Biomedical subjects

Caroline Fall

Publications and source records attributed to Caroline Fall.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Geographical variation in relationships between parental body size and offspring phenotype at birth.

BACKGROUND: Size and body proportions at birth are partly determined by maternal body composition, but most studies of mother-baby relationships have only considered the effects of maternal height and weight on offspring birth weight, and few have examined the size of effects. Paternal size and body composition also play a role, primarily through the fetal genome, although few studies have investigated relationships with neonatal phenotype. METHODS: Data from the UK, Finland, India, Sri Lanka, China, DR Congo, Nigeria and Jamaica were used to investigate the effects of maternal measures (derived at 30 weeks' gestation, n=16,418), and also paternal size (n=3,733) on neonatal phenotype, for singleton, live-born, term births. RESULTS: After accounting for variation in maternal size and shape across populations, differences in neonatal phenotype were markedly reduced. Mother-baby relationships were similar across populations, although some were stronger in developing countries. Maternal height was generally the strongest predictor of neonatal length, maternal head circumference of neonatal head and maternal skinfold thickness of neonatal skinfolds. Relationships with maternal arm muscle area were generally weak. Effects of paternal height and body mass index were weaker than the equivalent maternal measurements in most studies. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in maternal body composition account for a large part of the geographical variation in neonatal phenotype. The size of the effects of all maternal measures on neonatal phenotype suggests that nutrition at every stage of the mother's life cycle may influence fetal growth. Further research is needed into father-baby relationships and the genetic mechanisms that influence fetal growth.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Geographical variation in neonatal phenotype.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown associations between size and body proportions at birth and health outcomes throughout the life cycle, but there are few data on how neonatal phenotype varies in different populations around the world. METHODS: Data from the UK, Finland, India, Sri Lanka, China, DR Congo, Nigeria, and Jamaica (n=22,067) were used to characterize geographical differences in phenotype in singleton, live-born newborns. Measurements included birth weight, placental weight, length, head, chest, abdominal and arm circumferences, and skinfolds. RESULTS: Neonates in Europe were the largest, followed by Jamaica, East Asia (China), then Africa and South Asia. Birth weight varied widely (mean values 2,730-3,570 g), but in contrast, head circumference was similar in all except China (markedly smaller). The main difference in body proportions between populations was the head to length ratio, with small heads relative to length in China and large heads relative to length in South Asia and Africa. CONCLUSIONS: These marked geographical differences in neonatal phenotype need to be considered when investigating determinants of fetal growth, and optimal phenotype for short-term and long-term outcomes.

Anthropometry↗

PubMed2006

Gender differences in body mass index in rural India are determined by socio-economic factors and lifestyle.

A survey of the nutritional status of women in 6 villages of the Pune district of Maharashtra, India, found young women to have a significantly lower BMI than their male peers. The purpose of this study was to identify social and economic factors associated with this difference in thinness and to explore the behavior in men and women that might underlie these associations. We compared men and women in 90 families in this part of Maharashtra by taking measurements of the height and weight of the married couple of child-bearing age in each family and assessing their social and economic details, fasting practices, and oil consumption. In this agricultural community, women were thinner in joint land-owning families, where the main occupation was farming, than those in nonfarming families. This was not true of men in this type of family. Men in "cash-rich" families had higher BMI than men in families without this characteristic. There was no corresponding difference in women's BMI. We then examined the lifestyles of men and women in a subset of 45 of these families. Women were more likely to work full time in farming than men, to carry the burden of all household chores, to have less sleep, and to eat less food away from home than men. Women fasted more frequently and more strictly than men. Despite identifying significant differences in behavior between men and women in the same household, we did not find a direct link between behavior and BMI. We conclude that being married into a farming family is an important factor in determining the thinness of a woman in rural Maharashtra.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Early life influences on serum 1,25 (OH) vitamin D.

There is increasing evidence to support the role of the intrauterine and early postnatal environment in determining adult bone mass and risk of fracture. The mechanisms by which this occurs are uncertain but include perturbations in several endocrine axes. Vitamin D is integrally involved in bone metabolism and is therefore an ideal candidate. This study assesses whether birthweight and weight at 1 year of age are associated with the calcium vitamin D axis in elderly women. Vitamin D metabolites, parathyroid hormone, bone mineral density and biochemical markers of bone turnover were measured in 129 healthy women (mean age 65.5 years) from the MRC Hertfordshire Cohort Study whose birthweight and weight at 1 year were available from records. Serum 1,25 (OH)2 vitamin D concentrations were reduced with increasing weight at 1 year (19.1% reduction between the lowest and highest tertiles, P <0.01). A similar, but weaker trend was seen for birthweight. These associations were not explained by serum levels of serum calcium, phosphate, PTH, creatinine or sex hormones. The association of serum calcium with 1,25 (OH)2 vitamin D was greatest in the lowest tertile with little association in the highest tertile suggesting an increased sensitivity of renal 1-alpha hydroxylase in the lowest tertile. Highest levels of 1,25 (OH)2 vitamin D were associated with low BMD and high levels of urinary N-telopeptide suggesting that vitamin D metabolism may mediate the intrauterine and early postnatal environmental effects on adult BMD.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2005

Maternal total homocysteine concentration and neonatal size in India.

The smallness of Indian babies is ascribed to small maternal size and their chronic under nutrition. Micronutrient nutrition of the mother may be particularly important. We investigated the relationship between maternal circulating concentrations of total homocysteine (tHcy), vitamin B12 and folate and offspring size at birth. Mothers of full term small for gestation age babies (SGA, gestation and sex specific birth weight <10th centile, N = 30) and mothers of appropriate for gestational age babies (AGA, >10th centile, N = 50) were compared for their body size, plasma tHcy, vitamin B12 and red cell folate concentration at 28 week gestation. Mothers of SGA babies were lighter and shorter than those of AGA babies (P <0.05, both) and had higher plasma tHcy concentration (P<0.01). Total homocysteine concentrations were inversely related to plasma vitamin B12 and red cell folate concentrations (r = approximately -0.5, P <0.01, both). Seventy percent of the women had a low vitamin B12 status (plasma vitamin B12 <150 pmol/L) but none were folate deficient (red cell folate <283 nmol/L). Higher maternal plasma tHcy concentration was significantly associated with lower offspring birth weight (r = -0.28, P<0.05 adjusting for maternal height, weight, gestation at delivery and the baby's gender), this effect was reduced by adjustment for red cell folate concentration. We conclude that maternal vitamin B12 deficiency reflected in plasma tHcy concentration contributes to small size of Indian babies.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Evidence of sexual dimorphism in relationships between estrogen receptor polymorphisms and bone mass: the Hertfordshire study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between estrogen receptor (ER) a and ss gene polymorphisms and bone mass. METHODS: Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured at the lumbar spine and proximal femur twice, 4 years apart, in a cohort of 147 men and 125 women aged 61-73 years. Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood samples, and genotyping for the ER (PvuII, XbaI, and AluI) was undertaken. RESULTS: There were no significant associations between either the XbaI or PvuII polymorphisms and bone mass, or bone loss in the cohort as a whole. However, men homozygous for the aa beta receptor polymorphism had higher BMD at the lumbar spine (p = 0.05), femoral neck (p = 0.01), and total femur (p = 0.01). Women homozygous for aa had lower femoral neck and total femoral BMD than women of the AA or Aa genotypes (p = 0.01 and p = 0.02). Gender*ERbeta interaction terms were statistically significant (p = 0.02 for lumbar spine BMD, p = 0.0004 for femoral neck BMD, and p = 0.0003 for total femoral BMD, each test with 2 degrees of freedom unadjusted). Adjustment for sex hormone concentration and lifestyle factors made little difference to our results. CONCLUSION: We found relationships between the ERbeta gene and the determination of bone mass among men and women in their seventh decade.

Aged↗