OBJECTIVE: To quantify the intergenerational effects on intrauterine growth in pregnant women who were themselves small for gestational age (SGA) at birth. METHODS: A retrospective case control was carried out on infants born in the period 1 January 2009 to 31 March 2009 at the Sant'Orsola Hospital, Bologna. Out of ...

Patients with cyanotic congenital cardiac disease often develop major aortopulmonary collaterals. Vascular endothelial growth factor is a key promoter of angiogenesis. Its soluble receptor-1 acts as a potent antagonist. We studied 30 infants with cyanotic congenital cardiac disease and 27 infants with acyanotic congenital cardiac disease. Central venous plasma vascular ...

BACKGROUND: There is accumulating evidence that rapid infant growth is associated with subsequent metabolic risk, but less investigation of potential benefits. We tested the life history trade-off hypothesis that rapid infant growth is associated with lower risk of serious childhood morbidity (in particular, infection) proxied by hospital admission. METHODS: We ...

BACKGROUND: Exposure to total trihalomethanes in drinking water has been associated with several adverse birth outcomes relating to fetal growth and prematurity. METHODS: We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies featuring original peer-reviewed data on the association of total trihalomethane exposure and health outcomes related to ...

We sought to estimate the prevalence and identify the predictors of impaired growth after infant cardiac surgery. We performed a secondary analysis of a prospective study of the role of apolipoprotein E gene polymorphisms on neurodevelopment in young children after infant cardiac surgery. Prevalence estimates for growth velocity were derived ...

Monitoring and interpreting the growth of preterm infants is a major clinical task for neonatologists. The effectiveness of this process depends upon the robustness of the standard selected. Concerns have been raised regarding the nature of the charts currently being used, as well as their appropriateness for present-day neonatal care. ...

Neonates with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are prone to suffer from digestive diseases. Using neonatal pigs with IUGR, we tested the hypothesis that IUGR may induce alterations in the developmental pattern of intestinal barrier and thereby may be responsible for IUGR-associated increased morbidity. Piglets with a birth weight near the ...

After age 6 mo, the combination of breast-feeding and unfortified plant-based complementary feeding provides inadequate zinc (Zn). Additionally, high phytate intakes compromise the bioavailability of zinc. Our principal objective in this randomized controlled, doubly masked trial was to determine the effect of substituting low-phytate maize, a daily 5-mg zinc supplement, ...

We sought to determine whether placental markers of intrauterine inflammation were associated with poor weight gain among premature infants in the neonatal period. We reviewed 697 preterm births prospectively enrolled as part of an ongoing molecular epidemiological study. Placental markers and serial weight gain were analyzed for premature infants who ...

To establish a standard for expected growth of premature infants and generate Z-scores based on the standard. Multiple regression and analysis of variance were used to evaluate whether the 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles of birth weight, head circumference, and length from other studies were statistically different from the percentiles ...

To evaluate the growth pattern of Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) infants (birthweight <1500 g) during hospital stay and to compare the growth of Small for gestational age (SGA) and Appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants. Prospective observational study. SETTING. Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Northern India. ...

Low birth-weight infants are at risk for renal disease when renal insults occur in the neonatal period. Renal growth as measured by sonography over time is utilized by many nephrologists as predictors of future renal disease. To identify infants at risk by defining normal renal growth for the very premature ...

Conditional fetal growth percentiles are percentiles that are calculated taking into account (conditional on) an infant's weight earlier in pregnancy. Although they have been proposed in the statistical literature as a more methodologically appropriate method of measuring fetal growth, their ability to predict adverse perinatal outcomes due to fetal growth ...

PURPOSE: Previous research has indicated that children with autism exhibit accelerated head growth (HG) in infancy, although the timing of acceleration varies between studies. We examined infant HG trajectory as a candidate autism endophenotype by studying sibling pairs. METHODS: We retrospectively obtained serial head orbitofrontal circumference measurements of: a) 48 ...

BACKGROUND: Low birth weight predisposes to the development of insulin resistance. In addition to auxological parameters such as rapid catch-up growth, low IGFBP-1 serum levels in childhood have been linked to an increased risk of insulin resistance later in life. Concerning postnatal growth, we previously reported the GHRd3-variant to be ...

AIM: Fetal androgens influence fetal growth as well as postnatal neurocognitive ability. However, to our knowledge, no published study has prospectively examined the impact of early-life androgens on infant brain growth. We report the association between circulating fetal androgen levels, measured from umbilical-cord blood at birth, and a proxy measure ...

Extrauterine growth restriction is a common finding among extremely low birth weight infants at discharge from neonatal intensive care units. It has been associated with significant caloric and protein deficits that accumulate during the hospitalization and with slower growth velocity observed with major neonatal morbidities. Recommendations to provide early nutritional ...

BACKGROUND: Premature infants have uniformly demonstrated growth failure by 36 weeks postmenstrual age. In an evaluation of care quality, the authors tested the hypothesis that premature infants would grow adequately when they received more than 50 kcal/kg per day of parenteral nutrition. METHODS: The study cohort consisted of 84 premature ...

Infants with a very low birth weight are at risk of a reduced number of nephrons predisposing to kidney disorder, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. Approximately 3% of infants are born small for gestational age (SGA), defined as birth weight and/or length at least 2 SD below the mean for gestational ...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to create and validate new intrauterine weight, length, and head circumference growth curves using a contemporary, large, racially diverse US sample and compare with the Lubchenco curves. METHODS: Data on 391 681 infants (Pediatrix Medical Group) aged 22 to 42 weeks at birth ...

AIM: The aim of this study was to describe first-year growth among very low birth weight infants and the effect of growth restriction at hospital discharge on first year growth. METHOD: Anthropometric measures and background information for 118 very low birth weight infants were collected from medical records. Z-scores were ...

Exclusively breastfed (EBF) infants have higher weight gain during the first 2 months, and lower thereafter. The explanation for this phenomenon is not clear. Longitudinal data from the Social Medical Survey of Children Attending Child Health Clinics study with a cohort of 2,151 Dutch children were analyzed according to a ...

OBJECTIVE: Teenagers are susceptible to delivering small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants. Previous studies suggest that maternal growth may contribute, as a result of preferential nutrient partitioning to the mother. We investigated the impact of maternal growth on birthweight in pregnant teenagers in the UK, and examined endocrine mediators of nutrient partitioning. DESIGN: ...

BACKGROUND: Parenteral nutrition (PN) improves the growth and outcome of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. Optimal PN composition, standard (STD-PN) or individualized (IND-PN), is still controversial. AIM: To compare IND-PN and STD-PN as to nutritional and growth parameters, complications and cost. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 140 VLBW infants were studied. ...

BACKGROUND: Hyperglycemia in premature infants is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, but data on long-term outcome are limited. We investigated the effects of neonatal hyperglycemia (blood glucose > or = 10 mmol/l, treated with insulin for > or = 12 hours) on growth and neurobehavioral outcome at 2 years ...

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with several medical complications before and after delivery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concordance between the fetal ultrasonographic measurement of subcutaneous tissue thicknesses and the skinfold thicknesses assessment in intrauterine growth restricted newborns. We designed an exploratory study. Fetal ultrasonographic ...

BACKGROUND: Daily changes in height have been found to be a non-linear process. Its exact pattern is still controversial. In previous studies on 34 healthy children aged 0.32-12.99 years, we found that growth is a tri-phasic process: stasis, steep changes (or saltation) and continuous growth. There is very little information ...

AIM: We investigated the relationship between plasma insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), leptin, active ghrelin levels, and postnatal growth in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. METHOD: Plasma IGF-I, leptin, and active ghrelin levels were measured at birth and at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks after birth in 61 ...

BACKGROUND: The consequences of in utero growth restriction have been attracting scholarly attention for the past two decades. Nevertheless, the diagnosis of growth-restricted neonates is as yet an unresolved issue. Aim of this study is the evaluation of the performance of simple, common indicators of nutritional status, which are used ...

BACKGROUND: The control of growth and nutritional status in the foetus and neonate is a complex mechanism, in which also hormones produced by adipose tissue, such as adiponectin and leptin are involved. The aim of this study was to evaluate levels of adiponectin, leptin and insulin in appropriate (AGA) and ...

Objective. To compare neonatal morbidity and mortality between late-preterm intrauterine growth-restricted (IUGR) and appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) infants of the comparable gestational ages (GAs). Methods. We retrospectively analyzed neonatal morbidity and mortality of 50 singleton pregnancies involving fetuses with IUGR delivered between 34 and 36 6/7 weeks of GA due to maternal ...

A clear relationship exists between undernutrition, poorer growth and poor development in term and preterm infants. However, preterm infants are at greater risk than term infants. Undernutrition is more common and 'programmed' growth rates are almost six times faster. Thus, even short periods of nutritional deprivation may have significant effects. ...

BACKGROUND: Previous reports indicate that preterm infants with higher baseline heart rate (HR) have greater weight gain than preterm infants with lower baseline HR. To verify this correlation and the potential utility of resting HR as a bench mark for risk of extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR), we studied preterm infants ...

Our aim was to define the association between early onset intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) due to placental insufficiency and hypospadias in males. We prospectively studied a cohort of small-for-gestational age (SGA) male infants with hypospadias managed by a multidisciplinary team over a 5-year period. Thirty SGA male infants were diagnosed ...

The concept that early growth and nutrition have long-term biological effects is based on extensive studies in animals dating from the 1930s. More recently, compelling evidence for a long-term influence, or programming effect, of growth has also emerged in humans. Substantial evidence now supports the hypothesis that 'accelerated' or too ...

BACKGROUND: Surveys in Vietnam have indicated that wasting and stunting have been prevalent among children, but the country is undergoing rapid socio-economic changes and little has been known about the relative situation in the different areas of the country. In 2006, the WHO introduced new growth standards applicable to all ...

Whilst growth and its derangement in disease have been a long-standing focus in pediatrics, increasing evidence points to a further, fundamental role of early growth in the programming of later health. In studies on animals and humans, rapid early growth is associated with higher risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease, ...

OBJECTIVES: Birth weight below the 10th percentile on growth charts based on population norms or small for gestational age (SGA) is associated with adverse perinatal outcome. We compare the association among neonatal mortality, morbidity and SGA as determined by currently used percentiles based on population standards (method A) and customised ...

This study aims to clarify the role of the maculae flavae (MFe) during growth and development of the human vocal fold mucosa (VFM). Our current results concerning the MFe in the human newborn, infant, and child VFM are summarized. Newborns already had immature MFe at the same sites as adults. ...

BACKGROUND: Little is known about spontaneous growth of growth hormone (GH)-deficient children during infancy and childhood. METHODS: Retrospectively, we calculated disease-specific pretreatment percentiles for height, weight, BMI and growth velocity of 113 GH-deficient boys and 41 GH-deficient girls from birth until 7 years of age, by mean and standard deviation. ...

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm very low birth weight (PVLBW) infants treated with oral probiotics for the prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). STUDY DESIGN: A prospective follow-up study was performed in a cohort of PVLBW infants enrolled in a single center with a masked randomized control ...

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an association exists between exposure in utero and after birth to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) containing protease inhibitors and prematurity, birth weight, and infant growth parameters. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Tertiary, university-affiliated hospital in Montreal, Canada. PATIENTS: Cohort of 206 pairs of mothers ...

Glucose is the most important fetal energy substrate. During the third trimester increased maternal glucose production and insulin resistance improves fetal glucose availability. Maternal malnutrition, chronic disease and/or placental dysfunction can disturb glucose delivery, resulting in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and an infant born small for gestational age (SGA). Hypoglycaemia ...

Evidence is accumulating that one of the strongest predictors of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), in addition to low gestational age, is poor weight gain during the first weeks of life. In infants born preterm, the retina is not fully vascularised. The more premature the child, the larger is the avascular ...

BACKGROUND: Sleep-related breathing disorders are common in individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). The US Food and Drug Administration approved the use of growth hormone in PWS in 2000. Many infants with PWS are being started on growth hormone therapy, but no data exist on the respiratory effects of growth hormone ...

The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between infant sleep patterns and infant physical growth (weight for length ratio) using both objective and subjective sleep measures. Ninety-six first-born, healthy 6-month-old infants and their parents participated in the study. Infant sleep was assessed by actigraphy for four consecutive ...

The original article to which this Errata refers was published in Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2009; 34: 288-296.

Nutritional programming, regulation and some ways for prevention/treatment to ameliorate or normalize adverse outcomes of programming are discussed. Epidemiological studies in human and animal experiments showed that nutrition during fetal and neonatal life may lead to related disorders in adulthood. But several argues may question its validity arising the question ...

Understanding normal growth for the healthy breastfed infant is an important component of promoting and supporting child health in general and breastfeeding in particular. In this article, we summarize what is known regarding differences in growth between breastfed and formula-fed infants; we describe the development and use of infant growth ...

Diabetic pregnancies may result in fetal macrosomia when glycaemia is poorly controlled, and when associated with diabetic vasculopathy, with small for gestational age (SGA) neonates. Both groups of infants have high neonatal morbidity. As fetal growth depends on maternal genetic influences, ethnic group or parity, relying exclusively on population-based growth ...