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The first 3 years age, is called as infancy period, is a very important period for learning ability and basis for the skills concerning the developmental stages. Gross motor, fine motor, cognitive, social, language and oral motor development are examined as developmental parameters and occur according to a typical sequence, pattern and timing. Each stage of the motor developmental sequence has purpose and contribute to the overall development of the child. Reflexes are seen in the first stage of development and these reflexes are replaced by reactions over time. The motor developmental sequence offers a basis for understanding not only typical development, but also atypical development of the infant, this developmental sequence could be used as a basis for evaluating and treating motor delays and deficiencies in infants. Investigation of normal developmental milestones in infancy as a whole in terms of motor, cognitive, social, language and oral motor are important for early diagnosis and intervention of deviations from normal/typical development. Atypical development in one or more of these parameters is a sign of risk for other parameters. Therefore, the finding of atypical development seen in these parameters is critical in terms of evaluating the infant as a whole and referring it to the relevant health professional when necessary. The aim of this study is to describe the typical and atypical developmental milestones in the 0-3 years period and to provide a reference including developmental and oral motor functions together for physiotherapists working in pediatric rehabilitation field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human growth and development are depended on both genetic and environmental conditions. From infancy to adulthood, during the growth process the growth rate of the body ratios shows differences. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate height, upper arm, forearm, upper leg, lower leg length values of the pre-school children and to determinate the ratios, and contribute to other public health studies. The study sample consisted of 815 (402 male, 413 female) children aged between 3 and 5 years living in Ankara. Height, upper arm, forearm, upper leg, and lower leg lengths were taken in accordance with the standard protocols after receiving ethical and family permits. The statistical analyses conducted using SPSS 20.0 program and percentiles were constructed using LMS method. According to the results, children aged between 3 to 5 years, the forearm / upper ratio was 0.8 and the lower / upper ratio was 0.7 in both sexes. Positive correlation was found between all variables (p <0.001). The comparison of study results with other country values revealed that upper arm length was lower than the American children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)) for the respective age groups. Constructing the country specific reference values is of great importance for to follow-up children's development, to evaluate and compare for further generations and to determinate the secular changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Premature thelarche is defined as the onset of breast development without any additional signs of sexual maturation in girls younger than eight years. In recent years, obesity, hormone-based foods intake, environmental/social change are proposed to play a role in early puberty and the signs of puberty at an early age. The aim of the present study was to evaluate in terms of adipocytokines associated with obesity in premature telarche, which is exact pathophysiology of the disease is still unknown. Material and Methods: The patient group included 19 girls aged between three-eight years who presented to the outpatient clinic of pediatric endocrinology unit with a complaint of unusual breast development. The control group consisted of 17 age-matched healthy girls. Body mass index was calculated according to Turkish reference values (BMISDS) and breast development was evaluated according to the Tanner staging. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinising hormone (LH), estradiol (E2) levels were measured by immunochemiluminometric assay and leptin, adiponectin, nesfatin-1, apelin-36, TNF-α and resistin, obesity associated adipose tissue adipocytokines, were measured by ELISA. Results: While the E2 and LH levels in the patient and control groups did not show statistically significant differences, FSH levels were higher in the patient group. When compared to the control group, significant decreases serum leptin and resistin levels, significant increases in apelin-36 and nesfatin-1 levels were found in the patient group. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and adiponectin levels did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusion: As a result, there are several factors, newly identified hormone and signaling molecules, effective on the pathophysiology of the disease known outside the classical hormonal control in premature telarche. However, we would like to emphasize that more detailed studies are needed to determine a better understanding about the main mechanism responsible for the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for first six months. The aim of this study was to evaluate the duration of breast-feeding, time of starting complementary foods, growth and development of infants aged 0-36 months and the factors affected them. Materials and methods: The anthropometric measures of infants performed. The data were obtained through a questionnaire and face to face interviews. Results: Duration of breastfeeding was between 1and 25 months (mean 9, 31±5, 66); duration of exclusive breastfeeding was between 1 week and 10 months (mean 4, 67±1, 91 months). Duration of breastfeeding in infants at the 25th percentile was statistically significant higher than infants at 50 th percentile (p: 0,033; p>0, 05) There was no statistically significant difference between the duration of breast-feeding according to height percentiles (p>0, 05). Conclusions: In our study, although the breast-fed infants have lower weights than infants fed with formula, their heights were not affected. In spite of the long duration of brest-feeding, positive affects have not been detected. It is thought that the mothers have importance of giving information about breastfeeding to mothers before and after birth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the birth history, nutrition, growth and development of healthy children around 6 to 24 months of age who admitted to children's polyclinic. Materials and Methods: The 138 healthy children admitted to children polyclinic between 6 and 24 months of age were asked about their age, gender, a history of birth (maternal age, maternal occupation, the order of his/her birth, mode of delivery, birth time and birth weight, etc.), nutritional feature (breastfeeding, time of beginning additional food such as cow's milk, etc.), growth and development (sitting, walking and first tooth age, height-weight, etc.) and follow-up arrangements (vit 3, iron drops, such as recruitment and vaccination status). Results: The mean age of children was 137+4.94 months, 68 of them were male (49.3%) and 70 were female (50.7%). The mean age of maternal cases was 27.54+4.49 (18 to 38 years), in 116 cases mothers were housewifes (84.1%), 68 of them were the first child (49.3%). 125 of the babies were term infants (90.6%) and 86 were born with cesarean sections (62.3%) and were born with mean birth weight 3210+514.6 grams. Children were divided into 3 groups according to their ages (Group 1: 6 to 12 months, group 2: 13 to 18 months, group 3: 19 to 24 months). In all groups the average time to start complementary foods was 5 to 6 months. In group 1, 44 (72.1%) were receiving breast milk and 8 (13.1%) were fed with cow's milk. In the second group, 28 (56%) were receiving breast milk and 25 (50%) were fed with cow's milk. In group 3, only 9 (33.3%) were fed with breast milk and 20 (74.1% ) were fed with cow's milk. We have not found any statistical relationship between breast milk and maternal age, occupation and the birth order. D vit 3 drops were used in 129 cases (93.5%), while 115 (83.3%) children regularly used iron drops and 100% were appropriately vaccinated according to the Ministry of Health immunization program. All admitted babies were observed for motor development (sitting, walking and teeth development) and their motor developments were found to be appropriate with their ages. The average weight of babies was 10025.8 ±1924.8 grams and their average height was 77.8+7.0 cm. Conclusion: In order to grow healthy individuals, emphasizing and increasing the importance of breastfeeding is necessary. We think that this can be achieved by regular training of families and regular follow up of healthy children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]