Prospective prediction of childhood body mass index trajectories using multi-task Gaussian processes.

Background: Body mass index (BMI) trajectories have been used to assess the growth of children with respect to their peers, and to anticipate future obesity and disease risk. While retrospective BMI trajectories have been actively studied, models to prospectively predict continuous BMI trajectories have not been investigated.

Materials And Methods: Using longitudinal BMI measurements between birth and age 10 y from a mother-offspring cohort, we leveraged a multi-task Gaussian process approach to develop and evaluate a unified framework for modeling, clustering, and prospective prediction of BMI trajectories.

The prospective associations of fetal growth-related pregnancy complications with subsequent breastfeeding duration and markers of human milk production.

Background: The development of the breast for lactation occurs throughout pregnancy. It is unknown whether pregnancy complications resulting in poor fetal growth can affect breastfeeding (BF) success.

Objectives: We examined whether fetal growth-related pregnancy complications were associated with earlier BF cessation and changes in the concentrations of human milk biomarkers of low milk production.

Exploring multi-omics and clinical characteristics linked to accelerated biological aging in Asian women of reproductive age: insights from the S-PRESTO study.

Background: Phenotypic age (PhenoAge), a widely used marker of biological aging, has been shown to be a robust predictor of all-cause mortality and morbidity in different populations. Existing studies on biological aging have primarily focused on individual domains, resulting in a lack of a comprehensive understanding of the multi-systemic dysregulation that occurs in aging.

Methods: PhenoAge was evaluated based on a linear combination of chronological age (CA) and 9 clinical biomarkers in 952 multi-ethnic Asian women of reproductive age.

Validation of a Passive Solar Drying System Using Pineapple.

Wasted produce is a pertinent issue in agriculture, with billions of tons of produce going to waste even before it hits markets. Specifically, in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), nearly half of all produce is lost before market. To combat this, the Agricycle passive solar drier was designed to provide a cost-effective method of drying fruit for preservation.

Associations of cord plasma per- and polyfluoroakyl substances (PFAS) with neonatal and child body composition and adiposity: The GUSTO study.

Background: The influence of prenatal exposure to per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) on birth size and offspring adiposity is unclear, especially for the newer, shorter-chained replacement PFAS.

Methods: In the GUSTO multi-ethnic Singaporean mother-offspring cohort, 12 PFAS were measured in 783 cord plasma samples using ultra-performance-liquid chromatography-tandem-mass-spectrometer (UPLC-MS/MS). Outcomes included offspring anthropometry, other indicators of body composition/metabolic health, and MRI-derived abdominal adiposity (subset) at birth and 6 years of age.

Effect of an Asian-adapted Mediterranean diet and pentadecanoic acid on fatty liver disease: the TANGO randomized controlled trial.

Background: Weight loss is the most effective treatment for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). There is evidence that the Mediterranean diets rich in unsaturated fatty acids and fiber have beneficial effects on weight homeostasis and metabolic risk factors in individuals with NAFLD. Studies have also shown that higher circulating concentrations of pentadecanoic acid (C15:0) are associated with a lower risk for NAFLD.

A fully convolutional neural network for comprehensive compartmentalization of abdominal adipose tissue compartments in MRI.

Background: Existing literature has highlighted structural, physiological, and pathological disparities among abdominal adipose tissue (AAT) sub-depots. Accurate separation and quantification of these sub-depots are crucial for advancing our understanding of obesity and its comorbidities. However, the absence of clear boundaries between the sub-depots in medical imaging data has challenged their separation, particularly for internal adipose tissue (IAT) sub-depots.

Timing of introduction of complementary foods, breastfeeding, and child cardiometabolic risk: a prospective multiethnic Asian cohort study.

Background: The timing of introduction of complementary foods and the duration of breastfeeding (BF) have been independently associated with child overweight and obesity; however, their combined influence on body fat partitioning and cardiometabolic risk is unclear.

Objective: We investigated the associations of the timing of introduction of complementary foods, the duration of BF, and their interaction with child adiposity and cardiometabolic risk markers.

Methods: We analyzed data from 839 children in the prospective Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort.

Associations of maternal and foetoplacental factors with prehypertension/hypertension in early childhood.

Objective: To evaluate whether characterization of maternal and foetoplacental factors beyond birthweight can enable early identification of children at risk of developing prehypertension/hypertension.

Methods: We recruited 693 mother-offspring dyads from the GUSTO prospective mother-offspring cohort. Prehypertension/hypertension at age 6 years was identified using the simplified paediatric threshold of 110/70 mmHg.

Newborn body composition and child cardiovascular risk markers: a prospective multi-ethnic Asian cohort study.

Background: Early epidemiological studies have associated low birthweight with increased cardiovascular risk. We aimed to examine whether the fat and fat-free components of birthweight have differing relationships with childhood cardiovascular risk markers.

Methods: In the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort, air displacement plethysmography was conducted within 24 h after delivery in 290 naturally conceived singletons.

Associations of maternal periconceptional alcohol consumption with offspring prehypertension/hypertension at age 6 years: the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes prospective mother-offspring cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate the relationship of the levels of maternal alcohol consumption during the 1 year before pregnancy recognition with childhood cardiorenal, metabolic, and neurocognitive health.

Methods: In 1106 women and their children from the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes mother-offspring cohort, quantity of maternal alcohol consumption in the 12 months prior to pregnancy recognition was categorized as high (≥75th percentile: 1.9 g/day), low (<1.

Activated brown adipose tissue releases exosomes containing mitochondrial methylene tetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (NADP dependent) 1-like protein (MTHFD1L).

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a promising weapon to combat obesity and metabolic disease. BAT is thermogenic and consumes substantial amounts of glucose and fatty acids as fuel for thermogenesis and energy expenditure. To study BAT function in large human longitudinal cohorts, safe and precise detection methodologies are needed.

Brown adipose tissues mediate the metabolism of branched chain amino acids during the transitioning from hyperthyroidism to euthyroidism (TRIBUTE).

Both hyperthyroidism and elevated plasma branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are associated with insulin resistance. BCAA utilization and clearance relative to thyroid status changes remains unclear. We investigate amino acids changes, specifically BCAA, during the transition from hyperthyroidism to euthyroidism, and the impact of active brown adipose tissue (BAT) on the metabolic effects of BCAA.

The Kynurenine Pathway Metabolites in Cord Blood Positively Correlate With Early Childhood Adiposity.

Context: The kynurenine pathway generates metabolites integral to energy metabolism, neurotransmission, and immune function. Circulating kynurenine metabolites positively correlate with adiposity in children and adults, yet it is not known whether this relationship is present already at birth.

Objective: In this prospective longitudinal study, we investigate the relationship between cord blood kynurenine metabolites and measures of adiposity from birth to 4.

Breastfeeding may benefit cardiometabolic health of children exposed to increased gestational glycemia in utero.

Purpose: There is altered breastmilk composition among mothers with gestational diabetes and conflicting evidence on whether breastfeeding is beneficial or detrimental to their offspring's cardiometabolic health. We aimed to investigate associations between breastfeeding and offspring's cardiometabolic health across the range of gestational glycemia.

Methods: We included 827 naturally conceived, term singletons from a prospective mother-child cohort.

Determinants of cord blood adipokines and association with neonatal abdominal adipose tissue distribution.

Background: Cord blood leptin and adiponectin are adipokines known to be associated with birth weight and overall infant adiposity. However, few studies have investigated their associations with abdominal adiposity in neonates. We examined maternal factors associated with cord blood leptin and adiponectin, and the association of these adipokines with neonatal adiposity and abdominal fat distribution measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in an Asian mother-offspring cohort.

Automated Segmentation of Visceral, Deep Subcutaneous, and Superficial Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Volumes in MRI of Neonates and Young Children.

Purpose: To develop and evaluate an automated segmentation method for accurate quantification of abdominal adipose tissue (AAT) depots (superficial subcutaneous adipose tissue [SSAT], deep subcutaneous adipose tissue [DSAT], and visceral adipose tissue [VAT]) in neonates and young children.

Materials And Methods: This was a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data, which used abdominal MRI data from Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes, or GUSTO, a longitudinal mother-offspring cohort, to train and evaluate a convolutional neural network for volumetric AAT segmentation. The data comprised imaging volumes of 333 neonates obtained at early infancy (age ≤2 weeks, 180 male neonates) and 755 children aged either 4.

Increasing nausea and vomiting of pregnancy is associated with sex-dependent differences in early childhood growth: the GUSTO mother-offspring cohort study.

Background: Nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP) is common and underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Longer-term offspring outcomes are also not well documented. This study aimed to determine if NVP, even in milder forms, is associated with adverse pregnancy and childhood growth outcomes.

Metabolic effects of brown fat in transitioning from hyperthyroidism to euthyroidism.

Objective: Brown adipose tissue (BAT) controls metabolic rate through thermogenesis. As its regulatory factors during the transition from hyperthyroidism to euthyroidism are not well established, our study investigated the relationships between supraclavicular brown adipose tissue (sBAT) activity and physiological/metabolic changes with changes in thyroid status.

Design: Participants with newly diagnosed Graves' disease were recruited.

Brown Adipose Tissue, Adiposity, and Metabolic Profile in Preschool Children.

Context: An inverse relationship between brown adipose tissue (BAT) and obesity has previously been reported in older children and adults but is unknown in young children.

Objective: We investigated the influence of BAT in thermoneutral condition on adiposity and metabolic profile in Asian preschool children.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A total of 198 children aged 4.

The longitudinal association between early-life screen viewing and abdominal adiposity-findings from a multiethnic birth cohort study.

Importance: Screen viewing in adults has been associated with greater abdominal adiposity, with the magnitude of associations varying by sex and ethnicity, but the evidence is lacking at younger ages. We aimed to investigate sex- and ethnic-specific associations of screen-viewing time at ages 2 and 3 years with abdominal adiposity measured by magnetic resonance imaging at age 4.5 years.