Development of the gut microbiota in healthy twins during the first 2 years of life and associations with body mass index z-score: Results from the Wuhan twin birth cohort study.

The gut microbiota undergoes rapid and vital changes to microbial community structure and the microbial-immune crosstalk during the first 3 years of life, which is thought to be involved in the pathobiology of later-life disease. Compared to single-born children, little is known about the gut microbiota of twins in early childhood. Based on the Wuhan Twin Birth Cohort study, 344 stool samples from 204 twin families were analyzed to investigate the difference in gut microbiota composition at 6, 12, and 24 months of age.

Gut Microbiota Diversity and Overweight/Obesity in Infancy: Results from a Nested Case-control Study.

Objective: Childhood obesity is a major health concern worldwide. Previous studies have explored the relationship between obesity and gut microbiota. However, the results from such studies remain contradictory.

Risks of maternal prepregnancy overweight/obesity, excessive gestational weight gain, and bottle-feeding in infancy rapid weight gain: evidence from a cohort study in China.

Rapid weight gain (RWG) in infants is associated with numerous health problems, and its risk factors are still unclear. We assessed 98,097 maternal-infant pairs from a population-based cohort study and followed up with them until the infants were 6 months old. We assessed the associations between maternal prepregnancy weight status; gestational weight gain; feeding pattern; and infants' RWG at 0-1, 0-3, 1-3, and 3-6 months using multivariate unconditional logistic regression models, with controlled confounders.

[Risk factors for otitis media with effusion in children].

Objective: To identify the risk factors for otitis media with effusion (OME) in some kindergarten children in Wuhan City of China and analyze the results with reference to the review of the literature.

Methods: The study subjects were 3 to 6 years old children drawn from a school screening program for OME in Wuhan. All subjects were assessed with routine otorhinolaryngologic examination, otoscopic examination and tympanometry.