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Biomedical subjects

R G Whitehead

Publications and source records attributed to R G Whitehead.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

New method for measuring milk intakes in breast-fed babies.

A method for the measurement of milk intake in young breast-fed babies is described in which heavy water (2H2O) enrichment in saliva is measured on only two occasions after a single oral dose of 2H2O. Values obtained by this method are compared with those obtained by test-weighing. This new method is ideal for routine surveys since it does not interfere with feeding habits and maternal life style, and no technical expertise is required of the mother.

Breast Feeding↗
PubMed1979

The quantitative effects of maternal dietary energy intake on pregnancy and lactation in rural Gambian women.

The quantitative relationships between dietary energy intake and weight gain in pregnancy, birthweight and lactation performance during the first three months of infancy have been studied in such a way as to take account of major differences in the patterns of heavy manual labour at different times of the year in a subsistence farming community. Maternal weight gain and the accumulation of subcutaneous fat were significantly lower when the last trimester of pregnancy fell during the time of heaviest farm work and lowest energy intakes. The birth-weight of babies was also significantly correlated with differences in energy intake throughout the year. During early lactation breast milk yields were significantly related to concomitant alterations in the subcutaneous fat stores. Evidence has been produced which suggests that in undernourished nursing women there could be a competition for dietary energy between the repleting maternal subcutaneous fat organs and the mammary glands at the expense of milk production.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Two pathways to kwashiorkor?

Comparisons, based on anthropometric and biochemical measurements, have been made between Gambian and Ugandan children with kwashiorkor, and Gambian children with marasmus. Cases of kwashiorkor and marasmus in The Gambia were very similar both anthropometrically and in their plasma hormone and amino-acid patterns, but quite different in these respects from kwashiorkor in Uganda. Additional data from a prospective longitudinal study recently completed in The Gambia indicated that, when it occurred, hypoalbuminaemia appeared acutely, in contrast to the gradual development observed in Uganda. These findings suggest that kwashiorkor in The Gambia and in Uganda have distinct aetiologies and possible reasons for the difference in pathophysiologies are discussed. In particular the association of hypoalbuminaemia with diarrhoeal disease in The Gambia indicates that plasma protein loss from the gastro-intestinal tract could be a factor precipitating kwashiorkor in children who would otherwise be regarded as cases of marasmus.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1979

The relationship between hormonal balance and growth in malnourished children and rats.

Plasma concentrations of insulin, cortisol and growth hormone, and growth velocities have been measured in a group of Gambian village children up to 3 years of age. All three hormones showed changes in concentration with age, as did rates of growth. 2. Plasma insulin concentrations in the children were directly correlated with velocity of growth in height and weight, whereas cortisol concentrations showed inverse relationships. The values for insulin:cortisol concentration correlated more closely with growth velocity than did either hormone individually. Growth hormone values in plasma exhibited only marginal correlations with growth in height or weight, and these were negative. 3. Similar relationships between these hormones and growth were obtained from an animal experiment in which the rates of growth of rats were altered by restricting dietary intake of protein or energy or both. 4. Possible mechanisms for these observations are discussed in the light of recent knowledge concerning the hormonal control of growth rates.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Nutrition and lactation.

Recommended dietary allowances for women during pregnancy are discussed in the light of actual intakes both in the developing and industrialized countries. The difference between total energy intakes in the industrialized countries (around 2900 kcal) and in the developing countries (around 1600 kcal) is emphasized. Data are provided from The Gambia which demonstrate the effect of seasonal changes in maternal dietary intake on the quantity of breast milk produced and on its quality. The relationship between breast-milk supply and infant growth is also demonstrated.

Developing Countries↗
PubMed1979

The relative roles of protein and energy deficiency in the pathogenesis of protein-energy malnutrition.

This paper discusses two hypotheses to explain why in some circumstances kwashiorkor develops and in others marasmus. Dietary endocrine and biochemical data from Uganda and The Gambia are compared and their roles in the aetiology of the two different forms of protein-energy malnutrition are discussed. It is concluded that there can be both a dietary and a metabolic differentiating factor, and which is predominant depends on individual environmental circumstances.

Child↗
PubMed1978

Factors influencing lactation performance in rural Gambian mothers.

Breast-milk consumption has been measured in a rural African community in which breast-feeding on demand is universally practised until the baby is 18 mos old. The mother's long-term capacity for breast-milk production is determined by the end of the second month of lactation, yield being closely correlated with the infant's birth-weight. Other factors significantly influencing output were parity, month of lactation, baby's weight-for-age, season, and maternal diet. Daily milk consumption was limited primarily by the amount delivered per feed, not the frequency of feeding.

Body Weight↗
PubMed1978

Bacterial contamination in traditional Gambian weaning foods.

Although emphasis on infant feeding is rightly being placed on breast-feeding, the need for safe weaning foods for the developing world must also receive its due attention. Traditional weaning foods used for young infants in a typical West African village can be as hazardous, bacteriologically, as commercial milk products, and providing a breast-fed child with supplements under the conditions which prevail in much of the developing world is potentially dangerous, whatever the source of the food.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1978

Current developments in bovine mastitis treatment and control.

Mastitis in its complexity has managed to forestall all efforts of eradication in spite of years of research, antibiotics and practical control measures. This minisymposium will touch on seven topics current to treatment and control of this economically important disease.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

A comparison of the pathogenesis of protein-energy malnutrition in Uganda and The Gambia.

The pattern of growth, biochemical and endocrine development, dietary intake and disease patterns of rural children in Uganda and The Gambia have been monitored during the first three years of life in order to gain a more complete understanding of the reasons why in Uganda kwashiorkor predominates, whereas in The Gambia it is marasmus. Evidence is produced which supports the view that the hormonal balance, particularly cortisol and insulin status, can have a profound influence on which organs of the body are preferentially affected by malnutrition and hence on the type of protein-energy malnutrition which is likely to emerge. There were, however, also important differences in protein and energy intake between the two countries.

Alanine↗
PubMed1977

A quantitative study into the role of infection in determining nutritional status in Gambian village children.

1. Growth in weight and height in 152 children between the ages of 0-6 and 3 years was investigated in Keneba, a rural Gambian village. By 1 year of age the average weight-for-age of the children was only 75% of the Jelliffe (1966) standard. 2. The relationship between the prevalence of nine different categories of diseases and growth was investigated to determine the quantitative contribution of the diseases to the growth faltering observed. There was a highly significant negative relationship between gastroenteritis and both weight gain and height gain. The only other disease category having a similar relationship was malaria, but in this instance only with weight gain. 3. Although over-all growth in weight and height was considerably below the standard values, multiple regression analysis indicated that after the age of 1 year, except in July and August, normal and sometimes slow 'catch-up' growth would be possible in the absence of gastroenteritis. 4. Attention is drawn to the limitations of the use of anthropometry in a settled village community as the only criterion by which dietary adequacy can be judged.

Age Factors↗