Infant temperament contributes to early infant growth: A prospective cohort of African American infants

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Prospective studies linking infant temperament, or behavioral style, to infant body composition are lacking. In this longitudinal study (3 to 18 months), we seek to examine the associations between two dimensions of infant temperament (<it>distress to limitations </it>and <it>activity level</it>) and two anthropometric indicators (weight-for-length z-scores (WLZ) and skin fold (SF) measures) in a population at high risk of overweight.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data are from the Infant Care and Risk of Obesity Project, a longitudinal study of North Carolina low income African American mother-infant dyads (n = 206). Two temperament dimensions were assessed using the Infant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised. A high <it>distress to limitations </it>score denotes an infant whose mother perceives that s/he often cries or fusses, and a high <it>activity level </it>score one who moves his/her limbs and squirms frequently. Cross-sectional analyses were conducted using ordinary least squares regression. Fixed effects longitudinal models were used to estimate anthropometric outcomes as a function of time varying infant temperament.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In longitudinal models, increased <it>activity levels </it>were associated with later decreased fatness and WLZ. In contrast, high levels of <it>distress to limitations </it>were associated with later increased fatness at all time points and later increased WLZ at 12 months.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Infant temperament dimensions contribute to our understanding of the role of behavior in the development of the risk of overweight in the formative months of life. Identification of modifiable risk factors early in life may help target strategies for establishing healthy lifestyles prior to the onset of overweight.</p

Lactational Exposure to Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers and Its Relation to Social and Emotional Development among Toddlers

Background: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been widely used as flame retardants and are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. PBDEs have been linked to adverse neurodevelopment in animals and humans

Brominated Flame Retardants in Breast Milk and Behavioral and Cognitive Development at 36 Months

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are persistent flame retardants found in the environment, in household dust, and in humans. Breast feeding is a prominent route of exposure in infancy. PBDEs adversely affect neurodevelopment in animals. Here, we estimate associations between PBDEs in breast milk and behavior and cognitive skills in children at 36 months of age

Infant Overweight Is Associated with Delayed Motor Development

To examine how infant overweight and high subcutaneous fat relate to infant motor development

Short-term in-home intervention reduces depressive symptoms in early head start Latina mothers of infants and toddlers

Depressive symptoms may compromise the ability of low-income Latina mothers with limited English language proficiency to parent their infants or toddlers. Eighty Early Head Start Latina mothers with limited English language proficiency were randomized to an advanced practice nurse-delivered, culturally tailored, in-home psychotherapy intervention, or to usual care. Repeated measures regression analysis showed a significantly greater decrease in depressive symptoms for intervention mothers compared to the usual care group at 22 and 26 weeks (4 weeks post intervention). Intervention mothers’ reports of their child's aggression diminished significantly from T1 to T4 compared to usual care mothers (p= .03). Self-efficacy appeared to only partially mediate the intervention effect, and maternal health moderated the intervention impact. Results indicate that the intervention reduced depressive symptoms and, compared to previous studies in this population, retention of mothers in both intervention and control conditions was improved

Phosphatidylcholine supplementation in pregnant women consuming moderate-choline diets does not enhance infant cognitive function: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Choline is essential for fetal brain development, and it is not known whether a typical American diet contains enough choline to ensure optimal brain development

Prenatal isolated mild ventriculomegaly is associated with persistent ventricle enlargement at ages 1 and 2

Enlargement of the lateral ventricles is thought to originate from abnormal prenatal brain development and is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Fetal isolated mild ventriculomegaly (MVM) is associated with enlargement of lateral ventricle volumes in the neonatal period and developmental delays in early childhood. However, little is known about postnatal brain development in these children

Control of a novel chaotic fractional order system using a state feedback technique

We consider a new fractional order chaotic system displaying an interesting behavior. A necessary condition for the system to remain chaotic is derived. It is found that chaos exists in the system with order less than three. Using the Routh-Hurwitz and the Matignon stability criteria, we analyze the novel chaotic fractional order system and propose a control methodology that is better than the nonlinear counterparts available in the literature, in the sense of simplicity of implementation and analysis. A scalar control input that excites only one of the states is proposed, and sufficient conditions for the controller gain to stabilize the unstable equilibrium points derived. Numerical simulations confirm the theoretical analysis. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Genetic effects on gene expression across human tissues

Characterization of the molecular function of the human genome and its variation across individuals is essential for identifying the cellular mechanisms that underlie human genetic traits and diseases. The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project aims to characterize variation in gene expression levels across individuals and diverse tissues of the human body, many of which are not easily accessible. Here we describe genetic effects on gene expression levels across 44 human tissues. We find that local genetic variation affects gene expression levels for the majority of genes, and we further identify inter-chromosomal genetic effects for 93 genes and 112 loci. On the basis of the identified genetic effects, we characterize patterns of tissue specificity, compare local and distal effects, and evaluate the functional properties of the genetic effects. We also demonstrate that multi-tissue, multi-individual data can be used to identify genes and pathways affected by human disease-associated variation, enabling a mechanistic interpretation of gene regulation and the genetic basis of diseas

Significant benefits of AIP testing and clinical screening in familial isolated and young-onset pituitary tumors

Context Germline mutations in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein (AIP) gene are responsible for a subset of familial isolated pituitary adenoma (FIPA) cases and sporadic pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs). Objective To compare prospectively diagnosed AIP mutation-positive (AIPmut) PitNET patients with clinically presenting patients and to compare the clinical characteristics of AIPmut and AIPneg PitNET patients. Design 12-year prospective, observational study. Participants & Setting We studied probands and family members of FIPA kindreds and sporadic patients with disease onset ≤18 years or macroadenomas with onset ≤30 years (n = 1477). This was a collaborative study conducted at referral centers for pituitary diseases. Interventions & Outcome AIP testing and clinical screening for pituitary disease. Comparison of characteristics of prospectively diagnosed (n = 22) vs clinically presenting AIPmut PitNET patients (n = 145), and AIPmut (n = 167) vs AIPneg PitNET patients (n = 1310). Results Prospectively diagnosed AIPmut PitNET patients had smaller lesions with less suprasellar extension or cavernous sinus invasion and required fewer treatments with fewer operations and no radiotherapy compared with clinically presenting cases; there were fewer cases with active disease and hypopituitarism at last follow-up. When comparing AIPmut and AIPneg cases, AIPmut patients were more often males, younger, more often had GH excess, pituitary apoplexy, suprasellar extension, and more patients required multimodal therapy, including radiotherapy. AIPmut patients (n = 136) with GH excess were taller than AIPneg counterparts (n = 650). Conclusions Prospectively diagnosed AIPmut patients show better outcomes than clinically presenting cases, demonstrating the benefits of genetic and clinical screening. AIP-related pituitary disease has a wide spectrum ranging from aggressively growing lesions to stable or indolent disease course