Infant Body Research Articles

Infant feeding practices and body mass index up to 7.5 years in the French nationwide ELFE study.

The infant diet represents one of the main modifiable determinants of early growth. This study aimed to investigate the associations of infant feeding practices with body mass index (BMI) until 7.5 years. Analyses were based on data from the French nationwide ELFE birth cohort. Data on breastfeeding (BF) and complementary feeding (CF) were collected monthly from 2 to 10 months. Infant feeding practices were characterized using principal component analyses (PCA) and hierarchical ascendant classification. BMI z-score was computed at 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7.5 years, from data collected in the child's health booklet; 7.5-year overweight was defined according to IOTF references. Associations between infant feeding practices and BMI were investigated by linear regression models adjusted for main confounders. Ever breastfeeding was not associated with BMI up to 7.5 years. Compared to intermediate breastfeeding duration (1 to <3 months), longer breastfeeding duration (≥6 months) was related to lower 1-year BMI, but not at older ages. Compared to the recommended age at CF introduction (4-6 months), early CF (<4 months) was related to higher BMI up to 5 years with a similar trend at 7.5 years, but not to the risk of overweight. The PCA patterns characterized by early baby cereal introduction and late food pieces introduction or by frequent intake of main food groups were related to a lower BMI up to 7.5 years. Breastfeeding was related with a lower BMI in infancy but not thereafter, whereas an early CF initiation (<4 months) was associated with a higher BMI in childhood.

Breastfeeding duration is associated with favorable body composition and lower glycoprotein acetyls in later life.

The aim of the present study was to investigate associations between lifetime breastfeeding behaviors and cardiovascular risk in later reproductive years. This was a prospective 10-year longitudinal cohort study of 168 parous women. Health, lifestyle and infant feeding questionnaires, blood samples, anthropometry and body composition were collected. Cardiovascular risk was estimated using QRISK®3 and hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis performed. Mean age was 42.4 years (SD 3.8; range 31-50) and 98.7% (n = 156/158) were premenopausal. Ever breastfeeding rates were 72.6% (n = 122/168) and 37.5% (n = 63/168) lifetime ≥12 months breastfeeding duration. Median durations were 5.5 weeks for exclusive breastfeeding (IQR 35.8; range 0-190) and 30.5 weeks for any breastfeeding (IQR 84.0; range 0-488). Breastfeeding duration was not associated with QRISK®3 scores in adjusted models. Lower glycoprotein acetyls were associated with ever breastfeeding (P = 0.03), and lifetime breastfeeding ≥12 months (P = 0.001). Lifetime breastfeeding ≥12 months and longer exclusive breastfeeding were associated with lower fat mass index (P = 0.03, P = 0.01), tissue percentage fat (P = 0.02, P = 0.009) and visceral adipose tissue volume (P = 0.04, P = 0.025) after correcting for confounders including body mass index. Longer breastfeeding is associated with favorable body composition and lower glycoprotein acetyls, a novel inflammatory biomarker associated with cardiometabolic risk. Breastfeeding is a low-cost, health promoting behavior for women and infants. Pregnant women, especially those at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, should be counseled about the potential benefits of exclusive and longer breastfeeding duration.

Oral ingestion of foreign body in neonates and infants: A review

Foreign body (FB) ingestion in adult and children population is not uncommon but accidental. Same is rare in neonates and infants. Many of FB ingestion go unnoticed or unexpressed if baby is preverbal. Most of the foreign bodies pass spontaneously per anal. Only the larger size or sharp FBs get stuck in places of gastro intestinal tract and presented on emergency Department. Similarly corrosive and toxic FB also invites immediate attention. Literature on the clinical aspects of the foreign body ingestion among neonates and infants was searched electronically through PubMed and individual study. Relevant articles were reviewed thoroughly and summarized. Instances of foreign body ingestion (FBI) in neonate and adult are in ascending trend over last several years. Imaging and identification of radiolucent FBs become challenging for surgeons. Conservative treatment for spontaneous evacuation, endoscopic retrieval and surgical removal are the modalities for FBI management. Two relevant rare reports are appended as the case study. Where the reported FBs are gold fingering and sharp open safety pin in infants. One was managed conservatively for per anal evacuation and other needed endoscopic retrieval with general anesthesia.

Maternal palmitic acid intake, palmitic acid levels in maternal blood and cord blood with infant body composition

The fat intake of pregnant mothers, especially palmitic acid, which is one of the main components of palm oil, may affect the weight and fat mass of newborns. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between maternal palmitic acid intake and palmitic acid levels in maternal and cord blood with birth weight and infant fat mass. This study uses secondary data using a cross-sectional design, which is part of the main study of the BSEA and IPB University. The research was conducted from May to October 2018 at the Tanah Sareal Health Center and North Bogor Health Center. A total of 142 pregnant women were selected based on a single pregnancy and Hb level of &gt;9 mg/dL. Exclusion criteria were the presence of congenital abnormalities or undergoing therapy for a particular disease. Data analysis was performed using the Pearson/Spearman correlation test. The results of the study showed no association between maternal palmitic acid intake and birth weight or infant fat mass (p&gt; 0,05). Two approximate significant indicators were palmitic acid level in maternal blood with birth weight (p= 0,089), as well as palmitic acid level in cord blood with infant fat mass (p= 0,053). In conclusion, maternal palmitic acid intake and palmitic acid levels in maternal and cord blood did not affect birth weight or infant fat mass.

Associations of early childhood body mass index trajectories with body composition and cardiometabolic markers at age 10 years: the Ethiopian infant anthropometry and body composition (iABC) birth cohort study

BackgroundVariability in body mass index (BMI) (kg/m2) trajectories is associated with body composition and cardiometabolic markers in early childhood, but it is unknown how these associations track to later childhood. ObjectivesWe aimed to assess associations of BMI trajectories from 0 to 5 y with body composition and cardiometabolic markers at 10 y. MethodsIn the Ethiopian infant anthropometry and body composition (iABC) birth cohort, we previously identified 4 distinct BMI trajectories from 0 to 5 y: stable low BMI (19.2%), normal BMI (48.8%), rapid growth to high BMI (17.9%), and slow growth to high BMI (14.1%). At 10 y, we obtained data from 320 children on anthropometry, body composition, abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat, and cardiometabolic markers. Associations of BMI trajectories and 10-y outcomes were analyzed using multiple linear regression. ResultsCompared with children with the normal BMI trajectory, those with rapid growth to high BMI had 1.7 cm (95% CI: 0.1, 3.3) larger waist circumference and those with slow growth to high had 0.63 kg/m2 (95% CI: 0.09, 1.17) greater fat mass index and 0.19 cm (95% CI: 0.02, 0.37) greater abdominal subcutaneous fat, whereas those with stable low BMI had −0.28 kg/m2 (95% CI: −0.59, 0.03) lower fat-free mass at 10 y. Although the confidence bands were wide and included the null value, children with rapid growth to high BMI trajectory had 48.6% (95% CI: −1.4, 123.8) higher C-peptide concentration and those with slow growth to high BMI had 29.8% (95% CI: −0.8, 69.8) higher insulin and 30.3% (95% CI: −1.1, 71.6) higher homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, whereas those with rapid growth to high BMI had −0.23 mmol/L (95% CI: −0.47, 0.02) lower total cholesterol concentration. The trajectories were not associated with abdominal visceral fat, blood pressure, glucose, and other lipids at 10 y. ConclusionsChildren with rapid and slow growth to high BMI trajectories before 5 y tend to show higher measures of adiposity and higher concentrations of markers related to glucose metabolism at 10 y. Clinical Trial RegistryISRCTN46718296 (https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN46718296).

IMU-Based Approach to Detect Spastic Cerebral Palsy in Infants at Early Stages

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a non-progressive neurological disorder affecting muscle control in early childhood, leading to permanent alterations in body posture and movement. Early identification is crucial for accurate diagnosis and therapy-based interventions. In recent years, an automated monitoring system has been developed to facilitate the health assessment of infants, enabling early recognition of neurological dysfunctions in high-risk infants. However, the interpretation of these assessments lacks standardization and is subject to examiner bias.&#x0D; OBJECTIVES: Many infants with CP exhibit increased tonic stretch reflexes due to Upper Motor Neuron Syndrome (UMNS), resulting from motor neuron damage that disrupts muscle signalling.&#x0D; METHOD: To detect abnormal muscle reactions, our team employed an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensor, comprising three tri-axial sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer) that capture movement data continuously and unobtrusively. IMU sensors are compact, cost-effective, and have low processing requirements, requiring attachment to the infant's body to measure inter-body part angles. Our team analyzed muscle activity and posture using IMU sensors, collecting tri-axial data from 43 infants in real-time. Additional factors like age, stride length, and leg length were incorporated into the dataset.&#x0D; RESULTS: Our team has applied various supervised machine learning approaches to predict CP in infants due to the limited dataset size, validating models through k-fold cross-validation. Among the models, Naive Bayes (NB) outperformed Logistic Regression (LR), Decision Tree (DT), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), k-Nearest Neighbors (kNN), and Support Vector Machine (SVM), achieving an accuracy of 88%. CONCLUSION: This research contributes to the early detection and intervention of CP in infants, potentially improving their long-term outcomes.

Cross-Domain Transfer Learning for Medical Condition Classification from Infant X-ray Images

Field of artificial intelligence technology has flourished in recent years which led to a creation of diagnosing or assessing diseases using X-ray images. On the downside, these creations focus mostly on adult X-ray images and can not accurately diagnose infant X-ray images. This issue stems from a combination of factors: limited availability of datasets containing infant X-ray and significant variation in these images due to the rapid development of the infant body. Therefore, there is a high demand to develop comprehensive solutions that address these challenges and provide accurate insights. The proposed representation learning-based framework comprises two stages: auto-encoder-based representation learning and transfer learning for diagnosis. The first stage uses adult X-ray images to train the model for improved representation, generating identical reconstructed images. The second stage utilizes pre-trained models to diagnose diseases and predict infant age, enhancing accuracy by accounting for age-related variations in X-ray shapes. This innovative approach represents the first endeavor in unrestricted pediatric X-ray diagnosis, utilizing self-supervised learning for enhanced accuracy. As a result, the comprehensive and extensive experiment allows the proposed method to outperform in comparison to the existing methods. I expect that my research will contribute to the pediatric field of medicine and serve as the foundation of diverging the utility of artificial intelligence.

The Effectiveness of Baby Massage in Increasing Infant's Body Weight

Increasing body weight is an indicator for assessing baby growth. The baby's weight gain in the first year of life is based on whether the baby receives good nutrition from birth to the first six months. The weight gain per week ranges from 140-200 grams. Children 1-12 months experience rapid growth, so it is necessary to maintain the baby's weight according to age. They obtain optimal growth and development results from the interaction of several interrelated factors: genetic factors, nutrition, socio-economic status, health status, hormonal factors, environmental factors, cultural environment, parenting patterns, physical activity, and stimulation. Dietary factors play an essential role in the growth process because they influence the nutritional status of children. Stimulation factors are also critical to stimulate children's growth. Massage is a technique that combines the physical benefits of human touch with emotional benefits such as bonding and weight gain. This research aims to determine the relationship between baby massage and weight gain in babies at the Kasih Bunda Clinic in 2023. This type of research is the Shapiro-Wilk Test with a non-equivalent control group design and a pretest-posttest design. Then, measurements were taken before the pretest on both groups of respondents; then, measurements were carried out again (Posttest) to determine the difference in pretest and posttest body weight. The type of sampling uses purposive sampling. The results of the research were carried out with a confidence level of 95% (α=0.05), as proven by the p-value: 0.000 (p-value ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, a relationship exists between giving baby massages and increasing baby weight at the Kasih Bunda Clinic in 2023. It is hoped that health workers will make baby massage one of the counseling materials for mothers to support the increase in baby weight and teach them how to do proper baby massage.

Longitudinal relations between independent walking, body position, and object experiences in home life.

How do age and the acquisition of independent walking relate to changes in infants' everyday experiences? We used a novel ecological momentary assessment (EMA) method to gather caregiver reports of infants' restraint, body position, and object holding via text messages sparsely sampled across multiple days of home life at 10, 11, 12, and 13 months of age. Using data from over 4,000 EMA samples from N = 62 infants recruited from across the United States and sampled longitudinally, we measured changes in the base rates of different activities in daily life. With age, infants spent more time unrestrained. With the onset of walking, infants spent less time sitting and prone and more time upright. Although rates of object holding did not change with age or walking ability, we found that infants who can walk hold objects more often in an upright position compared with nonwalkers. We discuss how accurately measuring changes in lived experiences serves to constrain theories about developmental mechanisms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Body composition after implementation of an enhanced parenteral nutrition protocol in the neonatal intensive care unit: a randomised pilot trial

Background Very low birthweight (VLBW) infants are at risk for growth failure and poor neurodevelopment. Optimised parenteral nutrition may help promote optimal growth and development, but concerns that provision of enhanced nutrition may contribute to increased early adiposity and later metabolic disease remain. Aim To determine associations between provision of an early enhanced parenteral nutrition protocol or standard parenteral nutrition protocol and growth and body composition for VLBW preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. Subjects This is a secondary analysis of data from a clinical trial aimed at assessing the feasibility and safety of randomising VLBW preterm infants to Standard (n = 45) or Intervention (n = 42) parenteral nutrition groups between August 2017 and June 2019. Methods We evaluated associations between weekly infant growth and body composition measurements from n = 55 infants (Standard = 29, Intervention = 26) that were clinically stable enough to have body composition measurements taken before discharge using mixed effects linear regression models. Result No statistically significant associations between nutrition group and infant growth or body composition measures were observed (p >.05). Conclusion In this pilot trial, enhanced parenteral nutrition in the first week of life was not associated with significant differences in infant growth or body composition during hospitalisation.

Body composition assessment in 6-month-old infants: A comparison of two- and three-compartment models using data from the Baby-bod study.

An appreciation of infant body composition is helpful to understand the 'quality' of growth in early life. Air displacement plethysmography (ADP) using PEA POD and the deuterium dilution (DD) technique are commonly used body composition approaches in infants. We evaluated the comparability of body composition assessed using both techniques with two-compartment (2C) and three-compartment (3C) models in 6-month-old infants. Infant fat mass (FM) and percent fat mass (%FM) obtained from a 2C model using PEA POD (2C-PP) and a 2C model using the deuterium dilution technique (2C-DD) were compared to those derived from a 3C model, and to each other, using Bland-Altman analysis and Deming regression. Measurements were available from 68 infants (93% Caucasian, 53% male). The mean biases were not significant between any of the method comparisons. However, significant constant and proportional biases were identified in 2C-DD vs 3C and 2C-PP vs 2C-DD, but not in the 2C-PP vs 3C comparison. Furthermore, we observed significant associations between the mean differences and infants' percent total body water (%TBW). While no significant between-method mean differences were found in body composition estimates, some comparisons revealed significant constant and proportional biases and notable associations between the mean differences and %TBW were observed. Our results emphasise the importance of method choice, ensuring methodological uniformity in long-term studies, and carefully considering and regulating multiple pre-analytical variables, such as the hydration status of the participants.

Infant growth and body composition from birth to 24 months: are infants developing the same?

Given the importance of infancy for establishing growth trajectories, with later-life health consequences, we investigated longitudinal body composition among infants from six economically and ethnically diverse countries. We recruited mother-infant dyads using the WHO Multicenter Growth Reference Study criteria. We measured fat-free mass (FFM) in 1393 (49% female) infants from birth to 6 months of age (Australia, India, and South Africa; n = 468), 3-24 months of age (Brazil, Pakistan, South Africa, and Sri Lanka; n = 925), and derived fat mass (FM), fat mass index (FMI), and fat-free mass index (FFMI). Height-for-age (HAZ), weight-for-age (WAZ), and weight-for-length (WHZ) Z-scores were computed. Sex differences were assessed using a t-test, and country differences using a one-way analysis of covariance. We further compared subsamples of children with average (-0.25 > HAZ < +0.25), below-average (≤-0.25) and above-average (≥+0.25) HAZ. HAZ performed well between 0 and 6 months, but less so between 3 and 24 months. The stunting prevalence peaked at 10.3% for boys and 7.8% for girls, at 24 months. By 24 months, girls had greater FMI (10%) than boys. There were significant differences in FFM (both sexes in all countries) and FM (Brazilian boys, Pakistani and South African girls) by 24 months of age between infants with average, above-average, and below-average HAZ. In a multi-country sample representing more ideal maternal conditions, body composition was heterogeneous even among infants who exhibited ideal length. Having a mean HAZ close to the median of the WHO standard for length reduced FFM between-country heterogeneity but not FM, suggesting that other factors may influence adiposity.

PsyNBIOsis: Investigating the Association between Maternal Gestational Diabetes, Mental Health, Diet and Childhood Obesity Risk: Protocol for a Prospective, Longitudinal, Observational Study.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with poorer maternal mental health (depression and anxiety). Maternal mental health and GDM are likely to influence diet, which in turn impacts the course of GDM. Maternal diet may also be directly or indirectly associated with changes in infant anthropometry. The aims of this study are to (1) examine the associations between maternal GDM, mental health and diet, and (2) evaluate the associations between these maternal factors, breastmilk composition and infant anthropometry. This prospective, observational, longitudinal cohort study compares a cohort of women with and without GDM. Maternal mental health and diet are assessed using validated questionnaires. Breastmilk composition is measured with the Human Milk Analyzer, and infant body composition is measured with air displacement plethysmography. Once data have been collected, PsyNBIOsis will provide evidence for the associations between maternal mental health, GDM status and diet, and their impact on breastmilk composition and early infant growth. The results may inform the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease framework and provide data on which to build cost-effective interventions to prevent both the development of mental health issues in mothers and adverse growth patterns in infants.

A high fiber diet intervention during pregnancy: The SPROUT (Single goal in PRegnancy to optimize OUTcomes) protocol paper

BackgroundInterventions to prevent excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) have had a limited impact on maternal and infant outcomes. Dietary fiber is a nutrient with benefits that counters many of the metabolic and inflammatory changes that occur during pregnancy. We will determine if a high dietary fiber (HFib) intervention provides benefit to maternal and infant outcomes. Methods and designPregnant women will be enrolled in an 18-week intervention and randomized in groups of 6–10 women/group into the intervention or control group. Weekly lessons will include information on high-dietary fiber foods and behavior change strategies. Women in the intervention group will be given daily snacks high in dietary fiber (10–12 g/day) to facilitate increasing dietary fiber intake. The primary aim will assess between-group differences for the change in maternal weight, dietary fiber intake, dietary quality, and body composition during pregnancy and up to two months post-partum. The secondary aim will assess between-group differences for the change in maternal weight, dietary fiber intake, and dietary quality from two months to one year post-partum and infant body composition from birth to one-year-old. DiscussionEffective and simple intervention strategies to improve maternal and offspring outcomes are lacking. Changes during the perinatal period are related to the risk of disease development in the mother and offspring. However, it is unknown which changes can be successfully targeted to have a meaningful impact. We will test the effect of an intervention designed to counter many of the metabolic and inflammatory changes that occur during pregnancy. Ethics and disseminationThe University of Kansas Medical Center Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved the study protocol (STUDY00145397). The results of the trial will be disseminated at conferences and in peer reviewed publications. Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04868110

Observation of infant body weight and physiological conditions of Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) in ex situ conservation

The purpose of this study was to describe the infant body weight and physiological parameters of a Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) treated at an ex situ conservation station. This study used an infant Siamang, which was estimated to be ± 3 months old. Body weight parameters were determined based on weekly weight gain for one month. The physiological parameters measured were the heart rate, pulse rate, respiration rate, and rectal temperature. Physiological parameters were measured in the morning and evening for 14 d. The results showed that the average heart rate of infant in the morning was 202±11.5 BPM and in the afternoon was 184±14.9 BPM, the average pulse rate in the morning was 189±8.5 BPM and the afternoon was 174±7.8 BPM, the average respiration rate in the morning was 58±6.8 breaths per minutes and in the afternoon was 60±6.3 breaths per minutes, and the average rectal temperature in the morning was 37.1°C and 37.6°C in the afternoon. The body weight and physiology of the infant were good.

Infant fat mass and later child and adolescent health outcomes: a systematic review

ObjectiveObesity and excess adiposity are leading causes of metabolic and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Early identification of individuals at risk is key for preventive strategies. We examined the relationship between...

The Associations of Breastfeeding Status at 6 Months with Anthropometry, Body Composition, and Cardiometabolic Markers at 5 Years in the Ethiopian Infant Anthropometry and Body Composition Birth Cohort

(1) Background: Breastfeeding (BF) has been shown to lower the risk of overweight and cardiometabolic disease later in life. However, evidence from low-income settings remains sparse. We examined the associations of BF status at 6 months with anthropometry, body composition (BC), and cardiometabolic markers at 5 years in Ethiopian children. (2) Methods: Mother–child pairs from the iABC birth cohort were categorised into four BF groups at 6 months: 1. “Exclusive”, 2. “Almost exclusive”, 3. “Predominantly” and 4. “Partial or none”. The associations of BF status with anthropometry, BC, and cardiometabolic markers at 5 years were examined using multiple linear regression analyses in three adjustment models. (3) Results: A total of 306 mother–child pairs were included. Compared with “Exclusive”, the nonexclusive BF practices were associated with a lower BMI, blood pressure, and HDL-cholesterol at 5 years. Compared with “Exclusive”, “Predominantly” and “Almost exclusive” had shorter stature of −1.7 cm (−3.3, −0.2) and −1.2 cm (−2.9, 0.5) and a lower fat-free mass index of −0.36 kg/m2 (−0.71, −0.005) and −0.38 kg/m2 (−0.76, 0.007), respectively, but a similar fat mass index. Compared with “Exclusive”, “Predominantly” had higher insulin of 53% (2.01, 130.49), “Almost exclusive” had lower total and LDL-cholesterol, and “Partial or none” had a lower fat mass index. (5) Conclusions: Our data suggest that children exclusively breastfed at 6 months of age are overall larger at 5 years, with greater stature, higher fat-free mass but similar fat mass, higher HDL-cholesterol and blood pressure, and lower insulin concentrations compared with predominantly breastfed children. Long-term studies of the associations between BF and metabolic health are needed to inform policies.

Removal of bronchial foreign body in a ventilated preterm infant with flexible bronchoscopy.

Removal of bronchial foreign body in a ventilated preterm infant with flexible bronchoscopy.

Constructing the Infant Body: The Intervention of the Educated, Male Physician in Eighteenth-Century Infant Diet

Drawing on medical advice literature, this paper examines the cultural history of the body in infancy in eighteenth-century England. This period saw the increasing professionalization of the medical field, particularly regarding children’s health, as an emerging profession of educated, male physicians sought to establish their exclusive authority on the medical market. As England’s medical market of the time was largely unregulated, these educated physicians competed with apothecaries, midwives, and female nurses for paying customers. Physicians argued that the disorderly, undisciplined nature of the infant body was incongruent with Enlightenment virtues, and therefore required a greater degree of medical management. Emerging out of this discourse were popular advice books which emphasized preventative measures in already-healthy infant patients. They were authored by a growing profession of educated, medical experts and were addressed to a lay audience of parents and child caretakers. This paper examines three immensely popular pamphlets authored by three physicians, Thomas Beddoes, George Armstrong, and William Cadogan. All three emphasized in their tracts the importance of maternal breastfeeding to the infant diet, citing Enlightenment ideals, humoral theory, and even the supernatural elements of breastmilk to support this claim. To bring the child body firmly under the control of the medical establishment, they argued that uneducated, lay practitioners, who were overwhelmingly female, received no formal education in the sciences and thus possessed little understanding of the nuances and complexities specific to the infant body. Parents were also incapable and deficient, at least to some degree, in the formal knowledge necessary to prevent illness in their infant children, and thus should rely on the physician’s expertise regarding the care of the infant body.

Postpartum stress in the first 6 months after delivery: a longitudinal study in Nantong, China

ObjectivesThe objective is to to explore the longitudinal change trajectories of postpartum stress and its related factors.DesignA longitudinal study with follow-ups from 42 days to 6 months after delivery.Settings and...