title: Association of cord plasma leptin with birth size in term newborns.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Leptin is secreted from adipose tissue and plays an important role in obesity. Recent studies have shown that the relationship between Leptin and body fat mass may have ethnic differences. The purpose of our study was to investigate the relationship between venous umbilical cord plasma Leptin and anthropometric markers in term healthy Taiwanese newborns.
  
  
  METHODS
  Umbilical venous plasma samples were obtained from 98 term neonates (48 males and 50 females) and leptin Levels were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Umbilical cord plasma Levels of leptin were significantly higher in the female neonates than in males (p<0.001). The large-for-gestationaL age and appropriate-for-gestational age newborns had significantly higher Leptin cord plasma levels than the small-for-gestational age newborns (p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively). In both male and female neonates, umbilical Leptin Levels showed significant positive correlations with birth weight and birth Length. Multiple Linear regression analysis revealed that birth weight was the only significant predictor of umbilical cord plasma Leptin levels in both male and female neonates. However, the slopes of the regressions between Leptin and birth weight in male and female neonates were not different.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Taiwanese healthy term neonates, leptin umbilical cord plasma Levels are associated with sex and birth weight of the neonate. The relationship between Leptin and birth weight may differ among different ethnic groups. These findings imply that the relationship between leptin and body fat mass may develop early in life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Chi Mei Foundation Hospital, Tainan County, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wing-Kuen
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Tung
authors.forename: Shio-Jean
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Yea-Shwu
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Ching-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yun-Han
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wen-Hui
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Tsai
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013624:Taiwan
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin