Inner-city, minority populations are high-risk groups for adverse birth outcomes and also are more likely to be exposed to environmental contaminants, including environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in urban air. In a sample of nonsmoking African-American and Dominican women, we evaluated the effects on birth outcomes of...

OBJECTIVE To assess the somatic growth of preterm newborns through growth curves during the first 12 weeks of life. METHOD A longitudinal and prospective study was carried out at two state operated maternity hospitals in the city of Belo Horizonte. Three hundred and forty preterm infants with birth weight less than 2,500 g were weekly evaluated in terms of body weight, head circumference, and...

Arginine is a constituent of proteins and a precursor for polyamines and nitric oxide, and is essential for placentation, angiogenesis, and growth. Maternal plasma arginine concentrations are found to be lower in pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction, and arginine supplementation in later pregnancy is reported to increase birth weight. We measured arginine and the metabolites asym...

Background: Several methods have been proposed to improve growth in neonates, including touch and massage therapy, however, there are conflicting results about the effect of massage. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of massage therapy on body mass and head circumference indicators of healthy infants and also according to gender. Methods: In this random...

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the incidence and risk factors for Intrauterine Growth Retardation (IUGR) and Extra Uterine Growth Retardation (EUGR) and provide more approaches for appropriate nutritional support for preterm infants. Methods: A total of 144 preterm infants (75 male and 69 female) were involved in this study. According to the relationship between gestational age...

BACKGROUND In Nepal, more than 90% of the deliveries take place at home where birth weight is often not recorded. In developing countries, low birth weight (LBW, <2500 grams) accounts for 60-80% of neonatal deaths. Early identification and referral of LBW babies for extra essential newborn care is vital in preventing neonatal deaths. Studies carried out in different populations have suggested t...

BACKGROUND We examined the associations between socioeconomic trajectories from birth to adulthood and gestational age and birth size in the next generation, using linked data from two population-based birth cohorts carried out in a Brazilian city. By comparing socioeconomic trajectories of mothers and fathers, we attempted to identify-specific effects of maternal and paternal socioeconomic tra...

background: birth weight is considered as the most important index of neonates' growth as well as the most important determinant of infants' mortality. this study was conducted to investigate the growth pattern in normal, low and very low birth weight neonates for 18 months in the health care centers of isfahan, iran. materials and methods: in a cross-sectional and retrospective study, 214 neon...