Differences in body composition between infants of South Asian and European ancestry: the London Mother and Baby Study.

BACKGROUND: South Asian children and adults have a more adipose body composition compared with those of European ancestry. This is thought to be related to their increased risk of metabolic disorders. However, little is known about how early in life such differences are manifest. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there are differences in fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) between UK-born South Asians and White Europeans in infancy. Design A cross-sectional study of 30 South Asian and 30 White European infants aged 6-12 weeks. Mothers were recruited from clinics in London, and infants' FM and FFM were determined using air-displacement plethysmography (PeaPod(®)). RESULTS: In early infancy South Asians had less FFM than White Europeans [0.34 kg less, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.15, 0.52], with a considerably weaker indication of them also having more FM (0.02 kg more, 95% CI: -0.14, 0.18). These differences persisted when the overall smaller body size of South Asian infants was taken into account. For a given total infant weight, the balance of body composition of South Asians was shifted by 0.16 kg (95% CI: 0.06, 0.25) from FFM to FM. The ethnic differences in the amount of FFM were almost completely accounted for by ethnic differences in the rate of growth in utero and length of gestation. CONCLUSIONS: The characteristic differences in body composition observed between adult South Asians and White Europeans are apparent in early infancy. Of particular note is that this is the first study to demonstrate that South Asians compared with White Europeans have reduced FFM in infancy. The early manifestation of this phenotype suggests that it is either genetic and/or determined through exposure to maternal physiology, rather than a consequence of behaviours or diet in childhood or at older ages.

Birthweight and gestational age by ethnic group, England and Wales 2005: introducing new data on births.

Low birthweight babies and babies born preterm are at increased risk of morbidity and mortality in the first year of life, as well as in the longer-term. Since information on ethnic group is not recorded at birth registration in England and Wales, it has not been possible to produce routine statistics on birthweight or gestational age by ethnic group. A new system, introduced in 2002, for allocating NHS numbers at birth (NN4B) provided the opportunity to obtain ethnic group information. The NN4B record includes information on the ethnic group of the baby classified according to the 2001 Census categories. This paper presents the first analyses of ethnic differences in birthweight and gestational age at birth for England and Wales as a whole. Utilising NN4B records linked with birth registration records for all births occurring in England and Wales in 2005, birthweight and gestational age distributions, including the percentages low birthweight and preterm, are compared between ethnic groups. The paper also examines how parental socio-demographic circumstances vary by ethnic group.

Enhanced expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in glaucomatous dog eyes.

OBJECTIVE: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-derived prostaglandins (PGs) are shown to play important pathophysiologic roles in various disease states. Recently, the effectiveness of topical PGs in reducing intraocular pressure (IOP) has stimulated further interest in the physiologic function of COX-2 and PGs in normal and glaucomatous eyes. Therefore, we investigated the cell-type distribution and expression of COX-2 in normal and glaucomatous dog eyes. PROCEDURES: Using isoform-specific antibodies, we immunohistochemically evaluated COX-2 expression in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded normal (n = 5) and glaucomatous (n = 17) dog eyes. RESULTS: In the normal eyes, only minimal COX-2 immunoreactivity was observed in the ciliary epithelium. In the glaucomatous eyes, COX-2 expression was further observed in the cornea and corneoscleral limbus. In the cornea, moderate to strong COX-2 expression was observed in all corneal layers (epithelium, stromal cells and endothelium), with the greatest expression present in the epithelial layer. In the corneoscleral limbus area, COX-2 immunoreactivity was noted in the stromal cells of sclera, trabecular meshwork and endothelial cells of the angular aqueous plexus. CONCLUSIONS: Increased expression of COX-2 in dog glaucomatous eyes suggests that COX-2-derived PGs may have a potential role in the pathogenesis of canine glaucoma.

Localization of COX-2 in the male reproductive tract during sexual maturation.

Prostaglandins (PGs) are shown to influence sperm motility, contractility of the smooth muscle layers surrounding the seminiferous tubules and growth of both the seminal vesicle and the ventral prostate. PGs are produced by two distinct isoforms of cyclooxygenase (COX), including constitutively expressed COX-1 and inducible COX-2. To investigate the potential role of COX-2 in male reproductive tract maturation, we evaluated its expression in rats at pre-pubertal (14 days old), peri-pubertal (21, 28 and 35 days old) and post-pubertal (62 days old) stages. COX-2 was constitutively expressed in the initial segment of the epididymis, caput epididymidis and vas deferens at all stages of maturation. Its expression was mild in 14-day-old rats but its intensity markedly increased at 28 days and remained elevated afterwards. There was no COX-2 staining in the testis, rete testis, efferent ducts or cauda epididymidis. These data suggest that COX-2 derived PGs may be involved in the pubertal development of the epididymis, but not in the more apical regions of the excurrent duct system, including the rete testis and efferent ductules.