José G B Derraik

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Verified

José verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

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• BSc MSc PhD MRSNZ
• Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University of Auckland

Background In a multinational randomized controlled trial, we previously showed that maternal supplementation with myo -inositol, probiotics, and micronutrients was associated with reduced incidence of rapid infant weight gain and high body mass index (BMI) at two years among offspring. It was unclear whether these differences in weight gain and bo...

Air pollution exposure has been increasingly linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the effects of PM2.5 exposure throughout pregnancy on preterm birth, low birth weight (LBW), and small for gestational age (SGA). We analyzed a cohort of 16,965 pregnant women living in northern Thailand between 2016 and 2022. PM2.5 co...

Aims Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the primary microvascular complication associated with diabetes. Evidence on DR prevalence among children in New Zealand is scarce. We examined DR rates and associated risk factors in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) aged <16 years receiving care from a regional diabetes service in January 2006–December 2020. Mate...

Objective To examine factors associated with fertility following hysterosalpingography (HSG) using an oil-soluble contrast medium (OSCM). Design In a prospective cohort study on 196 women undergoing OSCM HSG, we showed that iodine excess was almost universal (98%) and mild subclinical hypothyroidism was frequent (38%). Here, we report the analyses...

The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing globally(1). While BMI is commonly used to define obesity, it is unable to differentiate between fat and muscle mass, leading to calls to measure body composition specifically(2). While several tools are available to assess body composition in infancy, it is unclear if they are directly comparable....

Background Maternal obesity is associated with an increased risk of large-for-gestational-age births and childhood obesity. However, evidence on its potential associations with long-term offspring body composition remains limited. This prospective cohort study examined associations between maternal body mass index (BMI) during pregnancy and body co...

Whānau Pakari is a healthy lifestyle assessment and intervention programme for children and adolescents with obesity in Taranaki (Aotearoa/New Zealand), which, in this region, replaced the nationally funded Green Prescription Active Families (GRxAF) programme. We compared national referral rates from the GRxAF programme (age 5–15 years) and the B4...

Introduction Autism (formally autism spectrum disorder) encompasses a group of complex neurodevelopmental conditions, characterised by differences in communication and social interactions. Co-occurring chronic gastrointestinal symptoms are common among autistic individuals and can adversely affect their quality of life. This study aims to evaluate...

Background Nutritional intervention preconception and throughout pregnancy has been proposed as an approach to promoting healthy postnatal weight gain in the offspring but few randomised trials have examined this. Methods Measurements of weight and length were obtained at multiple time points from birth to 2 years among 576 offspring of women rand...

Antibiotic resistance (AR) associated with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) poses additional challenges for the management of ischemic leg ulcers, increasing the likelihood of severe outcomes. This study assessed AR prevalence in bacteria isolated from CLTI-associated leg ulcers before (1 January 2017–10 March 2020; n = 69) and during (11 M...

Rational Maternal overweight/obesity and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are associated with an increased risk of their offspring developing overweight/obesity or type 2 diabetes later in life. However, the impacts of maternal overweight/obesity and dysglycemia on human milk (HM) macronutrient composition are not well understood. Objective Thr...

This report was generated by ChatGPT-4 on the 14th September 2023, with prompting by José G B Derraik. Summary: It provides a brief but detailed evaluation of four statistical software packages: JASP, Jamovi, SPSS, and SAS. Each software is briefly described, highlighting its primary features and functionalities. A comparison table outlines key f...

Objective Previous studies on side-alternating vibration therapy (sVT) have usually used a 9 min intervention protocol. We performed a feasibility study aimed at assessing the safety, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of a longer sVT protocol (15 min per session) in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods Fifteen partic...

Background Bioimpedance devices are practical for measuring body composition in preschool children, but their application is limited by the lack of validated equations. Objectives To develop and validate fat-free mass (FFM) bioimpedance prediction equations among New Zealand 3.5-year olds, with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) as the referen...

Introduction Individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) harbour distinct gut microbiomes compared with healthy individuals, which are sufficient to induce weight loss and anxiety-like behaviours when transplanted into germ-free mice. We hypothesise that faecal microbiome transfer (FMT) from healthy donors would help restore the gut microbiome of indivi...

These diaries contain the training protocols for 9- and 15-minute sessions of whole-body side-alternating vibration therapy we used in previous studies (please see list below). We have made these publicly available to assist other researchers when developing similar studies, since creating these documents from a blank page is rather time-consuming....

Objectives This review aims to undertake a comprehensive review of the literature and investigate associations of age and gender on 30 days post carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and up to 5 years post CEA stroke, death, and combined stroke and death. Design A systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods Three main electronic databases including the C...

This commentary examines the ethical significance of recently published research demonstrating the extent to which healthcare workers experienced stress and increased challenges in the workplace due to inadequate access to personal protective equipment (PPE) during the first COVID-19 surge in Aotearoa New Zealand. The inadequate state of New Zealan...

Aims: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of vibration therapy (VT) in preschool children with cerebral palsy (CP) and obtain preliminary data on its potential effectiveness. Methods: Nine children aged 2.5–4.8 years (4 boys) with CP GMFCS levels I–III participated in a single-group feasibility study, undergoing a 12-week control period w...

Background: Nutritional intervention before and throughout pregnancy might promote healthy infant weight gain; however, clinical evidence is scarce. Therefore, we examined whether preconception and antenatal supplementation would affect the body size and growth of children in the first 2 years of life. Methods: Women were recruited from the comm...

Background: Maternal obesity during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of obesity and metabolic disease in the offspring. Supplementation with fish oil (FO), which is insulin-sensitizing, during pregnancy in mothers with overweight or obesity may prevent the development of greater adiposity and metabolic dysfunction in their children. Ob...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted personal protective equipment (PPE) supply, distribution, and disposal issues worldwide. Calls to conserve PPE stocks and increase supply resulted in the rapid development of potential disinfection methods, with the possibility of improvements in medical waste reduction. However, how receptive heal...

Wet air oxidation (WAO) of the PPE mixture was performed at temperatures ranging from 300 °C to 350 °C, with initial air pressures of 30 bar and 60 bar, respectively. Total suspended solids (TSS) were reduced by up to 99%, while total chemical oxygen demand (tCOD) and soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) were significantly reduced to 360 mg/L and...

Context Hysterosalpingography (HSG) using oil-soluble contrast medium (OSCM) improves pregnancy rates but results in severe and persistent iodine excess, potentially impacting the fetus and neonate. Objective To determine the incidence of thyroid dysfunction in newborns conceived within six months of OSCM HSG. Design Offspring study of a prospect...

Introduction During pregnancy and lactation minerals such as zinc are required to support maternal and infant health. Zinc is involved in various cellular processes, with requirements increasing in pregnancy and lactation. In the setting of a randomized trial, we investigated the effects on human milk (HM) zinc concentrations of a micronutrient-con...

Background: Vibration therapy (VT) has been increasingly studied in children with cerebral palsy (CP) over the last years, however, optimal therapeutic VT protocols are yet to be determined. The present study compared the effects of side-alternating VT protocols varying in frequency and treatment duration on the health of young children with mild-...

Background In animal models, prenatal zinc deficiency induced epigenetic changes in the fetus, but data in humans are lacking. We aimed to examine associations between maternal zinc levels during pregnancy and DNA methylation in LINE-1 and Alu repetitive sequences in young adult offspring, as well as anthropometry and cardiometabolic parameters. M...

Introduction The ‘Raising Healthy Kids (RHK) health target’ recommended that children identified as having obesity [body mass index (BMI) ≥98th centile] through growth screening at the B4 School Check (B4SC) be offered referral for subsequent assessment and intervention. Aim To determine the impact of the ‘RHK health target’ on referral rates for...

Objective: To determine the impact of a family-based assessment-and-intervention healthy lifestyle programme on health knowledge and beliefs of children and families affected by obesity. Second, to compare the health knowledge of the programme cohort to those of a national cohort in Aotearoa/New Zealand (NZ). Design: This mixed-methods study col...

Objectives: Safety and welfare are critical as pandemic-related demands on the healthcare workforce continue. Access to personal protective equipment (PPE) has been a central concern of healthcare workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Against the backdrop of an already strained healthcare system, our study aimed to explore the experiences of h...

Background Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is widely used to measure body composition but has not been adequately evaluated in infancy. Prior studies have largely been of poor quality, and few included healthy term-born offspring, so it is unclear if BIA can accurately predict body composition at this age. Aim This study evaluated impedance...

Context Hysterosalpingography with oil-soluble contrast medium (OSCM) improves pregnancy rates. However, OSCM has high iodine content and long half-life, leading to potential iodine excess. Objective To determine the pattern of iodine excess after OSCM hysterosalpingography and the impact on thyroid function. Design A prospective cohort study. P...

This study used non-catalytic hydrothermal deconstruction to examine the deconstruction of a mixture of numerous PPE items, including isolation gowns, gloves, goggles, face shields, surgical masks, and filtering-facepiece respirators. A mixture of PPE items was subjected to hydrothermal deconstruction at temperatures varying between 250 °C and 350...

To minimise the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, there has been a substantial increase in the production and usage of synthetic personal protective equipment (PPE) globally. Consequently, single-use PPE have been widely adopted without appropriate regulations for their disposal, leading to extensive environmental contamination worldwide. This...

The COVID-19 pandemic has required novel solutions, including heat disinfection of personal protective equipment (PPE) for potential reuse to ensure availability for healthcare and other frontline workers. Understanding the efficacy of such methods on pathogens other than SARS-CoV-2 that may be present on PPE in healthcare settings is key to worker...

Increased demand for single-use personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a marked increase in the amount of PPE waste and associated environmental pollution. Developing efficient and environmentally safe technologies to manage and dispose of this PPE waste stream is imperative. We designed and evaluated a hyd...

Objectives We examined whether caregivers of children/adolescents enroled in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a family-centred intervention indirectly achieved reductions in body mass index (BMI), and if these were associated with changes in their children’s BMI. Methods RCT participants were New Zealand children/adolescents aged 4.8–16.8 ye...

This pilot study explored the feasibility and effectiveness of vibration therapy (VT) on muscle and bone health, motor performance, and respiratory function in patients with congenital myopathy (CM). Eleven participants with CM (11.5 ± 2.8 years) underwent 12 weeks of side-alternating VT at 20 Hz for nine minutes per session, four days a week. VT w...

Background Early childhood obesity is highly prevalent in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). Little is known about caregiver perception of children's weight status among those living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation, particularly Māori and Pacific children. Aims To explore caregiver perception of weight status among children starting school in a...

Background: Vibration therapy (VT) has been increasingly studied in children with cerebral palsy (CP) over the last years, however, optimal therapeutic VT protocols are yet to be determined. The present study compared the effect of VT protocols varied in frequency and treatment duration on the health of young children with mild-to-moderate CP. Met...

We examined the long-term health outcomes associated with being born small for gestational age (SGA) or large for gestational age (LGA). A total of 632 young adults aged ≈20.6 years were recruited from a longitudinal study (Chiang Mai, Thailand) in 2010: 473 born appropriate for gestational age (AGA), 142 SGA, and 17 LGA. The clinical assessments i...

Objective This study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of children and adolescents with obesity, and the prevalence of cardiometabolic comorbidities over 10 years in this population from a large metropolitan centre in China. Methods This was a cross-sectional study (2008–2017) of patients aged <18 years with obesity [body mass index (...

Aim: To examine caregiver perceptions relating to the acceptability of weight screening at New Zealand's B4 School Check (B4SC), and the accessibility and acceptability of a healthy lifestyle programme (Whānau Pakari) for preschool children (Whānau Pakari preschool programme) identified with weight issues. Method: An online survey was designed t...

There have been widespread issues with the supply and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) globally throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, raising considerable public concern. We aimed to understand the experiences of healthcare workers using PPE during the first COVID-19 surge (February–June 2020) in Aotearoa/New Zealand (NZ). This study...

The arrival of SARS-CoV-2 to Aotearoa/New Zealand in February 2020 triggered a massive response at multiple levels. Procurement and sustainability of medical supplies to hospitals and clinics during the then upcoming COVID-19 pandemic was one of the top priorities. Continuing access to new personal protective equipment (PPE) was not guaranteed; thu...

In secondary analyses of a randomised controlled trial of exercise during pregnancy, we examined associations between mid-pregnancy maternal body mass index (BMI) and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) with offspring health. Follow-up data were available on 57 mother–child pairs at 1-year and 52 pairs at 7-year follow-ups. Clinical assessments...

Background Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is a radiological procedure using iodinated contrast media to assess tubal patency in women with infertility. HSG using Lipiodol, an oil-soluble contrast medium (OSCM) has been shown to improve pregnancy rates, so its therapeutic use has increased. However, OSCM can cause marked and prolonged iodine excess, po...

Objective This study aimed to determine 5-year outcomes from a 12-month, family-based, multidisciplinary lifestyle intervention program for children. Methods This study was the 5-year follow-up of a randomized clinical trial comparing a low-intensity control group (home-based assessments) with a high-intensity intervention group (assessments plus...

Background: Birth by caesarean section (CS) is associated with aberrant gut microbiome development and greater disease susceptibility later in life. We investigated whether oral administration of maternal vaginal microbiota to infants born by CS could restore their gut microbiome development in a pilot single-blinded, randomised placebo-controlled...

We examined the associations between caesarean section (CS) delivery and cardiovascular risk factors in young adults in Thailand. Participants were 632 offspring from a birth cohort in Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand), born in 1989–1990 and assessed in 2010 at a mean age of 20.6 years, including 57 individuals (9.0%) born by CS and 575 born vaginally...

Background Donor selection is an important factor influencing the engraftment and efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for complex conditions associated with microbial dysbiosis. However, the degree, variation, and stability of strain engraftment have not yet been assessed in the context of multiple donors. Methods We conducted a dou...

Objective Child and adolescent obesity continues to be a major health issue internationally. This study aims to understand the views and experiences of caregivers and participants in a child and adolescent multidisciplinary programme for healthy lifestyle change. Design Qualitative focus group study. Setting Community-based healthy lifestyle inte...

Background Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a potentially life-threatening complication of type 1 diabetes (T1D), and a leading cause of death in children aged <15 years with new-onset T1D. Aims i) to assess the incidence of DKA in children and adolescents newly diagnosed with T1D over a 10-year period at a large regional center in China; and ii) to...

Abstract Background Rates of overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age have been steadily increasing worldwide and in Thailand. There is mounting evidence that maternal obesity during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of obesity and other adverse health outcomes in the offspring, but such data are lacking for Thailand. We...

Maternal genetics is a key determinant of human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) composition in human milk. Beyond genetic status, other factors influencing the HMO profile are poorly defined. Thus, we aimed to review the existing evidence on the associations between nongenetic maternal and infant factors and HMO composition. A systematic search was perf...

Several early childhood obesity prediction models have been developed, but none for New Zealand's diverse population. We aimed to develop and validate a model for predicting obesity in 4–5-year-old New Zealand children, using parental and infant data from the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) cohort. Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) for...

In a recent issue of the BMC Public Health journal, Littlewood et al. described the results of a systematic review of interventions to prevent or treat childhood obesity in Māori or Pacific Island peoples. They found that studies to date have had limited impact on improving health outcomes for Māori and Pacific Island peoples, and suggest this may...

Aims To explore the perceptions and experiences of caregivers of preschool children with weight issues referred from New Zealand’s preschool check (the B4 School Check) to a healthy lifestyle programme. Second, to understand determinants of engagement with the programme for families post referral. Methods Semi-structured focus groups and interview...

Background Gangliosides are a class of sphingolipids that are present in the cell membranes of vertebrates. Gangliosides influence a broad range of cellular processes through effects on signal transduction, being found abundantly in the brain, and having a role in neurodevelopment. Objective We aimed to assess the effects of maternal daily consump...

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is an easy to use, portable tool, but the accuracy of the technique in infants and young children (<24 months) remains unclear. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify studies that have developed and validated BIA equations in this age group. MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched...

Background Vaginal seeding is the administration of maternal vaginal bacteria to babies following birth by caesarean section (CS), intended to mimic the microbial exposure that occurs during vaginal birth. Appropriate development of the infant gut microbiome assists early immune development and might help reduce the risk of certain health condition...

Background No studies have examined endogenous insulin secretion in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes in China using the gold-standard mixed-meal tolerance test. Because the latter is labor-intensive, we examined simpler surrogate markers of endogenous insulin secretion in Chinese youth, as previously reported for a European population.Method...

Importance Treatment of pediatric obesity is challenging. Preclinical studies in mice indicated that weight and metabolism can be altered by gut microbiome manipulation. Objective To assess efficacy of fecal microbiome transfer (FMT) to treat adolescent obesity and improve metabolism. Design, Setting, and Participants This randomized, double-mask...

Introduction Maternal obesity during pregnancy is associated with adverse changes in body composition and metabolism in the offspring. We hypothesise that supplementation during pregnancy of overweight and obese women may help prevent the development of greater adiposity and metabolic dysfunction in children. Previous clinical trials investigating...

Background: Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by mutations in the DMD gene, resulting in cardiomyopathy in all affected children by 18 years. Although cardiomyopathy is now the leading cause of mortality in these children, there is ongoing debate regarding timely diagnosis, secondary prevention, and treatment of this condition. The purpose of...

Metabolic diseases are increasing among adolescents with obesity. Although the reported prevalence of metabolic syndrome is approximately 30% worldwide, its prevalence is largely unknown among New Zealand adolescents. Therefore, we assessed the health of adolescents with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) enrolled in a randomised clinical trial (Gut Bugs Tri...

Background The first report of children born very preterm (<32 weeks of gestation) having insulin resistance was made 16 years ago. However, neonatal care has improved since. Thus, we aimed to assess whether children born very preterm still have lower insulin sensitivity than term controls. Methods Participants were prepubertal children aged 5 to...

Background: There is a growing body of evidence showing that early life events are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases later in adult life. However, there is a paucity of data in this field from Asian populations. In this study, we examined the association of birth order with obesity risk and cardiometabolic out...

Background Donor selection is an important factor influencing the engraftment and efficacy of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for complex conditions associated with microbial dysbiosis. However, the degree, variation, and stability of strain engraftment has not yet been assessed in the context of multiple donors. Methods We conducted a doubl...

Background: We aimed to develop a non-invasive model to detect the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in school children and adolescents. Methods: Participants were 7,330 children and adolescents aged 10–18 years, attending schools in eight Chinese localities. Participants had anthropometry measured and underwent fasting blood tests. MetS was defined as cen...

Submitted to Childhood Obesity

Objective: We aimed to assess the role of adipose tissue distribution in cardiometabolic risk (in particular insulin sensitivity) in a population of children and adolescents with obesity. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, participants were 479 children and adolescents with obesity (322 boys and 157 girls) aged 3 to 18 years attending the Chil...

In the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, hospitals are often stretched beyond capacity. There are widespread reports of dwindling supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), particularly N95-type filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs), which are paramount to protect frontline medical/nursing staff, and to minimize further spread of the v...

Many fundamental steps underpin the delivery of high-quality clinical research. In this article, we provide a brief commentary on some important aspects associated with the collection and management of data during clinical studies, which, if overlooked, will lead to poor-quality research. In particular, we discuss the key aspects that should help e...

Introduction: There is evidence that caesarean section (CS) is associated with increased risk of childhood obesity, asthma, and coeliac disease. The gut microbiota of CS-born babies differs to those born vaginally, possibly due to reduced exposure to maternal vaginal bacteria during birth. Vaginal seeding is a currently unproven practice intended...

Objective To determine whether 12‐month BMI SDS reductions persisted at 24 months in a multi‐disciplinary assessment and intervention program for children and adolescents with obesity, and whether secondary outcomes improved. Methods This was a community‐based 12‐month RCT in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Eligible participants were aged 5 to 16 years with...

Background It is unclear whether newborns with mild TSH elevation (mTSHe) are at risk of neurocognitive impairment. We assessed whether mTSHe at birth persists during childhood and compared neurocognitive functioning to siblings. Methods This study encompassed children born in the Auckland region with a newborn screen TSH level 8–14 mIU/L blood, a...

Preterm infants are exposed to major perinatal, post-natal, and early infancy events that could impact on the gut microbiome. These events include infection, steroid and antibiotic exposure, parenteral nutrition, necrotizing enterocolitis, and stress. Studies have shown that there are differences in the gut microbiome during the early months of lif...

Aims A pilot study was performed to establish the safety, feasibility and efficacy of vibration therapy (VT) on bone and muscle health in children and adolescents with a range of musculoskeletal disorders. Methods Seventeen participants (15.7 years ± 2.9 years), with conditions that impacted on their musculoskeletal health, completed 20 weeks of s...

Objective: To review the clinical symptoms and biochemical parameters associated with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in our single medical centre over 10 years. Methods: Participants were children aged <16 years diagnosed with T1D between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2018 at the Children’s Hospi...

Aims: To evaluate the effects of side-alternating vibration therapy on physical function and body composition in adolescents with Down syndrome. Methods: Fourteen adolescents (8 males) with Down syndrome (mean ± SD age: 15.5 ± 2.3 years) performed vibration treatment nine minutes daily, four times per week, for 20 weeks on a Galileo vibration platf...

In the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, hospitals are stretched beyond capacity. There are widespread reports of dwindling supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), which are paramount to protect frontline medical/nursing staff and to minimize further spread of the virus. We carried out a rapid review to summarize the existing evidenc...