Biometrical genetical techniques have been applied to the analysis of certain anthropometric characters measured in 134 pairs of adult twins. After allowing for assortative mating it appears that there is a family environment (E2) component for variation in height larger than previously reported. "Fatness" traits - weight, ponderal index, and skinfold thickness - all show higher heritabilities ...

DHA (22 : 6n-3) in pregnancy has previously been shown to benefit infant brain and retinal development. Fatty acid consumption during pregnancy may also have an impact on infant adipose tissue development. The objective of the present study was to assess the prenatal impact of a DHA-containing functional food (DHA-FF) on infant intra-uterine growth. This was a longitudinal, randomised, double-b...

OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study were to compare early predictive marker of the metabolic syndrome with proopiomelanocortin (POMC) methylation status and to determine the association among birth weight, ponderal index, and cord blood methylation status. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We collected pregnancy outcome data from pregnant women, cord blood samples at delivery, and blood from chi...

In the natural history of type 2 diabetes, pancreatic insulin secretion is progressively depleted and metabolic control worsens. Treatment of these patients usually starts with diet and exercise, with subsequent use of oral glucose-lowering drugs, finally ending with insulin therapy to achieve good metabolic control. When there is still endogenous insulin secretion, the combination of insulin a...

Fibrinogen is considered to be a strong predictor and independent factor of cardiovascular diseases. The data presented here describe the baseline measurements of fibrinogen in 1008 apparently healthy subjects, aged 4-60 years and their relationship to age, sex, body weight, smoking, alcohol, and use of oral contraceptives. Pearson's correlations and a linear multiple regression model were used...

BACKGROUND There are several lines of evidence pointing to fetal and other early origins of diseases of the aging brain, but there are no data directly addressing the hypotheses in an older population. We investigated the association of fetal size to late-age measures of brain structure and function in a large cohort of older men and women and explored the modifying effect of education on these...

AIMS Fasting plasma glucose (FPG) concentration measured at the first prenatal visit is a predictor of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM); however, whether this test is indicative of fetal growth has not been clarified. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine whether birth weight and birth length were related to FPG levels at the first prenatal visit. MATERIALS AND METHODS Research ...

BACKGROUND/AIM Although lamellar bodies have been the center of interest over the last years, the published results of fetal pulmonary maturity determination according to their concentration in amniotic fluid are controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the significance of lamellar bodies, as well as the ratio lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) in amniotic fluid for the assessment of fet...

BACKGROUND Gastroschisis patients are commonly small for gestational age (SGA, birth weight [BW] < 10th centile). However, the extent, symmetry and causes of that growth restriction remain controversial. METHODS We compared BW, crown-heel length (LT), occipitofrontal circumference (OFC) and ponderal index (PI) in 179 gastroschisis cases and 895 matched controls by univariate and multiple regr...