The Influence of Maternal Obesity and Breastfeeding on Infant Appetite- and Growth-Related Hormone Concentrations: The SKOT Cohort Studies.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Exposure to obesity during pregnancy may lead to adverse changes in the offspring's metabolic profile. We compared appetite- and growth-related hormones in a cohort of infants born to obese mothers (SKOT-II) with infants born mainly to nonobese mothers (SKOT-I). METHODS: Infants from SKOT-I (n = 273) and SKOT-II (n = 132) were examined including anthropometric measurements and blood samples analyzed for glucose, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), adiponectin, and leptin. Information on breastfeeding and parental characteristics were also collected. RESULTS: At 9 months of age, SKOT-II infants were 3.6% heavier and 1.2% longer than SKOT-I infants even though their mothers were shorter. There was no difference in body mass index (BMI). SKOT-II infants had higher levels of insulin, adiponectin, and leptin but lower levels of IGF-I compared to SKOT-I infants (all p ≤ 0.015). These differences remained, except for leptin, when adjusted for current weight. Breastfeeding versus nonbreastfeeding at 9 months was associated with lower concentrations of all hormones (all p ≤ 0.003). In adjusted models, maternal BMI at 9 months was positively associated with insulin and adiponectin and negatively with IGF-I. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-pregnancy obesity confers symmetrically larger infant body size and higher levels of most growth- and appetite-related hormones but surprisingly lower levels of IGF-I, suggesting other possible infant growth-promoting effects through insulin

Benefit and risk assessment of fish in the Norwegian diet - Scientific Opinion of the Steering Committee of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment

Source at https://vkm.no/.In 2006, VKM published “A comprehensive assessment of fish and other seafood in the Norwegian diet”. The assessment supported the recommendation from Norwegian Health authorities to eat more fish both for dinner and on sandwiches. In an update of the assessment in 2014 VKM concluded that “the benefits from fish consumption clearly outweigh the negligible risk presented by current levels of contaminants and other undesirable substances in fish”. Because of new knowledge available, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority requested a new benefit and risk assessment of fish in the Norwegian diet in 2019. In the assignment, they asked VKM to answer the following questions: Which health consequences will it have for the Norwegian population if they: Continue with the same fish consumption levels as of today Increase the consumption of fish to match the recommendations given by the Norwegian Directorate of Health </uli

Fetal thoracic circumference and lung volume and their rlation to fetal size and pulmonary artery blood flow

Objective: Research on early origins of lung disease suggests the need for studying the relationships of thoracic and lung size with fetal size and pulmonary circulation. The primary aim of this study is therefore to explore the associations between fetal thoracic circumference, lung volume, and fetal size. We also aim to assess if lung volume and thoracic circumference are associated with fetal pulmonary artery blood flow velocity measures. Methods: Cross-sectional assessment of singleton pregnancies from the general population (n = 447) at 30 gestational weeks (GW) was performed using ultrasound measurement of fetal thoracic circumference, lung volume, head and abdominal circumference, and femur length. We obtained Doppler blood flow velocity measures from the proximal branches of the fetal pulmonary artery. Associations between variables were studied using Pearson's correlation and multiple linear regression analyses. Results: Both thoracic circumference and lung volume correlated with fetal size measures, ranging from r = 0.64 between thoracic circumference and abdominal circumference, to r = 0.28 between lung volume and femur length. Adjustment for gestational age, maternal nicotine use, pre-pregnancy body mass index, and fetal sex marginally influenced the associations with abdominal circumference. The correlations of thoracic circumference and lung volume with pulmonary artery blood flow velocity measures were weak (r ≤ 0.17). Conclusion: We found moderate to low correlation between thoracic circumference, lung volume, and fetal size at 30 GW. The closest relationship was with the abdominal circumference. We found low correlations of thoracic circumference and lung volume with pulmonary artery blood flow velocity measures.publishedVersio

Benefit and risk assessment of fish in the Norwegian diet - Scientific Opinion of the Steering Committee of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment

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Maternal human papillomavirus infections at mid-pregnancy and delivery in a Scandinavian mother–child cohort study

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Maternal human papillomavirus infection during pregnancy and preterm delivery, a mother–child cohort study in Norway and Sweden

Introduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is common in women of reproductive age. Infection and inflammation are leading causes for preterm delivery (PTD), but the role of HPV infection in PTD and prelabor rupture of membranes (PROM) is unclear. We aimed to explore whether HPV infection during pregnancy in general, and high-risk-HPV (HR-HPV) infection specifically, increased the risk of PTD, preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM), PROM at term, and/or chorioamnionitis. Material and Methods: In pregnant women, who were participating in a prospective multicenter cohort study from a general population in Norway and Sweden (PreventADALL, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02449850), HPV DNA was analyzed in available urine samples at mid-gestation (16–22 weeks) and at delivery, and in the placenta after delivery with Seegene Anyplex II HPV28 PCR assay. The risk of PTD, PPROM, PROM, and chorioamnionitis was analyzed using unadjusted and adjusted logistic regression analyses for any 28 HPV genotypes, including 12 HR-HPV genotypes, compared with HPV-negative women. Further, subgroups of HPV (low-risk/possibly HR-HPV, HR-HPV-non-16 and HR-HPV-16), persistence of HR-HPV from mid-gestation to delivery, HR-HPV-viral load, and presence of multiple HPV infections were analyzed for the obstetric outcomes. Samples for HPV analyses were available from 950 women with singleton pregnancies (mean age 32 years) at mid-gestation and in 753 also at delivery. Results: At mid-gestation, 40% of women were positive for any HPV and 24% for HR-HPV. Of the 950 included women, 23 had PTD (2.4%), nine had PPROM (0.9%), and six had chorioamnionitis (0.6%). Of the term pregnancies, 25% involved PROM. The frequency of PTD was higher in HR-HPV-positive women (8/231, 3.5%) than in HPV-negative women (13/573, 2.3%) at mid-gestation, but the association was not statistically significant (odds ratio 1.55; 95% confidence interval 0.63–3.78). Neither any HPV nor subgroups of HPV at mid-gestation or delivery, nor persistence of HR-HPV was significantly associated with increased risk for PTD, PPROM, PROM, or chorioamnionitis. No HPV DNA was detected in placentas of women with PTD, PPROM or chorioamnionitis. Conclusions: HPV infection during pregnancy was not significantly associated with increased risk for PTD, PPROM, PROM, or chorioamnionitis among women from a general population with a low incidence of adverse obstetric outcomes

The effect of nicotine-containing products and fetal sex on placenta-associated circulating midpregnancy biomarkers

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Food and chemical substances relevant for monitoring - Scientific Opinion of the Scientific Steering Committee of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment

Source at https://vkm.no/</a

Food and chemical substances relevant for monitoring. Report from the Scientific Steering Committee of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food and Environment.

Source at https://vkm.no/At request from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA), VKM has identified food groups and food items consumed by the Norwegian population that are relevant for monitoring regarding content of one or more undesirable chemical substances (Figure 1). Undesirable chemical substances were defined as chemical substances in food that may constitute a potential health risk. VKM has created a knowledge base (an Excel file) as a tool for planning and prioritising monitoring of foods and undesirable chemical substances. The substance groups included in the knowledge base are flavourings, food additives, metals and metalloids, natural toxins, persistent organic pollutants, process-induced contaminants, substances in food contact materials, substances in food supplements, and trace elements. More than 40 different substances were included