Posters S91

4. rising abdominal circumference trajectory, 5. constant extreme

high abdominal circumference. These groups showed a significant

difference in weight, height and HDL at 13 years of age and

significant difference to postnatal trajectories on chi square

testing.

Conclusions: This study shows that antenatal growth follows

different growth trajectories from 18 weeks gestation. This may

facilitate stratification of at risk pregnancies.

P1-30 Maternal isocaloric high-protein diet ameliorates

systolic blood pressure increase and cardiac remodeling

augmentation in the adult mice offspring with

maternal calorie restriction possible association with

branched-chain amino acids

H. Itoh1 *, M. Kawamura2, S. Yura2, H. Mogami2, F. Tsuyoshi2,

N. Sagawa3. 1Osaka National Hospital, Osaka; 2Department of

Gynecology and Obstetrics, Kyoto University Graduate School of

Medicine, Kyoto; 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mie

University School of Medicine, Tsu, Japan

Aims: Undernutrition in utero is a risk factor for cardiovascular

disorders (CVD) in adulthood. Recently, we reported a mouse animal

model of maternal calorie restriction (30%) using regular chow

diet (RCD), in which offspring (UN offspring) showed a significant

increase in systolic blood pressure and cardiac remodeling at

16 wks, compared to normally nourished offspring (NN offspring)

(Endocrinology 2007; 148: 1218). We subsequently investigated the

effect of maternal protein intake on the risk factors of CVD in adult

offspring.

Study design: The maternal food restriction was applied to

pregnant mice with either RCD or isocaloric high-protein diet

(HPD).

Outcome measures: Amino analysis was carried out in the fetal

plasma at 18.5 dpc. Systolic blood pressure and/or cardiac

remodeling-associated morphological parameters, i.e. perivascular

fibrosis of the coronary artery, cardiomegaly and cardiomyocyte

enlargement, were measured in the adult offspring (P-UN offspring)

in comparison with UN and NN offspring.

Results: Maternal isocaloric HPD augmented fetal plasma concen-

trations of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA: valine, leucine and

isoleucine). At 8 and 16 wks, significant systolic blood pressure

increase was observed in UN offspring, but not in P-UN offspring, as

compared with NN offspring. In the similar manner, all of cardiac

remodeling-associated parameters measured were significantly

elevated in UN offspring, but not in P-UN offspring, as compared

with NN offspring at 16 wks.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that maternal HPD may

alleviate the deterioration in systolic blood pressure as well as

in cardiac remodeling in the adult offspring with maternal calorie

restriction, probably partly via exposure to BCAA in utero.

P1-31 Low maternal adiposity in early pregnancy is associated

with increased vascular resistance in pre-pubertal

boys

A. Jones1,2 *, K.M. Godfrey2, C. Osmond2, D.I.W. Phillips2.1Department of Paediatric Cardiology, Great Ormond Street

Hospital, London, UK, 2MRC Epidemiology Resource Centre,

University of Southampton, UK

E-mail: aj@mrc.soton.ac.uk

Aims: Previous studies have shown that lower maternal adiposity

measured by skin fold thickness is associated with preferential

fetal hepatic blood supply and raised blood pressure in childhood.

We hypothesised that such fetal circulatory changes may result

in altered vascular resistance in the offspring increasing blood

pressure.

Study design: Birth cohort.

Subjects: 68 boys and 72 girls (7 9 years old), born to mothers who

took part in an earlier study of fetal growth in Southampton, UK,

underwent the Trier Social Stress Test for Children (TSST-C) whilst

non-invasive cardiovascular measures were recorded.

Outcome measures: Blood pressure, thoracic impedance and ECG

were continuously recorded and used to derive indices of systemic

vascular resistance, stroke volume and cardiac output.

Results: In boys, but not girls, lower maternal adiposity

predicted greater systemic vascular resistance (boys: r = 0.53,

P < 0.001; girls: r = 0.10, ns) and diastolic arterial pressure (boys:

r = 0.28, P < 0.05; girls: r = 0.04, ns) following stress. In the boys,

lower maternal adiposity also predicted lower stroke volume

(boys: r = 0.37, P < 0.01; girls: r = 0.15, ns) and cardiac output

(boys: r = 0.43, P < 0.01; girls: r = 0.11, ns). These findings were

independent of maternal height, social class, and smoking, and

child’s height and weight. The interaction terms with sex were

statistically significant.

Conclusions: Low maternal adiposity is associated with increased

vascular resistance in childhood. This may result from hypoplasia of

vascular resistance vessels due to preferential shunting of blood to

the liver during fetal life. The sex-specific nature of these findings

is unexplained.

P1-32 Effect of intrauterine growth restriction on the number

of cardiomyocytes in the rat heart at four weeks of

age

K. Lim*, M. Zimanyi, M.J. Black. Department of Anatomy and Cell

Biology, Monash University, Clayton Victoria, Australia

E-mail: kyung.lim@med.monash.edu.au

Aims: To determine the effect of intrauterine growth restriction

(IUGR), due to maternal protein restriction, on the number of

cardiomyocytes in the rat heart at 4 weeks after birth (at a time

when the cardiomyocytes have ceased dividing).

Study design: Female WKY rats were fed either a normal protein

diet (NPD, 20% casein) or low protein diet (LPD, 8.7% casein) during

pregnancy and lactation. At 4 weeks of age, heart volume and the

total number of cardiomyocytes were stereologically determined

in male and female offspring.

Results: Body weights of the rats in the IUGR group were

significantly reduced but there was no significant difference in

heart volume between groups; females were significantly smaller

than males (p < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in

the number of cardiomyocytes in the IUGR or control hearts

in either male (5.094±0.19×107 and 5.564±0.18×107 cardiomy-

ocytes, respectively) or female offspring (3.416±0.20×107 and

3.939±0.30×107 cardiomyocytes, respectively). There was a