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. 2013 Jun 11;12:80. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-12-80

Table 4.

Unadjusted serum concentrations of select biochemical indicators for pregnant Peruvian women across trimesters1

Biochemical indicator2,3 Trimester 1
 Trimester 2
 Trimester 3
 p-value5
n GM (95% CI)4 n GM (95% CI) n GM (95% CI)
Retinol
 66
 1.40 (1.34-1.46)a
 65
 1.54 (1.46-1.63)b
 62
 1.39 (1.31-1.47)a
 0.001
Alpha-tocopherol
 66
 21.3 (20.3-22.5)a
 65
 29.0 (27.5-30.6)b
 62
 32.9 (31.4-34.5)c
 ≤ 0.0001
Gamma-tocopherol
 66
 2.67 (2.44-2.92)a
 65
 3.35 (3.06-3.68)b
 62
 3.49 (3.17-3.83)b
 ≤ 0.0001
Alpha-carotene
 66
 0.18 (0.16-0.20)a
 65
 0.19 (0.17-0.21)a
 62
 0.22 (0.19-0.25)b
 0.024
Beta-carotene
 66
 0.20 (0.18-0.23)a
 65
 0.19 (0.17-0.23)a
 62
 0.25 (0.21-0.30)b
 0.014
Cis-beta-carotene
 0
 NC6
 53
 0.017 (0.013-0.019)a
 18
 0.028 (0.020-0.037)b
 0.01
Beta-cryptoxanthin
 66
 0.41 (0.35-0.49)a
 65
 0.40 (0.34-0.47)a
 62
 0.46 (0.40-0.54)a
 0.31
Lutein + zeaxanthin
 66
 0.41 (0.37-0.45)a
 65
 0.58 (0.52-0.63)b
 62
 0.61 (0.57-0.67)b
 ≤ 0.0001
Trans-lycopene
 66
 0.047 (0.041-0.054)a
 65
 0.052 (0.045-0.061)a
 62
 0.080 (0.065-0.095)b
 ≤ 0.0001
Total-lycopene
 66
 0.14 (0.12-0.16)a
 65
 0.13 (0.11-0.15)a
 62
 0.20 (0.18-0.24)b
 ≤ 0.0001
Ferritin7
 78
 102 (100–141)a
 61
 37.9 (31.3-45.8)b
 53
 23.4 (19.5-27.9)c
 ≤ 0.0001
Iron
 78
 16.1 (14.6-17.8)a
 64
 11.8 (10.5-13.2)b
 60
 8.47 (7.43-9.71)c
 ≤ 0.0001
Unbound iron binding capacity
 78
 42.5 (40.1-45.1)a
 63
 64.6 (61.2-68.3)b
 41
 73.5 (67.9-79.5)c
 ≤ 0.0001
Total iron binding capacity8
 78
 60.8 (58.9-62.7)a
 63
 78.2 (75.2-81.4)b
 40
 83.9 (77.9-90.4)b
 ≤ 0.0001
Transferrin saturation9
 78
 26.6 (20.0–30.0)a
 63
 15.2 (10.0–20.0)b
 40
 10.8 (10.0–15.0)b
 0.0001
Selenium7 78 1.51 (1.48-1.55)a 64 1.42 (1.37-1.48)b 62 1.37 (1.30-1.43)b 0.0003

1Does not include cord serum.

2Retinyl palmitate and retinyl stearate were excluded because ≥ 40% of their respective values were < LOD.

3All values expressed in μmol/L unless otherwise noted.

4GM geometric means; 95% CI = 95% confidence interval.

5p-values were calculated using a Mixed Effects Model procedure.

6NC not calculated. Because of laboratory quality control issues, Trimester 1 samples were not analyzed. Therefore, the sample sizes across trimesters are lower for CBC compared with the remaining biochemical indicators.

7Values expressed in pmol/L (1 pmol/L = 2.247 ng/ml).

8TIBC total iron-binding capacity. TIBC = IRN + UIBC.

9Transferrin saturation = IRN/TIBC. Values expressed in %.

Note: the superscript letters “a”, “b” and “c” are used to distinguish whether trimesters have statistically significantly (p < 0.05) different biomarker concentrations. Trimesters with different letter superscript have significantly different concentrations while those with the same superscript letters do not.