Introduction Human skin is a complex structure with unusual functional diversity. , Topologically, the skin is continuous with the lung and intestinal epithelia. The lung and gut are generally viewed as exchange surfaces for gases and nutrients; the skin is…
Acknowledgment The editors wish to thank authors David H. Chu and Cynthia A. Loomis for their excellent contribution to this text in the fifth edition. This chapter has been reproduced here in the sixth edition essentially unchanged. Introduction Skin is…
Acknowledgment Based on a previous chapter by Karl Schulze, MD. Introduction This chapter is an updated revision of Dr. Kurt Brück’s comprehensive treatise on neonatal thermal regulation presented in earlier editions; it is not an original synthesis by the current…
Introduction Placental uptake, metabolism, and transfer of amino acids to the fetus are critical for both placental and fetal development and growth to produce a successful pregnancy. Placental amino acid transfer is mediated by active transport and is performed by…
Introduction This chapter describes the methods used to evaluate dynamic changes in protein metabolism in the newborn infant. Throughout life, proteins not only form the key structural components of cells but also have key physiologic roles as, for example, transporters,…
Introduction Glucose is the primary substrate for the growing and developing fetus, and in normal human pregnancies there is little fetal gluconeogenesis. Glucose is required by most cells for oxidative and nonoxidative adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production and serves as a…
Acknowledgments The authors wish to thank Richard M. Cowett, MD, for his valuable contributions to this chapter in the fifth edition. Introduction After birth, the newborn must rapidly become capable of balancing glucose deficiency with glucose excess to maintain euglycemia.…
Introduction This chapter reviews a number of factors that are involved in control of fetal metabolism, with reference to relationships between fetal energy balance and substrate uptake during the last trimester. This information relies heavily upon research data obtained from…
Acknowledgments The authors thank Satish C. Kalhan, MD, as we adapted portions of the text and several figures from his version of this chapter in the prior edition. Dr. Sarah Wernimont was supported by grant T32 DK112751. Dr. Andrew Norris…
Introduction The brain and retina contain large quantities of long-chain (20 and 22 carbon) n -3 and n -6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs), particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 22:6 n -3) and arachidonic acid (AA; 20:4 n -6). , During the…