Meconium

Meconium is the earliest stools of an infant. Unlike later feces, meconium is composed of materials ingested during the time the infant spends in the uterus: intestinal epithelial cells, lanugo, mucus, amniotic fluid, bile, and water. Meconium is sterile, unlike later feces, is viscous and sticky like tar, and has no odor. It should be completely passed by the end of the first few days of postpartum life, with the stools progressing toward yellow . The term Meconium derives from meconium-arion, meaning "opium-like", in reference either to its tarry appearance or to Aristotle's belief that it induces sleep in the fetus. Meconium is normally stored in the infant's intestines until after birth, but sometimes it is expelled into the amniotic fluid prior to birth or during labor and delivery. Meconium can be tested for various drugs, to check for in utero exposure. In the USA, the results of meconium-testing run on a newborn can be turned in to child protective services and other law enforcement agencies. (From the Wikpedia article Meconium.)

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Recent Publications on Meconium:
Pulmonary outcome differences in U.S. and French cystic fibrosis cohorts diagnosed through newborn screening. BACKGROUND: A comparison of the longitudinal progression of lung disease...	21st November, 2009	School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison,	J Cyst Fibros. 2009 Nov 17. DOI Direct Link
Surfactant lavage decreases systemic interleukin-1 beta production in meconium aspiration syndrome. Background: Surfactant lavage has been used to remove meconium debris in...	19th November, 2009	Institute of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine, National Yang-Ming	Pediatr Int. 2009 Nov 16. DOI Direct Link
Long-term pulmonary outcome after meconium ileus in cystic fibrosis. OBJECTIVE: To identify cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with a history of...	17th November, 2009	Children's University Hospital of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University,	Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009 Nov 12;44(12):1201-1206. DOI Direct Link
[Short-term respiratory outcome of late preterm newborn in a center of level III.] The rate of infants born at 34-36 weeks gestation has increased over the...	17th November, 2009	Service de reanimation neonatale, hopital intercommunal de Creteil, 40,	Arch Pediatr. 2009 Nov 10. DOI Direct Link
Subclinical histologic chorioamnionitis and related clinical and laboratory parameters in preterm deliveries. BACKGROUND: Histologic chorioamnionitis (HCA) is associated with preterm...	17th November, 2009	Department of Pediatrics, Cathay General Hospital, Hsin Chu, Taiwan.	Pediatr Neonatol. 2009 Oct;50(5):217-21.
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BioNews Results for Meconium:
Long-term pulmonary outcome after meconium ileus in cystic fibrosis	MDLinx:  Nov 17 2009 12:08PM Matching: meconium

Meconium Patents:
US Patent No.	Title
6875198	Surgical suction regulator valve
7153669	Nucleic acids encoding MK61 receptors
7153828	Use of heregulin as a growth factor
7156096	Dynamic infant nasal CPAP system and method
7160729	Method for detecting diseases that are associated with defects of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein
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Companies working in the area of Meconium from Bioportfolio's Biocorporate database :
Company Name
Discovery Laboratories Discovery Laboratories, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company leveraging its platform technology in humanized lung surfactants to develop novel respiratory therapies and pulmonary drug delivery... www.discoverylabs.com/        View full profile

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