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The impact of birth order on mother-infant interactions in preterm and sick infants.

Maternal-infant interaction patterns were observed for high-and low-risk, first-, and later-born infants at 3 months of age. The high-risk subjects included healthy preterm infants, sick preterm infants, and sick full-term infants. "Sickness" at birth was defined as respiratory distress or birth asphyxia. The low-risk group consisted of healthy full-term infants. The subjects were divided into first-born and later-born groups. Birth order was expected to interact with prematurity and illness in affecting maternal behavior. Multivariate analyses of variance indicated that this was the case; birth order had a significant impact among the high-risk but not the low-risk subjects. First-born preterm infants received more overall maternal stimulation than later-born preterms. Sick first-borns had more responsive mothers than sick later-born infants. The results suggest that high-risk later-born infants may be at greater risk as a result of both birth trauma and less optimal maternal interaction patterns.

Asphyxia Neonatorum↗

Whey predominant, whey modified infant formula with protein/energy ratio of 1.8 g/100 kcal: adequate and safe for term infants from birth to four months.

BACKGROUND: Protein quality of breast milk is superior to that of formula proteins. To ensure that the protein intake is sufficient, starter formulas with conventional protein composition provide a protein/energy ratio of 2.2-2.5 g per 100 kcal to infants, which is much higher than that supplied with breast milk. Several studies have shown that formula-fed infants have higher plasma or serum urea concentrations than breast-fed infants do. We tested if feeding formulas with improved protein quality and a protein content corresponding to the minimum level that is consistent with international recommendations (1.8 g/100 kcal) allows patients to achieve normal growth and plasma urea concentrations. METHODS: Healthy term infants were enrolled into the study and were either breast-fed or randomly assigned to three formula-fed groups. Formula-fed infants received either a standard formula with a protein/energy ratio of 2.2 g/100 kcal, whereas the two other groups received formulas with a protein/energy ratio of 1.8g/100 kcal differing mainly by their source of protein. Subjects received breast milk or these formulas ad libitum as the sole source of energy from birth to four months of age in a controlled blind design (except for the breast-fed group). Anthropometric measurements (body weight and length) were obtained at birth, at 30, 60, 90, and 120 days. Energy and protein intakes were calculated from three-day dietary records. Blood was collected for biochemical measurements at 30, 60, and 120 days. RESULTS: No differences were found between the four feeding groups for weight- and length-gains or for body mass indices (BMI). No differences in energy intakes between the formula-fed groups could be found, whereas protein intakes were less in infants fed the 1.8 g/100 kcal formulas. Plasma urea levels of the infants fed the 1.8 g/100 kcal formulas were closer to those found in the breast-fed infants. CONCLUSION: Improvement of the amino acid profile permits a whey predominant starter formula with 1.8 g protein per 100 kcal to meet the needs of normal term infants during the first four months of life.

Amino Acids↗

Infant feeding: a critical look at infant formulas.

Commercially available infant formulas serve as the best alternative to human milk when breastfeeding is not possible. Infant formulas are designed specifically to mimic the composition of human milk or the functional aspects of human milk feeding. This review highlights the issues related to the composition of infant formulas. The most hotly debated issue currently is whether to add long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids to infant formulas. Other controversial topics include the safety and efficacy of soy-based protein formulas, protein quantity and quality as they relate to the infant's nutritional needs and feeding tolerance, and the replacement of lactose with other carbohydrate sources for specialized infant formulas. Recent modifications in the fat blend of infant formulas have led to improved fat digestibility. However, the full spectrum of benefits associated with the addition of nucleotides awaits further study. Modifications to infant formulas are made when the preponderance of scientific evidence suggests that the compositional change will better meet the nutritional needs of the infant.

Aluminum↗

Effect of intravenous L-alanine administration on plasma glucose, insulin and glucagon, blood pyruvate, lactate and beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations in newborn infants. Study in term and preterm newborn infants.

Ten term and eleven preterm newborn infants with appropriate weights for their gestational age were infused for one minute with L-alanine (150 mg/kg) at the age of 29 to 76 hours (mean 48 hours) and circulating levels of glucose, lactate, pyruvate, D-betahydroxybutyrate (D-BOHB), insulin and glucagon were monitored. Plasma glucose concentrations increased from 2.7 +/- 0.16 (mean +/- S.E.M.) to 3.7 +/- 0.2 mmol/l after 50 min (p less than 0.01) in term infants. In preterm infants, after an initial decrease of the glucose level from 3.1 +/- 0.16 to 2.6 +/- 0.16 mmol/l (p less than 0.05), it returned to the baseline level at 50 min: 3.0 +/- 0.2 mmol/l. The blood concentration of D-BOHB decreased in term infants from 192 +/- 37 to 112 + 6 micrometer/l (p less than 0.01) after 40 min. In preterms, its decrease was not significant (p greater than 0.05). Plasma glucagon level rose from 53 +/- 5 to 70 +/- 8 pmol/l after ten minutes (p less than 0.01) in terms infants and from 61 +/- 6 to 75 +/- 9 after 20 min (p less than 0.01) in preterm infants. There were no significant changes in plasma insulin concentrations in either group. Forty minutes after L-alanine infusion, I/G ratios were lower in preterm infants (1.26 +/- 0.14) than in term infants (1.71 +/- 0.25) (p less than 0.01). There was no relationship between the glycemic responses to L-alanine and the basal levels of D-BOHB. The data suggest that the glycemic effect of L-alanine infusion and circulating glucagon depends upon a specific stage in maturation. The antiketogenic effect of L-alanine infusion is observed in term infants as in adults.

Alanine↗

Urinary excretion of lactose and oligosaccharides in preterm infants fed human milk or infant formula.

At present, not much is known about the absorption and metabolism of human milk (HM) oligosaccharides in term and preterm infants. We investigated the renal excretion of lactose and complex oligosaccharides in preterm infants fed HM (n = 9, mean actual body weight 2290 g) or a cow's milk-based infant formula (n = 9, mean actual body weight 2470 g). We found that the renal excretion of lactose in HM-fed infants was slightly lower than in formula-fed infants (14.0 +/- 7.4 versus 20.4 +/- 8.7 mg kg-1 day-1, mean +/- SD). The excretion of neutral sugars deriving from oligosaccharides was similar in HM-fed and formula-fed infants (3.8 +/- 2.1 versus 2.9 +/- 0.9 mg kg-1 day-1); the difference between means was not statistically significant. The separation and characterization of oligosaccharides by high-pH anion exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAE-PAD) and subsequent analysis by fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometry (FAB-MS) revealed a more complex pattern in HM-fed infants compared to the formula-fed group. Lactose-derived oligosaccharides characteristic for HM (e.g. lacto-N-tetraose, and lacto-N-fucopentaoses I and II) were excreted in HM-fed but not in formula-fed infants. These results indicate that nutrition has a significant impact on the oligosaccharide composition in urine of preterm infants.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid↗

Infant to staff ratios and risk of mortality in very low birthweight infants.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effect that infant to staff ratios, in the first three days of life, have on the survival to hospital discharge of very low birthweight infants (<1500 g), having adjusted for initial risk and unit workload. DESIGN: In a retrospective analysis of a cohort of patients, the number of infants per nurse per shift were averaged for the first three days after admission and related to risk of mortality by logistic regression analysis. Infant to staff ratio was divided into terciles of low (1.16-1.58), medium (1.59-1.70), and high (1.71-1.97) infants per staff member. SUBJECTS: 692 very low birthweight infants admitted to the Intensive Care Nursery, Royal Women's Hospital, Brisbane over a four year period from January 1996 to December 1999. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Survival to hospital discharge, adjusted for initial risk using the Clinical Risk Index for Babies (CRIB) score, and adjusted for unit workload using dependency scores. RESULTS: There were 80 deaths among the 692 babies analysed for the study period. The odds of mortality, adjusted for initial risk and infant dependency scores (unit workload), were improved by 82% when an infant/staff ratio of greater than 1.71 occurred, suggesting improved survival with the highest infant/staff ratio. The low and medium staffing levels corresponded with similar odds ratios for mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Infants exposed to higher infant to staff ratios have an improved adjusted risk of survival to hospital discharge.

Birth Weight↗

Analysis of the heart rate and breathing patterns of infants destined to suffer sudden infant death syndrome: probability density function analysis.

From a prospective study into the sudden infant death syndrome in which 24-h recordings of the ECG and respiratory waveform (abdominal wall movement) were made on a population of full-term infants, 22 recordings were obtained on 16 infants who subsequently suffered sudden infant death syndrome. The probability density function for the instantaneous heart rate and the breath to breath intervals and their randomly variabilities were calculated for these 22 recordings and for a control group of 324 infants randomly selected from the remainder of the population. A principal components analysis was then performed to classify the data and to make comparisons between infants. The infants in the analysis were divided into three postnatal age groups. No differences were found between the sudden infant death syndrome cases and the control group for the breath to breath intervals and its variability or for the instantaneous heart rate. Three sudden infant death syndrome cases lay outside the range of values for the heart rate variability at 6 wk of age.

Age Factors↗

Fetal hemoglobin synthesis determined by gamma-mRNA/gamma-mRNA + beta-mRNA quantitation in infants at risk for sudden infant death syndrome being monitored at home for apnea.

OBJECTIVE: Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels in the hemolysates obtained from infants who died from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) are reported to be markedly increased compared with controls. This finding could have been explained by increased HbF synthesis caused by episodes of hypoxemia in the SIDS infants. A prospective study in a group of infants being monitored at home after an apparent life-threatening event (ALTE) and considered at increased risk for SIDS was conducted with an improved ribonuclease protection assay. The ribonuclease protection assay allowed for the quantitation of [gamma/(gamma+beta)]-globin mRNAs, which has a highly significant correlation with the levels of HbF synthesis. METHODS: Thirty-five infants who were admitted for an ALTE were included in the study. All infants were at home under surveillance with a cardiorespiratory monitor and followed in an apnea clinic with monthly appointments. Seventy-three blood samples were obtained between 38 and 61 weeks of postconceptional age. For control purposes, a similar group of 37 normal infants (99 samples) whose HbF synthesis was previously determined were included. RESULTS: Mean [gamma/(gamma+beta)]-globin mRNAs were increased in the ALTE group at 42 to 45 and 46 to 49 weeks of postconceptional age (mean: 55.2 +/- 17.4% and 33.9 +/- 14%) in comparison with HbF synthesis in controls (mean: 42.6 +/- 13.7% and 23.6 +/- 9.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained in this report from infants who were considered at risk for SIDS show that HbF synthesis is increased between 42 and 49 weeks of postconceptional age. Determining HbF synthesis as described in this study may have value as a marker for episodes of hypoxemia for certain infants who are at risk for SIDS.

Apnea↗

Developmental intervention program for high-risk premature infants: effects on development and parent-infant interactions.

Developmental follow-up studies have documented that low birth weight infants are at high risk for mental and physical disabilities, despite recent advances in neonatal intensive care. Moreover, parent-infant bonding is hampered by the barriers created by technical equipment. This study evaluated a program of hospital and home-based developmental interventions designed to enhance the development of high-risk, preterm infants and the quality of communication between infants and their caregivers. Treatment and contrast groups consisted of 41 premature infants weighing less than 1800 g at birth. Treatment took a preventive approach, consisting of daily multimodal interventions in-hospital and twice-monthly interventions by child development specialists in the child's home, through 12 months adjusted age. Infants in the contrast group received traditional, remedially oriented care. The Bayley Scales of Infant Development were used to measure mental and psychomotor development, and the Greenspan-Lieberman Observations System (GLOS) was used to analyze the behavioral characteristics of infant-caregiver interactions. Developmental interventions had positive, significant effects on mental development and on the quality of caregiver-infant interactions. Changes in mental development were not independent of changes in the GLOS.

Cognition↗

Folate nutrition is optimal in exclusively breast-fed infants but inadequate in some of their mothers and in formula-fed infants.

Plasma concentrations of folate were studied in a group of exclusively breast-fed infants and their mothers (their numbers gradually decreased from 200 at birth to 7 at 12 months) and in infants completely weaned to a cow's milk formula (containing 35 micrograms of folate/L) and solid foods. The exclusively breast-fed infants were in no danger of folate deficiency; their plasma levels were elevated after the age of 2 months and, on average, were 2.0-3.3-fold higher than maternal levels throughout the study. None of these infants had an inadequate plasma concentration, whereas up to 5% of the mothers had values less than or equal to 3 micrograms/L, despite supplementation during lactation with 0.1 mg folate/day. In the formula-fed infants, 69-94% of the plasma folate concentrations lay below the lowest concentration for the breast-fed infants. Although no infant had signs of anemia or macrocytosis in red cell indices, the infants weaned earliest had the lowest hemoglobin concentrations (p = 0.09) and the highest mean corpuscular volume (MCV) values (p = 0.06) at 9 months of age. Thus, an infant fed a formula containing the recommended amount of folate runs a risk of folate deficiency.

Age Factors↗

[Overheating and sudden infant death. Temperature regulation in relation to the prone position, the possible pathogenesis of sudden infant death].

The incidence of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in Denmark varied in the period 1982-1991 between 1.5 and 1.9 per 1000 livebirths. In December 1991 recommendations concerning infants' sleeping position were published by The Danish National Board of Health in order to reduce the risk of SIDS. Babies were recommended to be placed in the supine or side position when sleeping. Parents have followed the guidelines. Most Danish infants are now sleeping on their back or in the side position. Simultaneously, the number of SIDS dropped from about 110 to 40 per year. The incidence decreased to 1.2 in 1992 and was further reduced in 1993 to 0.6 per 1000 live births. Referring to our knowledge of the infant's temperature regulation we discuss why the prone position is a risk factor for SIDS. The head is the site of up to 85% of heat loss in an infant in bed. Placed in the prone position, the infant is more likely to suffer a rise in body temperature, especially if this is combined with having a cold, being heavily wrapped and sleeping in a heated room. Preceding sudden death many infants are reported to have suffered from minor viral infections. These might per se increase the body temperature. Parents often wrap infants that have an infection too heavily, which in an infant sleeping in the prone position might increase the body temperature to a higher level than if sleeping supine. The body temperature influences the production of toxins from normal intestinal flora and from pathogenic bacteria.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Body Temperature Regulation↗

Feeding with premature or infant formula in premature infants after discharge: comparison of growth and nutrition status.

We designed this prospective randomized controlled study to evaluate the effects of premature and standard term formula on growth, nutrient intake and biochemical response in premature infants from hospital discharge to 6 months of corrected age. Premature infants with a gestational age of < or =35 weeks and a birth weight < or =1850 gm were assigned to receive premature infant formula (n = 19) or a standard term infant formula (n = 15). No differences were found between the two groups in weight, length, or head circumference at baseline or on follow-up. Infants fed premature formula had higher blood urea nitrogen and phosphorus at 3 months of corrected age. Those on the premature formula also had higher energy intake at 1 month of corrected age. We suggest that premature infants, especially very low birth weight infants, fed preterm infant formula after discharge until 6 months of corrected age tolerate the formula well and may benefit over those standard term formula.

Female↗

Infant mortality among moderately low birth weight infants in Alabama, 1980 to 1983.

A previous study of postneonatal deaths among normal birth weight infants in Alabama indicated that rural residence increased the risk of postneonatal death, the magnitude of the excess risk in the black population, and the risk of death from preventable causes. To determine whether this pattern persisted in a group presumably at higher than usual risk of infant death, patterns of mortality among infants weighing 1500 to 2499 g at birth and born in Alabama between 1980 and 1983 were examined by race, residence, and cause of death. Neonatal and infant mortality rates were higher for black infants; postneonatal mortality rates were higher for black infants. Neonatal mortality was highest for white infants from the rural part of the state; post-neonatal mortality was highest for black infants from the rural part of the state. There was little variation in the proportion of preventable postneonatal deaths by race or residence (17.6% for all) but almost twice as many white deaths were not preventable as black ones (39.0 vs 21.9%). It is posited that rural residence may actually be a surrogate measure for lack of access to health services.

Black or African American↗

Early intervention in low-birth-weight premature infants. Results through age 5 years from the Infant Health and Development Program.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the persistence of effects on health and development at age 5 years of the Infant Health and Development Program, an early childhood intervention that was provided to low-birth-weight (LBW) premature infants from neonatal discharge through age 3 years. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled, multicenter trial, stratified by two LBW groups: lighter (< or = 2000 g) and heavier (2001 to 2500 g). SETTING: Eight socioeconomically heterogeneous clinical sites. PARTICIPANTS: Of 985 eligible infants weighing 2500 g or less and at 37 weeks' or less gestational age, 377 infants were randomly assigned to the intervention group and 608 to the follow-up only group. About two thirds of the infants in each group were in the lighter LBW stratum, and one third were in the heavier LBW stratum. INTERVENTION: The intervention group received home visits (from neonatal discharge through age 3 years) as well as center-based schooling (from 1 to 3 years of age). Children in both groups received pediatric surveillance. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cognitive development, behavioral competence, and health status. RESULTS: At age 5 years, the intervention group had full-scale IQ scores similar to children in the follow-up only group. However, in the heavier LBW stratum, children in the intervention group had higher full-scale IQ scores (3.7 points higher; P = .03) and higher verbal IQ scores (4.2 points higher; P = .02). No significant differences between intervention and follow-up only groups in cognitive measures at age 5 years were noted in the lighter LBW infants. The intervention and follow-up groups were similar in behavior and health measures regardless of LBW stratum. CONCLUSION: The early childhood intervention provided in the first 3 years of life had effects on heavier LBW premature infants' IQ and verbal performance at age 5 years that were not observed for lighter LBW premature infants. The intervention did not affect health or behavior at age 5 years in either LBW stratum.

Child Behavior↗

Fatal attraction: interest in infants and infant abuse in rhesus macaques.

This study investigated whether infant abuse by female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) is a phenomenon specific to their own offspring or reflects a general tendency to interact negatively with infants. Several aspects of the relationship between maternal behavior, infant handling, and infant harassment were also investigated. Study subjects were 20 group-living rhesus mothers with their infants observed during the first 12 weeks of lactation. The results of this study indicate that abusive mothers are highly attracted to infants in general but that infant abuse is a phenomenon specific to their own offspring. Infant harassment is not an accidental by-product of infant handling or the result of maternal inexperience but it is likely related to reproductive competition among lactating females. Maternal behavior and infant handling may be regulated by similar proximate mechanisms, but probably have different adaptive functions and evolutionary history across the Primate order. Am J Phys Anthropol 110:17-25.

Aggression↗

Gender differences in caring for infant Cebuella pygmaea: the role of infant age and relatedness.

This paper describes a three-part study of the parenting behaviors of 6 family groups of Cebuella pygmaea (pygmy marmosets). In the first part, the parenting patterns of undisturbed family groups housed under laboratory conditions were scored throughout the first 10 weeks following the birth of their second infant(s). To further investigate the role of infant age in determining parental behavior, caretaking patterns were studied after a brief separation of infants of varying ages from their families. Finally, an unrelated infant, age 1-5 weeks, was placed inside the home cage of each family, and caretaking of this novel infant was scored. The main findings that emerged from the study were: (1) sex differences in carrying the infants were dependent upon the age of the infant, i.e., adult females were the predominant carriers of infants less than or equal to 3 weeks of age and males (either adult or juvenile) the main carriers for infants greater than 3 weeks of age; (2) some caretaking behaviors, e.g., grooming and protective retrieval, were performed predominantly by the adult females throughout infancy; and (3) the relatedness of the infant, i.e., one's own vs. another's, appeared to primarily affect the behavior of adult females. In general, experimental manipulations confirmed results of the observational part of the study and thus may be useful paradigms for testing specific hypotheses about parental behaviors.

Age Factors↗

Influence of postnatal rearing conditions on the response of squirrel monkey infants to brief perturbations in mother-infant relationships.

This study was designed to determine the behavioral and pituitary-adrenal responses of squirrel monkey mother-infant dyads reared under different housing conditions to either 1- or 6-hr separations. Dyads were reared either in an individual cage or in social groups of 3 mother-infant dyads. The two separation conditions consisted of removing either the mother or the infant to a novel test cage while the other member remained in the home cage. Group-reared infants displayed lower levels of plasma cortisol, movement, and vocalization when they remained in the home cage during separation compared to their responses in the novel cage. However, individually-reared infants displayed high cortisol and activity levels in both separation environments, and vocalization levels were higher at 1 hr in the home cage than in the novel cage. These results indicate that familiarity with the separation environment, per se, does not attenuate the behavioral or physiological responses of infants, but that familiar conspecifics, even in the absence of alloparenting, can benefit an infant during separation from its mother. Two additional test conditions assessed the responses of mother-infant dyads when they were only momentarily separated and then immediately reunited in either the home cage or a novel cage. Reunion in the home cage evoked no cortisol or behavioral responses, but reunion in a novel cage resulted in significant elevations in infant cortisol levels and time in contact with the mother. The corticoid response of the mothers differed from their infants during separations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animal Husbandry↗

Sudden infant death syndrome in infants of cocaine using mothers.

A study of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) with maternal cocaine exposure was undertaken using the perinatal medical records at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center and case files of the Metropolitan Dade County Medical Examiner Department, Miami, Florida USA from 1988-1992. 78 SIDS cases were analysed. 18 infants were classified as cocaine-exposed SIDS infants with positive history of maternal cocaine abuse and/or positive urine toxicology; 50 infants were classified as cocaine-negative SIDS infants without the history and with negative toxicology. The incidence of SIDS among cocaine-exposed infants was estimated to be higher than that of cocaine-negative infants overall (p < 0.025), but statistical significance between the groups was not confirmed when controlled for ethnicity. No significant differences of birth weight, estimated gestational age, body and brain weights were observed at autopsy between the two groups. Cocaine-exposed SIDS cases included 6 infants born small for gestational age (p < 0.05). 10 of 18 cocaine-exposed SIDS infants had a positive result for urine toxicology at birth and died younger aged than cocaine-negative infants (p < 0.05). Toxicology tests of the specimens obtained from cadavers were all negative for cocaine metabolites.

Journal Article↗