The effect of infant vitamin B supplementation on neurodevelopment: a follow-up of a randomised placebo-controlled trial in Nepal.

The most critical period for brain development is before a child's second birthday. Standardised tests measuring neurodevelopment are more reliable when administered after this period. Severe vitamin B deficiency affects brain development and function.

Agreement Between Mothers and Fieldworkers While Assessing Child Development Using Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition in Nepal.

The Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition (ASQ-3) is becoming a widely used developmental assessment tool. The ASQ-3 can be completed by the caregivers (referred to as "mail out"), or by trained personnel under direct observation of the children (referred to as "home procedure"). The study was carried out to compare results obtained by the ASQ mail out with those of the ASQ home procedure in a community setting of Bhaktapur, Nepal.

Relationships among Common Illness Symptoms and the Protective Effect of Breastfeeding in Early Childhood in MAL-ED: An Eight-Country Cohort Study.

Children in low-income countries experience multiple illness symptoms in early childhood. Breastfeeding is protective against diarrhea and respiratory infections, and these illnesses are thought to be risk factors of one another, but these relationships have not been explored simultaneously. In the eight-site MAL-ED study, 1,731 infants were enrolled near birth and followed for 2 years.

Aflatoxin exposure during the first 36 months of life was not associated with impaired growth in Nepalese children: An extension of the MAL-ED study.

Exposure to aflatoxin, a mycotoxin common in many foods, has been associated with child growth impairment in sub-Saharan Africa. To improve our understanding of growth impairment in relation to aflatoxin and other risk factors, we assessed biospecimens collected in Nepalese children at 15, 24, and 36 months of age for aflatoxin exposure. Children (N = 85) enrolled in the Bhaktapur, Nepal MAL-ED study encompassed the cohort analysed in this study.

Predicting Undernutrition at Age 2 Years with Early Attained Weight and Length Compared with Weight and Length Velocity.

Objective: To estimate the abilities of weight and length velocities vs attained growth measures to predict stunting, wasting, and underweight at age 2 years.

Study Design: We analyzed data from a community-based cohort study (The Etiology, Risk Factors, and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development study [MAL-ED] study) in Bhaktapur, Nepal. A total of 240 randomly selected children were enrolled at birth and followed up monthly up to age 24 months.

Dietary B Vitamins and Serum C-Reactive Protein in Persons With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection: The Positive Living With HIV (POLH) Study.

Background: B vitamins may have beneficial roles in reducing inflammation; however, research on the role of B vitamins in inflammation among HIV-infected persons is lacking.

Objective: This study assessed the association between B vitamins and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations in HIV-infected persons.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 314 HIV-infected persons (180 men and 134 women) aged 18 to 60 years residing in the Kathmandu, Nepal.

Early interruption of exclusive breastfeeding: results from the eight-country MAL-ED study.

We report the infant feeding experiences in the first month of life for 2,053 infants participating in "Malnutrition and Enteric Infections: Consequences for Child Health and Development" (MAL-ED). Eight sites (in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Brazil, Peru, South Africa, Tanzania), each followed a cohort of children from birth (by day 17), collecting detailed information on infant feeding practices, diet and illness episodes. Mothers were queried twice weekly regarding health status, breastfeeding and the introduction (or no) of non-breast milk liquids and foods.

Bhaktapur, Nepal: the MAL-ED birth cohort study in Nepal.

The Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development (MAL-ED) cohort study site in Nepal is located in the Bhaktapur municipality, 15 km east of Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. Bhaktapur, an ancient city famous for its traditional temples and buildings, is included on UNESCO's World Heritage List and is a major tourist attraction in Nepal. Nepal is a land-locked country located in South Asia between China and India with an area of 147 181 km(2), ranging from sea-level plains to Mount Everest, the world's highest peak.

Infant feeding practices, dietary adequacy, and micronutrient status measures in the MAL-ED study.

The overall goal of The Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development (MAL-ED) cohort study is to evaluate the roles of repeated enteric infection and poor dietary intakes on the development of malnutrition, poor cognitive development, and diminished immune response. The use of 8 distinct sites for data collection from Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia allow for an examination of these relationships across different environmental contexts. Key to testing study hypotheses is the collection of appropriate data to characterize the dietary intakes and nutritional status of study children from birth through 24 months of age.