Concentración de los minerales, oligoelementos esenciales y oligoelementos tóxicos en la leche materna y las fórmulas infantiles

En el presente trabajo se analizan los niveles de minerales y oligoelementos, tanto en leche materna en sus diferentes etapas como en fórmulas infantiles que se emplean para la alimentación de los recién nacidos a término y prematuros durante el primer año de vida; además de evaluar posibles asociaciones de estos elementos con variables médicas, sociales, ambientales y demográficas. La leche que reciben los neonatos de nuestro área tiene una adecuada composición en cuanto a minerales y oligoelementos, aunque el vivir en ambiente urbano, el tabaco o consumo de agua de pozo son factores de riesgo para el aumento de tóxicos en leche materna. En prematuros los niveles bajos de selenio y elevados de cesio y estroncio en leche materna podrían suponer mayor riesgo de déficits nutricionales y/o toxicidad a corto o largo plazo. Además, sería importante reducir las concentraciones de tóxicos en fórmulas infantiles para evitar consecuencias a largo plazo en la salud de los lactantes

Retrospective study to identify risk factors for chronic kidney disease in children with congenital solitary functioning kidney detected by neonatal renal ultrasound screening

To evaluate the prognostic significance of factors frequently associated with a reduction in renal mass, such as prematurity, low birth weight, and congenital anomalies of kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT), in patients with solitary functioning kidney (SFK) and investigate signs of early renal injury due to glomerular hyperfiltration damage or dysplasia in the remaining kidney. Retrospective observational study of congenital SFK diagnosed and followed at a tertiary care hospital over a period of 10 years in which 32,900 newborns underwent routine neonatal abdominal ultrasound screening. We analyzed age at diagnosis, sex, gestational age, anthropometric measurements at birth and prenatal and neonatal ultrasound findings, in addition to follow-up data corresponding to imaging findings (ultrasound, micturating cystourethrography, dimercaptosuccinic acid renal, and scintigraphy), ipsilateral CAKUT, compensatory hypertrophy, and renal injury in the form of albuminuria, blood pressure, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). In total, 128 congenital SFK cases were detected (1 per 257 live births). Of these, 117 (91.4%) were diagnosed by neonatal ultrasound screening and 44.5% of these had been previously identified by prenatal ultrasound. Neonatal ultrasound had a specificity of 100% and a sensitivity of 92.1%. Forty-five patients (35.2%) had ipsilateral CAKUT and the most common type was urinary collecting system anomalies (75.5%). Over a median follow-up of 6.3 years (1?10 years), compensatory renal hypertrophy was observed in 81 patients (63.7%), most of whom had ipsilateral CAKUT (76.1% vs 56.6% of patients without ipsilateral CAKUT). Albuminuria and hypertension were observed in 3.12% and 5% of patients, respectively, and both were associated with ipsilateral CAKUT (P<.05). In addition, 75% of albuminuria cases (P=.031), 83.3% of hypertension cases (P=.004), and 100% of decreased eGFRcases (P=.031) were significantly associated with CAKUT (renal parenchymal anomaly category), being the strongest predictor of GFR the presence or absence of CAKUT. Neonatal ultrasound screening is useful for the early diagnosis of SFK. The presence of ipsilateral CAKUT should be evaluated in all patients with SFK as congenital anomalies of the renal parenchyma are associated with a poorer prognosis. Because morbidity from CAKUTs may not develop until adulthood, patients should be closely followed throughout life

BMP8 and activated brown adipose tissue in human newborns

The classical dogma states that brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a major role in the regulation of temperature in neonates. However, although BAT has been studied in infants for more than a century, the knowledge about its physiological features at this stage of life is rather limited. This has been mainly due to the lack of appropriate investigation methods, ethically suitable for neonates. Here, we have applied non-invasive infrared thermography (IRT) to investigate neonatal BAT activity. Our data show that BAT temperature correlates with body temperature and that mild cold stimulus promotes BAT activation in newborns. Notably, a single short-term cold stimulus during the first day of life improves the body temperature adaption to a subsequent cold event. Finally, we identify that bone morphogenic protein 8B (BMP8B) is associated with the BAT thermogenic response in neonates. Overall, our data uncover key features of the setup of BAT thermogenesis in newborns