Early Nutrition Must Be Safe and Should Have Positive Impacts on Long-Term Health

The Special Issue entitled ‘The Role of Feeding Practice and Early Nutrition in Infant Growth, Metabolism and Body Composition’ examines the long-term outcomes of early nutrition in both preterm and term infants [...

Ethnic differences in patterns of human growth in stature

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Effects of Movement Behaviors on Overall Health and Appetite Control: Current Evidence and Perspectives in Children and Adolescents

International audienceAbstract Purpose of Review To present the definitions and recommendations for movement behaviors in children and adolescents, including physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviors (SB), and sleep, and to provide an overview regarding their impact on health and obesity outcomes from childhood to adulthood, as well as interactions with appetite control. Recent Findings PA represents a variable proportion of daily energy expenditure and one can be active with high SB or vice versa. Studies have described movements across the whole day on a continuum from sleep to SB to varying intensities of PA. More PA, less SB (e.g., less screen time) and longer sleep are positively associated with indicators of physical health (e.g., lower BMI, adiposity, cardiometabolic risk) and cognitive development (e.g., motor skills, academic achievement). However, less than 10% of children currently meet recommendations for all three movement behaviors. Movement behaviors, adiposity, and related cardiometabolic diseases in childhood track into adolescence and adulthood. Furthermore, low PA/high SB profiles are associated with increased energy intake. Recent studies investigating energy balance regulation showed that desirable movement behavior profiles are associated with better appetite control and improved eating habits. Summary Early identification of behavioral phenotypes and a comprehensive approach addressing all key behaviors that directly affect energy balance will allow for individual strategies to prevent or treat obesity and its comorbidities. Investigating exercise as a potential “corrector” of impaired appetite control offers a promising weight management approach

Cerebrospinal fluid CXLC13 indicates disease course in neuroinfection: an observational study

Abstract Background The chemokine CXCL13 is an intensively investigated biomarker in Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB). Its role in other neuroinfections is increasingly recognized but less clear. Objective To determine the significance of CXCL13 in established central nervous system (CNS) infections other than LNB by matching cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) CXCL13 elevations with severity of the disease course. Methods We investigated 26 patients with bacterial (n = 10) and viral (n = 16; tick-borne encephalitis, n = 6; varicella zoster infection, n = 10) neuroinfections of whom CSF CXCL13 levels were available twice, from lumbar punctures (LP) performed at admission and follow-up. As outcome classification, we dichotomized disease courses into “uncomplicated” (meningitis, monoradiculitis) and “complicated” (signs of CNS parenchymal involvement such as encephalitis, myelitis, abscesses, or vasculitis). CXCL13 elevations above 250 pg/ml were classified as highly elevated. Results Eight of 26 patients (31%) with both bacterial (n = 4) and viral (n = 4) neuroinfections had a complicated disease course. All of them but only 3/18 patients (17%) with an uncomplicated disease course had CSF CXCL13 elevations > 250 pg/ml at the follow-up LP (p  250 pg/ml. All four patients with a complicated disease course but only one with an uncomplicated disease course had sustained CXCL13 elevations at follow-up. Patient groups did not differ with regard to age, time since symptom onset, LP intervals, type of infections, and anti-pathogen treatments. Conclusion Our study revealed pronounced CXCL13 elevations in CSF of patients with severe disease courses of bacterial and viral neuroinfections. This observation indicates a role of CXCL13 in the CNS immune defense and points at an additional diagnostic value as biomarker for unresolved immune processes leading to or associated with complications

Partially hydrolysed 100% whey-based infant formula and the prevention of atopic dermatitis: comparative pharmacoeconomic analyses

Clinical trials have demonstrated that the risk of developing atopic dermatitis is reduced when using hydrolysed formulas to feed infants with a documented risk of atopy (i.e. an affected parent and/or sibling)when breastfeeding is not practised. However, little is known about the cost-effectiveness of using hydrolysed formulas. Consequently, economic analyses in 5 European countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Spain and Switzerland) have evaluated the costs and cost-effectiveness of a specific brand of 100% whey-based partially hydrolysed infant formula, NAN-HA® (PHF-W) compared with a cow's milk standard formula (SF) in the prevention of atopic dermatitis in at-risk children. This review synthesises the findings of these studies. Cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) used a decision-analytic model to determine treatment pathways, resource utilisation and costs associated with the management of atopic dermatitis in healthy at-risk newborns who were not exclusively breastfed. The model had a 12-month horizon and applied reimbursement rates of 60-100% depending on the country. Outcomes were considered from the perspective of the public healthcare system (e.g. the Ministry of Health; MOH), family and society. The final outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per avoided case of atopic dermatitis (ICER) for PHF-W versus SF. A cost-minimisation analysis was also performed to compare PHF-W with extensively hydrolysed formulas (EHF). The base-case CEA produced ICERs per avoided case for PHF-W versus SF of EUR 982-1,343 (MOH perspective), EUR -2,202 to -624 (family perspective) indicating savings, and EUR -1,220 to 719 from the societal perspective. The main costs related to formula (MOH and society) and time loss (family). In the cost-minimisation analysis, PHF-W yielded savings of between EUR 4.3 and 120 million compared with EHF-whey when the latter was used in prevention. In conclusion, PHF-W was cost-effective versus SF in the prevention of atopic dermatitis and cost saving compared with EHF when used in prevention