their physician about their drinking indicate that most of them reported "occasional" consumption to the physician, no matter what their drinking behavior appeared to be as estimated by personal interview. That is, heavy drinkers (by the estimates of this study) underestimated and infrequent drinkers overestimated alcohol consumption relative to the personal interview when reporting to their physician. Becuase of the difficulty in classifying responses, a rather loose criterion of "disagreement" of the two estimates was established. About 10% of the women gave conflicting reports to the study interviewer and the physician by this criterion. In most cases of conflict, the report to the physician was lower. These data suggest that the reports of drinking to the physician were of limited usefulness, becuase all women tended to declare similar quantities. Furthermore, physician interrogation failed to detect almost all the heavier drinkers found by an independent interview.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Drinking during pregnancy.

Pregnant women reported a decrease in the use of alcoholic beverages during pregnancy, often citing adverse physiological effects as a reason for the decline.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Complications of pregnancy in relation to maternal lipid peroxides, glutathione, and exposure to metals.

Lipid peroxides, glutathione, and metals (lead, cadmium, and arsenic) were measured in pregnant women residing in the vicinity of a copper smelter. A diagnosis of pregnancy complications experienced by each woman was made on the basis of interview and clinical record. Patients were assigned to groups of normal or pathologic pregnancies (threatened spontaneous abortion, toxemia, and anemia) according to this diagnosis. Biochemical changes suggestive of increased lipid peroxidation and decreased antioxidant protection (involving the reduced: oxidized glutathione balance) were found in the diagnostic groups of pregnancy complications. These changes were independent of measured maternal variables. Maternal exposure to metals (as indicated by blood lead and cadmium) was associated with a decrease in reduced glutathione in blood. Since increased lipid peroxidation has been implicated in other studies as a pathogenetic factor for maternal toxemia, it is suggested that exposure to metals during gestation could enhance the development of pregnancy complications by increasing lipid peroxidation via depletion of reduced glutathione reserves.

Abortion, Threatened↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Maternal marijuana use during lactation and infant development at one year.

Prenatal marijuana exposure is associated with adverse perinatal effects. Very little is known about the effect of postnatal marijuana exposure on infant development. Postnatal exposure can result from maternal use of marijuana during lactation. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) transfers and concentrates in the mother's milk and is absorbed and metabolized by the nursing infant. The present study investigated the relationship between infant exposure to marijuana via the mother's milk and infant motor and mental development at one year of age. One hundred and thirty-six breast-fed infants were assessed at one year of age for motor and mental development. Sixty-eight infants were exposed to marijuana via the mother's milk. An additional 68 infants were matched to the marijuana-exposed infants on pre- and postpartum maternal alcohol and tobacco use. Marijuana exposure via the mother's milk during the first month postpartum appeared to be associated with a decrease in infant motor development at one year of age.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Variability of lipid hydroperoxides in pregnant and nonpregnant women.

Lipid peroxidation is thought to be important in numerous disease states, including pregnancy complications. Study of its role requires markers, but the variability of available markers in non-diseased populations has not been well-characterized. We examined the variability over time of blood lipid hydroperoxides, as measured by iodometric analysis, in 49 healthy young women, 21 nonpregnant and 28 pregnant. Lipid hydroperoxides from the same woman were very similar from one day to the next but were less stable over periods of a month or more. The correlation between measurements on consecutive days was 0.98; the correlation between measurements a month or more apart was 0.11. Variability over time was not attributable to seasonal effects or, among the pregnant women, to differences over the course of pregnancy. Knowledge of the variability of this and other markers of oxidative damage enables the development of appropriate study designs.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Levels of lipid peroxides in uncomplicated pregnancy: a review of the literature.

The literature on lipid peroxide levels in uncomplicated pregnancy is limited, but some reasonable conclusions are possible. Despite the lack of precision in the predominant measure of lipid oxidation, there is agreement across a large number of studies that the level of lipid peroxides in blood is generally higher in pregnant women than in nonpregnant women. During gestation, elevations appear by the second trimester and may taper off later in gestation, decreasing further after delivery. Lipid peroxides also are produced in placenta, but their pattern of change over the course of pregnancy is unclear. Lipid peroxides are important because their uncontrolled production can result in oxidative stress, with significant damage to cell integrity. There is a growing literature that associates oxidative stress with preeclampsia, a major cause of maternal and fetal morbidity. The higher levels of lipid peroxides seen in blood and the production of lipid peroxides in the placenta, even in uncomplicated pregnancies, make new baseline studies a priority. These studies should include measurements of lipids and blood volume, because they can influence marker values, with sensitive and specific measures of lipid peroxidation made at various points of gestation. From our review of the existing literature we conclude that the importance of oxidative stress in reproduction is just beginning to be appreciated and studied.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Maternal exposure to exogenous nitrogen compounds and complications of pregnancy.

Increased lipid peroxidation and reduced antioxidant activity have been reported with pregnancy complications. Given that exogenous oxidants stimulate formation of lipid peroxides, the authors investigated the relationship between exposure to nitrogen-oxidizing species and pregnancy complications and took into account markers of antioxidant and oxidant status. The study sample included pregnant women who were from an area polluted by oxidized nitrogen compounds. Methemoglobin, a biomarker of individual exposure, was determined, as were measures of oxidant/antioxidant status, including glutathione balance and lipid peroxide levels. Only 10 women experienced normal pregnancies. The most common complications were anemia (67%), threatened abortion/premature labor (33%), and signs of preeclampsia (23%). Methemoglobin was elevated significantly in all three conditions, compared with normal pregnancies. Reduced:total glutathione decreased, whereas lipid peroxide levels increased. These results suggest that maternal exposure to environmental oxidants can increase the risk of pregnancy complications through stimulation of the formation of cell-damaging lipid peroxides and from a decrease in maternal antioxidant reserves.

Adult↗