Individual Mothers Research Articles

Modelling the temporal trajectories of human milk components.

This paper demonstrates how available data can be explored and utilized to conclude generic patterns in the temporal changes in Human Milk (HM) composition. The temporal trajectories of selected human milk components (HMC-s) were described, in the first four months postpartum, by a primary model consisting of two phases: a short linear phase in the colostrum, triggered by the parturition; and a longer second phase, where the concentration of the component converges to a steady state. The model was fitted to data available in a recently published database of temporal HMC trajectories both at the levels of individual molecules (such as specific fatty acid, oligosaccharide, and mineral molecules) and molecule-groups (such as total protein, total fat). The properties of the trajectories suggest that experimental designs should follow non-equidistant sampling times, with increasingly longer time intervals after the first week postpartum. A selected parameter, the final stationary level, of the primary model was then studied as a function of geographical location (secondary modelling). We found that the total variation of the concentration of specific HMC-s is dominantly due to the inherent biological differences between individual mothers and to less extent to the geographical location.

Longer school schedules, childcare and the quality of mothers’ employment

Summary Better employment quality can improve personal well-being, social cohesion, and inclusive growth and development. Yet good quality jobs – associated with greater well-being – are less accessible to women than men. While it is understood that policies balancing family and work lead to greater female labour participation, this paper investigates whether one such policy – increased childcare – improves the quality of jobs where mothers are employed. The context we analyse is a nationwide school reform in Chile that extended school schedules for primary school-aged children, providing childcare services. We combine administrative data of the phase-in of the policy with panel data of individual mothers’ employment outcomes and socio-economic characteristics. We estimate a fixed-effects model that controls for mothers’ unobserved heterogeneity and identifies the effect of the policy from plausibly exogenous temporal and spatial variations in access to schools with long schedules and exogenous exposure to the policy. We find a positive effect of childcare on several measures of employment quality and gender gaps within the couple. Our evidence suggests that the mechanism driving the impact is the implicit subsidy to the cost of childcare, affecting the opportunity cost of mothers’ time. In addition, we find heterogeneous results by mothers’ education level. Access to childcare through longer primary school schedules can increase household welfare and can play a role in reducing income and gender inequalities.

Pregnancy Characteristics and Delivery Outcomes of Individual Mother Hospitalized at Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan

Background: Maternal morbidity is a silent struggle, echoing the untold stories of resilience and strength in the face of adversity. Women of childbearing age are faced with extreme uncertainties; hence the purpose of this study was to analyze fertility trend and maternal complications including the possible high-risk factors connected to maternal morbidity. Maternal morbidity could be prevented through early detection, including the period preceding pregnancy. Methods and methodology: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study using data from hospital database describes trends of fertility and with immediate post-delivery maternal complication. The data was collected just from month January in 2023 from a Regional Maternity Hospital in Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan. Total of 260 sample were drawn from the data base for the study. Objective: The study intended to find the different pregnancy characteristics and the outcomes of delivery of Individual mother who were Hospitalized at Jalalabad, Kyrgyzstan. We settled for this topic because it is one of the significant causes of death among reproductive age group women around the world. Result: Among 260 delivery cases, majority 56.2% of them were from age group 21 - 25 years. Majority of them have more than one child and 22.7% cases had more than 3 children. Common complications associated during pregnancy were anemia (17.3%) & Pre-eclampsia (16.1%) whereas most common postpartum complication was PPH associated with atony (17.3%). Obesity (10%) and Pre-existing hypertension (9.6%) were the most common comorbidity associated with pregnancy. Conclusion: The research population appears to have high fertility trends. The main causes of obstetric complications were anemia, hypertension, and postpartum hemorrhage. Two prevalent comorbidities linked to pregnancy were obesity and underlying hypertension. To reduce pregnancy-related problems, it is imperative that interventions be implemented that support early ANC attendance, lower obesity, increase access to blood pressure monitoring, and provide family planning information and services.

Drought-sensitive targeting and child growth faltering in Southern Africa

We combine remote-sensed data and individual child, mother, and household level data for five countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe) to design a prototype drought-sensitive targeting framework that may be used in scarce-data contexts. To accomplish this we: i) develop simple and easy-to-communicate measures of drought shocks; ii) show that droughts have a large impact on child growth faltering in these five countries -- comparable, in size, to the effects of mother’s illiteracy, living in a house with a primitive roof, or to a fall to a lower wealth quintile; and iii) show that, in this context, decision trees and regressions predict growth faltering as accurately (out-of-sample) as machine learning methods that are not interpretable. Taken together, our analysis lends support to the idea that a data-driven targeting approach may contribute to the design of policies that alleviate the impact that climate change has on the world’s most vulnerable populations.

Experiences and needs of mothers concerning their involvement in the life and care of their adult sons with mild intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders who display challenging behaviour and live in residential facilities

Objectives Parental involvement is crucial for individuals with comorbid mild intellectual disabilities (MID) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who display challenging behaviour and reside in residential facilities. However, extant literature predominantly concentrates on the perspectives of parents of individuals with MID and ASD who display challenging behaviour and reside in their family home. In the current study, we aimed to understand the experiences and needs of mothers of residential living sons concerning their involvement. Methods Five mothers of adult sons with MID and ASD who display challenging behaviour and live in a residential facility were interviewed. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Three overarching themes were identified in the data: Fighting for appropriate care and support; Searching for a level of involvement that suits me; What is important to me in terms of support for my son and myself. Conclusions Although mothers reported that they wanted to be less involved in caring for their sons, they struggled to scale back their involvement. Efforts should be made to reach both a suitable and sustainable level of involvement for individual mothers.

Impact of preeclampsia on infant and maternal health among women with rheumatic diseases.

We sought to identify the impact of preeclampsia on infant and maternal health among women with rheumatic diseases. A retrospective single-center cohort study was conducted to describe pregnancy and infant outcomes among women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with and without preeclampsia as compared to women with other rheumatic diseases with and without preeclampsia. We identified 263 singleton deliveries born to 226 individual mothers (mean age 31 years, 35% non-Hispanic Black). Overall, 14% of women had preeclampsia; preeclampsia was more common among women with SLE than other rheumatic diseases (27% vs 8%). Women with preeclampsia had a longer hospital stay post-delivery. Infants born to mothers with preeclampsia were delivered an average of 3.3 weeks earlier than those without preeclampsia, were 4 times more likely to be born preterm, and twice as likely to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. The large majority of women with SLE in this cohort were prescribed hydroxychloroquine and aspirin, with no clear association of these medications with preeclampsia. We found preeclampsia was an important driver of adverse infant and maternal outcomes. While preeclampsia was particularly common among women with SLE in this cohort, the impact of preeclampsia on the infants of all women with rheumatic diseases was similarly severe. In order to improve infant outcomes for women with rheumatic diseases, attention must be paid to preventing, identifying, and managing preeclampsia.

Novel at-Home mother's milk conductivity sensing technology as an identification system of delay in milk secretory activation progress and early breastfeeding problems: feasibility assessment.

Prolonged exclusive breastfeeding is a public health priority and a personal desire by mothers but rates are low, with milk supply challenges as a predominant cause. Early breastfeeding management at home is key. Milk electrolytes, mainly Na+, are accepted as biomarkers of secretory activation processes throughout the first weeks after birth, and predictors for prolonged breastfeeding success, although not incorporated into routine care practice. To test the feasibility of a novel handheld smartphone operated milk conductivity sensing system, that was designed to compute a novel milk maturation (MM%) parameter calculated from milk sample conductivity, for tracking individual secretory activation progress in a real-world home setting. System performance was initially evaluated in data collected from laboratory-based milk analysis followed by a retrospective analysis of observational real-world data gathered with the system, on the spot at a home setting, implemented by lactation support providers or directly by mothers (N=592). Data includes milk sample sensing data, baby age, and self reported breastfeeding status and breastfeeding related conditions. The data was retroactively classified in a day after birth dependent manner, based breastfeeding exclusivity and breastfeeding problems associated with ineffective breastfeeding and low milk supply, and results were compared between the groups. Laboratory analysis in a set of breast milk samples demonstrated a strong correlation between system's results and Na+ levels. In the real world dataset, a total of 1511 milk sensing records were achieved on-the-spot with over 592 real-world mothers. Data gathered with the system revealed typical time dependent increase in the milk maturation parameter characterized by initial steep increase followed by moderate increase and reaching a plateau during the first weeks postpartum. Additionally, milk maturation parameter levels captured by the system were found sensitive to breastfeeding status classifications of exclusive breastfeeding and breastfeeding problems, manifested in differences in group means in several day range after birth, predominantly during the first weeks postpartum. Differences could be demonstrated also for per-case time after birth dependent progress in individual mothers. This feasibility study demonstrates that the use of smart milk conductivity sensing technology can provide a robust, objective measure of individual breastfeeding efficiency, facilitating remote data collection within a home setting. It holds considerable potential to augment both self-monitoring and remote breastfeeding management capabilities, as well as to refine clinical classifications. To further validate the clinical relevance and potential of this home milk monitoring tool, future controlled clinical studies are necessary. These will provide insights into its impact on user and care provider satisfaction, and its potential to meet breastfeeding success goals. See visual abstract Appendix.

You’ll never walk alone – The effects of walkability on pregnancy behaviors and outcomes

This study investigates the relationship between local walkability and physical activity and subsequent health outcomes among pregnant women – for whom walking is the recommended, and by far most common, form of exercise. Using an EPA measure of walkability at the county level (as well as other county-level characteristics) combined with rich individual-level data on pregnant women yields evidence that higher walkability translates into improvements in maternal and infant health outcomes as well as physical activity. Using the 2011 Natality Detail Files with geographic identifiers and controlling for the overall health of women in the community as well as the individual mother’s pre-pregnancy BMI, we show that women residing in more walkable counties are less likely to experience preterm birth, low birth weight, gestational diabetes and hypertension. While one potential mechanism is through improved gestational weight gain, the evidence points to more general improvements in health as walkability does not seem to prevent excessive weight gain or macrosomic babies. Evidence that these general improvements derive at least in part from greater physical activity comes from analyses using the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, in which higher walkability translates into more physical activity among pregnant women (and also relative to their non-pregnant counterparts). Our study suggests more broadly that pregnant women’s physical activity responds to factors that facilitate it and that such activity makes a difference to birth outcomes.

Source-tracking ESBL-producing bacteria at the maternity ward of Mulago hospital, Uganda.

Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter (EKE) are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in neonates in Africa. The management of EKE infections remains challenging given the global emergence of carbapenem resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. This study aimed to investigate the source of EKE organisms for neonates in the maternity environment of a national referral hospital in Uganda, by examining the phenotypic and molecular characteristics of isolates from mothers, neonates, and maternity ward. From August 2015 to August 2016, we conducted a cross-sectional study of pregnant women admitted for elective surgical delivery at Mulago hospital in Kampala, Uganda; we sampled (nose, armpit, groin) 137 pregnant women and their newborns (n = 137), as well as health workers (n = 67) and inanimate objects (n = 70 -beds, ventilator tubes, sinks, toilets, door-handles) in the maternity ward. Samples (swabs) were cultured for growth of EKE bacteria and isolates phenotypically/molecularly investigated for antibiotic sensitivity, as well as β-lactamase and carbapenemase activity. To infer relationships among the EKE isolates, spatial cluster analysis of phenotypic and genotypic susceptibility characteristics was done using the Ridom server. Gram-negative bacteria were isolated from 21 mothers (15%), 15 neonates (11%), 2 health workers (3%), and 13 inanimate objects (19%); a total of 131 Gram-negative isolates were identified of which 104 were EKE bacteria i.e., 23 (22%) E. coli, 50 (48%) K. pneumoniae, and 31 (30%) Enterobacter. Carbapenems were the most effective antibiotics as 89% (93/104) of the isolates were susceptible to meropenem; however, multidrug resistance was prevalent i.e., 61% (63/104). Furthermore, carbapenemase production and carbapenemase gene prevalence were low; 10% (10/104) and 6% (6/104), respectively. Extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production occurred in 37 (36%) isolates though 61 (59%) carried ESBL-encoding genes, mainly blaCTX-M (93%, 57/61) implying that blaCTX-M is the ideal gene for tracking ESBL-mediated resistance at Mulago. Additionally, spatial cluster analysis revealed isolates from mothers, new-borns, health workers, and environment with similar phenotypic/genotypic characteristics, suggesting transmission of multidrug-resistant EKE to new-borns. Our study shows evidence of transmission of drug resistant EKE bacteria in the maternity ward of Mulago hospital, and the dynamics in the ward are more likely to be responsible for transmission but not individual mother characteristics. The high prevalence of drug resistance genes highlights the need for more effective infection prevention/control measures and antimicrobial stewardship programs to reduce spread of drug-resistant bacteria in the hospital, and improve patient outcomes.

A Linguistics Investigation of Grammatical Errors by Maithili ESL Learners Through Error Analysis

The purpose of the paper is to present how the interference of an individual's mother tongue hinders in acquiring a second language, which leads to Interlingual errors. It is an observation that the speakers also commit those errors which have no influence of the mother tongue but are a result of the target language which are called Intralingual errors. This paper particularly focuses on how the Maithili language (LI) acts as a hindrance for the Maithili ESL learners to acquire the target language, that is, the English language (L2). The survey also displays the traces of Intralingual errors in the responses of the speakers, who are committing grammatical errors in speaking the English language (L2). The analysis and evaluation of the results that have been procured through the digital questionnaire survey conducted has been displayed in this paper. The general survey shows that people admitted making grammatical errors while speaking both native and second language and it can be inferred from the specific survey that the same respondents have committed errors in more than half of the questions given to them. The objective of the paper is not only to show the various reasons which lead the Maithili ESL speakers to commit errors while speaking or writing the English language but also to profuse remedies to overcome these barriers. It can be concluded from the entire research that the hypothesis is justified and there is a scope for remedial measures to correct the situation.

The volume and monetary value of human milk produced by the world's breastfeeding mothers: Results from a new tool.

The Mothers' Milk Tool was developed to make more visible the economic value contributed to society by women's unpaid care work through breastfeeding infants and young children. This manuscript describes the development and display key features of the tool, and reports results for selected countries. For the development, we used five steps: (1) defining the tool by reviewing existing tools and scholarly literature to identify uses, approaches, design features, and required data characteristics for a suitable product; (2) specifying the best open-access data available for measurement and easy updating; (3) analyzing development options; (4) testing predictive models to fill identified breastfeeding data gaps; and (5) validating the tool with prospective users and against previous research. We developed an Excel-based tool that allows working offline, displaying preloaded data, imputing data, and inputting users' data. It calculates annual quantities of milk produced by breastfeeding women for children aged 0-35.9 months, and the quantities lost compared to a defined biologically feasible level. It supports calculations for an individual mother, for countries, and global level. Breastfeeding women globally produce around 35.6 billion liters of milk annually, but 38.2% is currently "lost" due to cultural barriers and structural impediments to breastfeeding. The tool can also attribute a monetary value to the production. In conclusion, the Mothers' Milk Tool shows what is at risk economically if women's important capacity for breastfeeding is not protected, promoted, and supported by effective national policies, programs, and investments. The tool is of value to food and health policymakers, public officials, advocates, researchers, national accountants and statisticians, and individual mother/baby dyads, and will assist consideration of breastfeeding in food balance sheets and economic production statistics. The tool supports the 2015 Call to Action by the Global Breastfeeding Collective by facilitating the tracking of progress on breastfeeding targets.

The heterogeneous associations of universal cash-payouts with breastfeeding initiation and continuation

Existing health literature documents the benefits of breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Prior research on barriers to breastfeeding has focused on the role of hospital initiatives, return to work, and individual mothers' characteristics. This study uses data from Alaska's Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System and the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, to investigate whether universal income support shapes mothers' breastfeeding behaviors. We find that payouts are associated with increases in breastfeeding initiation and short-term continuation (three months) among a sample of urban Alaskan mothers. These associations differ across mothers' socioeconomic and demographic characteristics (i.e., education, economic status, race, marital status). We contend that this type of income intervention may complement existing efforts to promote breastfeeding by removing financial barriers to breastfeeding.

Effects of maternal depression on maternal responsiveness and infants' expressive language abilities.

High levels of maternal responsiveness are associated with healthy cognitive and emotional development in infants. However, depression and anxiety can negatively impact individual mothers' responsiveness levels and infants' expressive language abilities. Australian mother-infant dyads (N = 48) participated in a longitudinal study examining the effect of maternal responsiveness (when infants were 9- and 12-months), and maternal depression and anxiety symptoms on infant vocabulary size at 18-months. Global maternal responsiveness ratings were stronger predictors of infants' vocabulary size than levels of depression and anxiety symptoms. However, depression levels moderated the effect of maternal responsiveness on vocabulary size. These results highlight the importance of screening for maternal responsiveness-in addition to depression-to identify infants who may be at developmental risk. Also, mothers with elevated depression need support to first reduce their symptoms so that improvements in their responsiveness have the potential to be protective for their infant's language acquisition.

Meiotic transmission patterns of additional genomic elements in Brachionus asplanchnoidis, a rotifer with intraspecific genome size variation

Intraspecific genome size (GS) variation in Eukaryotes is often mediated by additional, nonessential genomic elements. Physically, such additional elements may be represented by supernumerary (B-)chromosomes or by large heterozygous insertions into the regular chromosome set. Here we analyze meiotic transmission patterns of Megabase-sized, independently segregating genomic elements (ISEs) in Brachionus asplanchnoidis, a planktonic rotifer that displays an up to two-fold intraspecific GS variation due to variation in size and number of these elements. To gain insights into the meiotic transmission patterns of ISEs, we measured GS distributions of haploid males produced by individual mother clones using flow cytometry and compared these distributions to theoretical distributions expected under a range of scenarios. These scenarios considered transmission biases resembling (meiotic) drive, or cosegregation biases, e.g., if pairs of ISEs preferentially migrated towards the same pole during meiosis. We found that the inferred transmission patterns were diverse and ranged from positive biases (suggesting drive) to negative biases (suggesting drag), depending on rotifer clone and its ISE composition. Additionally, we obtained evidence for a negative cosegregation bias in some of the rotifer clones, i.e., pairs of ISEs exhibited an increased probability of migrating towards opposite poles during meiosis. Strikingly, these transmission and segregation patterns were more similar among members of a genetically homogeneous inbred line than among outbred members of the population. Comparisons between early and late stages of haploid male embryonic development (e.g., young synchronized male eggs vs. hatched males) showed very similar GS distributions, suggesting that transmission biases occur very early in male development, or even during meiosis. Very large genome size was associated with reduced male embryonic survival, suggesting that excessive amounts of ISEs might be detrimental to male fitness. Altogether, our results indicate considerable functional diversity of ISEs in B. asplanchnoidis, with consequences on meiotic transmission and embryonic survival.

Domestic fear beyond traumatic terror: understanding mothers’ everyday experiences of recurring fear in the context of domestic violence

This article offers an empirical critique of trauma-informed fear models by documenting how mothers experienced repetitive fear of domestic violence in France. I challenge the reduction of victims’ responses to traumatic ‘terror’ and suggest that the neurological fear models which circulate in training and advocacy discourses fail to acknowledge the domestic setting and the resources on which they draw to respond to fear. Analysing ethnographic data, the article adopts a structural theory of emotion and domestic violence. I draw on Jack Barbalet’s notion of fear containment and rework his model by applying it to non-elite and individual mothers through what I call ‘instrumental’ counterchallenge and submissiveness. I show that their fear practices are combined with fear containment. The article analyses fear as an occasion for knowledge acquisition and an auxiliary for instrumental action. The article highlights the hidden fear responses that go unnoticed when analysis prominently relies on neurological trauma: mothers act on their fears to confirm or overrule fearful anticipations and they experience fear as an occasion for knowledge acquisition to guide future action.

An integrative review on the maternal health literacy among maternal and child workers.

This study aim to capture the most comprehensive evidence-based dimensions of maternal health literacy, including summarizing the definitions, theoretical frameworks, measuring instruments, and the association between maternal health literacy and health behaviours. Maternal health literacy has been recognized as an important approach to achieving high-quality maternal and child health; however, little is known about maternal health literacy comprehensively and scientifically. An integrative review retrieved articles from 11 databases, following the methodology of Whittemore and Knafl. Inductive content analysis and narrative synthesis were conducted, guided by the aim of this review. A total of 5580 articles were retrieved and 23 articles were finally identified. Existing definitions and theoretical frameworks took less consideration of maternal applicability and failed to summarize maternal health literacy from a dynamic and systematic perspective. Measurement instruments were set up with many items that make it difficult to quickly screen for poor maternal health literacy. Most articles proved the association between maternal health literacy and health behaviours through correlation analysis or regression analysis but less explored the influence pathways between them. The definition and theoretical framework need to focus on maternal applicability and explain the process of individual mothers acquiring and understanding health knowledge and skills from a dynamic and systematic perspective. A rapid instrument for maternal health literacy should be developed and high-quality empirical research was conducted to understand the associated mechanisms between maternal health literacy and health behaviours. It is necessary to strengthen maternal and child health education of primary health care nurses and enhance their ability to help perinatal women use maternal and child health information effectively.

LEVELS OF INDICATOR POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS IN HUMAN MILK FROM VARNA REGION, BULGARIA

Human milk is an appropriate tool for the assessment of the body burden of humans with lipophilic persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Purpose: The aims of the study were to determine the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in the breast milk of women living in Varna, Bulgaria and to evaluate the association with demographic characteristics. Material and methods: Breast milk samples were collected in 2019 - 2020 from 28 healthy primiparae mothers. The six indicator PCB congeners were determined in individual mother's milk samples by capillary gas chromatography system with mass spectrometry detection (GC-MS). Results: The predominant PCB congener measured in human milk was PCB 153, followed by PCB 138 and PCB 180. The lower chlorinated congeners PCBs (28, 52 and 101) were found below the limit of detection in most individual samples. The median level of the Indicator PCBs in milk samples was 29.1 ng/g lipid weight. The highest PCBs levels were found in breast milk from primiparae mothers 36 – 40 age (36.8 ng/g lipid as a sum of six Indicator PCBs), suggesting bioaccumulation of these pollutants. Conclusions: Positive association was found between the Indicator PCBs levels and the age of mothers. The levels of the Indicator PCBs in breast milk were found to be lower than levels reported in other studies in the European countries.

Performance of rabbit does and weaned kits fed a granulated diet supplemented with Desmodium or Panicum fodders.

Rabbit production is increasing in developing countries and can play a crucial role in the fight against poverty. The current work assessed the effect on rabbit does' reproduction and young kits' growth when either Panicum maximum, common name Guinea grass, or Desmodium tortuosum, common name Beggarweed is included in their diet. Diets ReC and GrC (standard granulated diets) served as control diets, formulated for doe Reproduction and kit Growth respectively. The trial diets were diets RePan/GrPan (diet ReC/GrC supplemented with dry P. maximum) and diets ReDes/GrDes (diet ReC/GrC supplemented with dry D. tortuosum). Thirty-six primiparous local breed five-month old rabbit does were randomly allocated to each one of the three dietary treatments. After a 15-day dietary adaptation period, does were each bred to one of 12, related, breeding males. Does were then assigned to individual maternity cages maintaining the same dietary treatment for the ensuing 65 days of the trial (30 days of gestation + 35 days of suckling). Thus, there were a total of 12 replicates per treatment: diet ReC, diet RePan or diet ReDes. At weaning, 72 kits, from the three adult feed treatment groups, were, while maintaining the integrity of the feed group of their individual mothers, divided into 12 blocks with 6 weaned kits per block, with each block allocated one of the three diets. Thus, for each of the three diets there were four separate blocks, i.e., four replicates, each with six group-housed weaned kits that received a growth diet which contained the same supplement or not as their mother diet to which they had access prior to weaning; the control diet GrC (Composition slightly different from Diet ReC composition) and trial diets GrPan and GrDes over a 3-day transition phase were adapted to the weaned kits physiological state and fed for a total of 56 days. The results indicated that the use of D. tortuosum significantly improved (P < 0.05) litter size, milk quantity, and kit survival rate from birth to weaning as compared with both control and RePan diets. The study showed that after weaning, compared with control and GrPan diets, the use of D. tortuosum increased (P < 0.05) the growth performance of weaned kits, improved meat nutritional quality by reducing (P < 0.05) cholesterol concentration and increasing (P < 0.05) the n-3 fatty acid proportion, and also reduced the individual kit feed cost to slaughter weight.

The association of maternal dietary quality and the antioxidant-proxidant balance of human milk

BackgroundHuman milk composition varies over time within an individual mother as well as between lactating mothers due to several factors including maternal health, diet, and nutritional status. Therefore, improving nutrition status during gestation and breastfeeding is crucial for improving the health of both mothers and infants. Diet can enhance the oxidant-antioxidant balance of human milk. This study aimed to investigate the association between human milk oxidant-antioxidant balance with dietary patterns of lactating mothers identified by using principal component analysis.MethodThis cross-sectional study included 350 breastfeeding women between the ages of 20 to 35 years. The dietary intakes of the women in the study were estimated using a validated food frequency questionnaire, which included 65 food items. The oxidant-antioxidant balance of milk samples was assessed using the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2, 2′-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs), and Ellman’s assay. The milk concentration of total protein, calcium, and triglyceride was also measured using commercial kits.ResultTwo predominant dietary patterns were recognized that we defined as a healthy and unhealthy pattern. There were higher levels of DPPH and thiol in the milk from mothers in the third tertile (highest adherence) of a healthy dietary pattern compared to the first tertile (lowest adherence; p < 0.05). Milk calcium and thiol were significantly lower in the third tertile of mothers with an unhealthy dietary pattern versus the first tertile (P < 0.05). In multivariate multinomial logistic regression analyses adjusted for mother’s age, body mass index (BMI), energy intake, and infant’s sex, adherence to a healthy dietary pattern was associated with higher levels of milk DPPH (OR = 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01, 1.80) and milk thiol (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.50). On the other adherence to the unhealthy dietary pattern was correlated with low levels of milk thiol (OR = 1.29; 95%CI: 1.09, 1.59) and milk calcium (OR = 1.28; 95%CI: 1.11, 1.55).ConclusionOur findings demonstrated that adherence to a healthy dietary pattern, identified by higher consumption of green vegetables, other vegetables, and fruits is associated with a higher milk oxidant-antioxidant status in breastfeeding mothers.

The predictive relation of maternal sensitivity over time and child characteristics on early attachment

ABSTRACT Hierarchical linear modelling was used to explore the effect of changes in maternal sensitivity on attachment over time. Child characteristics of gender, temperament, and developmental status were used as moderating factors. Data from 1,249 mothers and their children from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development when the children were 15, 24, and 36 months of age. Results indicated that maternal sensitivity at 15 months was not predictive of attachment when conditioned on maternal sensitivity at 24 and 36 months. Mothers who were more sensitive on average were more likely to have children with secure attachments; fluctuations in individual mothers’ sensitivity did not predict her child’s attachment. Male children were more strongly affected by their mothers’ sensitivity than female children. The higher a child’s developmental status in infancy, the lower the likelihood for later insecure attachment. Implications regarding the importance of parental behaviour in toddlerhood is discussed.