Polymorphism of the insulin gene (INS) variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR; class I or class III alleles) locus has been associated with adult diseases and with birth size. Therefore, this variant is a potential contributory factor to the reported fetal origins of adult disease. In the population-based Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood birth cohort, we have confirmed in the...

BACKGROUND Studies relying on outdoor pollutants measures have reported associations between air pollutants and birth weight. OBJECTIVE Our aim was to assess the relation between maternal personal exposure to airborne benzene during pregnancy and fetal growth. METHODS We recruited pregnant women in two French maternity hospitals in 2005-2006 as part of the EDEN mother-child cohort. A subsam...

The effect of consanguinity on fetal growth and development was studied in 3700 consecutive births (live and stillborn); 26% of the total births were to consanguineous couples. Hindus had a higher frequency of consanguineous marriages, uncle-niece unions being the commonest type, whereas Moslems preferred first cousin marriages. The incidence of congenital malformations was 39.1/1000 births wit...

According to the World Health Organization, birth-weight of less than 2,500 g is considered low birth-weight since below this value birth-specific infant mortality begins to rise rapidly. In Bangladesh, the prevalence of low birth-weight is unacceptably high. To screen low-birth-weight babies, simple anthropometric parameters can be used in rural areas where 80-90% of deliveries take place. A s...

Background The developmental delays of children, is one of the most important sources of information to detect the developmental delays of children. The aim of this study was to investigate the developmental delays and its relationship with anthropometric indices in Urmia city, Iran. Materials and Methods This is a descriptive analytical study that conducted on 422 children who had 6-12 months ...

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the prevalence of maternal smoking during pregnancy and its impact on anthropometric measurements of newborns. A standardized questionnaire was applied to all pregnant women admitted for delivery in the maternity units in Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, in 2007. Measurements were taken of the newborns' weight, length, and head circumf...

BACKGROUND Empirical evidence suggests that prenatal growth is associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its symptoms. Data on the importance of postnatal growth is, however scanty. We studied whether pre- and postnatal growth up to 56 months is associated with symptoms of ADHD in children. METHOD A longitudinal regional birth cohort study comprising 893 children fol...

OBJECTIVE To examine the relation between birth weight and measured intelligence at age 7 years in children within the normal range of birth weight and in siblings. DESIGN Cohort study of siblings of the same sex. SETTING 12 cities in the United States. SUBJECTS 3484 children of 1683 mothers in a birth cohort study during the years 1959 through 1966. The sample was restricted to children ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether zinc supplementation during pregnancy is associated with an increase in birth weight. DESIGN A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. SETTING Outpatient clinic and delivery service at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. PATIENTS Five hundred eighty medically indigent but otherwise healthy African-American pregnant women with plasma zinc levels...