ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the endogenous vitamin D level and its correlation with bone mineral density (BMD) in children under 7 years old.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 6 838 children who visited the Growth and Development Clinic due to "growth retardation, night terrors, hyperhidrosis, and dysphoria" were enrolled in the study. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level was measured by chemiluminescence, whereas individual BMD was measured by quantitative ultrasound.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among all subjects, serum 25(OH)D level was 34 ± 14 ng/mL, and the Z value of BMD was -0.49 ± 0.54. With increasing age, serum 25(OH)D level and BMD decreased gradually (P<0.01), and the detection rates for vitamin D deficiency and low BMD increased gradually (P<0.01). Compared with those with sufficient vitamin D, children with vitamin D deficiency had a significantly lower BMD (P<0.01) and a significantly higher detection rate for low BMD (P<0.01). 25-(OH)D level showed a positive linear correlation with BMD in children with vitamin D deficiency (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Preschool and school-age children have severer vitamin D deficiency than infants. Vitamin D level may be correlated with BMD within a certain range.</p>
Subject(s)
Child , Child, Preschool , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Bone Density , Vitamin D , Blood , Vitamin D Deficiency , EpidemiologyABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the relationship between Ghrelin and growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) expression and the catch-up growth in rats with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The rat model of IUGR was established by food restriction during pregnancy. The small for gestational age (SGA) and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) rat pups from the pregnant rats were used as the experimental group. The AGA rat pups from the pregnant rats without food restriction served as the control group. The samples from the stomach fundus and hypothalamus were taken postnatal days 0, 20 and 40. Ghrelin mRNA and GHSR mRNA expression were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (real-time FQ-PCR). Ghrelin protein and GHSR protein expression were examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At postnatal day 0, both Gherlin mRNA and protein levels in the stomach fundus were significantly higher, while GHSR mRNA expression in the hypothalamus were significantly lower in SGA rats from food restriction group than those in AGA rats from restriction and control groups. At postnatal day 20, the ghrelin protein expression in the stomach of fundus, and GHSR mRNA and protein expression in the hypothalamus in SGA catch-up rats were significantly higher than those in SGA non-catch-up growth rats and AGA rats from the control group. At postnatal day 40, there were no significant differences among SGA catch-up growth rats, SGA non-catch-up growth rats and normal AGA rats.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Ghrelin-GHSR might be involved in the physiological regulation and pathological process in IUGR rats. It is also possibly involved in the regulation of catch-up growth in the early life of SGA rats.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Female , Pregnancy , Rats , Fetal Growth Retardation , Gastric Fundus , Chemistry , Ghrelin , Genetics , Physiology , Growth , Hypothalamus , Chemistry , Immunohistochemistry , Receptors, Ghrelin , GeneticsABSTRACT
Objective To compare the effects of different maternal rats food restriction on newborn rats.Methods Pregnant rats were randomly divided into 4 groups:3 model groups and control group.The model groups were given middling food restriction throughout pregnancy,severe food restriction from pregnant day 14,severe food restriction from pregnant day 7,respectively.Effects of maternal rats food restriction on newborn rats in growth,main organs weight,and small for gestational age(SGA) occurrence were compared.And his-(tiocyte) morphology of cerebra and stomach were observed.Results The weight,height,trail length,and weight of cerebra,heart,lung,(liver),stomach,spleen,and kidney of newborn rats in model groups were significantly different from those in control group(all P