Allergic Diseases, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Obesity, Overweight, Preterm Birth
Conditions
Keywords
Human Milk Composition, Osteopontin, Fatty acids, Human Milk Oligosaccharides, Infant Gut Microbiome, Human Milk Exposome, Metabolomics, Child Growth and Development, Neurodevelopment, Social Cognition, Visual Attention, Early-Life Nutrition, Maternal Diet, Preterm Birth, Term Birth
Brief summary
The Guangzhou Preterm-Term Birth Cohort (GPTBC) is a prospective observational study of how early-life nutrition, environmental exposures, and family factors relate to the health and development of preterm and term infants and their mothers. Mother-infant pairs are followed from birth to 24 months. Researchers use questionnaires and biological samples to study human milk, microorganisms in the infant gut, physical growth, development, and allergic diseases, and whether these relationships differ between preterm and term infants. Findings may inform nutrition and health strategies for infants born at different gestational ages.
Detailed description
The Guangzhou Preterm-Term Birth Cohort (GPTBC) is a single-center, prospective longitudinal observational study conducted at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. Mothers and their preterm or term infants were enrolled within 7 days after delivery and are followed primarily through 24 months of age; a subset receives additional follow-up beyond 24 months. The cohort was designed to recruit approximately equal numbers of preterm and term infants to characterize early-life exposures and health trajectories and to assess whether preterm birth modifies exposure-outcome associations. The primary scientific focus is how human milk composition and other early-life nutritional and environmental exposures relate to infant growth, neuropsychological development, allergic diseases, and gut microbiome development. Serial human milk samples support measurements of nutritional components, 23 targeted human milk oligosaccharides, selected bioactive proteins, fatty acids, metabolomic and lipidomic profiles, microbial metagenomes, and exposomic profiles of environmental contaminants. Infant stool samples are analyzed using metagenomic sequencing. Additional stored biospecimens support related current and future research. Repeated questionnaires capture maternal postpartum health, diet, lifestyle, psychological status, medication use, and breastfeeding; infant feeding, supplementation, illness, medication use, sleep, activity, screen exposure, and caregiving environment; and selected paternal and family characteristics. Child health is assessed longitudinally using anthropometry, standardized developmental assessments, eye tracking, parental reports of physician-diagnosed allergic diseases, and microbiome measures. The study will examine exposure patterns and their changes over time, associations with maternal and child health, potential biological pathways, and differences between preterm and term infants.
Interventions
OTHERNo Intervention: Observational Cohort
This cohort study have any no intervention.
Sponsors
Sun Yat-sen University
The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. Maternal age between 18 and 45 years. 2. Resident in Guangzhou for at least one year. 3. Gestational age at delivery ≥ 32 weeks and \< 42 weeks (moderate-to-late preterm or term births).
Exclusion criteria
1. Critical illness during pregnancy requiring admission to the intensive care unit. 2. Unwilling or unable to breastfeed.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Offspring Length/Height (cm) | Birth, 1 months, 3 months, 6 months, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months of age. | Offspring length or height measured by a pediatrician. |
| Offspring Weight (kg) | Birth, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months of age. | Offspring weight measured using a calibrated scale. |
| Offspring Head Circumference (cm) | Birth, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months of age. | Offspring head circumference measured by a pediatrician. |
| Offspring Body Mass Index (kg/m²) | Birth, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months of age. | Calculated as weight (kg) divided by the square of length or height (in meters). |
| Neurodevelopmental outcome - Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) | 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months of age. | Developmental Quotients (DQ) for each developmental domain, assessed by the Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) administered by a pediatrician. DQ is calculated as (developmental age / chronological age or corrected age) × 100, with higher DQ indicating better development. Domains include: (1) adaptive, (2) gross motor, (3) fine motor, (4) language, and (5) personal-social. |
| Neurodevelopmental outcome - Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) | 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months of age. | Parent-reported scores (0-60) for each developmental domain, assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ). Higher scores indicate better development. Domains include: (1) communication, (2) gross motor, (3) fine motor, (4) problem-solving, and (5) personal-social. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Social Cognitive Attention Patterns - Sufficient Fixation Trials (number) | 6 months, 8 months, and 12 months of age. | Number of trials in which the fixation duration on specific Areas of Interest (social and non-social) exceeds 30% of the total fixation duration on the entire screen, measured using a Tobii Pro Spectrum eye-tracker across biological motion, joint attention, and visual preference paradigms. This eye-tracking indicator indicates adequate attentional engagement with the presented social and non-social stimuli. |
| Social Cognitive Attention Patterns - First Fixation Count (number) | 6 months, 8 months, 12 months of age. | Number of times the first fixation following stimuli onset lands on specific Areas of Interest (social and non-social), measured using a Tobii Pro Spectrum eye-tracker across biological motion, joint attention, and visual preference paradigms. This eye-tracking indicator captures initial attentional orienting and reflects the salience of the presented social and non-social stimuli. |
| Social Cognitive Attention Patterns - First Fixation Duration (seconds) | 6 months, 8 months, 12 months of age. | Duration (in seconds) of the first fixation within specific Areas of Interest (social and non-social) following stimulus onset, measured using a Tobii Pro Spectrum eye-tracker across biological motion, joint attention, and visual preference paradigms. This eye-tracking indicator reflects early-stage attentional processing and the efficiency of initial stimulus engagement. |
| Social Cognitive Attention Patterns - Total Fixation Count (number) | 6 months, 8 months, 12 months of age. | Total number of discrete fixation events occurring within specific Areas of Interest (social and non-social), measured using a Tobii Pro Spectrum eye-tracker across biological motion, joint attention, and visual preference paradigms. This eye-tracking indicator reflects the overall frequency of attentional engagement with the presented social and non-social stimuli. |
| Social Cognitive Attention Patterns - Total Fixation Duration (seconds) | 6 months, 8 months, 12 months of age. | Cumulative duration (in seconds) of all fixations occurring within specific Areas of Interest (social and non-social), measured using a Tobii Pro Spectrum eye-tracker across biological motion, joint attention, and visual preference paradigms. This eye-tracking indicator reflects overall attentional allocation to the presented social and non-social stimuli. |
| Social Cognitive Attention Patterns - Fixation Duration Proportion (%) | 6 months, 8 months, 12 months of age. | Percentage of total fixation time allocated to social or non-social Areas of Interest, calculated as (total fixation time on social or non-social Areas of Interest / total fixation time on all Areas of Interest) × 100, measured using a Tobii Pro Spectrum eye-tracker across biological motion, joint attention, and visual preference paradigms. This eye-tracking indicator reflects relative attentional preference between social and non-social stimuli. |
| Number of Participants with Physician-Diagnosed Allergic Diseases | 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 8 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months of age. | Number of participants who experience at least one episode of physician-diagnosed allergic diseases during the follow-up period, including eczema or atopic dermatitis, cow's milk protein allergy, other food allergies, allergic rhinitis, and asthma, as diagnosed by a physician and reported by parents, and confirmed by medical records. |
Countries
China
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORLi Cai, Ph.D
Sun Yat-sen University
Outcome results
None listed