Just before birth, changes occur in the metabolic capacities of rat liver so that the animal can adapt to changes in the substrate supply. In utero, glucose is the main energy-generating fuel and the liver metabolism is directed towards glucose degradation. The activities of the rate-limiting enzymes of glycolysis, hexokinase and phosphofructokinase, are high. In preparation for post-natal life, when the continuous glucose supply from the mother is interrupted, very large amounts of glycogen are stored in the late fetal liver. With the intake of the fat-rich and carbohydrate-poor milk diet, the animal develops the ability to synthesize glucose de novo from non-carbohydrate precursors. During suckling, metabolic energy is derived mainly from the beta-oxidation of fatty acids, which in turn is an essential prerequisite for the high rate of gluconeogenesis, by yielding acetyl-CoA for the activation of pyruvate carboxylase and by generating a high NADH/NAD ratio for the shift of the glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase reaction in the direction of glucose formation.--The developmental adaptation of metabolism and the process of enzymatic differentiation are closely connected with the maturation of the endocrine system and the changes in the concentration of circulating hormones. The neonatal regulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and of tyrosine aminotransferase by variations in the hormonal milieu around birth, and also the interaction of hormonal and nutritional factors in the induction of serine dehydratase and glucokinase at the end of the suckling period, will be discussed in detail.
Salmonellosis is an important disease in childhood. Increasing infections caused by meat and raw egg consumption starts in the second year of life. The transmission from reptiles to infants is an alternative route. Reptile-associated salmonellosis is becoming more significant for pediatricians and microbiologists due to the increasing numbers of household exotic pets. Investigations of routes of infections in connection with the local health authorities including microbiological, serological and molecular biological tests is possible in case of atypical salmonellosis. During recent years (2006-2008) an increasing number of salmonellosis cases caused by reptiles. Most of the 26 patients were infants of less than one year of age. Also Salmonella strains of subspecies II, IIIa, IIIb and IV play an important role. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published recommendations which includes washing hands with soap and water after handling reptiles or the cages and keeping reptiles out of food preparation areas. The CDC has also adviced that children less than five years should not have reptiles as pets.
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