INTRODUCTION People born preterm at very low birth weight (VLBW, ≤1500g) have higher rates of risk factors for adult-onset diseases, including cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. These risks may be mediated through epigenetic modification of genes that are critical to normal growth and development. METHODS We measured the methylation level of an imprinted insulin-like-growth-factor 2...

CONTEXT Little is known about the mental health outcomes of very low-birth-weight (VLBW) (< 1500 g) infants in young adulthood. OBJECTIVE To test whether young adults aged 18 to 27 years with VLBW differ from term control subjects in depressive symptoms, current use of antidepressant medication, and the rate of depression diagnosed by a physician. DESIGN Retrospective longitudinal study. ...

Premature birth is associated with visual impairments, due to both cerebral and ocular pathology. This study examined the relationship between cerebral white matter microstructure, evaluated by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and visual function, in 30 preterm born adolescents with very low birth weight (VLBW=birth weight⩽1500g) and an age-matched group of 45 term born controls. Visual acuity c...

Introduction: Although preterm birth represents a risk factor for early mother-infant interactions, few studies have focused on toddlerhood, an important time for the development of symbolic play, autonomous skills, and child's socialization competences. Moreover, no study has looked at the effect of birth weight on mother-child interactions during this period. Expanding on the available litera...

OBJECTIVE To estimate the independent contribution of birth weight to asthma prevalence among children younger than 4 years in the United States and to compare the magnitude of its effect on asthma between African American and white children. DESIGN Cross-sectional analysis using the 1988 National Maternal-Infant Health Survey and 1991 Longitudinal Follow-up Survey. SETTING United States. ...

background: thyroid function disorders, particularly congenital hypothyroidism (cht), are important endocrine dysfunctions associated with permanent morbidities. cht is more prevalent among preterm low-birth-weight neonates compared to term infants with normal weight. methods: this prospective cohort study was conducted on 126 very-low-birth-weight (vlbw) neonates referred to the neonatal inten...

BACKGROUND This study aimed to assess the incidence and survival rates of neonates weighing less than 2500g for duration of the first 28 days in an Iranian community. METHODS In this prospective longitudinal study, all neonates with birth weight less than 2500g were selected from the list of all neonates born in the only public-sector referral hospital, for a six months period. The weight of ...