title: Amino acid oxidation and urea production rates in fetal life.
abstract: Amino acid oxidation and urea production rates are quite different at various stages of development from fetal to adult life. Such information may become increasingly useful in the evaluation of the nutritional state in newborn infants and particularly in very-low-birth-weight infants. A brief commentary on some of the current clinical and basic physiological literature as it relates to amino acid oxidation and urea production is presented. The commentary emphasizes that the literature supports the concept of a higher urea production rate expressed per kilogram body weight in late fetal life as compared with postnatal life. It also discusses some differences for the phases of fetal life, the period of parturition, and the immediate neonatal period.
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Battaglia
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000378:metabolism*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011247:Pregnancy; D014508:Urea / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D014508:Urea