Evidence on the optimal time to initiation of complementary feeding in preterm infants is scarce. The researchers examined the effect of initiation of complementary feeding at 4 months versus 6 months of corrected age on weight for age at 12 months corrected age in preterm infants less than 34 weeks of gestation.

Original Source

Most studies on breastfeeding over the past few decades have focused on the advantages of breastfeeding and how to get more women to breastfeed their babies. Relatively few women worldwide meet the World Health Organization’s recommendation that infants breastfeed exclusively for the first 6 months of life, with continued breastfeeding combined with appropriate foods thereafter for 2 years or more—even those who intend to do so at the outset.

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a multifaceted intervention for preterm and low birth weight infants and their parents. Short- and mid-term benefits of KMC on survival, neurodevelopment, breastfeeding, and the quality of mother–infant bonding were documented in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in Colombia from 1993 to 1996. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the persistence of these results in young adulthood.

Shaping up the post-2015 development agenda is of crucial importance in the development process around the Globe as 2015 was the last year of milllionium development goals. It is the right time to asses our own progress vis-a-vis the Millennium Development Goals and these Guidelines are an attempt in that regard.

Original Source

Serum concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in U.S. women are believed to be among the world’s highest, however, little information exists on the partitioning of PBDEs between serum and breast milk and how this may impact infant exposure. Paired milk and serum samples were measured for PBDE concentrations in 34 women who participated in the US EPA MAMA Study. Computational models for predicting milk PBDE concentrations from serum were evaluated.

Original Source

Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is associated with early child health; its longer-term benefits for child development remain inconclusive. Researchers examine the associations between EBF, HIV exposure, and other maternal/child factors and the cognitive and emotional-behavioural development of children aged 7–11 years.

Original Source

To maintain a symbiotic relationship between the host and its resident intestinal microbiota, appropriate mucosal T cell responses to commensal antigens must be established. Mice acquire both IgG and IgA maternally; the former has primarily been implicated in passive immunity to pathogens while the latter mediates host-commensal mutualism. Here, we report the surprising observation that mice generate T cell-independent and largely Toll-like receptor (TLR)-dependent IgG2b and IgG3 antibody responses against their gut microbiota.