JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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The effect of administration of large amounts of zinc on immune response and serum lipoproteins was examined. Eleven healthy adult men ingested 150 mg of elemental zinc twice a day for six weeks. ⋯ Serum high-density lipoprotein concentration decreased significantly and low-density lipoprotein level increased slightly. The common food fad of zinc supplementation with resultant excessive intake could have deleterious effects in healthy persons.
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Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) screening was offered in a private suburban practice to 21,000 nondiabetic and 442 diabetic women with apparently normal pregnancies. Using 2.5 or greater multiples of the median as the normal upper limit, 249 (1.2%) had a raised MSAFP level. There were 25 neural tube defects (NTDs) (1.2/1,000 births); 18 were detected by screening and two by ultrasound scanning. ⋯ Our detection efficiency before 24 weeks' gestation for anencephaly was 85.7% (12/14), 62.5% (5/8) for open and closed spina bifida, and 1/1 for encephalocele. A raised MSAFP level occurred in ten (2.3%) of the 442 diabetic women, four (0.9%) of whom had a fetus with an open NTS. A screening program should be established only where there is linked excellent interdisciplinary support among obstetrician, laboratory, clinical geneticist, ultrasonographer, and an identified program coordinator.