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Biomedical subjects

H H Sandstead

Publications and source records attributed to H H Sandstead.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1991

Zinc deficiency. A public health problem?

Zinc deficiency occurs in individuals and populations whose diets are low in sources of readily bioavailable zinc such as red meat, and high in unrefined cereals that are rich in phytate and dietary fibers. Dietary zinc deficiency was described nearly three decades ago among the poor of the Middle East. It is now known to occur in children and adolescents from widely diverse areas including Egypt, Iran, Turkey, China, Yugoslavia, Canada, and the United States; and among pregnant women from Iran, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States. Major manifestations include retarded growth and development and an increased incidence of pregnancy complications. Other manifestations may include suppressed immunity, poor healing, dermatitis, and impairments in neuropsychological functions. Precise information as to the numbers of people affected by dietary zinc deficiency is not available. Even so the nature of diets associated with zinc deficiency suggests that mild deficiency is common in some populations.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Adolescent pregnancy: maternal weight effects on fetal heaviness: possible route to improved outcomes.

In a previous report of a zinc supplementation trial in pregnant adolescents zinc effect varied according to maternal weight (wt) status--normal (90-110% of expected wt), light or heavy, prompting this analysis of effects of wt status and gestational wt gain on fetal heaviness relative to length and gestational age (GA) and other pregnancy outcomes. One-third of adolescents shifted in or out of normal wt by delivery, creating seven outcome groups--light-light, light to normal, normal to light, normal-normal, normal to heavy, heavy to normal, and heavy-heavy. These wt class change groups varied significantly as to intrauterine growth (SGA, low AGA, high AGA, and LGA); by weekly grams gain per cm height (ht), birth wt, infant wt/length ratio, and occurrence of low birth wt (LBW). Infants with above average intrauterine growth had an advantage in: absolute size, length of hospital stay, rates of LBW, fetal demise, rates of low Apgar score, and "other" complications. This association between intrauterine growth and maternal wt class change suggests that promotion of wt gain might lower rates of LBW. Birthwt varied by quartiles of weekly wt change (gm) per cm ht in women grouped by their percent of expected wt: in the lowest quartile (Q1) only one group in seven reached average Bwt (3025 grams); with Q4 gain all groups did. Thus, the parameter wt gain/wk/cm ht deserves study as a tool for monitoring wt status and gain to identify those pregnant adolescents in greatest need for nutritional counseling and to set wt gain goals.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Nutrition status and brain function in aging.

Biochemical indices of nutrition status assessed in 28 healthy persons aged greater than 60 y were related to cognitive performance and electroencephalographic (EEG) indices of neuropsychological function. Performance data were most frequently related to indices of nutrition status when tasks were demanding. Numerous correlations were also found between EEG indices and indices of thiamin, riboflavin, and iron nutriture. Certain observations, such as a decrement in alpha-wave activity in the EEG of subjects with low thiamin status, suggest that subtle neuropsychological impairment can occur in association with mild deficits in nutrition status. Other findings indicate that EEG frequency responses of older subjects with high iron status are similar to those of younger persons; however, these data are more difficult to interpret. The results suggest that further research on nutrition and neuropsychological function will lead to a better understanding of the role of nutrition in maintaining the functional integrity of the aging brain.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Adolescent pregnancy: associations among body weight, zinc nutriture, and pregnancy outcome.

In a double-blind zinc trial in low-income, pregnant adolescents thought to be at risk for poor zinc nutriture, subjects were randomly assigned to receive 30 mg zinc (gluconate) or placebo. Response to zinc was related to maternal weight. Infants of normal-weight mothers given zinc had reduced rates of prematurity (p = 0.05) and assisted respiration (p = 0.006). Underweight multiparas given zinc had longer gestational lengths (p = 0.008) than did subjects given the placebo. Multiple stepwise regression analysis, used to identify predictors of infant size, revealed that 14-26% more variance was accounted for in the zinc than in the placebo group. Except for gestational age, the predictors selected were entirely different in the two groups. The zinc group had a positive toxemia screen more often, which did not appear to affect outcome. Zinc supplementation improved pregnancy outcome in normal-weight women and in underweight multiparas. The nonresponse in underweight primiparas was perhaps due to multiple limiting factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Smoking in pregnancy: relation of birth weight to maternal plasma carotene and cholesterol levels.

Not all mothers who smoke during pregnancy deliver small infants. Nutritional supplementation during pregnancy apparently protects the fetuses of some mothers. Our previous studies showed that plasma levels of carotene and cholesterol were correlated with birth weight. The present study examined the association between mid-pregnancy plasma levels of carotene and cholesterol and subsequent birth weight. In a prospective study of 388 women (47.8% smokers), levels of plasma nutrients and demographic and anthropometric measurements were obtained at 19 and 36 weeks' gestation and related to indices of infant size at birth. In non-smokers, the level of plasma cholesterol at mid-pregnancy correlated positively with birth weight. In contrast, in mothers who smoked more than ten cigarettes daily, the relationship of cholesterol to birth weight was dependent on the simultaneously observed level of plasma carotene. When plasma cholesterol and carotene concentrations were both low at mid-pregnancy, birth weight was low. On the other hand, when the carotene level was high and the cholesterol level low, birth weight was at least equivalent to that of non-smokers. The interactive effect of smoking, cholesterol, and carotene on birth weight was significant (P = .017) after adjusting for gestational age, sex, prenatal care, race, previous low birth weight infants, parity, weight at mid-pregnancy, and total weight gain during pregnancy. Among smokers, the smallest infants were born to mothers having the greatest decrease in plasma carotene between 19-36 weeks' gestation. Smokers whose plasma carotene remained constant or increased had larger infants; a similar association was not observed for cholesterol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1986

A brief history of the influence of trace elements on brain function.

From this brief review of history it is evident that lead, mercury, iodine, cobalt, iron, copper, manganese, and zinc have important influences on brain development and function. Identity of thresholds at which effects occur is needed for determination of safe and/or essential levels of these elements in diets. Such knowledge will help define human needs for essential elements, and the hazards of toxic elements.

Animals↗