AIM: To measure serum hepcidin in late pregnancy and in cord blood, and to analyze relationship between hepcidin, interleukin-6 and biomarkers of fetal iron status.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 15 uncomplicated singleton pregnancies were analyzed longitudinally in trimester 3 (T3) and at birth.

RESULTS: In T3, S-ferritin (median 14 µg/L) and transferrin (median 4.0 g/L) indicated low iron status, whereas the median soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) was 4.0 mg/L, ie within the reference interval. Median T3 S-hepcidin was 7.8 ng/mL. Later on in cord blood, ferritin concentration (180 µg/L) were significantly higher, transferrin concentration (1.8 g/L) were significantly lower, and both sTfR (4.7 mg/L) and S-hepcidin concentrations (30.5 ng/mL) were significantly higher than maternal T3 concentrations. At the same time, cord blood interleukin-6 indicated an activated acute-phase reaction. In T3, after logarithmic transformation, there was a significant correlation between S-hepcidin and both S-ferritin (r = 0.691) and sTfR (r = -0.825). There was also a significant correlation between S-ferritin and both sTfR (r = -0.729) and transferrin (r = 0.549) in T3.

CONCLUSIONS: Although S-ferritin, S-hepcidin, and sTfR were correlated during pregnancy, these relationships were not apparent in umbilical cord blood. Further, cord blood interleukin-6 indicated an activated acute-phase response, and sTfR, which is known to be unaffected by inflammation, indicated a low iron status in cord blood. Thus, instead of representing an enhanced iron status, the data appear to suggest that hepcidin and ferritin in cord blood may be influenced by the low-grade acute-phase response that occurs during delivery.

Background/Objectives:The prevalence of obesity, defined as body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to30 kg/m2, differs between populations; however, there is a need for data on description on body composition in reference populations of different ages and from different countries. The objective of this study was to pool dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) body composition reference data from population-based Swedish cohorts.Subjects/Methods:Four population-based cross-sectional cohort studies including 1424 adult Swedes were divided into five age groups (20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–61 and 75 years of age); BMI 24.6±3.9 kg/m2 were pooled. Body composition was measured with DXA.

Results:The difference in BMI from the youngest to the oldest age group was 3.2 and 4.3 kg/m2 in men and women, respectively (P<0.001, both sexes), and fat mass (FM) was 9.9 and 9.1% higher in the oldest compared with the youngest men and women (P<0.001, both sexes). Fat-free mass (FFM) remained stable up to 60 years of age in men (P=0.83) and was lower at 75 years of age compared with the younger ages. In women, FFM was lower from age 60. From youngest to oldest age groups, height-adjusted FM differed from 4.6 to 7.8 kg/m2 in men and from 6.8 to 10.8 kg/m2 in women (P<0.001, both sexes).

Conclusions:Our results provide reference data on body composition in Swedish populations. BMI and FM were higher among older age groups compared with the younger ones. FFM remained stable up to 60 years of age and was lower first among the 75 years of age.

Food is the main source of trace elements for the general population. The gastrointestinal absorption of certain trace elements, e.g., cadmium, is strongly influenced by iron (Fe) status. This factor may also be relevant for the bioavailability of other trace elements. Therefore, we investigated relationships between Fe status indicators and trace element concentrations in blood and serum of 234 boys and girls at ages 15 and 17 years. Fe status was measured using serum ferritin (S-Ft), soluble transferrin receptor in serum (sTfR), and the ratio sTfR/S-Ft. The trace elements we investigated were, in blood, cadmium, cobalt, copper, zinc, selenium, rubidium, mercury, and lead, and, in serum, cobalt, copper, zinc, selenium, rubidium, tungsten, mercury, and lead. We found inverse correlations between Fe status and blood cadmium, blood or serum cobalt, or blood copper. There were positive correlations between Fe status and mercury concentrations. Selenium was positively correlated with sTfR. The relationships between Fe status and lead were equivocal. There were fewer correlations for serum than for blood, but the inverse relationships between Fe status and cobalt were equally strong in serum and blood. We found only occasional, and perhaps spurious, correlations with zinc, rubidium, and tungsten. In conclusion, previous indications that cadmium, cobalt, and copper are absorbed by transport mechanisms similar to that of Fe are supported by this study. Strong positive correlations between Fe status and mercury concentrations remain to be explained.

OBJECTIVE: To assess physical activity and energy expenditure and to identify their correlates during adolescence and early adulthood. DESIGN: In a cohort study, total energy expenditure (TEE) and physical activity level (PAL) were assessed at 15 and 21 y from a 7-day activity diary and predicted BMR. The influences on TEE and PAL of body size, gender, sexual maturity, physical activity habits, sitting time, region, social conditions, employment, food habits, smoking and alcohol intake were examined in multivariate analyses.Subjects:71 male and 89 female subjects, living in two socioeconomically different regions of Sweden, a university region and an industrial region. SETTING: The university city of Uppsala and the industrial town of Trollhättan. RESULTS: At both 15 and 21 y, PAL and TEE were high, with gender, sitting time and physical activity habits as main correlates. At age 21 y, employment and the mother's educational level also appeared as significant correlates. The relations between the main variables and their correlates were more complex than at age 15 y, and the sitting time was reduced and the activity habits were changed. CONCLUSIONS: A reduction of daily sitting appears to be a major reason why high levels of physical activity and energy expenditure were maintained from 15 to 21 y of age in spite of changed and less frequent activity habits during this interval.

AIM: To follow two children with isolated glycerol kinase deficiency (GKD) with severe symptoms into adulthood.

METHODS: The patients were followed during approximately 20 y and interviewed about symptoms, diet and physical activity. Fasting provocations, bicycle ergometer tests, dietary registrations, enzyme and mutation analysis were performed by standard protocols.

RESULTS: The activity of glycerol kinase (GK) in fibroblasts was <10% of reference. One case had a deletion of exon 17, the other a mutation in exon 7 of the GK gene (601 A-->G). Both mothers were heterozygotes. Two maternal male cousins in one of the families were hemizygotes without symptoms. Tests performed in childhood documented pronounced sensitivity to fasting and physical exercise, whereas such tests at 23 and 31 y of age were essentially normal but with pronounced ketonaemia. After puberty, the boys had no hypoglycaemic symptoms and now report no problems with their condition; thus, their phenotype has changed over time.

CONCLUSION: The greater importance of glycerol as a gluconeogenetic substrate in children than in adults may explain the episodes in young patients with GKD, often elicited by catabolic stress. With meals at frequent intervals, access to glucose and avoidance of strenuous sports, the prognosis is good for a normal adult life of a young child with isolated GKD and symptoms of hypoglycaemia.