Skinfold-based-equations to assess longitudinal body composition in children from birth to age 5 years.

Background & Aims: In order to identify children at risk for excess adiposity, it is important to determine body composition longitudinally throughout childhood. However, most frequently used techniques in research are expensive and time-consuming and, therefore, not feasible for use in general clinical practice. Skinfold measurements can be used as proxy for adiposity, but current anthropometry-based-equations have random and systematic errors, especially when used longitudinally in pre-pubertal children.

Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure through infant feeding in early life.

Background And Aims: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are non-degradable, man-made-chemicals with an elimination half-life of multiple years, causing accumulation in the environment and humans with potential harmful effects. However, longitudinal PFAS levels in human milk, daily PFAS intake and the association with infant plasma PFAS levels have never been reported. We investigated longitudinal PFOA and PFOS levels in human milk and the daily PFAS intake through infant feeding in the first 3 months of life, the most important determinants and the correlation with PFAS plasma levels at age 3 months and 2 years.

Longitudinal poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) levels in Dutch infants.

Background And Aims: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a potential hazard for public health. These man-made-chemicals are non-degradable with an elimination half-life of multiple years, causing accumulation in the environment and humans. Rodent studies demonstrated that PFAS are harmful, especially when present during the critical window in the first months of life.

Body composition and bone mineral density by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry: Reference values for young children.

Background & Aims: Childhood obesity is a global public health threat, with an alarming rise in incidence. Obesity at young age has short-term and long-term morbidity. It is, therefore, important to accurately assess body composition throughout infancy and childhood to identify excess adiposity.

Metabolomics in early life and the association with body composition at age 2 years.

Background And Objectives: Early life is a critical window for adiposity programming. Metabolic-profile in early life may reflect this programming and correlate with later life adiposity. We investigated if metabolic-profile at 3 months of age is predictive for body composition at 2 years and if there are differences between boys and girls and between infant feeding types.

Fat mass and fat-free mass track from infancy to childhood: New insights in body composition programming in early life.

Objective: Early life is a critical window for adiposity programming. This study investigated whether fat mass percentage (FM%), fat mass index (FMI), abdominal fat, and fat-free mass (FFM) in early life track into childhood and whether there are sex differences and differences between infant feeding types.

Methods: Detailed body composition was longitudinally measured by air-displacement plethysmography, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and abdominal ultrasound in 224 healthy, term-born children.

Appetite-regulating hormone trajectories and relationships with fat mass development in term-born infants during the first 6 months of life.

Background: The first 6 months of life are a critical window for adiposity programming. Appetite-regulating hormones (ARH) are involved in food intake regulation and might, therefore, play a role in adiposity programming. Studies examining ARH in early life are limited.

Longitudinal telomere length and body composition in healthy term-born infants during the first two years of life.

Objective: Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is one of the markers of biological aging as shortening occurs over time. Shorter LTL has been associated with adiposity and a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. The objective was to assess LTL and LTL shortening during the first 2 years of life in healthy, term-born infants and to associate LTL shortening with potential stressors and body composition.

Longitudinal human milk macronutrients, body composition and infant appetite during early life.

Background & Aims: Breastfeeding is the gold standard infant feeding. Data on macronutrients in relation to longitudinal body composition and appetite are very scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate longitudinal human milk macronutrients at 1 and 3 months in association with body composition and appetite during early life in healthy, term-born infants.

Early weight gain trajectories and body composition in infancy in infants born very preterm.

Background: Concerns are raised about the influence of rapid growth on excessive fat mass (FM) gain in early life and later cardiometabolic health of infants born preterm.

Objectives: To study the association between postnatal weight gain trajectories and body composition in infancy in infants born very preterm.

Methods: In infants born <30 weeks gestation, we evaluated associations between weight Z-score trajectories for three consecutive timeframes (NICU stay, level-II hospital stay and at home) and body composition, measured at 2 and 6 months corrected age by air-displacement plethysmography.

Association Between Fat Mass in Early Life and Later Fat Mass Trajectories.

Importance: A rapid increase in weight in early life is associated with an increased risk for adiposity and cardiovascular diseases at age 21 years and beyond. However, data on associations of early change in measured fat mass percentage (FM%) with adiposity development are lacking.

Objective: To investigate whether a rapid increase in FM% in the first months of life is associated with higher trajectories of body fat mass during the first 2 years of life.

Longitudinal body composition assessment in healthy term-born infants until 2 years of age using ADP and DXA with vacuum cushion.

Objectives: Accelerated gain in fat mass (FM) in early life increases the risk for adult diseases. Longitudinal data on infant body composition are crucial for clinical and research use, but very difficult to obtain due to limited measurement tools and unsuccessful measurements between age 6-24 months. We compared FM% by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), with cushion to reduce movement artifacts, with FM% by air-displacement plethysmography (ADP) and evaluated the reliability of this cushion during DXA by comparing FM% with and without cushion.

[A boy with a painful tumour of his skull].

A 12-year-old boy presented with an increasing painful swelling of the skull. Physical examination revealed in the left parieto-occipital region a skin-coloured solid mass of 2-3 cm in diameter. The X-ray of the skull was highly suspicious for Langerhans cell histiocytosis.