scholarly journals Fetal programming and adult health

2001 ◽  
Vol 4 (2b) ◽  
pp. 611-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith M Godfrey ◽  
David JP Barker

AbstractLow birthweight is now known to be associated with increased rates of coronary heart disease and the related disorders stroke, hypertension and non-insulin dependent diabetes. These associations have been extensively replicated in studies in different countries and are not the result of confounding variables. They extend across the normal range of birthweight and depend on lower birthweights in relation to the duration of gestation rather than the effects of premature birth. The associations are thought to be consequences of ‘programming’, whereby a stimulus or insult at a critical, sensitive period of early life has permanent effects on structure, physiology and metabolism. Programming of the fetus may result from adaptations invoked when the materno-placental nutrient supply fails to match the fetal nutrient demand. Although the influences that impair fetal development and programme adult cardiovascular disease remain to be defined, there are strong pointers to the importance of maternal body composition and dietary balance during pregnancy.

Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 120 (7) ◽  
pp. 1409-1411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Campbell ◽  
Cathy MacLean ◽  
Philip A. Beer ◽  
Georgina Buck ◽  
Keith Wheatley ◽  
...  

Abstract Essential thrombocythemia, a myeloproliferative neoplasm, is associated with increased platelet count and risk of thrombosis or hemorrhage. Cytoreductive therapy aims to normalize platelet counts despite there being only a minimal association between platelet count and complication rates. Evidence is increasing for a correlation between WBC count and thrombosis, but prospective data are lacking. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between vascular complications and 21 887 longitudinal blood counts in a prospective, multicenter cohort of 776 essential thrombocythemia patients. After correction for confounding variables, no association was seen between blood counts at diagnosis and future complications. However, platelet count outside of the normal range during follow-up was associated with an immediate risk of major hemorrhage (P = .0005) but not thrombosis (P = .7). Elevated WBC count during follow-up was correlated with thrombosis (P = .05) and major hemorrhage (P = .01). These data imply that the aim of cytoreduction in essential thrombocythemia should be to keep the platelet count, and arguably the WBC count, within the normal range. This study is registered at the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trials Number Registry (www.isrctn.org) as number 72251782.


BMJ ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 329 (7466) ◽  
pp. 585-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
G David Batty ◽  
Ian J Deary
Keyword(s):  

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn L. Humphreys ◽  
Lucy S. King ◽  
Matthew D. Sacchet ◽  
M. Catalina Camacho ◽  
Natalie L. Colich ◽  
...  

2005 ◽  
Vol 2005 ◽  
pp. 12-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. N. Normanton ◽  
J. G. M. Houdijk ◽  
N. S. Jessop ◽  
D. P. Knox ◽  
I. Kyriazakis

A recent study carried out by Houdijk et al (2005), used a rodent model to assess whether a reduction in protein scarcity during lactation resulted in a reduced degree of parasitism. Feeding high protein foods resulted in a reduced worm burden, but was confounded with increased food intake per se. Therefore, effects observed on parasitism may not necessarily have been associated with an increased protein supply, but with changes in the gut environment due to the increased food intake. Before this model can be used to assess the underlying immune responses, further work is needed to verify that the effects observed are indeed related to changes in nutrient supply. This experiment aimed to provide further evidence on the nutritional control of parasitism during lactation by manipulating nutrient demand. It was expected that the latter would not be associated with changes in food intake per se and results could therefore be used to exclude the influence of non-immunological changes in the gut environment as a contributing factor of reduced parasitism.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Wang ◽  
John Attia ◽  
Stephen Lye ◽  
Wendy Oddy ◽  
Lawrence Beilin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: It is well established that genetics, environment, and interplay between them play crucial roles in adult disease. We aimed to evaluate the role of genetics, early life nutrition, and interaction between them, on optimal adult health. Methods: As part of a large international consortium (n~154,000), we identified 60 SNPs associated with both birthweight and adult disease. Utilising the Raine Study, we developed a birthweight polygenic score (BW-PGS) based the 60 SNPs and examined relationships between BW-PGS and adulthood cardiovascular risk factors, specifically evaluating interactions with early life nutrition. Findings: Healthy nutrition was beneficial for all individuals; longer duration of any breastfeeding was associated with lower BMI and lower Systolic Blood Pressure in those with higher BW-PGS. Interpretation: Optimal breastfeeding offers the greatest benefit to reduce adult obesity and hypertension in those genetically predisposed to high birthweight. This provides an example of how precision medicine in early life can improve adult health.


Author(s):  
Amy Ehntholt ◽  
Roman Pabayo ◽  
Lisa Berkman ◽  
Ichiro Kawachi

The misuse of prescription painkillers is a major contributor to the ongoing drug overdose epidemic. This study investigated variability in non-medical use of prescription painkillers (NMUPP) by race and early-life socioeconomic status (SES) in a sample now at increased risk for opioid overdose. Data from two waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 11,602) were used to calculate prevalence of reported NMUPP by Wave 4 (2008; mean age 28), and to assess variation by race and by equivalized household family income at Wave 1 (1994/5). Predicted values for prevalence of NMUPP were modelled, adjusting for age, sex, parental education, and region. Race and SES in adolescence were associated with later reported NMUPP. A gradient was seen in prevalence by SES (adjusted: family income quartile 1 = 13.3%; quartile 2 = 13.8%; quartile 3 = 14.8%; quartile 4 = 16.0%; trend p-value = 0.007). Prevalence was higher among males. Racial/ethnic differences in prevalence were seen (non-Hispanic white (NHW) = 18.5%; non-Hispanic black (NHB) = 5.8%; Hispanic = 10.5%; Other = 10.0%). SES differences were less pronounced upon stratification, with trend tests significant only among females (p = 0.004), and marginally significant among Hispanic males (p = 0.06). Early-life SES was associated with reported lifetime NMUPP: the higher the family income in adolescence, the greater the likelihood of NMUPP by young adulthood. Variations in NMUPP by income paled in comparison with racial/ethnic differences. Results point to a possible long-enduring association between SES and NMUPP, and a need to examine underlying mechanisms.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Jensen Peña ◽  
Milo Smith ◽  
Aarthi Ramakrishnan ◽  
Hannah M. Cates ◽  
Rosemary C. Bagot ◽  
...  

Abstract Abuse, neglect, and other forms of early life stress (ELS) significantly increase risk for psychiatric disorders including depression. In this study, we show that ELS in a postnatal sensitive period increases sensitivity to adult stress in female mice, consistent with our earlier findings in male mice. We used RNA-sequencing in the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal cortex of male and female mice to show that adult stress is distinctly represented in the brain’s transcriptome depending on ELS history. We identify: 1) biological pathways disrupted after ELS and associated with increased behavioral stress sensitivity, 2) putative transcriptional regulators of the effect of ELS on adult stress response, and 3) subsets of primed genes specifically associated with latent behavioral changes. We also provide transcriptomic evidence that ELS increases sensitivity to future stress through enhancement of known programs of cortical plasticity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (03/04) ◽  
pp. 195-203
Author(s):  
Emre Seli ◽  
Scott Morin

AbstractThe majority of offspring born following assisted reproductive technology (ART) achieve equivalent development milestones and demonstrate comparable health as spontaneously conceived children. Yet, multiple studies have suggested offspring conceived with ART have slightly increased risk of metabolic derangements, cardiovascular disease, and malignancy. However, the associations observed in these studies often inadequately control for a variety of confounding variables, such as multiple gestation, premature birth, and low birth weight. Furthermore, many studies fail to account for the increased risk of many of these pathologies in the offspring of subfertile women in general. Lastly, the absolute risk of most of the ailments studied is extremely low. In nearly all examples, the number of women who would need to be treated to observe one additional diagnosis is substantially high. When compared with the number of couples who would have remained childless due to severe male factor infertility or would have been exposed to the risk of passing on a severe monogenic disorder, the general increased risks to ART-exposed children is very small.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S351-S351
Author(s):  
Nicholas A Turiano ◽  
Nicholas A Turiano ◽  
Kate A Leger ◽  
Patrick L Hill

Abstract Childhood misfortune encompasses a diverse set of negative early life experiences that have damaging effects on lifespan development. We extended this topic by examining how early life misfortunes predicted changes in measures of physical functioning (FUNC) and body mass index (BMI) in adulthood (ages 25-75). We used 3-wave data (N = 6,000) from the Midlife Development in the U.S. study across 20 years. Unconditional latent growth curve models (adjusting for age, sex, education) suggested significant (p < .05) mean-level change and variability in change for FUNC (Int = 1.47; Slope = 0.24) and BMI (Int = 26.71; Slope = 0.90). Higher levels of childhood misfortune (e.g., abuse, financial strain) significantly predicted worse FUNC (Int = 0.05; Slope = 0.02) and higher BMIs (Int = 0.24; Slope = 0.07) at baseline and steeper increases over time. Findings underscore the need to address adult health problems that emerge much earlier in life.


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