Neonatal

When a mminant is bom, it consumes colostmm within a few hours. Colostmm contains antibodies from the mother s milk that serve to immunize the neonate against disease (37). These antibodies can be absorbed by the neonate only within the first few days of its life there is no placental transfer of antibiotics in mminants (37). 

The mmen is not functional at birth and milk is shunted to the abomasum. One to two weeks after birth, the neonate consumes soHd food if offered. A calf or lamb that is nursing tends to nibble the mother s feed. An alternative method of raising the neonate is to remove it from its mother at a very young age, <1 week. A common example of an early weaning situation is the dairy calf that is removed from the cow soon after birth so that the cow s milk supply might be devoted entirely to production. In this instance, the neonate requires complete dietary supplementation with milk replacer. Sources of milk replacer protein have traditionally included milk protein but may also include soybean proteins, fish protein concentrates, field bean proteins, pea protein concentrates, and yeast protein (4). Information on the digestibiUty of some of these protein sources is available (4). 

By approximately 8 weeks after birth, the mminant has developed a fully functional mmen capable of extensive fermentation of feed nutrients (4). The rate of development of the mminal environment depends on the amount of milk consumed by the neonate in relation to its growth requirements, the avadabihty and consumption of readily digestible feedstuffs, and the physical form of the feedstuffs (4). The mmen develops much faster with hay than with milk (36). Concentrates, ie, high cereal grain diets, increase the absorptive surface of the mmen but mminal size and musculature develops much more slowly with a concentrate diet than with a forage diet (4). 

The demonstration that injected or force-fed neonatal rodents given extremely high doses of MSG showed evidence of brain lesions, has led to much additional research to determine any possible link between neurotoxicity and human use of MSG (33). However, no evidence from animal tests indicates that MSG in the diet causes brain damage in humans (34). 

Florfenicol (2) has been approved in Japan for the treatment of pseudo-tuberculosis caused by Pasteurellapiscicida and streptococcosis m. yeUowtail fish. The recommended dose is 10 mg/kg for up to one week and the drug withdrawal time is five days after cessation of treatment. Florfenicol is active in bovine respiratory disease caused by Pasteurella species and mastitis caused by Staphylococci and Streptococci. It is also effective in neonatal cohbacillosis caused by E. coli. The drug is being developed worldwide by Schering-Plough Animal Health for the treatment of aquatic and bovine diseases. 

Respiratory Syncytial Virus. Respiratory syncytial vims (RSV) causes severe lower respiratory tract disease in infants. It is the major cause of hospitalization in the United States (- 90,000 events/yr) and it has a high mortaUty rate in neonates and other high risk populations, such as the geriatric population (51). Development of an RSV vaccine has always been a major priority, however, earlier attempts have mostiy failed (70). 

Herpes Simplex. There are two types of herpes simplex vims (HSV) that infect humans. Type I causes orofacial lesions and 30% of the U.S. population suffers from recurrent episodes. Type II is responsible for genital disease and anywhere from 3 x 3 x 10 cases per year (including recurrent infections) occur. The primary source of neonatal herpes infections, which are severe and often fatal, is the mother infected with type II. In addition, there is evidence to suggest that cervical carcinoma may be associated with HSV-II infection (78—80). 

Environmental exposures to PCBs are significantly lower than those reported in the workplace and are therefore unlikely to cause adverse human health effects in adults. However, it is apparent from the results of several recent studies on children that there was a correlation between in utero exposure to PCBs, eg, cord blood levels, and developmental deficits (65—68) including reduced bkth weight, neonatal behavior anomaUes, and poorer recognition memories. At four years of age, there was stiU a correlation between prenatal PCB exposure levels and short-term memory function (verbal and quantitative). In these studies the children were all exposed to relatively low environmental levels of PCBs. Although these effects may be related to other contaminants, it is clear that this is an area of concern regarding the potential adverse human health impacts of PCBs. 

Bihmbin oxidase [80619-01 -8] derived from Mjrothecium verrucaria was modified with polyethyleneglycol when this conjugate was injected intravenously to jaundiced rats, the plasma bihmbin dropped to normal levels. This approach might have potential in the treatment of hyperbihmbinemia, fulminant hepatitis, and neonatal bihmbin encephalopathy (177). 

Figure 1 The major hormones involved in growth and funetion of the fetal/neonatal testis illustrating how exogenous, environmental oestrogens eould disrupt the normal balanee of these meehanisms.

Figure 2 Key events in fetal/neonatal life whieh predetermine reproduetive funetion of the adult human male. Note that the Sertoli eells are involved in the orehestration and eo-ordination of all of the key events. The relationship between the key events indieated and disorders of male reproduetive development and funetion are indieated in boxes.

Zaccolo M, Pozzan T (2002) Discrete microdomains with high concentration of cAMP in stimulated rat neonatal cardiac myocytes. Science 295 1711-1715... 

In agreement with abundant mRNA in mammary gland, high levels of apelin are present in bovine colostrum oral intake of apelin might modulate immune responses in neonates [4]. 

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