Respiratory adaptation of preterm lambs
De Matteo and coinvestigators aimed to determine whether sex-related differences in physiological adaptation after preterm birth increase with time, and if the use of continuous positive airway pressure reduces these differences. Unanesthetized lambs were delivered at 0.90 of term and given supplemental oxygen. Among other findings, a greater percentage of males than of females were dependent on supplemental oxygen for up to 8 hours after birth.
IUGR and high protein intake
Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and postnatal nutrition are risk factors for cardiovascular and renal diseases in both humans and animals. Boubred and colleagues evaluated the effects of neonatal feeding with high-protein (HP) milk on renal structure in male IUGR rats. The HP diet failed to restore nephron numbers and affected the rats’ renal function into adulthood.
Iron status in term newborns
Little is known about anemia and iron status in newborns because screening for anemia is typically not undertaken until 1 year of age. Lee and colleagues undertook to characterize and identify determinants of iron status in newborns of adolescent mothers. Nearly 200 pregnant adolescents were followed from ≥12 weeks gestation until delivery. Of the infants, 21% were anemic at birth and 25% had low iron stores. Additional screening of iron status at birth is recommended in this population.
Sympathetically modulated hypertension
Ryder and coauthors sought to determine whether sympathetic nervous system activity influences hypertension status and systolic blood pressure (SBP) independent of adiposity in 6- to 18-year-olds ranging from normal-weight to severely obese. They investigated the association of heart rate variability (HRV) with hypertension status and SBP. HRV measures were significantly associated with higher SBP, independent of total body fat.
Diagnosing early thrombophilia
Ichiyama and colleagues evaluated protein C (PC), protein S (PS), and antithrombin (AT) deficiencies in 306 thromboembolic patients less than 20 years of age. Reduced plasma activity was observed in 122 patients. The results showed that stroke in low-PC infants and deep-vein thrombosis in low-PS/AT children might warrant genetic screening for pediatric thrombophilia.
Maternal fat intake and allergy
Children growing up on small family farms have a low risk of developing allergies. Jonsson et al. hypothesized that farming families’ low intake of polyunsaturated fats might contribute to this protection. Mother–infant pairs living on small dairy farms and nonfarm rural-resident pairs were recruited, and food items affecting dietary-fat composition were recorded during pregnancy and lactation. Allergy was eight times more common in nonfarm children, indicating that low maternal consumption of margarine and vegetable oils might contribute to allergy prevention in children.
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De Matteo, R., Ishak, N., Hanita, T. et al. Editor’s Focus. Pediatr Res 79, 1 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2015.205
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/pr.2015.205