58 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 449 



the metabolism of alcohol in the body increases the need for thiamine. An ex- 

 periment was designed to test this hypothesis, using albino rats as the experi- 

 mental animal. Results indicate that the tissues of the rats receiving a daily 

 supplement of alcohol contained more thiamine per gram than the tissues of their 

 littermate controls which were fed an iso-caloric ration containing the same 

 amount of thiamine but no alcohol. Also, the group receiving the alcohol ex- 

 creted less pyruvic acid in their urine than the controls. These facts indicate 

 that the rats receiving the alcohol were in a better state of thiamine nutrition 

 than the rats not fed the alcohol, and that the consumption of alcohol did not 

 increase the need for thiamine. Work is continuing on the project. 



The Nutritional Status of Pregnant Women. (A. W. Wertz, P. Shaw, M. E. 

 Lojkin, and E. Morse.) This project is being carried out in cooperation with the 

 Northeast Regional Cooperative Project, Studies in Nutritional Status, and with 

 the cooperation of Dr. E. M. Holden of Amherst. An attempt is being made to 

 determine the nutritional status of pregnant women by studying their dietary 

 habits and physical condition, and the quantity of certain nutrients in their blood 

 and urine. This project is also concerned with the determination of the most 

 suitable methods for use in studies on nutritional status. This project is to be 

 continued for approximately three years. No results are as yet available. 



The Amount of Certain Nutrients in the Cord Blood in Relation to the Amount 

 of these Nutrients in the Pre-natal Maternal Diet. (A. W. Wertz, M. E. Lojkin, 

 and P. Shaw.) This project is being carried on with the cooperation of Dr. E. 

 M. Holden of Amherst. At parturition samples of the cord blood are obtained 

 and the serum analyzed for protein, ascorbic acid, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, 

 vitamin A, and carotene. The amounts of these nutrients found in the serum 

 are compared with the amounts present in the pre-natal maternal diet and any 

 correlation noted. 



The Validity of the Values in Food Composition Tables for Use in the Calcula- 

 tion of Nutrients in Specific Diets. (M. E. Lojkin, P. Shaw, E. Morse, and A. W. 

 Wertz.) Food composition tables are used extensively for the calculation of the 

 adequacy of dietaries in respect to specific nutrients, especially vitamins and 

 minerals. As these tables are compiled from experimental results obtained all 

 over the United States, it is pertinent to know whether the tables are valid for 

 calculation of dietaries in Massachusetts. 



A composite sample of a day's food intake is analyzed in the laboratory for 

 protein, fat, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, ascorbic acid, vitamin A, carotene, 

 calcium, phosphorus, and iron. The analytical results are compared with the 

 values obtained by calculation of these nutrients from the table of food composi- 

 tion. The degree of agreement or discrepancy in the figures is noted. A suitable 

 number of dietaries will be analyzed in order that statistical methods may be 

 applied in the interpretation of the result. 



Rodenticide Investigations. (L. R. Parkinson.) Studies are under way to 

 investigate the reason for the variation in the resistance of rats to red squill. 

 Early results indicate that this variation may be due largely to the nutritional 

 status of the rats. Heredity may also be an important factor. The apparent 

 seasonal variation in the toxicity of alpha-naphtha-thio-urea (ANTU) is also 

 being studied. 



