Vitamin D deficiency in school-age children is associated with sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.

Background: There is concern about a reemergence of vitamin D deficiency in children in developed countries.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to describe vitamin D status in the Generation R study, a large multiethnic cohort of 6-y-old children in The Netherlands, and to examine sociodemographic, lifestyle, and dietary determinants of vitamin D deficiency.

Methods: We measured serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in 4167 children aged 6 y and defined deficiency following recommended cutoffs.

Infant Breastfeeding and Kidney Function in School-Aged Children.

Background: Early life factors may influence kidney growth and function throughout the life course. We examined the associations of breastfeeding duration and exclusivity and age at introduction of solid foods with kidney outcomes at school age.

Study Design: Prospective cohort study from fetal life onward.

Thin Films Formed from Conjugated Polymers with Ionic, Water-Soluble Backbones.

This paper compares the morphologies of films of conjugated polymers in which the backbone (main chain) and pendant groups are varied between ionic/hydrophilic and aliphatic/hydrophobic. We observe that conjugated polymers in which the pendant groups and backbone are matched, either ionic-ionic or hydrophobic-hydrophobic, form smooth, structured, homogeneous films from water (ionic) or tetrahydrofuran (hydrophobic). Mismatched conjugated polymers, by contrast, form inhomogeneous films with rough topologies.

The development of a diet quality score for preschool children and its validation and determinants in the Generation R Study.

Background: Although many studies have examined health effects of infant feeding, studies on diet quality shortly after the weaning and lactation period are scarce.

Objectives: Our aims were to develop and evaluate a diet score that measures overall diet quality in preschool children and to examine the sociodemographic and lifestyle determinants of this score.

Methods: On the basis of national and international dietary guidelines for young children, we developed a diet score containing 10 components: intake of vegetables; fruit; bread and cereals; rice, pasta, potatoes, and legumes; dairy; meat and eggs; fish; oils and fats; candy and snacks; and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Effects of protein intake on blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and blood lipids in children: a systematic review.

High protein intake in early childhood is associated with obesity, suggesting possible adverse effects on other cardiometabolic outcomes. However, studies in adults have suggested beneficial effects of protein intake on blood pressure (BP) and lipid profile. Whether dietary protein intake is associated with cardiovascular and metabolic health in children is unclear.

Health in children: a conceptual framework for use in healthy ageing research.

Objective: With increasing life expectancy, there is a focus on "healthy ageing". Most activities in this area focus on the elderly. However, the ageing process starts much earlier.

Effects of long- and short-chain fatty acids on the release of gastrointestinal hormones using an ex vivo porcine intestinal tissue model.

Gastrointestinal (GI) peptide hormones play an important role in short-term regulation of food intake and blood glucose levels. Modulating their release is of potential relevance for weight management and possibly diabetes. As currently available models are hard to extrapolate to the human situation, the use of porcine intestinal tissue, collected from slaughter pigs, was investigated for this purpose.

Presence, formation and putative biological activities of N-acyl serotonins, a novel class of fatty-acid derived mediators, in the intestinal tract.

Following the discovery of the endocannabinoid arachidonoyl ethanolamide (anandamide) and other N-acyl-ethanolamines, several other compounds have been found in which amino acids or neurotransmitters rather than ethanolamide are linked to fatty acids. Studies have shown that the local availability of fatty acid precursors, which in turn is modulated by dietary intake of lipids, determines the pattern of conjugates formed. Less information is available whether the same might be true for the amines or neurotransmitters involved.