Eating Habits of Children Under 4 Years with Poor-Feeding / 대한소아소화기영양학회지

PURPOSE: To find out the differences in eating habits between poor feeding and non-poor feeding children. METHODS: We performed questionnaires on 504 children under four years of age who visited hospitals in Gwangju city and JaollaNamdo from May to August, 2002. RESULTS: 138 (27.4%) children were included in poor feeding group, and 366 (72.%) children were in non-poor feeding group. Breast feeding rate was 18.8% in the poor feeding group and 20.3% in the non-poor feeding group. Duration of breast feeding for less than six months were noted in 70.5% of poor feeding group, and 58.5% of non-poor feeding group. The time at starting solid food in the poor feeding group was as follows; 15.9% of infants started on solid food when they were 2~4 months old, 32.7% during 4~6 months, 38.1% during 6~8 months and 18.8% over one year of age. Solid food was given in wrongly manners in both groups by nursing bottles, including 80.4% in poor feeding group and 66.6% in non-poor feeding group. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated close relationships among poor feeding children under four years of age with history of low rate and short duration of breast feeding, inappropriate time to start on solid food, less interest in food during mealtime, and unbalanced diet. Pediatricians should make an effort to play an important role in nutritional education and treatment in children.

Six Year Follow-up of Childhood Obesity

PURPOSE: To examine the prevalence of obesity in elementary school-aged children in Gwangju, and long term courses of those obese children. METHODS: We examined children aged 7 to 12 in the total number of 3,028 elementary school students consisting of 1,579 boys and 1,449 girls between 1994 and 1999. Obesity was defined as weight that exceeded the standard weight for height and sex by more than 20%(relative weight >120%). RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity was 3.4% at age 7 and 6.2% at age 12. The prevalence of obesity increased with age in both sexes. In boys, 5.7% of normal weight children at age 7 became obese at age 12. Sixty percent of mild obese children and sixty four point three percent of moderately obese children at age 7 remained obese at age 12. One hundred percent of severely obese children at age 7 remained obese at age 12. In girls, 3.1% of normal weight children at age 7 became obese at age 12. Forty seven percent of mildly obese children and fifty six point three percent of moderately obese children at age 7 remained obese at age 12. Sixty six point seven percent of severely obese children at age 7 remained obese at age 12. Above half of the obese children at age 7 remained obese at age 12. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that prevention and treatment of obesity in elementary school children is required as early as possible.

The influence of N-6-cyclopentyladenosine and magnesium on norepinephrine release in the rat hippocampus

As it has been reported that the depolarization-induced norepinephrine (NE) release is modulated by activation of presynaptic A-1-adenosine heteroreceptor and various lines of evidence indicate that A-2-adenosine receptor also presents in hippocampus, and that the adenosine effect is magnesium dependent, the present study was undertaken to delineate the role of adenosine receptors in the modulation of hippocampal NE release. Slices from the rat hippocampus were equilibrated with (3H)-NE and the release of the labelled product, (3H)-NE, was evoked by electrical stimulation (3 Hz, 5 V cm-1, 2 ms, rectangular pulses), and the influence of various agents on the evoked tritium outflow was investigated. N-6-cyclopentyladenosine (CPA), in concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 10 micrometer, decreased the (3H)-NE release in a dose-dependent manner without changing the basal rate of release, and these effects were significantly inhibited by 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX, 2 micrometer) treatment. When the magnesium concentration was reduced to 0.4 mM or completely removed, the evoked NE release increased along with decreased basal rate of release. In contrast, increasing the magnesium concentrations to 2.4 and 4 mM, decreased the evoked NE release. The CPA effects on evoked NE release were reduced by magnesium removal, but potentiated by 2.4 mM magnesium in the medium. 5-(N-cyclopropyl)-carboxamodiadenosine (CPCA, 1 & 10 micrometer), an A-2-agonist, decreased the evoked tritium outflow, and this effect was also abolished by DPCPX pretreatment. CGS, a powerful A-2-agonist, did not affect the evoked NE release. However, the effects of CPCA and CGS on evoked NE release were significantly increased by pretreatment of DPCPX in the magnesium-free medium. These results indicate that inhibitory effect of A-1-adenosine receptor on NE release is magnesium-dependent, and A-2-receptor may be present in the rat hippocampus.