Severe Undernutrition Research Articles

Is home birth a marker for severe malnutrition in early infancy in urban communities of low‐income countries?

This matched case-control study set out to determine the association between place of delivery and severe undernutrition in early infancy in a low-income country. All infants (aged 0-3 months) with severe undernutrition attending four well-child clinics for routine immunization in inner-city Lagos, Nigeria were matched for age and sex with well-nourished peers. The main outcome measures were the adjusted-matched-odds ratios from conditional logistic regression analysis of undernutrition based on z-scores below -3 for weight-for-age, height/length-for-age and body-mass-index-for-age using current World Health Organization's Multicentre Growth Reference (WHO-MGR). From an eligible population of 7075 mother-infant pairs, 918 severely undernourished infants were enlisted as cases matched with 1836 controls. While there was no statistically significant difference between infants born outside hospitals as a group compared to those born in hospitals, infants delivered at residential homes compared to public hospitals had two-to-three fold odds of being severely underweight (p=0.002), severely stunted (p < 0.001) and severely wasted (p=0.008) after controlling for potential confounders. Infants delivered in private hospitals were also significantly associated with severe stunting (p=0.032). This study demonstrates that delivery in homes and private hospitals are potential markers for severe undernutrition in early infancy in this urban population and merits closer attention in any early nutritional intervention in comparable settings of low-income countries.

Dietary cysteine is utilized more efficiently by children with edematous severe childhood undernutrition compared to those with non‐edematous severe childhood undernutrition during nutritional rehabilitation

Compared to children with non‐edematous severe childhood undernutrition (SCU), those with edematous SCU have slower glutathione synthesis and lower intracellular cysteine (Cys) indicating a shortage in Cys supply. We tested the hypothesis that children with edematous SCU will utilize dietary Cys more efficiently to maximize supply during early nutritional rehabilitation. Cys flux, oxidation and its splanchnic extraction were measured in 5 children with non‐edematous and 7 with edematous SCU during early metabolic stabilization (3.8±0.5 d post‐admission) and during mid catch‐up growth (20.1±2.0 d post‐admission) using primed‐continuous 6 h tracer infusions of 2H2‐Cys intragastrically and U‐13C3‐Cys intravenously. Starting 2 h before the isotope infusions, 33% of daily food intake was given by constant intragastric infusion for 8 h. Cysteine (μmol/kg/h) Splanchnic Uptake Exogenous Intake Oxidation Balance Early Stabilization No Edema 4.1±0.5 13.5±0.4 5.6±1.1 7.9±1.5 Edema 5.9±0.9 14.5±0.5 1.6±0.3 12.9±0.8 P &lt; 0.01 0.01 Mid Catch‐up Growth No Edema 9.6±1.0 25.5±0.8 8.9±0.8 16.6±1.2 Edema 9.8±1.4 26.3±0.4 2.8±0.6 23.5±0.8 P &lt; 0.01 0.01 Mean±SEM We conclude that children with edematous SCU utilize dietary cysteine more efficiently than children with non‐edematous SCU during nutritional rehabilitation.Supported by NIH Grant # R01 DK056689

Why were "starvation diets" promoted for diabetes in the pre-insulin period?

In the decade before the discovery of insulin, the prominent American physicians Frederick Allen and Elliott Joslin advocated severe fasting and undernutrition to prolong the lives of diabetic patients. Detractors called this "starvation dieting," and some patients did indeed starve to death. Allen and Joslin promoted the therapy as a desperate application of animal experimentation to clinical treatment, and texts still describe it that way. This justification was exaggerated. The public record contains only the briefest account of relevant animal experiments, and clinical experience at the time provided little indication that severe undernutrition had better outcomes than low carbohydrate diets then in use.

Is economic growth associated with reduction in child undernutrition in India?

Economic growth is widely perceived as a major policy instrument in reducing childhood undernutrition in India. We assessed the association between changes in state per capita income and the risk of undernutrition among children in India. Data for this analysis came from three cross-sectional waves of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted in 1992-93, 1998-99, and 2005-06 in India. The sample sizes in the three waves were 33,816, 30,383, and 28,876 children, respectively. After excluding observations missing on the child anthropometric measures and the independent variables included in the study, the analytic sample size was 28,066, 26,121, and 23,139, respectively, with a pooled sample size of 77,326 children. The proportion of missing data was 12%-20%. The outcomes were underweight, stunting, and wasting, defined as more than two standard deviations below the World Health Organization-determined median scores by age and gender. We also examined severe underweight, severe stunting, and severe wasting. The main exposure of interest was per capita income at the state level at each survey period measured as per capita net state domestic product measured in 2008 prices. We estimated fixed and random effects logistic models that accounted for the clustering of the data. In models that did not account for survey-period effects, there appeared to be an inverse association between state economic growth and risk of undernutrition among children. However, in models accounting for data structure related to repeated cross-sectional design through survey period effects, state economic growth was not associated with the risk of underweight (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.98, 1.04), stunting (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.99, 1.05), and wasting (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.96, 1.02). Adjustment for demographic and socioeconomic covariates did not alter these estimates. Similar patterns were observed for severe undernutrition outcomes. We failed to find consistent evidence that economic growth leads to reduction in childhood undernutrition in India. Direct investments in appropriate health interventions may be necessary to reduce childhood undernutrition in India. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

Anthropometric profiles of children with congenital heart disease

Background: Undernutrition is a common cause of morbidity in children with CHD. Previous data from developing country showed prevalence of preoperative undernutrition in children with CHD was up to 45%. The aim of this study are to determine the anthropometric profiles and prevalence of undernutrition in children with CHD by using the anthropometric measurement. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in children aged 0-2 years old with CHD in Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital. All patients underwent an anthropometric evaluation (weight, length and head circumference) at presentation. Undernutrition, failure to thrive /FTT, short stature and microcephaly were determined according to WHO, weight-for-length, weight-for-age at 2 points, length-for-age, head circumference-for-age z-score &lt; -2SD accordingly. Results: We had total of 95 patients, 73 patients with acyanotic and 22 patients with cyanotic lesions. Prevalence of undernutrition in CHD was 51.1%, with 22.3% severe undernutrition. FTT was found in 64.9%, short stature in 49.5% and microcephaly in 37% patients. FTT was found higher in acyanotic (72.2%) compared to cyanotic lesions (42.9%). In acyanotic, weight was affected more than length (72.2% vs 49.3%). In cyanotic, weight and length affected equally (42.9% vs 54.5%). Diet counseling were done in patients with undernutrition. Medicines, transcatheter or surgery intervention were indicated in selected patients. Conclusions: Prevalence of FTT was higher than undernutrition in children with CHD. FTT was found higher in acyanotic lesions. In acyanotic, weight was affected more than length. In cyanotic, weight and length affected equally. (Med J Indones 2011; 20:40-5) Keywords: congenital heart disease, failure to thrive, short stature, undernutrition

Maternal perceptions of factors contributing to severe under-nutrition among children in a rural African setting

In developing countries, severe undernutrition in early childhood is associated with increased mortality and morbidity, and 10-40% of hospital admissions. The current study aimed to elicit maternal perceptions of factors that contribute to severe undernutrition among children in a rural Kenyan community in order to identify appropriate and acceptable targeted interventions. The study consisted of 10 focus group discussions (FGDs) of between eight and ten mothers each, in a rural coastal community in Kenya. A grounded theory approach was used to analyse the FGD data. In all FGDs 'financial constraints' was the main reason given for severe undernutrition of children. The mothers reported the additional factors of inadequate food intake, ill health, inadequate care of children, heavy workload for mothers, inadequate control of family resources by women and a lack of resources for generating income for the family. The mothers also reported their local cultural belief that severe malnutrition was due to witchcraft and the violation of sexual taboos. The mothers in the study community recognised multiple aetiologies for severe undernutrition. A multidisciplinary approach is needed address the range of issues raised and so combat severe undernutrition. Suggested interventions include poverty alleviation, medical education and psychosocial strategies. The content and approach of any program must address the need for variability, determined by individual and local needs, concerns, attitudes and beliefs.

Dyslipidaemia and undernutrition in children from impoverished areas of Maceió, state of Alagoas, Brazil.

Chronic undernutrition causes reduced growth and endocrine adaptations in order to maintain basic life processes. In the present study, the biochemical profiles of chronically undernourished children were determined in order to test the hypothesis that chronic undernutrition also causes changes in lipid profile in pre-school children. The study population comprised 80 children aged between 12 and 71 months, including 60 with moderate undernutrition [height-for-age Z (HAZ) scores ≤ −2 and > −3] and 20 with severe undernutrition (HAZ scores ≤ −3). Socioeconomic, demographic and environmental data were obtained by application of a questionnaire, and anthropometric measurements and information relating to sex, age and feeding habits were collected by a trained nutritionist. Blood samples were analysed for haemoglobin, vitamin A, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and serum lipids, while cortisol was assayed in the saliva. Faecal samples were submitted to parasitological investigation. Analysis of variance and χ2 methods were employed in order to select the variables that participated in the multivariate logistic regression analysis. The study population was socioeconomically homogeneous, while the lack of a treated water supply was clearly associated with the degree of malnutrition. Most children were parasitised and anaemia was significantly more prevalent among the severely undernourished. Levels of IGF-1 decreased significantly with increasing severity of undernutrition. Lipid analysis revealed that almost all of the children had dyslipidemia, while low levels of high-density lipoprotein were associated with the degree of undernutrition. It is concluded that chronic malnutrition causes endocrine changes that give rise to alterations in the metabolic profile of pre-school children.

Tyrosine requirement during the rapid catch-up growth phase of recovery from severe childhood undernutrition

The requirement for aromatic amino acids during the rapid catch-up in weight phase of recovery from severe childhood undernutrition (SCU) is not clearly established. As a first step, the present study aimed to estimate the tyrosine requirement of children with SCU during the catch-up growth phase of nutritional rehabilitation using a diet enriched in energy and proteins. Tyrosine requirement was calculated from the rate of excretion of ¹³CO2 (F ¹³CO2) during [¹³C]phenylalanine infusion in thirteen children with SCU, five females and eight males, at about 19 d after admission when the subjects were considered to have entered their rapid catch-up growth phase and were consuming 627.3 kJ and about 3.5 g protein/kg per d. Measurements of F ¹³CO2 during [¹³C]phenylalanine infusion were made on two separate days with a 1 d interval. Three measurements at tyrosine intakes of 48, 71 and 95 mg/kg per d were performed on experimental day 1 and measurements at tyrosine intakes of 148, 195 and 241 mg/kg per d were performed on experimental day 2. An estimate of the mean requirement was derived by breakpoint analysis with a two-phase linear regression cross-over model. The breakpoint, which represents an estimate of the mean tyrosine requirement, is a value of 99 mg/kg per d when the children were growing at about 15 g/kg per d. The result indicates that the mean requirement for tyrosine during the catch-up growth phase of SCU is about 99 mg/kg per d under similar conditions to the present study.

Nutritional status in patients with active inflammatory bowel disease: Prevalence of malnutrition and methods for routine nutritional assessment

Background and aim Malnutrition is a common feature of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). There are numerous methods for the assessment of nutritional status, but the gold standard has not yet been established. The aims of the study were to estimate the prevalence of undernutrition and to evaluate methods for routine nutritional assessment of active IBD patients. Material and methods Twenty-three patients with active Crohn disease, 53 patients with active ulcerative colitis and 30 controls were included in the study. The nutritional status was assessed by extensive anthropometric measurements, percentage of weight loss in the past 1–6 months and biochemical markers of nutrition. Results All investigated nutritional parameters were significantly different in IBD patients compared to control subjects, except MCV, tryglicerides and serum total protein level. Serum albumin level and bodymass index (BMI) were the most predictive parameters of malnutrition. According to different assessment methods the prevalence of undernutrition and severe undernutrition in patients with active IBD were 25.0%–69.7% and 1.3%–31.6%, respectively, while in the control subjects no abnormalities have been detected. There was no statistically significant difference of nutritional parameters between UC and CD patients except lower mid-arm muscle circumference in UC group. Conclusions Malnutrition is common in IBD patients. BMI and serum albumin are simple and convenient methods for the assessment of the nutritional status in IBD patients. Further studies with larger group of patients are necessary to elucidate the prevalence of malnutrition and the most accurate assessment methods in IBD patients.

Nutritional status of children living in a community with high HIV prevalence in rural Uganda: a cross-sectional population-based survey

To assess the nutritional status of children in a rural community with high HIV prevalence in rural Uganda and to examine the impact of HIV infection at the individual and population level. Methods Cross-sectional population-based survey of children aged 0-12 in a cohort comprising the residents of 25 neighbouring villages in rural southwest Uganda. Anthropometric indicators of nutritional status (height for age, weight for age and weight for height) were assessed in relation to children's HIV serostatus, maternal HIV serostatus and maternal vital status. Children with a Z score of <-2 were defined as undernourished, with a Z score <-2 for weight for age defining underweight, for height for age defining stunting and for weight for height defining wasting. Of 5951 children surveyed, 91% underwent anthropometric measurement: 30% were underweight, 42% stunted and 10% wasted. HIV seroprevalence among children aged 2-12 was 0.7%. The prevalence of underweight was significantly higher in HIV-positive than in HIV-negative children (52%vs. 30%), as was the prevalence of stunting (68%vs. 42%), but there was no significant difference in the prevalence of wasting (4%vs. 9%). There were no significant differences in the prevalences of indicators of undernutrition in children classified by maternal HIV and vital status. Chronic childhood undernutrition is common in this rural community. HIV infection had a direct effect in worsening children's nutritional status, but no indirect effect in terms of maternal HIV infection or maternal death. The population-level impact of childhood HIV infection on nutritional status is limited on account of the low HIV prevalence in children. The response to undernutrition in children in Africa requires action on many fronts: not only delivering community-wide HIV and nutritional interventions but also addressing the many interacting factors that contributed to childhood undernutrition before the HIV era and still do so now.

Congenital intrahepatic arterioportal fistula presenting as severe undernutrition and chronic watery diarrhea in a 2-year-old girl

Intrahepatic arterioportal fistula (IAPF) is a rare cause of portal hypertension in young children. We report the case of a 2-year-old girl with severe undernutrition, chronic watery diarrhea, and gastrointestinal bleeding because of a congenital intrahepatic arterioportal fistula. Radiographic embolization and surgical ligation of the left hepatic artery were attempted, with no resolution of the symptoms. So, a left lobectomy was performed, with excellent results and prompt disappearance of the diarrhea. Hepatectomy should be considered as a definitive and reliable therapy for congenital IAPF.

Prevalence of undernutrition on admission to Swiss hospitals

According to the literature, undernutrition is prevalent in 20-60% of patients on hospital admission. The differences in the rate of undernutrition arise from different diagnostic tools used in the studies. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of undernutrition in Swiss hospitals using a standardized screening tool. All patients admitted to the departments of internal medicine of 7 Swiss hospitals were screened at entry for nutritional status using the Nutrition Risk Screening 2002 score. Patients with a score of 3 or more, which denotes severe undernutrition or patient "at risk" for undernutrition were analyzed. Between May 2003 and April 2006 32,837 patients were included in the study. 5978 (18.2%) had a score of 3 or more and were classified as severely undernourished or at high risk for undernutrition (age<45 y: 8%; 45-64 y: 11%; 65-84 y: 22%; >85 y: 28%). A nutritional intervention was made in 4175 patients (12.7%). Nearly one in five patients was severely undernourished or "at risk" for undernutrition. Undernutrition was directly related to age. Patients with a clear indication for nutrition therapy, as suggested by the formal screening procedure, obtained nutritional intervention in 70%.

Exposure to Severe Wartime Conditions in Early Life Is Associated With an Increased Risk of Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Stressful events during early life have been suggested to play an important role in the development of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In this study, we evaluate whether an exposure to severe wartime conditions during gestation and in early life are associated with an increased prevalence of IBS. We assessed the prevalence of IBS using the Rome II questionnaire among 816 men and women (aged 58+/-1 years) who were born as term singletons in Wilhelmina Gasthuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands around the time of World War II. Of a total of 816 participants, 9.6% (n=78, 52F) met the criteria for IBS. Exposure to severe wartime conditions in utero was not associated with the prevalence of IBS in adulthood (8.3%). Early-life exposure to severe wartime conditions was associated with an increased prevalence of IBS. The prevalence of IBS among individuals exposed up to 0.5 years of age, 1 year of age, and 1.5 years of age was 8.1%, 12.5%, and 15.3%, respectively. The increased IBS prevalence was not associated with an increased stress response. Our data indicate that exposure to severe wartime conditions in early life is associated with an increased risk of developing IBS. To what extent this is attributable to the stressful environment of war, to severe undernutrition, or to the increased prevalence of infectious diseases is, however, unclear.

ESPEN Guidelines on Parenteral Nutrition: Surgery

In modern surgical practice it is advisable to manage patients within an enhanced recovery protocol and thereby have them eating normal food within 1-3 days. Consequently, there is little room for routine perioperative artificial nutrition. Only a minority of patients may benefit from such therapy. These are predominantly patients who are at risk of developing complications after surgery. The main goals of perioperative nutritional support are to minimize negative protein balance by avoiding starvation, with the purpose of maintaining muscle, immune, and cognitive function and to enhance postoperative recovery. Several studies have demonstrated that 7-10 days of preoperative parenteral nutrition improves postoperative outcome in patients with severe undernutrition who cannot be adequately orally or enterally fed. Conversely, its use in well-nourished or mildly undernourished patients is associated with either no benefit or with increased morbidity. Postoperative parenteral nutrition is recommended in patients who cannot meet their caloric requirements within 7-10 days orally or enterally. In patients who require postoperative artificial nutrition, enteral feeding or a combination of enteral and supplementary parenteral feeding is the first choice. The main consideration when administering fat and carbohydrates in parenteral nutrition is not to overfeed the patient. The commonly used formula of 25 kcal/kg ideal body weight furnishes an approximate estimate of daily energy expenditure and requirements. Under conditions of severe stress requirements may approach 30 kcal/kg ideal body weights. In those patients who are unable to be fed via the enteral route after surgery, and in whom total or near total parenteral nutrition is required, a full range of vitamins and trace elements should be supplemented on a daily basis.

Severe Undernutrition in Animals

Journal Article Severe Undernutrition in Animals Get access Nutrition Reviews, Volume 18, Issue 9, September 1960, Pages 277–279, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.1960.tb01810.x Published: 01 September 1960

Relationship of nutritional status with tuberculin sensitivity

To estimate the prevalence of under-nutrition among school children and to find out the relationship between nutritional status and tuberculin sensitivity. A cross sectional study was carried out among 3335 children between 5-8 years of age attending 60 schools in Bangalore city selected by stratified random sampling. The nutritional anthropometric indices were calculated using reference median as recommended by World Health Organization, classified according to standard deviation units termed as Z-scores. The nutritional status of the children was assessed by Weight for age, Height for age and Bio-mass-index (BMI). Depending upon the method for classifying nutritional status, the prevalence of under-nutrition (including mild and severe under-nutrition) varied between 14.9-29.8%. The prevalence of severe under-nutrition varied from 2.9-6.7%. The frequency distributions of reaction sizes were found to be similar among children classified by nutritional status. The differences in proportions of significant reactions (=10 mm) and mean tuberculin reaction sizes between children classified by nutritional status were not found to be statistically significant. Tuberculin sensitivity was not influenced by nutritional status among apparently healthy school children.

Prevalence of undernutrition in Dutch hospital outpatients

Background The prevalence of undernutrition in hospital inpatients is high. Earlier detection and treatment in the hospital outpatient clinic may help to reduce these numbers. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of undernutrition in hospital outpatients in the Netherlands, to determine high risk departments, and to determine the percentage of patients receiving dietetic treatment. Methods This cross-sectional multicenter study was conducted in nine hospitals. Patients who visited the outpatient clinic on one of the screening days in the period March–May 2008 received a short questionnaire and were weighed. Patients were classified as severely undernourished, moderately undernourished or not undernourished. Results 2288 patients were included in the study, of which 5% were severely undernourished and 2% were moderately undernourished. The prevalence of severe undernutrition was highest in the outpatient departments of oral maxillofacial surgery (17%), oncology (10%), rehabilitation (8%), gastroenterology (7%) and pulmonology (7%). Only 17% of all severely undernourished and 4% of all moderately undernourished patients reported to receive dietetic treatment. Conclusion The prevalence of undernutrition in hospital outpatients is generally low but largely undertreated. Future screening should focus on high risk departments.

Assessment of undernutrition by mid-upper arm circumference among Pre-school children of Arambag, Hooghly District, West Bengal, India: An observational study.

A cross sectional observational study of 894 children (441 boys and 453 girls) was undertaken at 20 Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme Centres to determine their nutritional status using mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) in Bali Gram Panchayet, Arambag, Hooghly District of West Bengal, India. The study area consists of remote villages located approximately 100 km from Kolkata, the provincial capital of West Bengal. Information on age and ethnicity (all were of Bengalee Hindu ethnicity) of the children were collected from their parents following face to face interview and verified from official records. The measurement (in centimeters) was taken by the first author (GCM) following the standard technique. Nutritional status was determined following the World Health Organization age and sex-specific cut-off points. Results revealed that mean MUAC among boys was higher than girls at all ages except 5 years. Significant sex differences were observed at ages 3 (p < 0.005) and 4 (p < 0.05) years. The age-combined rates of overall (moderate + severe) undernutrition were similar in both sexes (boys = 66.2%; girls = 62.9%). This result implied that both the sexes were experiencing similar nutritional stress. The age-combined rates of moderate (boys = 57.4%; girls = 51.7%) and severe (boys = 8.8%; girls = 11.2%) undernutrition were also similar in both sexes. In general, there was an increasing trend in the rates of overall undernutrition from 3 to 5 years in both sexes. years affected by severe and moderate acute malnutrition were 44.85%, 18.07% and 2.29% respectively. In conclusion, our study clearly indicated that the nutritional status of these pre-school children was serious with very high rates of undernutrition in both sexes. Thus, it seems that there is scope for much improvement in the form of enhanced supplementary nutrition than what is currently being offered by the ICDS scheme in Arambag, Hooghly District of West Bengal. Therefore, it is imperative that the ICDS authorities urgently consider the enhancement of the supplementary nutrition being currently given to them. Funding: Gopal Chandra Mandal received financial assistance in the form of a Minor Research Project from the University Grants Commission, Government of India.

No influence of hypoglycaemia on voice pitch (F0)

Event Abstract Back to Event No influence of hypoglycaemia on voice pitch (F0) Debora E. Plein1*, Stuart Brody2, Ulrich Keller3, Lukas Degen4, Daniel J. Cox5 and Hartmut Schachinger1 1 University of Trier, Institute of Psychobiology, Germany 2 University of Tubingen, Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology, Germany 3 University Hospital Basel, Department of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Internal Medicine, Switzerland 4 University Hospital Basel, Clinical Research Center and Gastroenterology, Switzerland 5 University of Virginia, Behavioral Medicine Research Center, United States Hypoglycaemia may lead to severe undernutrition of the brain and represents the limiting factor of insulin treatment. Although hypoglycaemia provokes a strong sympathetic stress response as well as neuroglycopenic and adrenergic symptoms, some type 1 diabetes patients become unaware to the symptoms of hypoglycaemia and subsequently fail to administer oral glucose when blood glucose falls below normal. Not surprisingly, hypoglycaemia unawareness represents a risk factor for severe hypoglycaemia, coma or even death. Such patients would greatly benefit from an early detection of hypoglycaemia. The voice is an important carrier of paralinguistic information. It is generally assumed that sympathetic arousal raises the voice pitch (F0). Since hypoglycaemia is known to induce sympathetic activation it may also increase the voice pitch (F0). Thus, we investigated in 12 healthy young adults (six female, mean age 28 years, mean BMI 22.5 kg/m²) if insulin-induced hypoglycaemia increases the mean voice pitch (F0). Two sessions were scheduled in counter-balanced order within a 4-week interval. In one session, a hyperinsulinemic clamp procedure was applied to achieve normoglycemic (4.7 mmol/l), in the other hypoglycaemic (2.7 mmol/l) plasma glucose target levels. There was no significant difference in the mean voice pitch (F0) between the two conditions when analysing half-spontaneous speech samples acquired during non-stressful vocal Stroop testing. From these small and preliminary data sample we conclude that hypoglycaemia stress does not increase mean voice pitch (F0), and hence F0-analysis does not seem to represent a suitable method for early-detection of hypoglycaemia. Conference: 41st European Brain and Behaviour Society Meeting, Rhodes Island, Greece, 13 Sep - 18 Sep, 2009. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Poster presentations Citation: Plein DE, Brody S, Keller U, Degen L, Cox DJ and Schachinger H (2009). No influence of hypoglycaemia on voice pitch (F0). Conference Abstract: 41st European Brain and Behaviour Society Meeting. doi: 10.3389/conf.neuro.08.2009.09.259 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 12 Jun 2009; Published Online: 12 Jun 2009. * Correspondence: Debora E Plein, University of Trier, Institute of Psychobiology, Trier, Germany, debbieplein@hotmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Debora E Plein Stuart Brody Ulrich Keller Lukas Degen Daniel J Cox Hartmut Schachinger Google Debora E Plein Stuart Brody Ulrich Keller Lukas Degen Daniel J Cox Hartmut Schachinger Google Scholar Debora E Plein Stuart Brody Ulrich Keller Lukas Degen Daniel J Cox Hartmut Schachinger PubMed Debora E Plein Stuart Brody Ulrich Keller Lukas Degen Daniel J Cox Hartmut Schachinger Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

The upper arm muscle and fat area of Santal children: an evaluation of nutritional status

The purpose of this study is to determine the growth pattern of upper arm muscle area (UAMA), upper arm fat area (UAFA) and upper arm muscle area by height (UAMAH) and assessment of magnitude of undernutrition on the basis of these parameters in Santal children. UAMA and UAFA of 890 (473 boys and 417 girls) Santal children aged 5-12 years were calculated from mid-upper arm circumference and triceps skinfold. Growth curves of UAFA-for-age and UAMA by height in Santal boys and girls are placed at lower level of reference curve indicating severe undernutrition. The growth curves of UAMA-for-age in Santal children of both sexes do not indicate severe undernutrition. 17.13% Santal boys and 20.63% girls were truly undernourished on the basis of three Z-scores of height-for-age, weight-for-height and UAMAH of each subject. Santal children have more UAMA and less UAFA compared to similar undernourished children of Sugalis. Growth curves of UAFA-for-age and UAMA by height are good indicators of nutritional status in Santal children. UAMA and UAFA may not be similarly affected in undernourished children of every community. A comprehensive approach to identify the truly undernourished child has been suggested from this study.