Israeli Infants Research Articles

Functional activity of antibodies after immunization of Finnish and Israeli infants with an 11-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

Finnish and Israeli infants received an 11-valent mixed carrier pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (11PCV) with or without aluminum adjuvant at the age of 2, 4, 6, and 12 months. We measured opsonophagocytic activity (OPA) of antibodies to pneumococcal strains of serotypes 4, 6B, 14, 19F, and 23F. At 7 months, OPA was clearly detected for all the serotypes. At 13 months, OPAs increased further and the proportion of individuals with a positive OPA ranged between 81 and 100%. The adjuvant improved functional activity of antibodies to serotype 6B pneumococci. In conclusion, immunization of infants with the 11PCV induced functionally active antibodies.

Comparison of sucking patterns at introduction of oral feeding and at term in Israeli and American preterm infants

It has been hypothesized that early initiation of oral feeding in premature infants may enhance the maturation of sucking patterns. To compare preterm infant sucking characteristics in urban level III neonatal care units in the USA and Israel. The two hospitals have different practices regarding the introduction of oral feeding. Infants were assessed at 34-35 wk postconceptional age (PCA) and at term. Sucking parameters were assessed with the Kron's Nutritive Sucking Apparatus. 70 infants (38 Americans and 32 Israelis) participated in the study. Oral feedings were initiated earlier (32.6 +/- 4.3 vs 34.5 +/- 1.8 wk PCA, p < 0.01) and full oral feedings were reached earlier (35.4 +/- 2.8 vs 36.5 +/- 2.5 wk PCA, p < 0.05) in the USA infants. American preterm infants produced significantly more sucks (p < 0.001), had a higher suck rate (p < 0.001), more sucks per burst (p < 0.05), and a shorter interburst width (p < 0.01) at 34 wk PCA than Israeli infants. At term, American infants produced significant more sucks (p < 0.001), higher suck rate (p < 0.001), shorter intersuck width (p < 0.001), and a shorter interburst width (p < 0.05) than the Israeli infants of the same PCA. Different practices in the care of preterm infants, such as postconceptional age at introduction of oral feeding, may play a role in the development of feeding and feeding organization at term.

Regulatory disorders in Israeli infants: epidemiologic perspective.

The concept of regulatory disorders has been clinically defined. However, epidemiologic validity has not yet been investigated. Children between the ages of 6 and 36 months (N = 450) were included in the study. Two age groups were analyzed separately: 6 to 17 months (53%) and 18 to 36 months (47%). A specially designed questionnaire in Arabic and Hebrew pertaining to the physiologic and behavioral aspects of regulatory disorders was administered at the mother and child health clinics in northern Israel. It was established in the present study that a minimum of four regulatory items should be reported for the diagnosis of a regulatory disorder, as perceived by parents. Factor analysis revealed 6 and 10 different aggregates of regulatory items in the young and older age groups, respectively. The general prevalence of regulatory disorder as defined in the present study was found to be 18%. Age, maternal education, and sex were found to be significantly related to the prevalence of regulatory disorders. No difference in the prevalence of regulatory disorders between Arab and Jewish infants was found. Further validations of the concept of regulatory disorder as well as devising appropriate measurements in well-designed studies are warranted.

Adult Height and Weight of Breast‐Fed and Bottle‐Fed Israeli Infants

ABSTRACTBackgroundBreast‐fed infants grow more slowly than bottle‐fed infants. This growth deceleration sometimes alarms health care personnel to the point of considering other forms of nutrition.ObjectivesTo evaluate the final adult anthropometric outcome associated with breast or formula feeding during infancy.DesignHeight and weight data were collected from eight well‐baby clinics representing various ethnic origins, lifestyles, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Children were measured every 1 to 2 months for the first 6 months, every 3 months until 2 years of age, and yearly thereafter, until they reached their final height. Longitudinal data were collected from 1960 healthy children (961 boys). Overall, 613 of the children were breast fed for 1 year and 218 for 6 months.ResultsThe magnitude of the decline in Z scores of breast‐fed vs. bottle‐fed infants, between birth and 1 year of age was not as great for height as for weight −0.2 and −0.3 respectively, and disappeared at 2 years of age. The weight for height decreased between birth and the end of the first year in breast‐fed children by 0.3 (Z score). Children switched to bottle feeding exhibited a growth spurt. However, there was no difference in the final heights or weights of breast‐fed children compared with bottle‐fed children 165.3 ± 6.2 (n = 134) versus 164.9 ± 6.4 (n = 195) in females, respectively, and 175.3 ± 6.8 (n = 122) versus 175.8 ± 7.1 (n = 162) in males, respectively. Adult obesity in this sample population (n = 637) was correlated with maternal obesity. Maternal BMI SD correlated with offspring BMI SD at 18 years of age (r = 0.873, P &lt; 0.001) but not with breast feeding. Adult BMI was similar between the breast‐fed and bottle‐fed groups.ConclusionsDespite their slower growth rate, breast‐fed children reach the same final height as bottle‐fed children. Breast‐fed infants should be monitored according to specifically designed growth charts. Obesity in adult life is correlated with factors not related to breast feeding.

Ossification of Femoral Head: Normal Sonographic Standards

The aim of the study was to establish normal reference standards for the appearance of the femoral head ossification center according to age, sex, and gestational age. Sonographic examination of the hip was performed in 1,800 healthy Indian and Israeli infants (900 each) aged 2 to 24 weeks. There were an equal number of boys and girls. The ossification center was noted at 2 weeks of life in the Israeli infants and at 8 weeks in the Indian infants. However, from 10 to 16 weeks, it was noted in 81% or more of the Indian infants but only 22% to 74% of the Israeli ones. In both groups, between 20 and 24 weeks of age, it was noted in more than 90% of the infants. An association was found between gestational age at birth and chronologic age of appearance of the femoral head ossification center, but only among the Israeli infants. There were no differences between genders. Knowledge of the normal sonographic appearance of the femoral head ossification center by age and ethnicity will help clinicians in the diagnosis of hip disorders.

Relationship between parameters of early growth in Israeli infants

A sample of 1931 Israeli infants was measured for body weight (WT), length (HT) and head circumference (HC) for approximately 2 years. The Count model with 3 parameters was chosen as the best fitting and most parsimonious function to approximate growth of all 3 studied traits. In the model parameter a relates to birth indices, b--to velocity of growth, and c--to rapid early childhood growth, or acceleration. Assuming a difference in growth patterns in the periods of different length, the whole sample was divided into 3 groups: 1) infants with last measurement around the age of 12 months; 2) infants with last measurement around the age of 18 months, and 3) infants with last measurement around the age of 24 months. The individuals measured up to 12 months were presented in all three groups. 27 curve fitting parameters, corresponding to 3 different follow-up intervals for WT, HT and HC were computed for each individual. A high correlation was detected between the a parameters regardless of time interval for 3 measured traits. A negative correlation was found between b and c parameters within the same time interval. A consistent positive correlation was indicated between a and b parameters, especially for body length and head circumference. A principal component analysis extracted five independent factors explaining 88.1% of the total variance. Three first factors retained parameters b and c, describing growth rate and pattern of each trait separately, namely, F1 was responsible for head circumference, F2 was a body length factor, F3 was a body weight factor. F4 extracted all birth indices, observed (HC0, HT0 and WT0) and expected (parameters a). The composition of principal factors allowed us to assume that there might be a strong involvement of a pleiotropic genetic source in determination of birth size traits and an independent genetic source controlling the pattern of growth for each trait separately.

Five decades of trends in anemia in Israeli infants: implications for food fortification policy.

To describe the secular trends in the prevalence rates of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) in infants in Israel, identify population group differences and assess the effectiveness of the 1985 Public Health directives on iron supplementation and avoidance of cow's milk in the first year of life. A systematic analysis of published and unpublished cross-sectional studies. IDA rates in 1-y-old infants between 1946 and 1997 were assessed from published papers and reports. Rates for Arab infants were available from 1984. Data on routine hemoglobin tests on 1-y-old infants for Arabs and Jews separately were obtained from four health districts for the period 1987 to 1997. Analyses were done for the periods prior to and following the Public Health directives. The prevalence of IDA in Jewish infants declined from 68% in 1946 to 50% in 1985 at an average annual rate of -1.43%. Following the iron supplementation directives, the average annual rate of decline increased to -4.0% and reached a prevalence of about 11% in 1996. IDA rates in Arab infants declined by an annual average of -3.7%, and were consistently almost twice as high as for Jewish infants. Despite the contribution of the iron supplementation program to the reduction in TDA, the persistently high rates indicate inadequate iron content in the diet. This emphasizes the important role of a national food fortification program, using staple foods commonly consumed.

Outcome of infants with unilateral Sturge-Weber syndrome and early onset seizures.

Patients with Sturge-Weber syndrome often present with seizures during the first year of life. Currently, only patients with clinically significant seizures who do not respond to medical treatment are candidates for early epileptic surgery. However, a delay of surgical treatment may result in cognitive deterioration. We studied the correlation between parameters and outcome of seizures to re-examine the criteria for early epilepsy surgery. We performed a retrospective chart review combined with telephone interviews of parents of all Israeli infants with unilateral Sturge-Weber syndrome and early onset seizures, and we examined whether age of seizure onset and seizure intensity were correlated with cognitive level and the degree of hemiparesis at follow-up. We recruited a total of 15 patients with unilateral Sturge-Weber syndrome and early onset seizures, five of whom underwent epilepsy surgery. The mean follow-up period of all the patients was 15 years: six patients had normal intelligence, four had borderline cognitive level, three had mild mental retardation and two had moderate mental retardation. Eight of the ten non-operated patients still experience seizures at follow-up. Cognitive delay was significantly correlated with seizure intensity in the early period, but not with the age of seizures onset, the degree of hemiparesis, or the presence of ongoing seizures. We conclude that high seizure intensity in young patients with Sturge-Weber syndrome is a prognostic marker for mental deterioration.

Rotaviruses belonging to the AU-1 genogroup recovered from Israeli infants with diarrhea.

The genetic and antigenic diversity of group A rotaviruses recovered from Israeli infants has been expanded recently by the inclusion of three unusual human rotavirus strains. Two rotavirus strains (Ro-5829 and Ro-5960) were shown to be the first viruses outside Japan that resembled the AU-1 genogroup of feline like human rotaviruses in their overall genomic constellation and in the restriction pattern of their polymerase chain reaction amplified gene 4 following digestion with EcoRI. Another strain (Ro-5193) turned out to be an intergenogroup reassortant between viruses belonging to the AU-1 and the bovine genogroups and resembled in that respect similar viruses isolated from infants in Italy.

Association of Supernumerary Nipples and Renal Anomalies-Reply

In Reply .—Through a typographical error, the study by Mimouni et al was not properly referenced in our introductory sentence. However, in the Comment section, we noted that his study subjects were newborn Israeli infants. We should have included an annotation that 11 of 43 newborns with supernumerary nipples in Mimouni and colleagues' study also had a renal ultrasound examination. We appreciate Dr Mimouni's careful reading of our article and his concurrence that supernumerary nipples alone in black children 1 do not warrant an investigation for a hidden renal anomaly.

Stability and change in interaction of Israeli mothers and infants

The current study describes the developmental trends of specific nurturant behaviors, defined as mediated learning experience (MLE), of mothers towards their infants over a period of 18 months and compares them across different caregiving situations. Observations of molar sequences of meaningful behaviors, preselected on the basis of Feuerstein's theory of MLE (1979a) . were conducted in unstructured home environments of 40 middle-class Israeli infants when they were 6, 12, and 24 months of age. Each observation consisted of mother-infant interactions during a feeding, a bathing, and a play situation. The MLEs were generally found to increase with age between 6 and 24 months, regardless of the different caregiving situations studied. Exceptions were noted at age 24 months, when significantly more MLEs were observed at play than in the other caregiving situations, and at 12 months, when mediated feelings of competence during feeding were found to be more frequent than at 6 or 24 months. Mothers were also highly consistent in the amount of MLE they provided at each age level and for the various situations. Finally, differences in styles of mediation were observed between mothers identified as either high or low mediators. The results demonstrate the advantages of a molar, rather than molecular, approach to monitoring parent-infant interactions that are critical to the child's healthy psychosocial development.

On individual differences in strange situation behavior: Categorical and continuous measurement systems in a cross-cultural data set

Recent discussions of attachment research methodology have questioned the appropriateness of measuring individual differences in Strange Situation behavior in terms of the avoidant, secure, and resistant categories. Continuous, factor-analytically derived latent variables have been proposed as an alternative. The validity of the traditional categorical measurement system was investigated through a cluster analysis of 216 11- to 13-month-old American, Swedish, and Israeli infants' social interactive behaviors in the reunion episodes of the Strange Situation. These analyses indicated that differences within the secure group based on variation in proximity-seeking and contact-maintaining behavior are more prominent than differences between the secure infants and the insecure infants. Moreover, similarity among infants was based on the infants' cultures as well as their membership in the avoidant, secure, and resistant groups. The alternative of continuous, latent-variable measurements was studied using confirmatory factor analyses on the same data. These analyses demonstrated that there are at least two dimensions in the infants' reunion behavior, but the structure of these dimensions varied across cultures. The results of both analyses suggest that there are substantial cultural differences in the patterning of individual differences in Strange Situation behavior.

Behavior of Israeli Mothers toward Infants in Relation to Infants' Perceived Temperament

KLEIN, PNINA S. Behavior of Israeli Mothers toward Infants in Relation to Infants' Perceived Temperament. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1984, 55, 1212-1218. The present study focused on the relations between mothers' perception of infants' temperament at 6 months and their behavior toward their infants at 6 and 12 months of age. Subjects were 40 firstborn Israeli infants, 21 boys and 19 girls. Carey's Infant Temperament Questionnaire (ITQ) was used for the evaluation of infants' perceived temperament, and Yarrow's time sampling technique was used for home observations of mothers' behavior. Infants rated as more adaptable, approaching, intense in response, and positive in mood received more sensory and social stimulation at the 6and the 12-month observations. Whereas no main effects for sex were found in the analysis of the observed maternal behavior, mothers' perceptions of their infants' temperament were differently related to their behavior toward boys as compared with girls, that is, intensity ratings were related to auditory stimulation and contingent positive vocalization for girls, and to increased physical contact for boys.

Sociocultural Factors and the Early Manifestation of Sociability Behavior Among Baranda Infants

Sociocultural Factors and the Early Manifestation of Sociability Behavior Among Baranda Infants