Ultramicroscale determination of clinical chemical values for blood during the first four days of postnatal life.

Ultramicro procedures requiring 5-10 mul of serum or blood per analysis were used in determining blood constituents of healthy full-term newborns during the first four days of life. The resulting values appeared to be influenced by age, sex, and race. Values for total protein, albumin, urea nitrogen, and uric acid in serum decreased with time; serum inorganic phosphorus and whole-blood aldosaccharoses increased. Serum from females had higher values than that from males for total proteins, albumin, and inorganic phosphorus. The values for serum calcium and alkaline phosphatase were consistently higher in Negro than in white infants; values for uric acid were higher in the latter.