Essential Fatty Acids Revisited

Friedman, Zvi

doi:10.1001/archpedi.1980.04490010051017

Cited by 23 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…In neonates who received incomplete parenteral nutrition, an alteration in skin lipids has been observed due to essential fatty acid deficiency. 16 Melanin creates a density filter and protects the epidermal cells from UV light damage. The melanin concentration is correlated to the reduction of the UV light penetration through the epidermis.…”

Section: Skin Structure Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skin Physiology of the Neonate and Infant: Clinical Implications

Oranges

Dini

Romanelli

2015

Advances in Wound Care

160

129

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Significance:The skin is a complex and dynamic organ that performs several vital functions. The maturation process of the skin starts at birth with the adaption of the skin to the comparatively dry environment compared to the in utero milieu. This adaptive flexibility results in the unique properties of infant skin. To deliver appropriate care to infant skin, it is necessary to understand that it is evolving with unique characteristics. Recent Advances: The role of biophysical noninvasive techniques in the assessment of skin development underlines the importance of an objective evaluation of skin physiology parameters. Skin hydration, transepidermal water loss, and pH values are measurable with specific instruments that give us an accurate and reproducible assessment during infant skin maturation. The recording of these values, following standard measurement procedures, allows us to evaluate the integrity of the skin barrier and to monitor the functionality of the maturing skin over time. Critical Issues: During the barrier development, impaired skin function makes the skin vulnerable to chemical damage, microbial infections, and skin diseases, possibly compromising the general health of the infant. Preterm newborns, during the first weeks of life, have an even less developed skin barrier and, therefore, are even more at risk. Thus, it is extremely important to evaluate the risk of infection, skin breakdown, topical agent absorption, and the risk of thermoregulation failure. Future Directions: Detailed and objective evaluations of infant skin maturation are necessary to improve infant skin care. The results of these evaluations should be formed into general protocols that will allow doctors and caregivers to give more personalized care to full-term newborns, preterm newborns, and infants. SCOPE AND SIGNIFICANCEThe skin of preterm newborns, full-term newborns, and infants undergoes a characteristic process of maturation, and therefore, skin care delivered to this spectrum of patients needs to be tailored to the individual patient. The principal aims of safe and effective skin care are to identify the agents that can influence the skin barrier or those that can induce systemic toxicity and avoid their utilization, thereby minimizing the risk of thermoregulation failure, which will protect newborns against potential skin breakdown and loss of its barrier function. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCEMany studies have correlated functional infant skin parameters according to age, anatomical site, and the presence of skin or systemic disease. It would be useful to study how these functional parameters change in newborns after the onset of skin infection, skin breakdown, or the application of topical agents. The results of these evaluations could be formed into general protocols, which will allow doctors and wound care providers the ability to give more personalized care to full-term newborns, preterm newborns, and infants. CLINICAL RELEVANCEUnderstanding the characteristics of newborn and infant skin will permit the delivery of a...

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Section: Skin Structure Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skin Physiology of the Neonate and Infant: Clinical Implications

Oranges

Dini

Romanelli

2015

Advances in Wound Care

160

129

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“…It has been proposed that deficiency of essential fatty acids (EFA) may contribute to a number of clinical problems associated with PEM, e.g. scaly dermatitis, loss of hair, susceptibility to infections, fatty liver, impaired wound healing, psychomotor changes and growth retardation, which are also observed in experimental EFA deficiency with an adequate supply of protein and calories [2,23,27,29,32,52]. However, today there are still only scanty data on the supply and metabolism of EFA in PEM children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatty acid composition of plasma lipids in Nigerian children with protein-energy malnutrition

Koletzko

Laryea

et al. 1986

Eur J Pediatr

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The fatty acid (FA) composition of the main plasma lipids was analysed in eight well-nourished, generally healthy Nigerian children aged 14.1 +/- 7.2 months and in 17 malnourished children (8 marasmus, 9 kwashiorkor) aged 14.6 +/- 3.8 months within the first 2 days of admission at the Dept. of Child Health, University of Benin. In comparison to the control group, the malnourished children showed a marked decrease of polyunsaturated FA with low linoleic acid, mainly in sterol esters (STE), and severely reduced linoleic acid metabolites, including arachidonic acid, in all lipid fractions. omega-3-FA were not altered except for a reduction of docosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in phospholipids. Clearly increased values were found for saturated FA in STE and for the non-essential monoenoic FA in all lipid classes. This pattern indicates the presence of essential fatty acid deficiency in the malnourished children. There was no significant difference between marasmus and kwashiorkor. Eight malnourished children were followed up in the early phase of recovery during hospital treatment 14.0 +/- 3.1 days after obtaining the first sample. Linoleic acid had increased again in STE, but its metabolites were as low or even lower than before. An impaired activity of delta-6-desaturase, the rate limiting enzyme of linoleic acid metabolism, in suggested by elevated substrate-product-ratios of this enzyme in untreated children with protein energy malnutrition and in the early phase of recovery, which may be due to low insulin levels, protein and zinc deficiency. The trientetraen ratio (20:3 omega 9/20:4 omega 6) thus is not a reliable indicator of essential FA status in protein-energy malnutrition.

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“…As a result of chronic malnutrition, disturbances in the carbohydrate and fat balance occur. In newborns with this syndrome, a decreased level of glucose together with a higher level of free fatty acids in blood serum is found in most cases [3,4,6,7,9,10]. Dystrophie cases have a lower resistance to bacterial and viral infection [5,7], retarded physical development and poor score of intelligence [2,8] can be recognized by clinical examination it is necessary to find other methods facilitating diagnosis during pregnancy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%