UNITY: A low-field magnetic resonance neuroimaging initiative to characterize neurodevelopment in low and middle-income settings.

Measures of physical growth, such as weight and height have long been the predominant outcomes for monitoring child health and evaluating interventional outcomes in public health studies, including those that may impact neurodevelopment. While physical growth generally reflects overall health and nutritional status, it lacks sensitivity and specificity to brain growth and developing cognitive skills and abilities. Psychometric tools, e.g., the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, may afford more direct assessment of cognitive development but they require language translation, cultural adaptation, and population norming. Further, they are not always reliable predictors of future outcomes when assessed within the first 12-18 months of a child's life. Neuroimaging may provide more objective, sensitive, and predictive measures of neurodevelopment but tools such as magnetic resonance (MR) imaging are not readily available in many low and middle-income countries (LMICs). MRI systems that operate at lower magnetic fields (< 100mT) may offer increased accessibility, but their use for global health studies remains nascent. The UNITY project is envisaged as a global partnership to advance neuroimaging in global health studies. Here we describe the UNITY project, its goals, methods, operating procedures, and expected outcomes in characterizing neurodevelopment in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Metabolic rate: a factor in developing obesity in children with Down syndrome?

Resting metabolic rate and its relation with selected anthropometric measures was determined in 11 male and 7 female noninstitutionalized children with Down syndrome. Dietary analysis was performed to determine the nutritional status of the children and whether poor nutritional habits may be influencing factors in the development of obesity in this population. Resting metabolic rate for the total group was 170.4 +/- 38.65 ml.min-1 (0.17 +/- 0.04 ml.kg-1.min-1). Body weight, height, and surface area were moderately correlated with this rate, with height having the strongest relation. Daily caloric intake was 1,433.84 +/- 255.2 calories, comprising of 16.01 +/- 2.20% protein, 42.18 +/- 7.40% fat, and 40.60 +/- 8.83 carbohydrate. Calcium, potassium, and vitamin C were above and iron and thiamine below the recommended daily allowance.