title: Lower serum osteocalcin levels in pregnant drug users and their newborns at the time of delivery.
abstract: Osteocalcin was evaluated by radioimmunoassay at the time of delivery in mothers and in the umbilical arteries of newborns in a group of pregnant drug users (eight heroin users and seven cocaine users) and compared with findings from a group of normal mothers and their newborns (N = 18). Drug users had lower osteocalcin values than did the normal women (1.3 +/- 0.7 versus 2.7 +/- 0.8 ng/mL, P less than .001); and infants of drug users had lower values than normal infants (14.1 +/- 3.8 versus 19.0 +/- 4.0 ng/mL, P less than .005). The birth weights of drug users' infants were smaller (3160 +/- 402 versus 3591 +/- 374 g, P less than .05) and there was a significant negative correlation (P less than .001) between osteocalcin and drug intake during pregnancy, but no changes in osteocalcin dependent on the type of drug used. These results suggest a toxic effect of these drugs on the osteoblast, which could account for the lower birth weights and skeletal alterations reported in the infants of drug users.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina, Universidad de Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rico
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Costales
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cabranes
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Escudero
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000097:blood*; D015675:Osteocalcin / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015675:Osteocalcin