Significance of lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins during the first 14-16 months of life.

Background And Aims: The aims of this study were to investigate lipid parameters during the first 14-16 months of life, to identify influential factors, and to test whether high concentrations at birth predict high concentrations at 2- and 14-16 months.

Methods: The Copenhagen Baby Heart Study, including 13,354 umbilical cord blood samples and parallel venous blood samples from children and parents at birth (n = 444), 2 months (n = 364), and 14-16 months (n = 168), was used.

Results: Concentrations of lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins in umbilical cord blood samples correlated highly with venous blood samples from newborns.

Markers of Kidney Function in Early Childhood and Association With Maternal Comorbidity.

Importance: Kidney functional capacity is low at birth but doubles during the first 2 weeks of life and reaches near-adult levels at age 1 to 2 years. Existing reference intervals for markers of kidney function in newborns are mostly based on preterm newborns, newborns with illness, or small cohorts of term newborns, and the consequences of maternal comorbidities for newborn kidney function are sparsely described.

Objective: To establish robust reference intervals for creatinine and urea in healthy children in early childhood and to assess whether maternal comorbidity is associated with newborn creatinine and urea concentrations.

Red blood cell parameters in early childhood: a prospective cohort study.

Objectives: Red blood cell parameters are frequently used biomarkers when assessing clinical status in newborns and in early childhood. Cell counts, amounts, and concentrations of these parameters change through gestation and after birth. Robust age-specific reference intervals are needed to optimize clinical decision making.

Coagulation parameters in the newborn and infant - the Copenhagen Baby Heart and COMPARE studies.

Objectives: The coagulation system is not fully developed at birth and matures during the first months of infancy, complicating clinical decision making within hemostasis. This study evaluates coagulation parameters at birth and two months after birth, and tests whether cord blood can be used as a proxy for neonatal venous blood measurements.

Methods: The Copenhagen Baby Heart Study (CBHS) and the COMPARE study comprise 13,237 cord blood samples and 444 parallel neonatal venous blood samples, with a two month follow-up in 362 children.