Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Extremely Preterm Infants Fed Donor Milk or Preterm Infant Formula: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Maternal milk feeding of extremely preterm infants during the birth hospitalization has been associated with better neurodevelopmental outcomes compared with preterm formula. For infants receiving no or minimal maternal milk, it is unknown whether donor human milk conveys similar neurodevelopmental advantages vs preterm formula.

Objective: To determine if nutrient-fortified, pasteurized donor human milk improves neurodevelopmental outcomes at 22 to 26 months' corrected age compared with preterm infant formula among extremely preterm infants who received minimal maternal milk.

Trends in ingredients added to infant formula: FDA's experiences in the GRAS notification program.

While human milk is considered the optimal source of nutrition for infants for the first six and twelve months of age, with continued benefit of breastfeeding with complementary foods, a safe alternative, nutritionally adequate to support infant growth and development, is necessary. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) establishes the requirements necessary to demonstrate the safety of infant formula within the framework of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition/Office of Food Additive Safety evaluates the safety and lawfulness of individual ingredients used in infant formula, whereas the Office of Nutrition and Food Labeling oversees the safety of infant formula.

Science surrounding the safe use of bioactive ingredients in infant formula: federal comment.

Less than a quarter of U.S. infants meet the federal recommendation for exclusively breastfeeding to 6 months of age, necessitating access to safe and effective infant formula.

Remembering Robert (Bob) Togasaki (1932-2019): A leader in Chlamydomonas genetics and in plant biology, as well as a teacher par excellence.

Robert (Bob) K. Togasaki was devoted to science and the people in the scientific community. He elucidated some of the most fundamental aspects of photosynthesis and carbon metabolism through classic genetic approaches and later using the tools of modern biotechnology.

Feeding Formula Eliminates the Necessity of Bacterial Dysbiosis and Induces Inflammation and Injury in the Paneth Cell Disruption Murine NEC Model in an Osmolality-Dependent Manner.

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in preterm infants. Formula feeding is a risk factor for NEC and osmolality, which is increased by the fortification that is required for adequate growth of the infant, has been suggested as a potential cause. Our laboratory has shown that Paneth cell disruption followed by induction of dysbiosis can induce NEC-like pathology in the absence of feeds.

FDA regulatory approach to steviol glycosides.

Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) Bertoni, commonly known as stevia, is a plant native to South America that has been cultivated for hundreds of years. In 1995, FDA revised its import alert on stevia leaves and extracts to allow for their use as dietary ingredients in dietary supplements. In 2007, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives established a safe level of intake and specifications for steviol glycosides that included a minimum purity of 95% of seven named steviol glycosides.

Physiological Approach to Sodium Supplementation in Preterm Infants.

Objective: To implement and evaluate a clinical practice algorithm to identify preterm infants with sodium deficiency and guide sodium supplementation based on urine sodium concentrations.

Study Design: Urine sodium concentration was measured in infants born at 26 to 29 weeks' gestation at 2-week intervals. Sodium supplementation was based on the urine sodium algorithm.

Preterm Infant Growth Velocity Calculations: A Systematic Review.

Context: Clinicians assess the growth of preterm infants and compare growth velocity using a variety of methods.

Objective: We determined the numerical methods used to describe weight, length, and head circumference growth velocity in preterm infants; these methods include grams/kilogram/day (g/kg/d), grams/day (g/d), centimeters/week (cm/week), and change in scores.

Data Sources: A search was conducted in April 2015 of the Medline database by using PubMed for studies that measured growth as a main outcome in preterm neonates between birth and hospital discharge and/or 40 weeks' postmenstrual age.

Peripherally inserted central catheters optimize nutrient intake in moderately preterm infants.

Background: While very preterm (<32 wk gestation) infants are routinely provided intensive nutritional support via central line, clinical practice varies for nutrient delivery in infants born moderately preterm (32-34 wk gestation). We sought to define the impact of nutritional support via peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) on nutrient delivery in the first 2 wk of life and growth by discharge.

Methods: Data were extracted from the records of 187 infants born between 32 and 34 6/7 wk gestation and admitted to the University of Iowa Children's Hospital between April 2012 and December 2013.

Regulatory status of caffeine in the United States.

This article summarizes the history of the regulation of caffeine, a key component of caffeine-containing energy drinks and other caffeine-containing energy products, in the United States. Caffeine as an ingredient in food has been regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1958, when the Food Additives Amendment to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act was enacted. It is listed as a substance that is generally recognized as safe by experts for its intended use in cola-type beverages at levels not to exceed 200 parts per million.

Early nutrition of very low birth weight infants.

In the past, initiation of nutritional support of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants was delayed because of concerns about the safety of nutrient administration. This contributed to the impairment of neurocognitive development that these infants often display later in life. Today there is consensus that nutritional support of VLBW infants must begin immediately at birth.

Current nutrition management of infants with chronic lung disease.

Preterm infants with lung disease present nutrition challenges to health care providers. Malnutrition is common, develops shortly after birth, and may continue into early childhood. Although there are many studies identifying the nutrient deficiencies in infants with chronic lung disease, few randomized trials have explored the effects of nutrition support on the prevention and treatment of chronic lung disease.

Genetic control of cell wall invertases in developing endosperm of maize.

We show here that the total invertase activity in developing seeds of maize is due to two cell wall invertase (CWI) genes, Incw1 and Incw2 (Mn1). Our previous results have shown that loss-of-function mutations at the Mn1 locus lead to the miniature-1 (mn1) seed phenotype, marked by a loss of >70% of seed weight at maturity. The mn1 seed mutant is, however, non-lethal presumably because it retains a residual low level, approximately 1%, of the total CWI activity relative to the Mn1 endosperm throughout seed development.

Aggressive nutrition of the very low birthweight infant.

We propose an approach to nutrition of the VLBW infant that aims at minimizing the interruption of nutrient uptake engendered by premature birth. Our approach is aggressive in that it goes beyond current practice in several key aspects. The gap in nutrient intakes between the proposed aggressive approach and current practice will most likely disappear over the next few years as today's aggressive practice becomes tomorrow's standard practice.

Gene expression studies on developing kernels of maize sucrose synthase (SuSy) mutants show evidence for a third SuSy gene.

Previous studies have identified two tissue- and cell-specific, yet functionally redundant, sucrose synthase (SuSy) genes, Sh1 and Sus1, which encode biochemically similar isozymes, SH1 and SUS1 (previously referred to as SS1 and SS2, respectively). Here we report evidence for a third SuSy gene in maize, Sus3, which is more similar to dicot than to monocot SuSys. RNA and/or protein blot analyses on developing kernels and other tissues show evidence of expression of Sus3, although at the lowest steady-state levels of the three SuSy gene products and without a unique pattern of tissue specificity.