Adrenocortical Function in Infants of Diabetic Mothers

Some Aspects of Carbohydrate Metabolism in Pregnancy With Special Reference to the Energy Metabolism and Hormonal Status of the Infant of the Diabetic Woman and the Diabetogenic Effect of Pregnancy

“…Using inadequate methods, Björklund (1954) and Farquhar (1956) found the corticosteroid excretion of infants of diabetic mothers to be increased, while Rose (1960) found normal values; Smith, Reardon & Field (1964) reported that the output of Porter-Silber chromogens in the urine of these infants with respiratory distress was approximately twice that of infants of normal women with respiratory distress; and analysis of amniotic fluid also yielded contradictory results: Hoet (19546) found appreciable quantities of corticosteroids in amniotic fluid obtained from pregnant diabetic women and none in normal controls, however, Baird <fe Bush (1960) found no significant difference between diabetic and normal women. Using specific methods to estimate the individual neutral steroids excreted in the urine of newborn infants, found greater adrenocortical activity in infants of diabetic mothers than in normal infants ; this was manifest by increased excretion of reducing corticosteroids of all ranges of polarity and could not be attributed merely to the fact that the infants of diabetic women were delivered prematurely according to standard clinical practice.…”

Resorption and loss of foetuses in rats living at 35° C

“…Robson & Sharaf (1952) have shown that resorption occurred in rabbits and mice injected daily with cortisone. Hoet (1954) described human and rabbit foetal death, associated with excess adrenal steroids which reduce placental glycogen and penetrate to the amniotic fluid. In rats, Alexander, Frazer & Lee (1955) found that deoxycortone acetate protected foetuses from the results of oophorectomy.…”

Excretion of corticosteroids by infants of diabetic and pre-diabetic mothers.

“…Hoet (1954) found appreciable quantities of corticoids in the amniotic fluid obtained from a pregnant diabetic woman, whereas the same * A preliminary communication on this subject was presented at the Tenth International Congress of Paediatrics at Lisbon in September 1962. techniques could not demonstrate the presence of corticosteroids in the amniotic fluid from normal controls. In contrast, Baird and Bush (1960) found no significant differences between the amniotic fluids obtained from normal pregnant women and from diabetics, when they estimated the levels of cortisol and cortisone.…”