Browsing by Author "Hall, D."
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- ItemThe effect of severe pre-eclampsia on maternal and cord erythrocyte membrane essential fatty acid profiles(Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1998) Kirsten, G. F.; Smuts, C. M.; Tichelaar, H. Y.; Smith, J.; Hall, D.; Faber, M.; Dhansay, M. A.Objective. To examine the effect of severe pre-eclampsia on maternal and cord erythrocyte membrane essential fatty acid profiles. Design. Clinical trial. Setting. Obstetric High Care Unit, Tygerberg Hospital. Patients. Erythrocyte membrane (EM) essential fatty acid profiles were determined in 17 women with severe preeclampsia, in 17 normotensive pregnant women, and in the cord blood of their respective infants. Results. Pre-eclamptic women had lower EM phosphatidylcholine linoleic acid (C18:2n-6; LA) and cclinolenic acid (C18:3n-3; ALA) levels and lower EM phosphatidylethanolamine ALA levels than the normotensive women with lower cord blood docosahexaenoic acid levels (C22:6n-3; DHA) in both phospholipid fractions. All cord blood arachidonic acid (C20:4n-6; AA) levels were higher than the maternal levels. Conclusions. Pre-eclamptic women have lower LA and ALA levels than normotensive pregnant women, but AA and DHA levels in the two groups are similar. The cord blood DHA levels of infants of pre-eclamptic women are lower than those of the infants of normotensive women. Infants born to pre-eclamptic women may need dietary DHA to replenish DHA stores. This can be obtained from breast-milk or from a formula enriched with DHA.
- ItemScreening for gestational diabetes : examining a breakfast meal test(MedPharm Publications, 2016) Marais, Colin; Van Wyk, L.; Conradie, M.; Hall, D.Objective: This study was performed to analyse the carbohydrate quantity of the non-standardised breakfast meal test consumed as part of a screening test for gestational diabetes. Design: A prospective descriptive design was utilised. Setting: Screening for gestational diabetes was performed in the High-Risk Antenatal Clinic at Tygerberg Academic Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. Subjects: Fifty pregnant women who met the local selection criteria for diabetes screening. Outcome measures: The contents of the patient-provided breakfast meal tests were evaluated individually for total carbohydrate amount and compared with the 75 grams of carbohydrate provided by the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Results: The median carbohydrate amount was 71 g but the range (55–145 g) was wide. Only seven meals (14%) fell within 10% of the 75 g carbohydrate target. Conclusion: The patient-provided breakfast meal showed wide variation in carbohydrate amount. If a meal test is to be used instead of the formal OGTT a carefully measured, prepared, palatable, readily available product would need to be sourced and provided.