Kieffer's team examined the influence of maternal weight and other variables on infant birth weights among 1,041 Latino mother-infant pairs. The average age of the women was 25 years. Prenatal care was begun after an average of 17.4 weeks of pregnancy and the women had an average of 9.5 office visits.

Overall, 42 percent of women were overweight or obese before they became pregnant. The average weight gain during pregnancy was 28.4 pounds, and 36 percent of the women exceeded weight-gain recommendations.

At least some degree of blood sugar abnormalities was observed in 27 percent of the women and 6.8 percent had pregnancy-related, also called gestational, diabetes.

The average birth weight of the infants was 7.5 pounds. Thirteen percent of the infants born to women with gestational diabetes weighed 8.8 pounds or more, while only 8.8 percent of women without diabetes had infants this heavy, the researchers report.

After factoring in the duration of the pregnancy, the researchers found that previous weight, weight gain and blood sugar levels were predictors of high infant birth weights.

"Public health promotion programs, and health care policies and research have long made the assumption that babies who are not born (with a) low birth weight are healthy," Kieffer explained to Reuters Health. Even infants with abnormally high birth weights are often classified as "normal," without considering if their weights were influenced by the mother's obesity or abnormal blood sugar level, she said.

Evidence from other studies has shown that these potentially modifiable factors also increase the risk that mothers and their babies will develop diabetes, Kieffer noted.

Given this increased risk of diabetes, health professionals should attempt to prevent diabetes and its many, severe complications, in these patients, Kieffer said. Clinic- and community-based programs can help women to eat a healthy diet and get at least moderate amounts of exercise before, during and after pregnancy, she concluded.

SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health, December 2006.

Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

Breast cancer regimen linked to cognitive decline

Last Updated: 2006-12-08 16:54:42 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - As a treatment for high-risk breast cancer patients, chemotherapy with high-dose cyclophosphamide, thiotepa, and carboplatin (CTC) is associated with a drop in cognitive performance over time, new research shows.

Previous reports have shown a drop in cognitive performance among breast cancer survivors treated with certain chemotherapy regimens, the researchers note in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. However, there was a need to verify this observation in studies and to clarify which regimens produced the greatest cognitive deficits.

Dr. Sanne B. Schagen, from the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam, and colleagues used standard tests to compare cognitive function in 28 patients treated with CTC, 39 patients treated with standard-dose 5-FU, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide, 57 patients who received no chemotherapy, and 60 healthy comparison subjects.

Cognitive function was assessed in cancer patients before and 6 months after treatment (a 12-month interval) and in comparison subjects after a 6-month interval.

At initial testing, cognitive function was comparable in the four groups, the report indicates. At follow-up, however, 25 percent of CTC patients showed worsening cognitive function, while no significant changes occurred in women in the other treatment groups or the healthy subjects.

Executive functions, including skills such as planning, initiating behavior and being able to flexibly change activities, were the cognitive abilities that appeared to be most affected by CTC treatment.

The investigators also note that changes in cognitive function were not influenced by the subjects' menopausal status or reports of fatigue, anxiety or depression.

SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, December 6, 2006.

Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.