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Biomedical subjects

E Pollitt

Publications and source records attributed to E Pollitt.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

Causes and consequences of intrauterine growth retardation in Latin America.

The purpose of this article is to present a critical review of the literature on the causes and consequences of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) and of body proportions at birth among IUGR infants. IUGR is generally defined as a birth weight below the tenth percentile of a reference weight distribution according to gestational age. Chronic maternal malnutrition and other poverty-related factors are likely to be important determinants of IUGR in developing countries. IUGR has been associated with increased risks of neonatal morbidity and mortality and alterations in physical and mental development during early childhood. IUGR newborns can be classified as "symmetric" or "asymmetric" in terms of body proportionality. The available literature indicates that the risk of perinatal morbidity is higher among asymmetric newborns than among their symmetric counterparts, while symmetric newborns confront a higher risk of impaired physical and mental development. Obviously, the clinical and statistical usefulness of these IUGR and body proportionality assessments depends on the accuracy of the birth measurements (length, weight, and estimated gestational age) from which they are derived. Latin America now has the hospital infrastructure needed to obtain reliable birth data of this kind. It is important to use these resources effectively in order to improve the health assessment of newborns and gain a better understanding of the causes and consequences of IUGR.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1991

Developmental effects of short-term supplementary feeding in nutritionally-at-risk Indonesian infants.

This study assessed the developmental effects of supplementary feeding over 90 consecutive days on infants aged 6-20 mo at six tea plantations in West Java, Indonesia. Every day except Sunday, the infants attended day-care centers distributed throughout the plantations. Twenty centers and 113 infants were selected; the infants in 9 centers received a dietary supplement, while the infants in 11 centers served as control subjects. Supplements were given twice a day providing, on average, 10.66 kJ (400 kcal) and 5 g protein/d. Measurements of body growth, dietary intake, and mental and motor development were made on all infants. Supplementary feeding had significant effects on weight gain and on motor development. Changes in caloric intake were independently associated with changes in weight and in motor test scores. The data suggest that the effects of the supplement may not have followed a simple mechanistic relationship from intake to weight change to motor development, but, rather, intake may have affected both growth and development domains simultaneously.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1989

Effects of iron deficiency on attention and learning processes in preschool children: Bandung, Indonesia.

A double-blind clinical trial was conducted in Indonesia to assess effects of iron supplementation on performance of iron-depleted and iron-deficient anemic children in discrimination and oddity learning tasks. Half these children received elemental Fe for 8 wk; the others received a placebo. There were significant changes from pre- to postintervention evaluations in ferritin, transferrin saturation, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin, and hemoglobin among the anemic and iron-depleted children; no changes were observed among the placebos or any of the iron-replete children. The magnitude of hematological changes in anemic children treated with iron was small; yet, after treatment the children's mean ferritin, transferrin saturation, and hemoglobin values were above the cutoff points used for the definition of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA). Pre- and posttreatment psychological test data show that IDA produces alterations in cognitive processes related to visual attention and concept acquisition, alterations reversed with iron treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Iron deficiency and educational achievement in Thailand.

This double-blind clinical trial was conducted in Thailand to assess the impact of iron treatment on the IQ and educational attainment of 1358 9-11-y-old children. The children were classified into one of three groups: iron replete, iron depleted, and iron-deficient anemic. The Raven Progressive Matrices was used to measure IQ. A Thai language and a math test were administered to assess school attainment. A 50-mg/d tablet of ferrous sulphate was given for 2 wk and a 100 mg/d tablet, for 14 wk. An anthelminthic drug was given on the day of the blood test before treatment and 3 mo after the intervention started. There is evidence of a positive association between iron status and IQ and a language school achievement test but there is no support for the internal validity of the hypothesis that this association is causal.

Anthelmintics↗
PubMed1988

Iron supplementation and physical growth of rural Indonesian children.

The effect of oral iron supplementation on blood Fe levels and physical growth in 119 rural Indonesian school children was assessed in this double-blind study. The children were classified into anemic and normal groups according to their initial hemoglobin and transferrin saturation levels and were randomly assigned to either Fe or placebo treatment for 12 wk. Hematological, anthropometric, and morbidity data were collected before and after the treatment period. Before treatment, anemic subjects were smaller and had higher morbidity than normal subjects. Treatment with 10 mg ferrous sulfate.kg-1.d-1 for 12 wk resulted in a significant improvement in anemic subjects' hematological status, growth velocity, and level or morbidity.

Anemia, Hypochromic↗
PubMed1987

Differences in the pattern of weight growth of nutritionally at-risk and well-nourished infants.

A mathematical model was used to examine the patterns of weight growth of two groups of infants exposed to various ecological and nutritional conditions and practices. Statistical comparison of the parameters of weight model estimated from longitudinal data demonstrated different level and profile contour of weight growth in these two populations. In addition to differences in the growth levels, the growth patterns of these two groups are significantly different. The Taiwanese infants experience more pronounced upward and downward changes in growth velocity than the United States (US) infants in the first 6 mo of life. In the second 6 mo, the US infants show a decline in growth velocity whereas the Taiwanese infants maintain a low and constant growth rate. Possible explanations for the different growth profile of the Taiwanese infants in the first 6 mo may be related to: catch-up growth after possible intrauterine undernutrition, genetic growth pattern of Taiwanese infants, and growth characteristics of breast-fed infants.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Iron deficiency and behavioral development in infants and preschool children.

This paper selectively reviews the main findings of studies on the possible effects of iron deficiency on cognitive function among infants and preschool children published after 1976, and presents data from a study recently conducted in rural Guatemala. In comparison to infants without signs of sideropenia, infants with iron deficiency with and without anemia tend to score lower in the Bayley Scale of Mental Development; conversely, there is no evidence for an association between iron deficiency and delayed motor development. Iron repletion therapy implemented over a period of 7 to 10 days is likely to result in an improvement in mental development scale scores among infants with iron deficiency with or without anemia. In comparison with preschool children without sideropenia, preschool children with iron deficiency with or without anemia are less likely to pay attention to relevant cues in problem solving situations.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1985

Outcome of maternal nutritional supplementation: a comprehensive review of the Bacon Chow study.

In a double blind controlled intervention, two groups of nutritionally at-risk rural Taiwanese women were given a nutrient-rich dietary supplement (group A, n = 114) or a placebo (group B, n = 111) beginning after the birth of one child and continuing through the lactation period for a subsequent child. Outcome variables assessed include infant birth measurements postnatal physical growth, motor, mental, and dental development, morbidity, and maternal weight and skinfold changes during pregnancy and lactation. While few A-B differences in mean values of outcome variables were found, there were significant responses in subgroups of the sample. Comparisons of infants born after a nutrient-supplemented pregnancy (A2) versus an unsupplemented pregnancy (A1) showed that A2 male infants weighed more than A1 males at birth, and A1-A2 sibling correlations in birth measurements, especially Rohrer's index (wt/l3) were significantly reduced. Important mediators of supplement effects included sex of the offspring, season of birth, maternal body size, and birth of a previous infant characterized by dysmorphic prenatal growth. The limited effects of supplementation on the population as a whole may reflect the operation of long term adaptations which allow women to maintain reproductive success despite their apparent marginal nutritional status.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Iron deficiency anemia and educational achievement.

The present study investigates the effect of iron supplementation on measures of school performance among 78 iron-deficient anemic and 41 nonanemic children in an economically deprived rural area in Central Java, Indonesia. All the subjects were treated for ancylostomiasis before iron supplementation. They were randomly assigned to either an iron or placebo group. Hematological and behavioral measurements were obtained immediately before (T1) and after (T2) the iron and placebo treatments. Iron treatment for a 3-mo period resulted in substantive increases in mean Hgb, Hct, and transferrin saturation among the iron-deficient anemic children. Furthermore, changes in the iron status of iron-deficient anemic children were associated with significant changes in the school achievement test scores of iron-deficient anemic children. T2 evaluation of achievement test scores indicated that the difference between iron-treated anemic and nonanemic children was still statistically significant. However, when T1 scores were entered as a covariate, iron-deficient anemic subjects treated with iron obtained significantly higher delta achievement scores. Findings from the present study indicate that iron supplementation among iron-deficient anemic children benefits learning processes as measured by the school achievement test scores.

Ancylostomiasis↗
PubMed1984

The bacon Chow study: effects of maternal nutritional supplementation on birth measurements of children, accounting for the size of a previous (unsupplemented) child.

Studies on nutritional supplementation of pregnant mothers have observed small but sometimes significant effects on fetal growth. Previously we also reported significant changes in physical resemblance of siblings at birth due to this kind of supplementation, using data collected by the late Dr. Bacon Chow and associates. This suggested that components of variation in physical growth may change as a result of supplementation. To explore this further, we sought the effects of nutritional supplementation on somatic growth, holding constant the birth measurements of a previous (unsupplemented) sibling. Only head circumference at birth came close to showing a statistically significant (P less than 0.06) supplement effect on its mean (+ 0.36 cm) when the measurement of the first infant was held constant. Both increases and decreases in weight for length as assessed by Rohrer's Index (wt/l3) occurred with supplementation. Increases in the index occurred by a significant (P less than 0.01) gain in birth weight (238 g) between 1st and 2nd siblings in the supplement group but not in the placebo group. Decreases in this index resulted from a significant gain in birth length (1.3 cm) in supplemented families with a previous (untreated) sibling having a below average length for average weight. These non-linear effects on somatic growth suggest that responses to maternal nutritional supplementation may be more effective in a subgroup of the population where the normal adaptive responses to low energy protein intakes may have failed or where nutritional conditions over pregnancy may have varied considerably.

Biometry↗
PubMed1984

The Bacon Chow study: effect of nutritional supplementation on maternal weight and skinfold thicknesses during pregnancy and lactation.

Effects of a feeding programme on maternal weight, triceps and subscapular skinfolds during pregnancy and lactation were assessed in a marginally undernourished population of rural Taiwan. Mothers participated during two pregnancy and lactation periods. At 3 weeks after the delivery of the first infant, one group of 114 mothers began consuming a nutrient-dense supplement (A), while another group of 111 received a placebo (B). There was no significant A-B difference in pregnancy weight gain (A 7.52 kg, B 7.75 kg) or in mean maternal weight, triceps or subscapular skinfolds at any time during pregnancy or lactation. Despite a general trend toward moderate weight loss during lactation, one-third of mothers in both groups gained weight. Highly significant increases in weight and skinfold thicknesses from one lactation period to the next characterized both groups. The absence of demonstrable supplement-effects on maternal anthropometry concomitant with increments in infant birth weight supports the notion that infants can benefit from maternal supplementation without changes in maternal nutritional status.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Application of receiver-operator analysis to diagnostic tests of iron deficiency in man.

The objective of the present report is to demonstrate the use of receiver-operator characteristics (ROC) analysis in the selection of diagnostic tests for iron deficiency in a specific population. Conventional ROC curves were prepared with true positive fraction (TPF) and false positive fraction (FPF) determined by the application of different cut-off points for four indicators of iron status. ROC plots were then transformed into normal deviate scales. The advantages of Gaussian transformation of TPF and FPF when underlying decision functions are normally distributed are: the ROC curve is a straight line; and the separation between the two distributions and shape of these distributions can be simply quantitated as intercepts and slopes. In the present study, pretreatment hemoglobin concentration was the most robust diagnostic indicator of iron deficiency as operationally defined by a response of hemoglobin to iron treatment. Free erythrocyte protoporphyrin was a more sensitive and specific predictor than either serum ferritin or transferin saturation when a stringent operational definition of iron deficiency was used. These findings illustrate the utility of ROC analysis in discriminating between diagnostic indicators having different degrees of accuracy.

Anemia, Hypochromic↗
PubMed1983

Seasonal variation in pre- and postpartum maternal body measurements and infant birth weights.

A sample of 225 rural Taiwanese women were followed longitudinally through two successive pregnancy and lactation periods. Maternal pre- and postpartum weight and skinfold thicknesses and infant birth weights showed considerable seasonal variation. The lowest mean maternal weights, irrespective of pregnancy or lactation status, occurred in the summer months of June, July, and August, when temperatures and rainfall reach their yearly maxima. The lowest mean birth weights were also recorded for the warm, rainy summer months. Furthermore, a disproportionate number of infants weighing less than one standard deviation below the mean birth weight were born between May and October. The observed seasonal variations most probably reflect annual cycles of agricultural activities and food availability.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

The Bacon Chow study: maternal supplementation and infant growth.

The effect of maternal supplementation during both gestation and lactation on infant growth from birth to 12 mth was investigated in the double-blind, randomly allocated control trial conducted in Taiwan by the late Bacon F. Chow. The supplement was a milk-based formula providing 800 kcal and 40 g protein daily. The placebo provided less than 40 kcal per diem but resembled the supplement in appearance. Supplementation was limited to mothers and began after birth of one infant and continued without interruption until weaning of a second infant. Supplement effects were tested by comparing both supplement and placebo groups and first- and second-infant groups with respect to weight, length and head circumference. Both comparisons of growth curves and analyses of variance were carried out. Both strategies agreed in failing to detect differences in growth between supplement and placebo groups. However, differences were found between first and second infants in the supplement group.

Adult↗