The study objectives were to: (1) assess fetal exposure to oxidative stress by measuring amniotic fluid concentrations of nitric oxide (NO), thiobarbituric acid--reactive substances (TBARS), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and (2) establish whether these concentrations were associated with infant birth weight, gestational age, or oxidative stress-related conditions arising during pregnancy. Frozen amniotic fluid samples were obtained from 654 mothers undergoing amniocentesis for genetic testing during second trimester in Montreal, QC, Canada. Maternal and neonatal characteristics were collected from medical charts and questionnaires and exclusion criteria were applied. ANOVAs and multivariate regression analyses showed that NO, which differed among pre-term, term, and post-term groups, was a positive predictor of gestational age. TBARS were highly correlated with sample storage and were not associated with pregnancy outcome parameters. FRAP positively predicted gender-corrected birth-weight-for-gestational-age. Our study shows that markers of oxidative and nitrative stress in-utero are associated with pregnancy outcomes.

The health of children and immigrants has been paramount to the economics literature in recent years. A strong relationship between parents’ socioeconomic status and children’s health has been well established. The vast short- and long-term consequences of children’s health outcomes, like low birth weight, have been emphasized. Similarly, empirical studies have attributed considerable importance to immigrants’ health. The healthy immigrant effect (HIE), a phenomenon where immigrants are healthier upon arrival but their health diminishes through time, has been evidenced in Canada. However, the link between children’s health and the HIE has not been made. Using birth weight as a health measure, the intergenerational transmission of the HIE through social capital is examined. With the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth this study provides robust evidence of the perpetuation of the HIE. However, social capital does not appear to be a determinant of birth weight for immigrants’ children in Canada.

No description available.

The study objective was to determine whether early 2 nd trimester amniotic fluid (AF) erythropoietin (EPO) was associated with and predictive of (a) development of maternal gestational diabetes (GDM) and (b) the infant outcome parameters of (i) gestational age at birth (GAAB) assessed exclusively among spontaneous vaginal deliveries or (ii) birth weight (measured in grams and percentiles). Enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay was used to determine the EPO concentration of 170 biobanked AF samples. Student's t-test revealed no difference between GDM and non-GDM subjects. AF EPO was not predictive of GAAB despite being significantly greater among preterm infants compared to post-term infants. In contrast, AF EPO was significantly higher among the smallest infants using both birth weight classification schemes. However, following inclusion of known covariates AF EPO was predictive of gram birth weight only. Early 2nd trimester AF EPO may emerge as a useful biomarker of fetal nutritional status and/or growth.

Monozygotic (MZ) twins are currently used in epigenetic studies as one homogenous group. However, there are two MZ twin types: dichorionic (DC) and monochorionic (MC). We hypothesize that DCMZ twins are more similar epigenetically, compared to MCMZ twins, due to earlier zygote splitting, a higher degree of birth outcome similarity, or both. We recruited 220 newborn twins and obtained genome-wide DNA methylation profiles for 48 twins. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and linear mixed models were used to investigate the relationships between DNA methylation levels and chorionicity. DCMZ twins tended to have longer gestational age, larger birth weight, and smaller birth length discordance. DCMZ twins had more similar DNA methylation profiles than MCMZ twins (ICC=0.21 vs. 0.13), after adjusting for birth outcomes. Additionally, we identified 5,170 CpG sites with different DNA methylation levels between DCMZ and MCMZ twins. This study highlights the importance of incorporating chorionicity information in epigenetic twin studies.

The objectives were (1) to establish a profile of total fatty acids and cholesterol in amniotic fluid (AF) as well as (2) to determine possible associations between AT fatty acids (micromolar and relative proportion) with gestational age and birth weight. A total of 208 AF samples collected between 12 and 22 weeks of gestation during routine amniocentesis were analyzed using tandem column gas chromatography (GC). Smoking increased AF polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs) levels while developmental stage and storage time decreased AF fatty acid quantities. AF trans fatty acids (TFAs) were negatively associated with both birth outcomes, whereas specific fatty acids including stearic acid (C18:0) and gondoic acid (C20:1n-9) were identified as negative predictors for gestational age and birth weight respectively. This study demonstrated novel relationships between fatty acids and fetal growth and gestational age in early midgestation AF, suggesting a possible role of AF fatty acids in predicting birth outcomes.

This thesis investigates the experiences of ten Australian mothers and seven fathers breastfeeding very low birth weight preterm infants, from the baby's birth to 12 months of age. A series of longitudinal in-depth interviews with the parents were used to explore the phenomenon of breastfeeding a preterm infant. Forty-five interviews were undertaken using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach based on the work of Patricia Benner. / The study explores the parents' experiences and understandings of breastfeeding in the preterm context and describes how they managed this challenging situation. Most apparent in this study are the numerous contradictions, tensions and disparities between what the participant parents expected their breastfeeding experiences to be like and what became their reality. Analysis of the data demonstrates the ways in which breastfeeding and feeding the preterm infant were objectified to the detriment of their overall satisfaction. Expressed breast milk became the primary focus of attention, the 'liquid gold' that parents strove for, while the mothers, in effect, became 'milking machines' intent solely on the production of breast milk. This objectification of the breastfeeding experience resulted in parents losing control over many aspects of normal parenting and surrendering their ability to make decisions regarding their infant's care, particularly their nutrition and feeding management following discharge from hospital. / The conflicts and tensions within the preterm-breastfeeding experience were distressing for the participant parents. They considered breastfeeding to be integral to the performance of motherhood and good parenting. Mothers, in particular, in this study tried hard to cope with these contradictions and their implications. The parents' focus on doing best for baby was paramount and they were prepared to do whatever they or others deemed necessary. Although espousing the benefits of breastfeeding for their baby, the participants' experiences showed that hospital staff practices often fostered objectified breast milk feeding, which parents found counterproductive to exclusive at-breast feeding. / This research extends existing knowledge of breastfeeding by explicating in detail parental experience of breastfeeding very low birth weight preterm infants. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2004.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Uppsala universitet, 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Univ., 2001. / Härtill 6 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2002. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.