Fetal ethanol exposure and meconium analysis of fatty acid ethyl esters in neonatal screening: The first Canadian population-based study.
Published: 2006
Language: eng
Number of pages: 121
ISBN-13: 9780494213490
Description: Challenges in identifying children exposed prenatally to ethanol necessitate the development of a biomarker to screen for neonates at risk for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Meconium fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE), products of non-oxidative ethanol metabolism, have been established as a novel biomarker of fetal ethanol exposure. This study is the first application of this test to a regional neonatal population in Canada. Six-hundred eighty-two anonymously collected meconium samples were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Ethyl myristate, ethyl palmitate, ethyl palmitoleate, ethyl stearate, ethyl oleate, ethyl linolate, ethyl linolenate, and ethyl arachidonate were measured. GC-FID screening produced a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 97% with positive and negative predictive values of 45.9% and 100%, respectively, for successful GC-MS confirmation. FAEE analysis detected 5-fold more ethanol-exposed pregnancies than standard post-partum screening in this population, demonstrating a 2.5% prevalence of fetal ethanol exposure, consistent with CDC estimates of 'frequent' prenatal drinking.
Notes: Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-03, page: 1473.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Toronto, 2006.

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