title: Plasma homocysteine concentrations in mothers and term and preterm newborns.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the correlation between homocysteine concentrations and gestational age, gender Apgar score, complications in pregnancy delivery modalities and levels of vitamin B12 and foliate.
  
  
  METHODS
  Concentration of homocysteine, vitamins-B12, foliate were measured in cord blood and mother blood. There were 40 full-term babies and 38 preterm babies and their mothers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The homocysteine concentration in newborns correlated with homocysteine level in mothers. There was no difference in homocysteine level regardless of newborns gender. There was no correlation in the homocysteine concentration of mothers blood and cord blood with the levels of vitamin 812 and foliate. In full-term newborns a significant increase in homocysteine levels in comparison with premature babies was observed (7.2 +/- 1.4 micromol/ vs. 6.4 +/- 1.3 micromo/l; p = 0.01). Additionally negative correlation between the mothers' age and homocysteine concentration (r = -0.23; p = 0.04) and positive correlation between homocysteine concentration in cord plasma and gestation age (r = 0.28; p = 0.01) were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Homocysteine concentration depends on gestational age, Apgar score and mother's age. There is no correlation between homocysteine level and hypertension during pregnancy type of delivery levels of vitamin 812 and foliate. Determination of homocysteine level is therefore of no significant importance in newborns pathophysiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neonatology, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. mbaumert@sum.edu.pl
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baumert
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paprotny
authors.forename: Krzych J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Łukasz
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Partyka
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fiala
authors.forename: Zofia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Walencka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000097:blood*; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000097:blood*; D009035:Mothers; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood*; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods; D012016:Reference Values; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006710:Homocysteine; D014805:Vitamin B 12