Objective: There are clear sex differences in the distribution of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) in adults, with males having more VAT and less SAT than females. This study assessed whether these differences between the sexes were already present in preschool children. It also evaluated which measures of body composition were most appropriate for assessing abdominal obesity in this age group. Design and Methods: One-hundred and five children (57 boys and 48 girls) participated in the study. Body composition was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Weight, height, and waist circumference (WC) were also recorded. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the entire abdomen using sixteen 10-mm-thick T 1 -weighted slices was performed in a subgroup of 48 children (30 boys and 18 girls); SAT and VAT volumes were measured using semiautomated segmentation. Results: Boys had significantly more VAT than girls (0.17 versus 0.10 l, P < 0.001). Results showed that VAT correlated significantly with all measurements of anthropometry (P < 0.01) after adjusting for SAT and for total fat mass measured with DXA. The mean limits of agreement between DXA and MRI regarding truncal FM were calculated to be À11.4 (range À17.8 to À3.6), using a Bland-Altman plot. Conclusion: Sex differences in adipose tissue distribution are apparent at an early age. MRI is the best method with which to study abdominal fat distribution in young children.

SGA males of normal stature have higher levels of E(2), DHT, and inhibin B than controls, indicating a disturbed steroid synthesis or metabolism. Aromatase activity, calculated as E(2) to T ratio, and 5alpha-reductase activity, calculated as DHT to T ratio, is negatively correlated to size at birth.

In this population of moderately to late preterm newborns, birth weight appeared to affect the retinal vascular system.

Children born moderately preterm present as lean during early childhood but have an increased waist circumference in infancy, pointing towards a change in fat distribution with more abdominal fat. This may have implications for their metabolic status.

Background: Boys born small for gestational age (SGA) are at increased risk of testicular dysgenesis syndrome, and girls born SGA face the risk of polycystic ovary syndrome later in life. Our aim was to study whether neonates born SGA have an altered profile of steroid hormones at birth. Materials and methods: A total of 168 singletons (99 boys, 69 girls) born at 32.0-36.9 gestational weeks were recruited to a population-based, university hospital, single-center study. Of these, 31 infants (17 boys, 14 girls) were born SGA. The concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), androstenedione, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estrone, estradiol, cortisone, and cortisol were analyzed in umbilical cord serum with mass spectrometry. Results: Girls born SGA had higher levels of androstenedione than girls born appropriate for gestational age (AGA) (4.0 versus 2.6 nmol/L, p ¼ .002). Boys born SGA had lower levels of estrone than boys born AGA (33 822 versus 62 471 pmol/L, p ¼ .038). Infants born SGA had lower levels of cortisone than infants born AGA, both in girls (340 versus 579 nmol/L, p ¼ .010) and in boys (308 versus 521 nmol/L, p ¼ .045). Furthermore, boys born SGA had a higher cortisol/cortisone ratio than boys born AGA (0.41 versus 0.25, p ¼ .028). Gestational age correlated with DHEAS (boys r ¼ 0.48, p ¼ .000, girls r ¼ 0.35, p ¼ .013), and cortisol (boys r ¼ 0.48, p ¼ .000, girls r ¼ 0.29, p ¼ .039). Conclusions: In moderate-to-late preterm infants born SGA, we observed a different steroid hormone profile in cord serum. Girls born SGA show increased levels of androstenedione and boys born SGA show decreased levels of estrone in cord serum, which could be related to placental aromatase deficiency in intrauterine growth restriction.