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BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Previous anthropometry-based studies have suggested that in Indian newborns fat mass is conserved at the expense of lean tissue. This study was undertaken to assess the body composition of Indian newborns and to evaluate its relation with parents' anthropometry, birth weight and early postnatal weight gain. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Body composition of healthy term singleton newborns was assessed by the deuterium dilution method in the second week of life. Anthropometry was carried out at birth and on the day of study. RESULTS: Data from 127 babies were analyzed. Birth weight was 2969 [+ or -] 383 g. Body composition was assessed at a mean age of 12.7 [+ or -] 3.1 days. Fat and fat-free mass were 354 [+ or -] 246 and 2764 [+ or -] 402 g, respectively, and fat mass percentage (FM%) was 11.3 [+ or -] 7.3%. Birth weight and fat-free mass were higher among boys, but no gender difference was noted in FM%. Birth weight was positively correlated with fat as well as fat-free mass but not FM%. FM% showed positive correlation with gain in weight from birth to the day of assessment. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study from India to report body composition in newborns using deuterium dilution. FM% was comparable to that reported for Western populations for babies of similar age. Our results suggest that the percentage of fat and fat-free mass is relatively constant over the range of birth weights included in this study, and greater weight gain during early postnatal period results in greater increase in FM%. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2016) 70, 488-493; doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2015.152; published online 16 September 2015, INTRODUCTION Assessment of body composition in newborns provides an additional dimension to the anthropometric measurements. It helps in understanding the relative contributions of lean and fat mass to weight in [...]

Objectives: To evaluate birthweight-specific neonatal mortality and perinatal interventions in major medical centers in developed and developing countries. Methods: A survey was developed and electronically mailed to 13 medical centers participating in the Global Network for Perinatal and Reproductive Health (GNPRH). The ability of a center to provide requested data was assessed. The mortality rates and use of specific perinatal interventions in centers in developing countries were compared with developed countries. Results: Nine centers in developing countries responded to the survey, and three centers in developed countries were used for comparison. Data collection was highly variable. Most developing country centers were able to provide data by birthweight but not by gestational age. The differences in mortality rates between developing and developed countries were more pronounced at lower gestational ages and birthweights. A difference was found in perinatal interventions between developing and developed countries. In the former, viability was generally considered 28 weeks, and the gestational age at which cesarean sections were usually performed for the sake of the fetus at preterm gestations varied from 26 to 37 weeks. Most centers did not routinely induce for pPROM; only five out of nine centers used antibiotics to prolong latency. Most centers used tocolysis beginning at 26–28 weeks through 32–37 weeks, and a variety of tocolytic agents were used. Most centers routinely used corticosteroids for preterm infants, and all centers employed repeat weekly steroid dosing if undelivered. Conclusions: Despite the fact that the GNPRH centers included in this study represent some of the best health care available in these countries, they lag far behind centers in developed countries in neonatal mortality rates and their use of various obstetric practices. Furthermore, incomplete and inconsistent data collection complicates the evaluation of the factors contributing to high neonatal mortality rates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aim: To determine the influence of gestation and weight on the development of protective anti-HB levels and geometric mean titres after three doses of HBV vaccine and to ascertain the need for a fourth dose in low birthweight infants.Methods: Hepatitis B vaccine (Enivac HB, Panacea Biotec Ltd., India) was given to 82 preterm (PT) and 60 term intrauterine growth-retarded (T-IUGR) infants at birth and at 6, 10 and 14wk of life.Results: Protective anti-HB levels (>10 mIU/ml) were reached in 86.6% (71/82) of PT infants and 96.7% (58/60) of T-IUGR infants after three doses of HBV vaccine (p = 0.044). The odds of having a protective response after the third dose of HBV vaccine was 1.25 (95% CI 1.02-1.53) with every one-week increase in gestation (p = 0.032). Birthweight was not associated with the development of a protective immune response. After the third dose, only 66.7% (8/12) of the PT infants whose mothers had anti-HB antibodies, developed protective anti-HB levels compared with 90% (63/70) of those with no maternal antibodies (p = 0.028). In PT infants after the fourth dose, there was a significant increase in the proportion of infants with protective antibody levels (8.6%, 95% CI 0.6-16.6%) among those with no maternal antibodies and 12.2% overall (95% CI 6.0-21.3) (p = 0.031 to 0.002) over that reached with the third dose. Administration of the fourth dose to T-IUGR infants did not confer such a benefit.Conclusion: In HBV-endemic areas, PT infants, irrespective of their birthweights, may benefit from an additional dose of hepatitis B vaccine in a schedule starting at birth. This approach will prevent vertical transmission and bring their immune response up to par with term infants. Term intrauterine growth-retarded infants should be vaccinated as per the schedule recommended for normal term infants. However, studies in other settings with different vaccine formulations and a longer follow-up period will be required before this strategy can be practised more widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]