Adequacies And Inadequacies In The Anthropometric And Dietetic Profiles Of Preschool Children

Nutritional conditions and food patterns in preschool children are elements that emphasise the importance of health monitoring in this period of nutritional transition, both to ensure nutritional adequacy and how much to intervene in identified inadequacies. Hence, it may also constitute a strategy for public programs and school health services to make decisions. Objective: To analyse the anthropometric and dietary profiles of pre-schoolers of a pole city in Northeastern Brazil. Methods: This is a cross-sectional evaluative study with 114 children aged 2-5 years, of both genders, in three municipal centres of early childhood education. Anthropometry was used to measure weight and height, and the nutritional condition was assessed using the indexes Height for Age (H/A), Weight for Age (W/A), Weight for Height (W/H) and Body Mass Index for Age (BMI/A) in z-score values with classifications established by the World Health Organization. The food intake record was done by direct weighing of the food menu offered during a week in the three institutions. This procedure allowed for the evaluation of the nutritional composition of menus, from the estimates in percentages, average and standard deviations of total calories, macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates and lipids) and micronutrients (calcium, iron, vitamins A and C), to the adjustments and comparisons to the reference values of the Recommended Dietary Allowances, National Research Council and the PNAE recommendations, by age stages, in full-time units, 1-3 years, 700 kcal; 4-5 years, 950 kcal (70% coverage prediction of daily nutritional requirements) and the part-time units, these same ranges of age, respectively, 200 and 270 kcal (20% coverage for forecasting nutritional needs daily), considering adequate consumption to that with a variation of up to 10% above or below 100% of these recommendations. Results: Most of the preschool children had adequate nutritional conditions, especially those of full-time units, with relative frequencies (W/A: 94.5%; W/H: 89.5%, BMI/A: 81.7%). There were registered also overweight percentages higher than the deficits, in the indices W/A (22.2%), P/E (33.3%) to municipal early childhood centre CMEI-A girls; the indices W/A, W/H, BMI/A (23.8% each) in CMEI B-boys. In relation to the adequacy of the food profile, there was only convergence between the offer and the recommendation of 70% coverage of the daily energy needs, for pre-schoolers of 4-5 years from the centre of full-time units (mean: 951.2 ± 172.3 kcal). As for nutrients, inadequacies had a trend in the coverage of the daily needs on the menu offered in part-time units. Conclusion: Although most children do not present indicative of nutritional risk, requires attention to food portion that was with inadequacies of nutritional condition, with emphasis on weight surplus, while the readjustments in per capita and in portions of the menu implemented in those locations.26223424

Macrophage populations and cardiac sympathetic denervation during L-NAME-induced hypertension in rats

The rat model of hypertension induced by prolonged treatment with Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) has been extensively used. However, the effects on cardiac autonomic innervation are unknown. Here, the cardiac sympathetic innervation is analyzed in parallel with myocardial lesions and leukocyte infiltration during L-NAME (40 mg/Kg body weight/day, orally) treatment. The occurrence of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, a controversial matter, is also addressed. Degenerating cardiomyocytes and focal inflammation occurred one day after treatment. Inflammatory lesions became gradually more frequent until day 7. At day 14 fibroblast-like cells were outstanding. Interstitial and perivascular connective tissue increased from day 28 on. In the left ventricle, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy occurred only around the damaged area during the first 14 days. After 28 days, it became more widespread. In the right ventricle, the hypertrophic cardiomyocytes were restricted to damaged areas. Significant reduction of the noradrenergic nerve terminals occurred from day 3 to 28. The area occupied by ED1+ (hematogenous) macrophages increased until day 7, and dropped to control levels by day 10. ED2+ (resident) macrophages increased from day 3 to 7 and remained higher than control values up to day 77. Animals receiving both L- NAME and aminoguanidine (AG), an inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor (65 mg/Kg body weight/day, orally), showed significant decrease in the nitrite serum levels, sympathetic denervation and macrophage infiltration at day 7. No denervation was detectable at day 14 of double treatment, using subcutaneous AG. Our findings favor a role for ED1+ macrophages and iNOS in the hypertension–induced denervation process

Soroepidemiologia da infecção pelo vírus da hepatite A em "meninos de/na rua" de Goiânia-Goiás

Um estudo soroepidemiológico, para anticorpos contra o vírus da hepatite A (anti- VHA total - IgM e IgG), foi realizado no período de 1991-1992, em 397 "meninos de/na rua" em Goiânia. Destes, 313 apresentavam vínculo familiar e desmvolviam, em sua maioria, atividades de trabalho informal, eitquanto que 84 não possuíam vínculo familiar e se encontravam na rua ou em Instituições do Governo Estadual. A taxa média de prevalência foi de 90,4%, variando de 80,0% a 92,9%, sem contudo apresentar diferença estatística significante relativa à idade (7-21). Também não se evidenciou qualquer diferença quando este grupo foi estratificado para presença ou ausência de vínculo familiar ou mesmo quando analisado em relação a outras variáveis sócio-demogrãficas. Estes dados sugerem que a hepatite A ê endêmica na população de baixa condição sócio-econômica da região e que nesta faixa etãria a maioria dos indivíduos já adquiriu a infecção. Outras investigações em grupos e camadas sociais diferentes são necessárias a fim de parametrar estratégias vacinais em países subdesenvolvidos

Fatores de risco e prevalência de anticorpos contra o vírus da hepatite A (VHA) em crianças de creche em Goiânia, Brasil

A seroepidemiologic survey about hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection was carried out in a group comprising 310 children, ranging in age from 3 months to 9 years, from day-care centers, in Goiania, a middle sized city in the central region of Brazil. The biomarkers employed in the investigation of previous infection include total IgG and IgM anti-HAV antibodies, and for the detection of more recent infection, IgM anti-HAV antibodies were analyzed. The study was performed in 1991 and 1992. According to the results, 69.7% of the children presented total IgG/IgM anti-HAV antibodies, with 60% of the group in the age range of 1 to 3 years. Among 10 day-care centers analyzed, the prevalence of the biomarker IgM anti-HAV was 3.2%, with an uniform distribution of the cases in the group of children ranging in age from 1 to 4 years. Multi-variate analysis was performed to investigate the sociodemographic factors that could influence the results. It was verified that the risk for the infection increased with the length of the attendance in the day-care centers, i.e., the risk for children with attendance of one year or more was 4.7 times higher, when compared with children with one month attendance (CI 95% 2.3-9.9). According to the results, hepatitis A is an endemic infection in day-care centers in the study area. The length of attendance in the day-care settings was demonstrated to be a risk factor for the HAV infection. Such findings suggest that if hepatits A vaccination becomes available as a routine policy in our region, the target group should be children under one year. Moreover, those children should receive the vaccine before they start to attend the day-care centers.Um estudo soroepidemiológico para o vírus da hepatite A (VHA), investigando os marcadores de infecção passada (anti-VHA total - IgG e IgM) e infecção recente (anti-VHA IgM), foi realizado entre 1991 e 1992, em crianças de creche de Goiânia-Brasil central. Das 310 crianças com idade entre 03 meses e 09 anos, 69,7% mostraram soropositividade ao anti-VHA total, sendo 60%, na faixa etária entre 1 e 3 anos. A prevalência do marcador anti-VHA IgM foi de 3,2%, visto em idade de 1-4 anos e com distribuição uniforme nas 10 creches estudadas. Entre as variáveis sócio-demográficas estudadas, apenas o tempo de freqüência das crianças nas creches, igual ou superior a um ano, mostrou, em análise multivariada ajustada para idade, um risco 4,7 vezes maior quando comparado com o período de um mês (LC 95% 2,3-9,9). De acordo com os resultados, a hepatite A é uma infecção endêmica no tipo populacional estudado e o tempo de freqüência prolongado das crianças, nas creches públicas, constitui um fator de risco para infecção ao VHA. Tais resultados sugerem que, uma vez que a vacina seja instituída na região, as crianças de creche devem recebê-la antes de um ano de idade, ou no mais tardar antes de ingressarem nas creches públicas