Other articles by Reinoud J. B. J. Gemke on PubMed

• Reliability and Validity of Comprehensive Health Status Measures in Children: The Child Health Questionnaire in Relation to the Health Utilities Index Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. Jan, 2002  |   Pubmed ID: 11781124 This study assesses the feasibility, reliability and validity of the Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form (CHQ-PF50), consisting of 11 multi-item scales covering the physical, emotional and social well-being of children. The Health Utilities Index mark 2 (HUI2) was selected for comparison. Parents of 467 Dutch schoolchildren (age 5-13) were sent CHQ and HUI questionnaires. A subgroup of 79 parents of children aged 10-11 were sent a retest after 2 weeks. Feasibility: 78% response with few missing/non-unique CHQ-answers (
• Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome in a 4-year-old Girl Associated with Alimemazine European Journal of Pediatrics. May, 2002  |   Pubmed ID: 12012220 Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a rare but serious disorder caused by antipsychotic medication including phenothiazines. For sedative purposes, increasing doses of alimemazine were administered to a 4-year-old multiple handicapped girl, with cerebral damage of the basal ganglia. She developed extra-pyramidal motor disturbances, an autonomic disorder, lowered consciousness and hyperthermia, characterising NMS. Alimemazine was stopped and dantrolene and supportive measures, including ventilation under sedation and paralysis with midazolam and vecuronium, were started. As clinical symptoms remained unabated, increasing doses of bromocriptine were administered. Two days after maximal bromocriptine dosage, her clinical condition improved and paralysis and ventilation were stopped. Midazolam and bromocriptine could be gradually decreased and suspended during the following months. A few days after bromocriptine cessation NMS recurred and was complicated by a fatal cardiorespiratory arrest. CONCLUSION: caution must be exercised when prescribing alimemazine, especially to children with basal ganglia damage and in the case of inexplicable fever and restlessness, neuroleptic malignant syndrome should be considered. Long-term therapy with bromocriptine combined with dantrolene and midazolam may be a successful medical treatment.
• Ventilator-associated Pneumonia and Upper Airway Colonisation with Gram Negative Bacilli: the Role of Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis in Children Intensive Care Medicine. Jun, 2002  |   Pubmed ID: 12107684 To assess the risk of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and the incidence of upper airway colonisation related to the use of stress ulcer prophylaxis in critically ill children.
• Pediatric Intensive Care: Result of a European Survey Intensive Care Medicine. Dec, 2002  |   Pubmed ID: 12447526 To assess and compare the structure, organisation, management, and staffing in different paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in Europe.
• Nutritional Support in 111 Pediatric Intensive Care Units: a European Survey Intensive Care Medicine. Sep, 2004  |   Pubmed ID: 15197431 To study current strategies in nutritional management of pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) in Europe, focusing on energy requirements.
• Simple and Accurate Assessment of Energy Expenditure in Ventilated Paediatric Intensive Care Patients Clinical Nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland). Aug, 2004  |   Pubmed ID: 15297103 To assess validity and reliability of energy expenditure measurements with a short Douglas bag protocol compared to the standard metabolic monitor in a paediatric intensive care setting.
• Minimal Sampling Protocol for Accurate Estimation of Urea Production: a Study with Oral [13C]urea in Fed and Fasted Piglets Clinical Nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland). Feb, 2005  |   Pubmed ID: 15681107 An oral [13C]urea protocol may provide a simple method for measurement of urea production. The validity of single pool calculations in relation to a reduced sampling protocol was assessed.
• Central Venous Catheter Use in the Pediatric Patient: Mechanical and Infectious Complications Pediatric Critical Care Medicine : a Journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies. May, 2005  |   Pubmed ID: 15857534 Following the introduction and widespread use of central venous catheters (CVCs) in adults, these devices are being used with increasing frequency in the pediatric population. This review will focus on differences between adults and children regarding CVC use and its potential complications. Both mechanical and infectious complications will be discussed.
• Effect of Training and Strict Guidelines on the Reliability of Risk Adjustment Systems in Paediatric Intensive Care Intensive Care Medicine. Sep, 2005  |   Pubmed ID: 15999251 Many risk-adjustment systems have significant interobserver variability in everyday clinical practice. This can be partly corrected by strict guidelines and training. These issues have not been well studied in the paediatric setting. We assessed the reliability of two widely used paediatric scoring systems, the Paediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) and Paediatric Index of Mortality (PIM), before and after a special training program.
• Energy Expenditure and Balance Following Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Admission: a Longitudinal Study of Critically Ill Children Pediatric Critical Care Medicine : a Journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies. Mar, 2006  |   Pubmed ID: 16531947 Longitudinal comparison of prescribed energy, actually administered energy, and energy expenditure (EE) predicted by Schofield's equations to actual EE, as determined by daily indirect calorimetry measurements in critically ill children during the first 7 days following admission.
• Pulmonary Function and Exercise Testing in Adult Survivors of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Pediatric Pulmonology. Apr, 2007  |   Pubmed ID: 17358041 Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is accompanied by pulmonary hypoplasia and structural abnormalities of the pulmonary vascular bed. It is unknown whether pulmonary function, exercise capacity, and gas exchange during exercise are impaired in adult CDH survivors. The objective of this study was to assess the long-term pulmonary function, exercise capacity, and gas exchange during exercise and relate these findings with quality of life. Of the 23 patients eligible for this study, 12 adult CDH survivors (mean age, 24.3 +/- 4.1 years) with high-risk CDH agreed to participate. Pulmonary function tests, diffusion capacity, and a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) were performed. The FEV1 (mean z-score +/- SD; -1.30 +/- 1.37), FEF25-75% (-1.49 +/- 1.14), and the KCO (-1.03 +/- 1.24) were found to be lower in CDH survivors. The RV/TLC ratio (28.2% +/- 5.0%) was found to be higher. Despite these abnormalities, percent predicted work load (102% +/- 17.2%) and percent predicted maximal oxygen uptake (90.8% +/- 18.9%) were normal in most of the patients. The quality of life of CDH survivors, assessed with the SF-36 questionnaire, is comparable to the general population. Comparison of participants to non-participants did not reveal significant differences in clinical characteristics. In this first study assessing pulmonary function in adult survivors of CDH, mild airway obstruction was observed in most of the patients together with a slightly reduced diffusion capacity for CO. Exercise capacity and gas exchange parameters were normal in this group, indicating that patients do not have a physical impairment, as reflected by a normal quality of life of CDH patients.
• Resuscitation Competencies in Paediatric Specialist Registrars Postgraduate Medical Journal. Apr, 2007  |   Pubmed ID: 17403954 Despite the increased availability of resuscitation courses and guidelines requiring optimal training for acute situations, little is known on the actual qualification of house staff with in-hospital on-call duties for critically ill newborns and children.
• Validation of the WHO-5 Well-Being Index in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Diabetes Care. Aug, 2007  |   Pubmed ID: 17475940 It is recommended that the psychological status of adolescents with diabetes be assessed periodically as part of ongoing care. The World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) is a short self-report instrument that appears suitable for this purpose. This study is the first to assess the reliability and validity of the WHO-5 in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.
• Down Syndrome: a Novel Risk Factor for Respiratory Syncytial Virus Bronchiolitis--a Prospective Birth-cohort Study Pediatrics. Oct, 2007  |   Pubmed ID: 17908728 Respiratory syncytial virus is the single-most important cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children. Preterm birth and congenital heart disease are known risk factors for severe respiratory syncytial virus infections. Although Down syndrome is associated with a high risk of respiratory tract infections, little is known about the incidence of respiratory syncytial virus infections in this group. The aim of our study was to determine the incidence of respiratory syncytial virus lower respiratory tract infection-associated hospitalization among children with Down syndrome.
• Energy Intake and Resting Energy Expenditure in Adult Male Rats After Early Postnatal Food Restriction The British Journal of Nutrition. May, 2008  |   Pubmed ID: 17925052 Both in man and in animal models, changes in food intake and body composition in later life have been reported after alterations in perinatal nutrition. Therefore, we hypothesised that early postnatal undernutrition in the rat induces permanent changes in energy balance. Food restriction (FR) during lactation was achieved by enlarging litter size to twenty pups, whereas control animals were raised in litters containing ten pups. Energy intake and resting energy expenditure were determined in adult males. Early postnatal FR resulted in acute growth restriction followed by incomplete catch-up in body weight, body length and BMI. At the age of 12 months, middle-aged FR males had significantly lower absolute resting energy expenditure (200 v. 216 kJ/24 h, P = 0.009), absolute energy intake (281 v. 310 kJ/24 h, P = 0.001) and energy intake adjusted for BMI (284 v. 305 kJ/24 h, P = 0.016) than controls, whereas resting energy expenditure adjusted for BMI did not differ significantly between the groups (204 v. 211 kJ/24 h, P = 0.156). The amount of energy remaining for other functions was lower in FR males (80 v. 94 kJ/24 h, P = 0.044). Comparable data were obtained at the age of 6 months. These results indicate that in rats energy balance can be programmed by early nutrition. A low early postnatal food intake appears to programme these animals for a low energy intake and to remain slender in adult life.
• Prevalence, Neonatal Characteristics, and First-year Mortality of Down Syndrome: a National Study The Journal of Pediatrics. Jan, 2008  |   Pubmed ID: 18154890 To determine the prevalence, neonatal characteristics, and first-year mortality in Down syndrome (DS) among children in The Netherlands.
• No Structural Cerebral Differences Between Children with a History of Bacterial Meningitis and Healthy Siblings Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992). Oct, 2008  |   Pubmed ID: 18637795 After bacterial meningitis, about one-third of children develops academic and/or behavioural limitations. The aim of our study was to search for structural differences in the brain, with a special focus on the hippocampus, between childhood survivors of bacterial meningitis with and without academic and/or behavioural limitations and healthy siblings.
• Effect of Dexamethasone on Quality of Life in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia: a Prospective Observational Study Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 2008  |   Pubmed ID: 19036151 Glucocorticoids are important in the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). However, cyclic administration of high dose glucocorticoids may cause rapid and substantial changes in quality of life (QoL). The maintenance phase of the Dutch ALL-9 protocol consisted of alternating two weeks on and five weeks off dexamethasone (6 mg/m(2)/day). The present study was performed to assess the effect of dexamethasone on QoL during treatment for ALL according to this protocol.
• Prospective Human Leukocyte Antigen, Endomysium Immunoglobulin A Antibodies, and Transglutaminase Antibodies Testing for Celiac Disease in Children with Down Syndrome The Journal of Pediatrics. Feb, 2009  |   Pubmed ID: 18822429 To assess the effect of a prospective screening strategy for the early diagnosis of celiac disease (CD) in children with Down syndrome (DS).
• Early Growth Patterns and Cardiometabolic Function at the Age of 5 in a Multiethnic Birth Cohort: the ABCD Study BMC Pediatrics. 2009  |   Pubmed ID: 19317894 The relation between fetal growth retardation and cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in later life has been demonstrated in many studies. However, debate exists around the potential independent role of postnatal growth acceleration. Furthermore, it is unknown whether a potential effect of growth acceleration on cardiovascular and metabolic function is confined to certain time frames.The present study assesses the (predictive) role of prenatal and postnatal growth on 5 components of cardiovascular and metabolic function in children aged 5. The potential association of timing of postnatal growth acceleration with these outcomes will be explored.
• High Incidence of Recurrent Wheeze in Children with Down Syndrome with and Without Previous Respiratory Syncytial Virus Lower Respiratory Tract Infection The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. Jan, 2010  |   Pubmed ID: 19907362 Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-induced lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is associated with the subsequent development of recurrent wheeze. In a recent study, we found a high incidence (9.9%) of hospitalization for RSV-induced LRTI among children with Down syndrome (DS), indicating DS as a new risk factor for RSV-induced LRTI. In the current study we aimed to investigate the development of long-term airway morbidity in children with DS after hospitalization for RSV-induced LRTI.
• Sleep Habits and Sleep Disturbances in Dutch Children: a Population-based Study European Journal of Pediatrics. Aug, 2010  |   Pubmed ID: 20191392 Sleep disorders can lead to significant morbidity. Information on sleep in healthy children is necessary to evaluate sleep disorders in clinical practice, but data from different societies cannot be simply generalized. The aims of this study were to (1) assess the prevalence of sleep disturbances in Dutch healthy children, (2) describe sleep habits and problems in this population, (3) collect Dutch norm data for future reference, and (4) compare sleep in children from different cultural backgrounds. A population-based descriptive study was conducted using the Children's sleep habits questionnaire and the sleep self-report. One thousand five hundred seven proxy-reports and 262 self-reports were analyzed. Mean age was 8.5 years (95% confidence interval, 8.4-8.6), 52% were boys. Sleep problems in Dutch children were present in 25%, i.e., comparable to other populations. Sleep habits were age-related. Problem sleepers scored significantly higher on all scales. Correlations between parental and self-assessments were low to moderate. Dutch children had significantly more sleep disturbances than children from the USA and less than Chinese children. Cognitions and attitudes towards what is considered normal sleep seem to affect the appraisal of sleep, this probably accounts partly for cultural differences. For a better understanding of cultural influences on sleep, more information on these determinants and the establishment of cultural norms are mandatory.
• Prevalence of Congenital Heart Defects and Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Neonate with Down Syndrome European Journal of Pediatrics. Oct, 2010  |   Pubmed ID: 20411274 The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of congenital heart defects (CHDs) and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the neonate (PPHN) in children with Down syndrome (DS) and to assess its impact on neonatal factors. It was a prospective study of a birth cohort of children with DS born between 2003 and 2006 registered by the Dutch Paediatric Surveillance Unit (DPSU). A CHD occurred in 43% of 482 children with trisomy 21. Atrioventricular septal defect was found in 54%, ventricular septal defect in 33.3% and patent ductus arteriosus in 5.8%. The incidence of PPHN in DS was 5.2%, which is significantly higher than the general population (p < 0.001). The reported mortality in newborns with DS was overall 3.3% and was still significant higher in children with a CHD versus no CHD (5.8% versus 1.5%) (p = 0.008). The presence of CHD in children with DS had no influence on their birth weight, mean gestational age and Apgar score. In neonates with DS, we found not only a 43% prevalence of CHD, but also a high incidence of PPHN at 5.2%. Early recognition of the cardiac condition of neonates with DS seems justified.
• Cardio-metabolic Risk in 5-year-old Children Prenatally Exposed to Maternal Psychosocial Stress: the ABCD Study BMC Public Health. 2010  |   Pubmed ID: 20470407 Recent evidence, both animal and human, suggests that modifiable factors during fetal and infant development predispose for cardiovascular disease in adult life and that they may become possible future targets for prevention. One of these factors is maternal psychosocial stress, but so far, few prospective studies have been able to investigate the longer-term effects of stress in detail, i.e. effects in childhood. Therefore, our general aim is to study whether prenatal maternal psychosocial stress is associated with an adverse cardio-metabolic risk profile in the child at age five.
• Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia: Long-term Risk of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. Oct, 2010  |   Pubmed ID: 20512059 Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a well-recognized consequence of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Results of studies examining predictive factors for early and late GERD are inconclusive. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of early (
• Sleep and Sleep Disturbance in Children: Reliability and Validity of the Dutch Version of the Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire Sleep. Jun, 2010  |   Pubmed ID: 20550026 The Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) was developed in the US for measuring medical and behavioral sleep disorders in school-aged children. This study was conducted to assess the reliability and structural validity of the Dutch version of the CSHQ.
• Predicting Sequelae and Death After Bacterial Meningitis in Childhood: a Systematic Review of Prognostic Studies BMC Infectious Diseases. 2010  |   Pubmed ID: 20684796 Bacterial meningitis (BM) is a severe infection responsible for high mortality and disabling sequelae. Early identification of patients at high risk of these outcomes is necessary to prevent their occurrence by adequate treatment as much as possible. For this reason, several prognostic models have been developed. The objective of this study is to summarize the evidence regarding prognostic factors predicting death or sequelae due to BM in children 0-18 years of age.
• Increased Risk of Respiratory Tract Infections in Children with Down Syndrome: the Consequence of an Altered Immune System Microbes and Infection / Institut Pasteur. Oct, 2010  |   Pubmed ID: 20685340 Down syndrome (DS) is the most common chromosomal abnormality among live-born infants. Respiratory tract infections are the most important cause of mortality in individuals with DS at all ages. In recent decades several studies have been performed to elucidate abnormalities of the immune system in DS. However, the influence of the immune system on the occurrence of respiratory tract infections in these children has never been reviewed.
• Maternal Depressive Symptoms, Serum Folate Status, and Pregnancy Outcome: Results of the Amsterdam Born Children and Their Development Study American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dec, 2010  |   Pubmed ID: 20833384 The objective was to explore whether different levels of depressive symptoms in pregnant women and their serum folate status combined were associated with the gestational age and birthweight of their offspring.
• Cohort Profile: the Amsterdam Born Children and Their Development (ABCD) Study International Journal of Epidemiology. Oct, 2011  |   Pubmed ID: 20813863
• Fatigue in Children: Reliability and Validity of the Dutch PedsQLâ„¢ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale Quality of Life Research : an International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care and Rehabilitation. Sep, 2011  |   Pubmed ID: 21246290 The aim of the study is to report on the feasibility, reliability, validity, and the norm-references of the Dutch version of the PedsQLâ„¢ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale.
• Impaired Sleep Affects Quality of Life in Children During Maintenance Treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: an Exploratory Study Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 2011  |   Pubmed ID: 21496357 With the increase of pediatric cancer survival rates, late effects and quality of life (QoL) have received more attention. Disturbed sleep in pediatric cancer is a common clinical observation, but research on this subject is sparse. In general, sleep problems can lead to significant morbidity and are associated with impaired QoL. Information on sleep is essential to develop interventions to improve QoL.
• Cost-effectiveness of Treatment of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with Chemotherapy Only: the Influence of New Medication and Diagnostic Technology Pediatric Blood & Cancer. Dec, 2011  |   Pubmed ID: 21618420 Survival for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has reached 80-90%. Future improvement in treatment success will involve new technologies and medication, adding to the pressure on limited financial resources. Therefore a retrospective cost-effectiveness analysis of ALL treatment with chemotherapy only according to the two most recent Dutch Childhood Oncology Group treatment protocols was performed. The most recent protocol ALL10 included more expensive medication (pegasparaginase) and implemented a new diagnostic technique (minimal residual disease levels) compared to the previous ALL9 protocol.
• Recurrent Wheeze in Children with Down Syndrome: is It Asthma? Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992). Nov, 2011  |   Pubmed ID: 21627689 To compare the prevalence of current wheeze in children with Down syndrome (DS), their siblings, and nonrelated population controls.
• The Role of Infant Feeding Practices in the Explanation for Ethnic Differences in Infant Growth: the Amsterdam Born Children and Their Development Study The British Journal of Nutrition. Nov, 2011  |   Pubmed ID: 21679484 Rapid early growth in infants may influence overweight and CVD in later life. Both rapid growth and these disease outcomes disproportionately affect some ethnic minorities. We determined ethnic differences in growth rate (Δ standard deviation scores, ΔSDS) during the first 6 months of life and assessed the explanatory role of infant feeding. Data were derived from a multiethnic cohort for the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study (The Netherlands). Growth data (weight and length) of 2998 term-born singleton infants with no fetal growth restriction were available for five ethnic populations: Dutch (n 1619), African descent (n 174), Turkish (n 167), Moroccan (n 232) and other non-Dutch (n 806). ΔSDS for weight, length and weight-for-length between 4 weeks and 6 months were defined using internal references. Infant feeding pattern (breast-feeding duration, introduction of formula feeding and complementary feeding) in relation to ethnic differences in growth rate was examined by multivariate linear regression. Results showed that the growth rate was higher in almost all ethnic minorities, with β between 0·07 and 0·41 for ΔSDS weight and between 0·12 and 0·42 for ΔSDS length, compared with ethnic Dutch infants. ΔSDS weight-for-length was similar across groups, except for Moroccan infants (β 0·25, P 
• Overweight at Age Two Years in a Multi-ethnic Cohort (ABCD Study): the Role of Prenatal Factors, Birth Outcomes and Postnatal Factors BMC Public Health. 2011  |   Pubmed ID: 21806791 Childhood overweight/obesity is a major public health problem worldwide which disproportionally affects specific ethnic groups. Little is known about whether such differences already exist at an early age and which factors contribute to these ethnic differences. Therefore, the present study assessed possible ethnic differences in overweight at age 2 years, and the potential explanatory role of prenatal factors, birth outcomes and postnatal factors.
• The Relation of Maternal Job Strain and Cortisol Levels During Early Pregnancy with Body Composition Later in the 5-year-old Child: the ABCD Study Early Human Development. Jun, 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 22018696 Prenatal exposure to maternal stress may program the fetal HPA axis, potentially leading to altered metabolism in later life, associated with adiposity and diabetes.
• Increased Pro-inflammatory Cytokine Production in Down Syndrome Children Upon Stimulation with Live Influenza A Virus Journal of Clinical Immunology. Apr, 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 22170315 Children with down syndrome (DS) have an increased susceptibility to infections, due to altered humoral and/or cellular immunity. The aim of this study was to determine the cytokine production in whole blood of children with DS upon stimulation with live influenza A virus.
• Prenatal Stress and Balance of the Child's Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System at Age 5-6 Years PloS One. 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 22272345 Autonomic nervous system (ANS) misbalance is a potential causal factor in the development of cardiovascular disease. The ANS may be programmed during pregnancy due to various maternal factors. Our aim is to study maternal prenatal psychosocial stress as a potential disruptor of cardiac ANS balance in the child.
• Suboptimal Maternal Vitamin D Status and Low Education Level As Determinants of Small-for-gestational-age Birth Weight European Journal of Nutrition. Feb, 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 22350924 PURPOSE: This study aimed firstly to investigate the contribution of maternal 25(OH) vitamin D to the association of maternal education and small-for-gestational-age birth weight (SGA) and secondly to examine whether the contribution of 25(OH) vitamin D differs by overweight, season, and maternal smoking. METHODS: Logistic regression analysis was carried out in this study, using data of 2,274 pregnant women of Dutch ethnicity from the ABCD study, a population-based cohort study in the Netherlands. Maternal 25(OH) vitamin D was measured in early pregnancy. Stratified analyses were conducted for overweight, season of blood sampling, and smoking. RESULTS: Low-educated women had lower 25(OH) vitamin D levels compared to high-educated women, and women in the lowest 25(OH) vitamin D quartile had a higher risk of SGA offspring. In addition, low-educated women had a higher risk of SGA offspring (OR 1.95 [95% CI: 1.20-3.14]). This association decreased with 7% after adjustment for 25(OH) vitamin D (OR 1.88 [95% CI 1.16-3.04]). In stratified analyses, adjustment for 25(OH) vitamin D resulted in a decrease in OR of about 17% in overweight women and about 15% in women who conceived in wintertime. CONCLUSIONS: 25(OH) vitamin D appears to be a modifiable contributor to the association between low maternal education and SGA offspring, particularly in overweight women and women who conceived in the winter period. In those women, increasing the intake of vitamin D, either through dietary adaptation or through supplementation in order to achieve the recommendation, could be beneficial.
• Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal Axis Function in Survivors of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Healthy Controls Psychoneuroendocrinology. Sep, 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 22385687 Of all malignancies in children, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type. Since survival significantly improves over time, treatment-related side effects become increasingly important. Glucocorticoids play an important role in the treatment of ALL, but they may suppress the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The duration of HPA axis suppression is not yet well defined. The present study aimed at assessing the function of the HPA axis by determining the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and the dexamethasone (DEX) suppression test in children that were treated for childhood ALL, compared to a healthy age and sex matched reference group. In addition, questionnaires regarding sleep, fatigue, depression and quality of life were completed by the children and their parents. Fourty-three survivors who finished their treatment for childhood ALL 37 (interquartile range 22-75) months before and 57 healthy controls were included. No differences in CAR were observed between ALL survivors and the reference group, but survivors of ALL had higher morning cortisol levels and an increased cortisol suppression in response to oral dexamethasone. Higher cortisol levels in childhood ALL survivors were associated with more fatigue and poorer quality of life. We conclude that the experience of a stressful life event in the past may have caused a long-term dysregulation of the HPA axis in childhood ALL survivors, as reflected in an increased cortisol production and an enhanced negative feedback mechanism.
• Frequency of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections in Relation to Adaptive Immunity in Children with Down Syndrome Compared to Their Healthy Siblings Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992). Aug, 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 22548641 Children with Down syndrome (DS) experience respiratory tract infections (RTIs) more frequently than healthy children. We investigated whether this is related to different immunological characteristics associated with DS.
• Educational Inequalities in Perinatal Outcomes: the Mediating Effect of Smoking and Environmental Tobacco Exposure PloS One. 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 22590643 Socioeconomic status (SES) is adversely associated with perinatal outcomes. This association is likely to be mediated by tobacco exposure. However, previous studies were limited to single perinatal outcomes and devoted no attention to environmental tobacco exposure. Therefore, this study aimed firstly to explain the role of maternal smoking in the association between maternal education and preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW) and small for gestational age (SGA), and secondly to explain whether environmental tobacco smoke mediates these associations further.
• Infant Nutrition in Relation to Eating Behaviour and Fruit and Vegetable Intake at Age 5 Years The British Journal of Nutrition. May, 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 22717117 Infant nutrition may influence eating behaviour and food preferences in later life. The present study explores whether exclusive breast-feeding duration and age at introduction of solid foods are associated with children's eating behaviour and fruit and vegetable intake at age 5 years. Data were derived from the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study, a prospective birth cohort in the Netherlands, and included 3624 children. During infancy, data on infant nutrition were collected. Child eating behaviour (satiety responsiveness, enjoyment of food, slowness in eating and food responsiveness) was assessed with the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire; and fruit and vegetable intake was calculated from a validated child FFQ. Both questionnaires were filled in by the mothers after their child turned 5 years. Exclusive breast-feeding duration was not associated with later eating behaviour, although longer exclusive breast-feeding was significantly associated with a higher vegetable intake at age 5 years. Compared with the introduction of solid foods at age 6 months, introduction before the age of 4 months was associated with less satiety responsiveness at age 5 years (β - 0·09; 95 % CI - 0·16, - 0·02). Introducing solid foods after 6 months was associated with less enjoyment of food (β - 0·07; 95 % CI - 0·12, - 0·01) and food responsiveness (β - 0·04; 95 % CI - 0·07, - 0·01). Introducing solid foods before the age of 4 months was associated with a higher fruit intake compared with introduction at 6 months. These findings suggest that prolonged breast-feeding and introduction of solid foods between 4 and 6 months may lead to healthier eating behaviour and food preferences at age 5 years.
• Psychosocial Stress During Pregnancy is Related to Adverse Birth Outcomes: Results from a Large Multi-ethnic Community-based Birth Cohort European Journal of Public Health. Jul, 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 22850187 BACKGROUND: Prevalence rates of psychosocial stress during pregnancy are substantial. Evidence for associations between psychosocial stress and birth outcomes is inconsistent. This study aims to identify and characterize different clusters of pregnant women, each with a distinct pattern of psychosocial stress, and investigate whether birth outcomes differ between these clusters. METHODS: Latent class analysis was performed on data of 7740 pregnant women (Amsterdam Born Children and their Development study). Included constructs were depressive symptoms, state anxiety, job strain, pregnancy-related anxiety and parenting stress. RESULTS: Five clusters of women with distinct patterns of psychosocial stress were objectively identified. Babies born from women in the cluster characterized as 'high depression and high anxiety, moderate job strain' (12%) had a lower birth weight, and those in the 'high depression and high anxiety, not employed' cluster (15%) had an increased risk of pre-term birth. CONCLUSIONS: Babies from pregnant women reporting both high levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms are at highest risk for adverse birth outcomes.
• Socioeconomic Inequalities in Lipid and Glucose Metabolism in Early Childhood in a Population-based Cohort: the ABCD-Study BMC Public Health. 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 22852830 Socioeconomic inequalities in cardiovascular disease are pervasive, yet much remains to be understood about how they originate. The objective of this study was to explore the relations of socioeconomic status to lipid and glucose metabolism as indicators of cardiovascular health in 5-6 year olds. Additionally to explore the explanatory role of maternal factors, birth outcome, and child factors.
• Ethnic Differences in Cardiometabolic Risk Profile at Age 5-6 Years: the ABCD Study PloS One. 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 22916294 To examine ethnic differences in cardiometabolic risk profile in early age, and explore whether such differences can be explained by differences in body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference (WC).
• The Association Between Prenatal Psychosocial Stress and Blood Pressure in the Child at Age 5-7 Years PloS One. 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 22927987 Prenatal maternal stress could have permanent effects on the offspring's tissue structure and function, which may predispose to cardiovascular diseases. We investigated whether maternal psychosocial stress is a prenatal factor affecting the blood pressure (BP) of offspring.
• [Living with a Short Bowel: Longer and Better?] Nederlands Tijdschrift Voor Geneeskunde. 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 22951131 Congenital malformations or complications of premature birth may require extensive intestinal resection which could result in short bowel syndrome. Prolonged parenteral nutrition and its complications (e.g. cholestasis, venous catheter-associated infections, thrombosis and limited vascular access) have a major impact on the quality of life of infants and comprise a great burden for parents. The merits of extensive intestinal resection are discussed from the perspective of a Dutch intestinal rehabilitation programme that provides multidisciplinary medical care and advanced surgical options, including liver and intestinal transplantation.
• Association Between Body Size and Blood Pressure in Children from Different Ethnic Origins Cardiovascular Diabetology. 2012  |   Pubmed ID: 23126496 To assess associations between body size and blood pressure in children (5-6 years) from different ethnic origins.
• Health-related Quality of Life and Utility Scores in Short-term Survivors of Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Quality of Life Research : an International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care and Rehabilitation. Apr, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 22547048 Increase of survival in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has made outcomes such as health-related quality of life (HRQL) and economic burden more important. To make informed decisions on the use of healthcare resources, costs as well as utilities need to be taken into account. Among the preference-based HRQL instruments, the Health Utilities Index (HUI) is the most employed in pediatric cancer. Information on utility scores during ALL treatment and in long-term survivors is available, but utility scores in short-term survivors are lacking. This study assesses utility scores, health state, and HRQL in short-term (6 months to 4 years) ALL survivors.
• Explaining Socioeconomic Inequalities in Childhood Blood Pressure and Prehypertension: the ABCD Study Hypertension. Jan, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23129697 Much remains to be understood about the socioeconomic inequalities in hypertension that continue to exist. We investigated the association of socioeconomic status with blood pressure and prehypertension in childhood. In a prospective cohort, 3024 five- to six-year-old children had blood pressure measurements and available information on potential explanatory factors, namely birth weight, gestational age, smoking during pregnancy, pregnancy-induced hypertension, familial hypertension, maternal body mass index, breastfeeding duration, domestic tobacco exposure, and body mass index. The systolic and diastolic blood pressures of children from mid-educated women were 1.0-mm Hg higher (95% CI, 0.4-1.7) and 0.9-mm Hg higher (95% CI, 0.3-1.4), and the blood pressures of children with low-educated women were 2.2-mm Hg higher (95% CI, 1.4-3.0) and 1.7-mm Hg higher (95% CI, 1.1-2.4) compared with children with high-educated women. Children with mid- (odds ratio, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.18-1.92) or low-educated mothers (odds ratio, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.35-2.42) were more likely to have prehypertension compared with children with high-educated mothers. Using path analyses, birth weight, breastfeeding duration, and body mass index were determined as having a role in the association of maternal education with offspring blood pressure and prehypertension. The socioeconomic gradient in hypertension appears to emerge from childhood as the results show a higher blood pressure and more prehypertension in children from lower socioeconomic status families. Socioeconomic disparities could be reduced by improving 3 factors in particular, namely birth weight, breastfeeding duration, and body mass index, but other factors might also play a role.
• The Association Between Interpregnancy Interval and Birth Weight: What is the Role of Maternal Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Status? BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23351191 The objective of this study was to evaluate the mediating role of maternal early pregnancy plasma levels of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) in the association of interpregnancy interval (IPI) with birth weight and smallness for gestational age (SGA) at birth.
• Independent Validation of an Existing Model Enables Prediction of Hearing Loss After Childhood Bacterial Meningitis PloS One. 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23536814 This study aimed external validation of a formerly developed prediction model identifying children at risk for hearing loss after bacterial meningitis (BM). Independent risk factors included in the model are: duration of symptoms prior to admission, petechiae, cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) glucose level, Streptococcus pneumoniae and ataxia. Validation helps to evaluate whether the model has potential in clinical practice.
• Smoking Overrules Many Other Risk Factors for Small for Gestational Age Birth in Less Educated Mothers Early Human Development. Apr, 2013  |   Pubmed ID: 23578734 BACKGROUND: Although there is convincing evidence for the association between small for gestational age (SGA) and socioeconomic status (SES), it is not known to what extent explanatory factors contribute to this association. AIM: To examine to what extent risk factors could explain educational inequalities in SGA. STUDY DESIGN: In this study fully completed data were available for 3793 pregnant women of Dutch origin from a population-based cohort (ABCD study). Path-analysis was conducted to examine the role of explanatory factors in the relation of maternal education to SGA. RESULTS: Low-educated pregnant women had a higher risk of SGA offspring compared to the high-educated women (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.35-2.89). In path-analysis, maternal cigarette smoking and maternal height explained this association. Maternal age, hypertension, chronic disease, late entry into antenatal care, neighborhood income, underweight, environmental cigarette smoking, drug abuse, alcohol use, caffeine intake, fish intake, folic acid intake, anxiety, and depressive symptoms did not play a role in the association between maternal education and SGA birth. CONCLUSION: Among a large array of potential factors, the elevated risk of SGA birth among low-educated women appeared largely attributable to maternal smoking and to a lesser extent to maternal height. To reduce educational inequalities more effort is required to include low-educated women especially in prenatal intervention programs such as smoking cessation programs instead of effort into reducing other SGA-risk factors, though these factors might still be relevant at the individual level.