Effects of oral L-carnitine supplementation in low-birth-weight premature infants maintained on human milk.

Effects of oral L-carnitine supplementation on fat and protein metabolism have been studied in 20 low-birth-weight premature infants (mean weight at birth 1.519 g, range 1,200-1,880 g) fed with pooled pasteurized human milk. Throughout 7 consecutive days, started at various postnatal ages (range 10-33 days) infants were fed exclusively with milk containing 300 nmol/ml L-carnitine as added supplement.

Uptake of beta-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate and glucose by the forearm of the newborn infant.

Forearm muscle metabolism was studied in twelve appropriate for gestational age premature infants suffering from respiratory distress. Arterial blood was obtained by puncture of the radial artery as clinically indicated for measuring oxygen tension, and venous blood samples were taken from the same arm's deep brachial vein. This arrangement allowed to study the arterial-deep venous differences of beta-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate and glucose in simultaneously taken blood samples.

Oral L-carnitine supplementation in low-birth-weight newborns: a study on neonates requiring combined parenteral and enteral nutrition.

Effect of L-carnitine supplementation on plasma ketone body (KB) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations was studied in ten premature infants requiring combined enteral and parenteral nutrition. At the second week of life (9 to 14 days of age) the infants were randomly divided into two groups. Five of them (plasma carnitine value, 33.