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Background & Aims: Little is currently known about the nutrition and growth outcomes in children with neuromuscular disorders (NMDs), and these are likely disease dependent. The aim of this study was to describe the range of nutritional issues in pediatric NMDs and identify similarities and differences in growth outcomes and nutritional needs in children with a variety of NMDs at different ages, with the goal of informing future services., Methods: In this cross-sectional study we collected data on growth, dietetic interventions and nutrition-related issues in 160 children who attended a multidisciplinary clinic in a tertiary children's hospital, from February to December 2019. Children with significant weakness affecting mobility before the age of 3 years were clinically grouped into 'early-onset NMDs'., Results: Across our clinic, 42.5% children had a history of chronic gastrointestinal issues, and 34.4% received dietetic care on the day of clinical visit. Children with early-onset NMDs had significantly higher prevalence of swallowing issues, gastroesophageal reflux, and vomiting, as well as higher frequency of dietetic consultations, high energy diet, swallowing assessment and tube-feeding, compared to later-onset NMDs (p < 0.05). In total, 49.2% children with NMDs had an abnormal weight, in which the prevalence of underweight (n = 24, 19.2%) was significantly higher compared to normal Australian children (8.2%) (p < 0.05). In Duchenne muscular dystrophy, over 50% children were overweight/obese., Conclusion: Among children with NMDs, there were many disease-specific nutrition-related symptoms, growth issues, and dietetic practices that were tailored to individual needs. Future studies should focus on measuring the impact of specific dietetic practices on growth and nutritional outcomes, as well as developing a precision medicine approach tailored to the individual nutritional needs of children with NMDs., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declared no conflict of interest., (Crown Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) remains a major clinical dilemma; current diagnostics and interventions have not reduced the rate of this serious healthcare burden. This study characterizes differential protein profiles and post-translational modifications (PTMs) in first trimester maternal serum using a refined top-down approach coupling two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) and mass spectrometry (MS) to directly compare subsequent term and preterm labour events and identify marked protein differences. 30 proteoforms were found to be significantly increased or decreased in the sPTB group including 9 phosphoproteins and 11 glycoproteins. Changes occurred in proteins associated with immune and defence responses. We identified protein species that are associated with several clinically relevant biological processes, including interrelated biological networks linked to regulation of the complement cascade and coagulation pathways, immune modulation, metabolic processes and cell signalling. The finding of altered proteoforms in maternal serum from pregnancies that delivered preterm suggests these as potential early biomarkers of sPTB and also possible mediators of the disorder., Biological Significance: Identifying changes in protein profiles is critical in the study of cell biology, and disease treatment and prevention. Identifying consistent changes in the maternal serum proteome during early pregnancy, including specific protein PTMs (e.g. phosphorylation, glycosylation), is likely to provide better opportunities for prediction, intervention and prevention of preterm birth. This is the first study to examine first trimester maternal serum using a highly refined top-down proteomic analytical approach based on high resolution 2DE coupled with mass spectrometry to directly compare preterm (<37 weeks) and preterm (≥37 weeks) events and identify select protein differences between these conditions. As such, the data present a promising avenue for translation of biomarker discovery to a clinical setting as well as for future investigation of underlying aetiological processes., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)