Human milk contains substantial amounts of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, particularly the isoform TGF-β2. We previously showed in preclinical models that enterally administered TGF-β2 can protect against necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), an inflammatory bowel necrosis of premature infants. In this study we hypothesized that premature infants remain at higher risk of NEC than full-term infa...

Since analytical data on the different composition of human milk and cow's milk became available at the beginning of this century, human milk has always been the gold standard for creation of infant formulas. When it became evident that cow's milk contains three times the protein concentration of human milk, the first steps of protein adaptation consisted in dilution of cow's milk at a 1:1 rati...

Milk proteins have attracted extensive interest in terms of their bioavailability following ingestion. Enzymatic digestion of dairy products generates numerous peptides with various biological activities. Both human milk and infant formulas based on cow's milk are potential sources of bioactive peptides. This review aims to present current knowledge on the formation and fate of bioactive peptid...

Storage of human milk for limited periods of time is unavoidable in neonatal units and also in the home where increasing numbers of mothers go back to work soon after delivery. Many mothers, convinced of the importance of prolonged exclusive or complementary breast-feeding, often express and store human milk for use during the period of separation. This study examines the effects of different s...

Human milk contains biologically important amounts of transforming growth factor-β2 isoform (TGF-β2), which is presumed to protect against inflammatory gut mucosal injury in the neonate. In preclinical models, enterally administered TGF-β2 can protect against experimental necrotizing enterocolitis, an inflammatory bowel necrosis of premature infants. In this study, we investigated whether TGF-β...

Human milk is the ideal food to nourish newborn babies; it contains important nutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals, which are needed to provide agood health to the infants. Milk fat provides about 50% of energy to infants and its fatty acids are essential for brain and retina development. Therefore, analysis of the lipid fraction of human milk is an important task, esp...

OBJECTIVE To quantify microbial contamination of human milk purchased via the Internet as an indicator of disease risk to recipient infants. METHODS Cross-sectional sample of human milk purchased via a popular US milk-sharing Web site (2012). Individuals advertising milk were contacted to arrange purchase, and milk was shipped to a rented mailbox in Ohio. The Internet milk samples (n = 101) w...

Increased scientific study of human milk and awareness of the special nutritional needs of the premature infant have stimulated interest in human donor milk banking. Yet only three donor human milk banks existed in the United States in 1998. Having observed better outcomes in human milk-fed neonatal intensive care patients, two neonatologists in Austin, Texas, founded The Mothers Milk Bank at A...

The gaschromatographic method was used for the quantitative analyses of inositol in milk. The content of inositol in human and cow's milk at the different lactation periods was determined. The content of total myoinositol in human milk was 32.7 plus or minus 15.2 mg/100 ml in colostrum, 17.8 plus or minus 1.9 mg/100 ml in transitional milk, and 14.9 plus or minus 3.1 mg/100 ml in mature milk. I...

Quantitation of lysozyme in human milk was performed by a microparticle-enhanced nephelometric immunoassay based on the measurement of the light scattered during the competitive immunoagglutination of a microparticle-lysozyme conjugate with an anti-lysozyme antiserum. This immunoassay has a detection limit of 8 microg/L of reaction mixture and can be performed using diluted milk (1:6000, in rea...