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We systematically reviewed papers published in English between 1994 and October 2015 on how postnatal weight gain and growth affect neurodevelopment and metabolic outcomes in term-born small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants. Two randomised trials reported that enriched infant formulas that promoted early growth also increased fat mass, lean mass and blood pressure (BP), but had no effect on early neurocognitive outcomes. Meanwhile, 31 observational studies reported consistent positive associations between postnatal weight gain and growth with neurocognitive outcomes, adiposity, insulin resistance and BP.Conclusion: Few intervention studies exist, despite consistent positive associations between early growth and neurocognition in term-born SGA infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This paper aimed to analyse the association between small for size at birth, stunting, recovery from stunting and pubertal development in a rural Bangladeshi cohort.Methods: The participants were 994 girls and 987 boys whose mothers participated in the Maternal and Infant Nutrition Interventions in Matlab trial. The birth cohort was followed from birth to puberty 2001-2017. Pubertal development according to Tanner was self-assessed. Age at menarche was determined and in boys, consecutive height measurements were used to ascertain whether pubertal growth spurt had started. The exposures and outcomes were modelled by Cox's proportional hazards analyses and logistic regression.Results: There was no difference in age at menarche between girls that were small or appropriate for gestational age at birth. Boys born small for gestational age entered their pubertal growth spurt later than those with appropriate weight. Children who were stunted had later pubertal development, age at menarche and onset of growth spurt than non-stunted children. Children who recovered from infant or early childhood stunting had similar pubertal development as non-stunted children.Conclusion: Infant and childhood stunting was associated with a later pubertal development. Recovery from stunting was not associated with earlier puberty in comparison with non-stunted children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Neonatal unit design may affect the neurodevelopment of hospitalised neonates and the well‐being of parents and healthcare staff (HCS). We aimed to provide recommendations regarding the minimum area required for a hospital room for a single neonate and their family. Methods: We searched PubMed and Web of Science for relevant articles published from 1 January 2011 to 1 May 2021 by using the keywords NICU and facility design. Recommendations were developed after internal and external review by a multidisciplinary group including 15 professionals and parent representatives. Results: We identified 314 studies and developed six recommendations from four eligible studies. Recommendations for room size were developed according to three perspectives: opinions of users, who emphasised the need for a spacious room; proposals of organisations by HCS, which advocated for a minimum floor area of 11.2–18 m2 in a single non‐family room and 15.3–24 m2 in a single‐family room; and simulation methods indicating that the minimum floor area in the neonatal unit should be 18.5–24 m2. Conclusion: Units need to provide a minimum room size to allow for optimal newborn development and a better experience for parents and caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To compare children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) living in the Northwest England, United Kingdom (UK) or Singapore, and to correlate age at diagnosis with birthweight and anthropometry at T1D diagnosis. Methods: We included 166 T1D children of white ethnicity in England (UK‐White) and 185 T1D children of East‐Asian ethnicity origin in Singapore (SG‐Asian) who were born between 2002 and 2020. Results: The cohorts from UK‐White and SG‐Asian children differed significantly in FH of T1D (p < 0.001), FH of T2D (p < 0.001) and pubertal status at diagnosis (p = 0.01). Median interquartile range (IQR) for age at diagnosis was similar in the two groups. UK‐White children had significantly higher birthweight SDS, height SDS, weight SDS and BMI SDS (all p < 0.001). Among the subgroup of 174 children who were prepubertal and diagnosed after age 5 years, the UK‐White children were 11 months older than the SG‐Asian children (p = 0.02) indicating that SG‐Asian children at the time of T1D diagnosis were more likely to be in puberty compared with UK‐White children (30% vs. 18%). Conclusion: These two cohorts have substantially different genetic and environmental backgrounds, yet age at the diagnosis of T1D was similar except for the prepubertal children who were diagnosed after 5 years old. Timing of puberty and other factors may influence how early T1D presents during childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: We investigated longitudinal adrenal androgen concentrations and any relationship between gestational age, birth size, anthropometric parameters and adrenal androgen concentrations during childhood in boys born moderate to late preterm.Methods: This longitudinal, prospective study included 58 boys born at 32+0 to 36+6 weeks of gestation. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate and androstenedione were analysed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and anthropometric data were recorded from 5 to 10 years of age.Results: Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate concentrations correlated with weight standard deviations scores (SDS) from 7 to 10 years of age and waist-to-height ratios at seven and 10 years of age. Androstenedione correlated with weight SDS from 7 to 10 years of age and waist-to-height ratios at 10 years of age. Longitudinal analysis showed a relationship between weight SDS and waist-to-height SDS and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively) and androstenedione (p = 0.002 and p = 0.003, respectively), independently of age.Conclusion: The trajectories of anthropometric parameters and adrenal androgen secretion were consistent from 5 to 10 years of age in this cohort. The body composition reflected by current weight and the waist-to-height ratio, rather than gestational age and birth size, was associated with adrenal androgen secretion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: Coeliac disease is triggered by an interplay of environmental and genetic factors and is one of the most prevalent autoimmune diseases in children, occurring in about 1% of Europeans. Over the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in the role of the perinatal environment in coeliac disease and this review discusses the growing body of literature on coeliac disease and perinatal risk factors.Conclusion: There is still only circumstantial evidence that the perinatal environment influences coeliac disease development. Large-scale cohort studies and emerging scientific concepts, such as epigenetics, may help us establish the role of these environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of the article "Variation in term birthweight across European countries affects the prevalence of small for gestational age among very preterm infants" by J. Zeitlin and colleagues is presented.