Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
1School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Loughborough LE12 5RD, UK
2University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA
3Liggins Institute, The University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
Description
Risk of chronic disease during adulthood is partly determined by early life experience. A robust body of epidemiological evidence shows that fetal exposure to maternal undernutrition, or maternal obesity, is associated with greater risk of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, chronic renal disease, and a range of other conditions associated with ageing. The biological plausibility of this nutritional programming has been demonstrated by experiments in which the diet is manipulated during pregnancy in a wide range of animal species.
We invite investigators to contribute original research articles and review articles that will stimulate continuing efforts to understand the basis of nutritional programming. We are interested in articles which report findings from relevant retrospective and prospective human cohorts, or which offer observations from experiments using both established and novel animal models of programming. Articles which add to understanding of the molecular mechanisms which explain the relationships between nutritional status in early life and long-term risk of disease will be of particular relevance to this call. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Studies of maternal nutritional status during pregnancy in relation to birth outcomes and later health
- Mechanisms which underpin nutritional programming of health and disease
- Advances in understanding how the nutritional environment regulates the epigenome
- Programming and maternal obesity
- Programming and cancer
- Paternal influences on fetal development
- Gender differences in programming mechanisms and phenotypic outcomes
- Interventions which reverse intrauterine programming
- Identification of novel biomarkers which predict long-term programming
- Influences of infant nutrition in the first year of life upon later health and disease
Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jnume/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable: