Maternal and pregnancy factors contributing to the association between area deprivation and infant mortality in England: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Socioeconomic inequality in infant mortality in the UK is rising. This study aims to identify contributory maternal and pregnancy factors that can explain the known association between area deprivation and infant mortality.

Methods: A cohort study was conducted using Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) primary care data between 2004 and 2019 linked to the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD), and infant mortality from the Office for National Statistics death data.

Short-term weight variability in infants and toddlers: an observational study.

Aims: To explore short-term weight variability in young children; (1) how it relates to expected weight gain and (2) how it is affected by age, time of day and dietary intakes and outputs.

Methods: Twenty healthy infants aged 2-10 months and 21 healthy toddlers aged 12-35 months were weighed at home by their parents six times over 3 days. The toddlers' parents also recorded whether they had eaten, drunk, urinated or passed stool in the previous 2 hours.

Whole genomes from the extinct Xerces Blue butterfly can help identify declining insect species.

The Xerces Blue () is considered to be the first butterfly to become extinct in historical times. It was notable for its chalky lavender wings with conspicuous white spots on the ventral wings. The last individuals were collected in their restricted habitat, in the dunes near the Presidio military base in San Francisco, in 1941.

A DNA condensation code for linker histones.

Linker histones play an essential role in chromatin packaging by facilitating compaction of the 11-nm fiber of nucleosomal "beads on a string." The result is a heterogeneous condensed state with local properties that range from dynamic, irregular, and liquid-like to stable and regular structures (the 30-nm fiber), which in turn impact chromatin-dependent activities at a fundamental level. The properties of the condensed state depend on the type of linker histone, particularly on the highly disordered C-terminal tail, which is the most variable region of the protein, both between species, and within the various subtypes and cell-type specific variants of a given organism.

Factors Related to Postpartum Depression in People Living With HIV: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: Postpartum depression (PPD) affects one in eight women in the United States. Women with HIV may be at higher risk for PPD. This systematic review examined factors related to PPD in those with HIV.

Weight Velocity in Addition to Latest Weight Does Not Improve the Identification of Wasting or the Prediction of Stunting and Mortality: A Longitudinal Analysis Using Data from Malawi, South Africa, and Pakistan.

Background: In low/middle-income countries, most nutritional assessments use the latest weights, without reference to growth trajectory.

Objectives: This study explores whether velocity, in addition to the latest weight, improves the prediction of wasting, stunting, or mortality in the first 2 years of life.

Methods: We analyzed a combined data set with weight and height data collected monthly in the first year of 3447 children from Pakistan, Malawi, and South Africa, with height and survival recorded till 24 m.

Associations between breastfeeding duration and adherence to complementary feeding recommendations in Scotland.

We aimed to describe how breastfeeding relates to adherence to complementary feeding (CF) recommendations, diet diversification and feeding skills development and whether sociodemographic factors explain any differences observed. The Scottish Maternal Infant and Nutrition Survey for infants aged 8-12 months collected breastfeeding history, CF practices, diet and sociodemographic data using a self-completion questionnaire. Non-healthful CF practices were starting CF < 6 months, any consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), sweet or salty snacks (treats) or unmodified cow's milk and regular consumption of commercial baby foods.

The inhibitor protein IF from mammalian mitochondria inhibits ATP hydrolysis but not ATP synthesis by the ATP synthase complex.

The hydrolytic activity of the ATP synthase in bovine mitochondria is inhibited by a protein called IF, but bovine IF has no effect on the synthetic activity of the bovine enzyme in mitochondrial vesicles in the presence of a proton motive force. In contrast, it has been suggested based on indirect observations that human IF inhibits both the hydrolytic and synthetic activities of the human ATP synthase and that the activity of human IF is regulated by the phosphorylation of Ser-14 of mature IF. Here, we have made both human and bovine IF which are 81 and 84 amino acids long, respectively, and identical in 71.

Does planning to mixed feed undermine breastfeeding?

Continued breastfeeding is important for infants' health, but it is unclear whether mixed feeding increases the risk of breastfeeding cessation. We aimed to explore associations of mixed feeding and lactation problems with early cessation of breastfeeding. We analysed data from mothers who completed the Scottish National Maternal and Infant Feeding Survey and had previously breastfed their infants.

Evaluation of the Healthy Start voucher scheme on maternal vitamin use and child breastfeeding: a natural experiment using data linkage.

Background: Having a good start in life during pregnancy and infancy has been shown to be important for living both a healthy life and a longer life. Despite the introduction of many policies for the early-years age group, including voucher schemes, with the aim of improving nutrition, there is limited evidence of their impact on health.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of the Healthy Start voucher scheme on infant, child and maternal outcomes, and to capture the lived experiences of the Healthy Start voucher scheme for low-income women.

Digital preconception interventions targeting weight, diet and physical activity: A systematic review.

Aim: Optimising preconception health increases the likelihood of conception, positively influences short- and long-term pregnancy outcomes and reduces intergenerational chronic disease risk. Our aim was to synthesise study characteristics and maternal outcomes of digital or blended (combining face to face and digital modalities) interventions in the preconception period.

Methods: We searched six databases (PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Web of Science, CINHAL and PsycINFO) from 1990 to November 2022 according to the PRISMA guidelines for randomised control trials, quasi-experimental trials, observation studies with historical control group.

High-quality haploid genomes corroborate 29 chromosomes and highly conserved synteny of genes in Hyles hawkmoths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae).

Background: Morphological and traditional genetic studies of the young Pliocene genus Hyles have led to the understanding that despite its importance for taxonomy, phenotypic similarity of wing patterns does not correlate with phylogenetic relationship. To gain insights into various aspects of speciation in the Spurge Hawkmoth (Hyles euphorbiae), we assembled a chromosome-level genome and investigated some of its characteristics.

Results: The genome of a male H.

How can we best chart children's growth in the paperless age? The UK experience.

Growth charts have played an integral part in the monitoring and assessment of children's health for the past 50 years, but their use is now under threat as paperless electronic systems become more widely used. While the obvious solution is to adopt electronic charting systems, this can prove challenging in practice. This article describes the key issues to consider in planning this transition and the charting options available, ranging from bespoke local systems to commercial packages and a new initiative by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Growth patterns in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy from Argentina and Germany.

To analyze growth patterns of children with CP between countries; to examine differences in growth; and to assess the fit of growth charts. Cross-sectional study in children with CP from 2 to 19 years old, 399 from Argentina and 400 from Germany. Growth measures were converted into z-scores and compared to WHO reference and US CP growth charts.

The genome sequence of the Chalkhill Blue, (Poda, 1761).

We present a genome assembly from an individual male (the Chalkhill Blue; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Lycaenidae). The genome sequence is 541 megabases in span. Most of the assembly is scaffolded into 90 chromosomal pseudomolecules, including the assembled Z sex chromosome.

The genome sequence of the peppered moth, Linnaeus, 1758.

We present a genome assembly from an individual male (the peppered moth; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Geometridae). The genome sequence is 405 megabases in span. The majority of the assembly (99.

World variation in head circumference for children from birth to 5 years and a comparison with the WHO standards.

Objective: A recent review reported that the WHO 2006 growth standards reflect a smaller head circumference at 24 months than seen in 18 countries. Whether this happens in early infancy and to what extent populations differ is not clear. This scooping review aimed to estimate the rates of children in different populations identified as macrocephalic or microcephalic by WHO standards.

The genome sequence of the wall brown, (Linnaeus, 1767).

We present a genome assembly from an individual female (the wall brown; Arthropoda; Insecta; Lepidoptera; Nymphalidae). The genome sequence is 488 megabases in span. The majority of the assembly (99.

How much do preverbal children signal a wish to be fed? Nested case control study comparing weight faltering and healthy infants.

Unlabelled: We aimed to 1/develop an observational tool to rate non-verbal cues infants give when being fed 2/test whether these differ between healthy children and those with weight faltering (WF) 3/describe how well these predict whether offered food is eaten.

Subjects: and methods: The study used videos of infants eating a standardised meal studied in a case control study nested within the Gateshead Millennium Study (GMS). Infants with weight faltering (WF) were each matched to 2 healthy controls.

Alternative splicing as a source of phenotypic diversity.

A major goal of evolutionary genetics is to understand the genetic processes that give rise to phenotypic diversity in multicellular organisms. Alternative splicing generates multiple transcripts from a single gene, enriching the diversity of proteins and phenotypic traits. It is well established that alternative splicing contributes to key innovations over long evolutionary timescales, such as brain development in bilaterians.

Weight loss during ambulatory tube weaning: don't put the feeds back up.

Objective: To describe the prevalence of weight loss during tube weaning and its impact on wean duration and growth.

Setting: Tertiary feeding clinic, UK.

Patients: All children seen for weaning from long-term enteral feeding between 2008 and 2016.