BackgroundThe World Health Organization recommends continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond. This study assessed breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and practices among women residing on the island of Abu Dhabi and identified associated factors.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire among mothers visiting primary healthcare clinics in Abu Dhabi between November 2014 and 2015. Participants were women aged at least 18 years who had at least one child aged 2 years or younger at the time of the study. Breastfeeding knowledge, attitudes, and practices were assessed on the basis of experience with last child. Selected questions were used to develop a scaled scoring system to categorize these aspects as good, fair, or poor. Exclusive breastfeeding is defined as the act of feeding infants only breast milk since birth, without providing water, formula, or other liquid supplements.ResultsThe participants were 344 women. Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months was reported by only 46 (16.9%, 95% CI 0.10, 0.17, n = 272). 79 (28.7%, n = 275) of the participants were breastfeeding and planning to continue after the child was ≥24 months. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the following factors were associated with exclusive breastfeeding: mothers with female children (adjusted OR [AOR] 2.42; 95% CI 1.18, 4.97) and better breastfeeding knowledge scores (AOR 1.25; 95% CI 1.04, 1.50). The following factors were associated with less likelihood of exclusively breastfeeding: working mothers (AOR 0.29; 95% CI 0.12, 0.72), living with relatives (AOR 0.21; 95% CI 0.05, 0.81), no past exclusive breastfeeding experience (AOR 0.23; 95% CI 0.09, 0.58) and being offered readymade liquid formula in hospital (AOR 0.33; 95% CI 0.15, 0.72). The most common reason for stopping breastfeeding was insufficient breast milk production (68/89, 76%), and the most common work related reason was inadequate maternity leave (24/89, 15%).ConclusionAlthough breastfeeding knowledge was generally good, breastfeeding practice was still suboptimal. Modifiable factors found to predict exclusive breastfeeding included breastfeeding knowledge and mothers’ employment status.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13006-018-0165-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This study offers evidence that vitamin D deficiency could be a major public health burden among young Emirati adults, mostly because of sun deprivation in a sun-blessed country. This study included a random sample of 138 females and 70 males tested for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] status. To further evaluate the predictors of vitamin D status in this population, the study examined diet, obesity and sun exposure. In summer, the mean serum 25(OH)D concentration for females was 20.9 ± 14.9 nmol/L, whereas that for males was 27.3 ± 15.7 nmol/L. Females scored significantly higher than males on the sun avoidance inventory (SAI), indicating that females avoid sun exposure to a greater extent than males, possibly explaining the lower vitamin D status. A significant negative correlation also existed between SAI and vitamin D status (Pearson's r = -0.33; p < 0.01), but no significant association was evident between vitamin D status and body mass index (Pearson's r = 0.03; p = 0.33) or low dietary intake of vitamin D-fortified foods (Pearson's r = 0.08; p = 0.13). The mean serum 25(OH)D concentration for females tested in winter was 31.3 ± 12.3 nmol/L while in the summer, it was 20.9 ± 14.9 nmol/L. This difference was statistically significant, suggesting that seasonal variation plays an important role in vitamin D status in the United Arab Emirates. Fortification of foods and drinks with vitamin D, supplementation and sensible sun exposure are important steps toward minimizing vitamin D deficiency.

This study compared two methods of assaying the 25-hydroxylated metabolites of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) and ergocalciferol (vitamin D2). A fully automated electrochemiluminescence assay from Roche Diagnostics and an HPLC based method from Chromsystems were used to measure vitamin D levels in surplus sera from 96 individuals, where the majority has the D2 form of the vitamin. Deming regression, concordance rate, correlation and Altman Bland agreement were performed. Seventy two subjects (75%) had a D2 concentration >10 nmol/L while the remaining twenty four subjects had vitamin D2 concentration of less than 10 nmol/L by HPLC. Overall, the Roche Diagnostics method showed a negative bias of −2.59 ± 4.11 nmol/L on the e602 as compared to the HPLC with a concordance rate of 84%. The concordance rate was 91% in samples with D2 of less than 10 nmol/L and 82% in those with D2 concentration >10 nmol/L. The overall correlation had an r value of 0.77. The r value was higher in samples with D2 levels of less than 10 nmol/L, r = 0.96, as compared to those with D2 values of greater than 10 nmol/L, r = 0.74. The observed bias had little impact on clinical decision and therefore is clinically acceptable.

Objective: Defects in ion channels and neurotransmitter receptors are implicated in developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE). Metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 (mGluR7), encoded by GRM7, is a presynaptic G-proteincoupled glutamate receptor critical for synaptic transmission. We previously proposed GRM7 as a candidate disease gene in two families with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). One additional family has been published since. Here, we describe three additional families with GRM7 biallelic variants and deeply characterize the associated clinical neurological and electrophysiological phenotype and molecular data in 11 affected individuals from six unrelated families. Methods: Exome sequencing and family-based rare variant analyses on a cohort of 220 consanguineous families with NDDs revealed three families with GRM7 biallelic variants; three additional families were identified through literature search and collaboration with a clinical molecular laboratory. Results: We compared the observed clinical features and variants of 11 affected individuals from the six unrelated families. Identified novel deleterious variants included two homozygous missense variants (c.2671G>A:p.Glu891Lys and c.1973G>A:p.Arg685Gln) and one homozygous stop-gain variant (c.1975C>T: p.Arg659Ter). Developmental delay, neonatal-or infantile-onset epilepsy, and microcephaly were universal. Three individuals had hypothalamic-pituitary-axis dysfunction without pituitary structural abnormality. Neuroimaging showed cerebral atrophy and hypomyelination in a majority of cases. Two siblings demonstrated progressive loss of myelination by 2 years in both and an acquired microcephaly pattern in one. Five individuals died in early or late 610 childhood. Conclusion: Detailed clinical characterization of 11 individuals from six unrelated families demonstrates that rare biallelic GRM7 pathogenic variants can cause DEEs, microcephaly, hypomyelination, and cerebral atrophy.

Background: Maintaining a normal vitamin D status is important for both skeletal and extra-skeletal health. Recent data show that vitamin D deficiency is endemic in women residing in the Arabian Gulf and is common in pregnant women and their newborns. The purpose of this study was to establish the vitamin D and calcium status of children in an urban ambulatory pediatric clinic in Abu Dhabi to determine for the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in this cohort.Methods: Patients were recruited prospectively from the pediatric outpatient clinic visits, if they were having blood taken for laboratory investigations other than those related to vitamin D and calcium status. The vitamin D status was compared between 4 age groups (0–0.9 y, 1–1.9 y, 2–7.9 y and 8 -14 y) using the following definitions: deficiency < 25 nmol/l, insufficiency 25–50 nmol/l and sufficiency > 50 nmol/l.Results: A total of 183 children were included in the study. The percentage of females and males in the deficient range was 21% and 16% respectively, while 32% and 46% of females and males respectively were vitamin D sufficient. The highest prevalence of vitamin D deficiency occurred in the 8–14 y old age group with 31.2% being deficient.Conclusions: The study highlights that in an ambulatory pediatric clinic population, peri-pubescent children are most at risk of vitamin D deficiency. This age group is often not considered in the discussion for the need for vitamin D supplementation. Serious consideration should be given to including vitamin D supplementation in a school public health program in the UAE.