Growth and development of children conceived by intracytoplasmic sperm injection at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.

A number of concerns have been raised about children conceived by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). In this study, 75 babies in the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital ICSI programme were determined during pediatric follow-up to assess the growth, development and congenital malformations from April 1997 to December 2000. Male to female ratio was 1:1.27. Mean birth weight for singletons was not different from the general population. Thirty six per cent of the babies weighed less than 2,500 g, which was almost four times higher than naturally conceived babies. Approximately 27 per cent of deliveries were multiple pregnancies compared to 0.93 per cent from natural conception. Prematurity rate was 25 per cent and 85.7 per cent of deliveries were carried out by caesarian section. One baby (1.3%) had major congenital malformation and 37 babies (49.3%) had one or more minor defects. Most of the babies had weight, height, and head circumference within normal ranges. After correction for gestational age, all the premature babies caught up growth within the first year of life. Eleven babies (14.7%) had abnormal or questionable results or Denver II at different ages. Longer-term follow-up is necessary to properly assess the growth and developmental outcome of the ICSI babies.

Energy expenditure and physical activity of obese and non-obese Thai children.

The objective of this study was to assess the energy expenditure and physical activity in obese (n=21) and non-obese (n=21) children (aged 9-12 years) in Bangkok. Anthropometric measurements were performed. Energy expenditure and physical activity were determined by indirect calorimetry (based on oxygen consumption) and the heart rate monitoring method. Physical activity index was calculated by the ratio of total energy expenditure (TEE) to sedentary energy expenditure (SEE). The results showed that obese children had significantly greater (p<0.05) body weight, body mass index, relative weight, body fat (%), fat mass except for height, and fat free mass than the non-obese group. The TEE, SEE, and activity energy expenditure (AEE) were higher (p<0.05) in the obese children when compared with the non-obese ones. The mean values of respiratory quotient (RQ) were 0.91+/-0.06 in obese and 0.89+/-0.08 in the non-obese group, respectively, indicating the contribution of carbohydrate substrate to energy production. Both obese and non-obese children were similar in the physical activity index level of 1.48+/-0.17 and 1.51+/-0.22, respectively, which was lower than that recommended by the World Health Organization (1.7). In conclusion, energy expenditure of obese children was higher than non-obese children because of greater body weight. Furthermore, the physical activity of both groups was lower than that recommended by WHO. To prevent obesity in children, programmimg of exercise and activities as well as nutritional education should be emphasized for school children and parents.

Growth and development of infants conceived by in vitro fertilization: a preliminary report.

This is a preliminary report on the first 24 babies born during the period of 1 year follow-up after IVF-ET in Chulalongkorn Hospital. Based on this study, our data suggests that these children have a normal range of growth and development. There was also no evidence of major congenital anomalies identified in spite of some minor ones. However, a need for more detail and on-going long-term follow-up at least until school age is being planned.