Retinol Status in Preterm Infants and Mothers

Umbilical cord blood was drawn at birth in all babies included in the study by experienced individuals using a vacutainer. Approximately 6 ml of venous blood was also drawn from the antecubital region of the mothers immediately after the birth in a biochemistry tube.In the serum samples, the retinol levels were analyzed using ELISA kits from the Bioassay Technology Laboratory ( E1548 Hu Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China), RBP levels were analyzed using ELISA kits of Elabscience (E-EL-H1581 Texas USA) following the standard protocol suggested by the manufacturer at the Dynex automated ELISA reading device (Dynex Technologies Headquarters, Chantilly, USA)