Zika virus infection in pregnancy and infant growth, body composition in the first three months of life: a cohort study.

The implications of Zika Virus exposure in pregnancy for early infant growth remains poorly described. The main goal of this study is to compare the growth, body composition, and feeding modality of infants in the first three months of life by prenatal Zika Virus exposure status. We selected an analytical cohort of 115 infants born without microcephaly, comprising 56 infants with qRT-PCR confirmed exposure to ZIKV during gestation and 59 infants born to women with presumptively no evidence of ZIKV in pregnancy. Infants were evaluated at birth, 1 and 3 months of age in terms of anthropometrics, body composition All the results were adjusted by maternal age, maternal BMI and gestational age. We observe no differences between anthropometric measurements at birth. Mothers in exposed group showed higher BMI. At 1 month and 3 months of age there were differences in mid arm circumference, arm muscle circumference and fat free mass. Weight and length was less in the ZIKV exposed in pregnancy infants and statistically different at 3 month of age. The findings of this investigation provide new evidence that ZIKV exposure in pregnancy may be associated with differences in body composition

Freezing and thawing effects on fat, protein, and lactose levels of human natural milk administered by gavage and continuous infusion

OBJECTIVES: to analyze the changes in human milk macronutrients: fat, protein, and lactose in natural human milk (raw), frozen and thawed, after administration simulation by gavage and continuous infusion. METHOD: an experimental study was performed with 34 human milk samples. The infrared spectrophotometry using the infrared analysis equipment MilkoScan Minor(r) (Foss, Denmark) equipment was used to analyze the macronutrients in human milk during the study phases. The analyses were performed in natural (raw) samples and after freezing and fast thawing following two steps: gavage and continuous infusion. The non-parametric Wilcoxon test for paired samples was used for the statistical analysis. RESULTS: the fat content was significantly reduced after administration by continuous infusion (p < 0.001) during administration of both raw and thawed samples. No changes in protein and lactose content were observed between the two forms of infusion. However, the thawing process significantly increased the levels of lactose and milk protein. CONCLUSION: the route of administration by continuous infusion showed the greatest influence on fat loss among all the processes required for human milk administration

Calorimetria indireta: uma ferramenta para adequação das necessidades energéticas dos recém-nascidos de muito baixo peso ao nascer Indirect calorimetry: a tool to adjust energy expenditure in very low birth weight infants

OBJETIVO: Verificar o gasto energético de repouso dos recém-nascidos de muito baixo peso ao nascer através da calorimetria indireta. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com 29 recém-nascidos de muito baixo peso ao nascer, clinicamente estáveis, recebendo dieta > 100 kcal/kg/dia. A desnutrição foi determinada como todo escore z do peso para idade &le; -2 DP. A aferição do gasto energético de repouso foi realizada através da calorimetria indireta com o sistema aberto. RESULTADOS: No momento do exame, o peso médio foi de 1.564&plusmn;393 g, idade corrigida de 35&plusmn;3 semanas, e a desnutrição estava presente em 62,1%. O valor médio da taxa metabólica basal foi de 57,01&plusmn;7,76 kcal/kg/dia, maior do que o usado como referência. CONCLUSÃO: O elevado gasto energético de repouso pode estar exercendo um forte impacto no desenvolvimento da desnutrição no período de hospitalização, pois o gasto energético de repouso é o principal componente calórico do gasto energético total.OBJECTIVE: To determine the resting metabolic rate in very low birth weight infants through indirect calorimetry. METHODS:Cross-sectional study including 29 clinically stable very low birth weight infants receiving an enteral diet > 100 kcal/kg/day. Malnutrition was defined as weight-for-age z score &le; - 2 SD. Resting energy expenditure was measured using open circuit indirect calorimetry. RESULTS: At the time of the examination, mean weight was 1,564&plusmn;393 g and corrected gestational age was 35&plusmn;3 weeks. Malnutrition was diagnosed in 62.1% of the preterm infants. The mean resting metabolic rate was 57.01&plusmn;7.76 kcal/kg/day. CONCLUSION: Since resting energy expenditure is the main caloric component of total energy expenditure, the high resting metabolic rate observed may have a strong impact on the development of malnutrition during hospitalization

Pseudorapidity densities of charged particles with transverse momentum thresholds in pp collisions at √ s = 5.02 and 13 TeV

The pseudorapidity density of charged particles with minimum transverse momentum (pT) thresholds of 0.15, 0.5, 1, and 2 GeV/c is measured in pp collisions at the center of mass energies of √s=5.02 and 13 TeV with the ALICE detector. The study is carried out for inelastic collisions with at least one primary charged particle having a pseudorapidity (η) within 0.8pT larger than the corresponding threshold. In addition, measurements without pT-thresholds are performed for inelastic and nonsingle-diffractive events as well as for inelastic events with at least one charged particle having |η|2GeV/c), highlighting the importance of such measurements for tuning event generators. The new measurements agree within uncertainties with results from the ATLAS and CMS experiments obtained at √s=13TeV.

Energy dependence of coherent photonuclear production of J/ψ mesons in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at sNN \sqrt{{\textrm{s}}_{\textrm{NN}}} = 5.02 TeV

The cross section for coherent photonuclear production of J/ψ is presented as a function of the electromagnetic dissociation (EMD) of Pb. The measurement is performed with the ALICE detector in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair of $\sqrt{{\textrm{s}}_{\textrm{NN}}}$ = 5.02 TeV. Cross sections are presented in five different J/ψ rapidity ranges within |y| < 4, with the J/ψ reconstructed via its dilepton decay channels. In some events the J/ψ is not accompanied by EMD, while other events do produce neutrons from EMD at beam rapidities either in one or the other beam direction, or in both. The cross sections in a given rapidity range and for different configurations of neutrons from EMD allow for the extraction of the energy dependence of this process in the range 17 < W$_{γ Pb,n}$ < 920 GeV, where W$_{γ Pb,n}$ is the centre-of-mass energy per nucleon of the γPb system. This range corresponds to a Bjorken-x interval spanning about three orders of magnitude: 1.1 × 10$^{−5}$ < x < 3.3 × 10$^{−2}$. In addition to the ultra-peripheral and photonuclear cross sections, the nuclear suppression factor is obtained. These measurements point to a strong depletion of the gluon distribution in Pb nuclei over a broad, previously unexplored, energy range. These results, together with previous ALICE measurements, provide unprecedented information to probe quantum chromodynamics at high energies

Charm production and fragmentation fractions at midrapidity in pp collisions at s \sqrt{\textrm{s}} = 13 TeV

Measurements of the production cross sections of prompt D$^{0}$, D$^{+}$, D$^{*+}$, ${\textrm{D}}_{\textrm{s}}^{+}$, ${\Lambda}_{\textrm{c}}^{+}$, and ${\Xi}_{\textrm{c}}^{+}$ charm hadrons at midrapidity in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the ALICE detector are presented. The D-meson cross sections as a function of transverse momentum (p$_{T}$) are provided with improved precision and granularity. The ratios of p$_{T}$-differential meson production cross sections based on this publication and on measurements at different rapidity and collision energy provide a constraint on gluon parton distribution functions at low values of Bjorken-x (10$^{−5}$–10$^{−4}$). The measurements of ${\Lambda}_{\textrm{c}}^{+}$ (${\Xi}_{\textrm{c}}^{+}$) baryon production extend the measured p$_{T}$ intervals down to p$_{T}$ = 0(3) GeV/c. These measurements are used to determine the charm-quark fragmentation fractions and the $\textrm{c}\overline{\textrm{c}}$ production cross section at midrapidity (|y| < 0.5) based on the sum of the cross sections of the weakly-decaying ground-state charm hadrons D$^{0}$, D$^{+}$, ${\textrm{D}}_{\textrm{s}}^{+}$, ${\Lambda}_{\textrm{c}}^{+}$, ${\Xi}_{\textrm{c}}^0$ and, for the first time, ${\Xi}_{\textrm{c}}^{+}$, and of the strongly-decaying J/ψ mesons. The first measurements of ${\Xi}_{\textrm{c}}^{+}$ and ${\Sigma}_{\textrm{c}}^{0,++}$ fragmentation fractions at midrapidity are also reported. A significantly larger fraction of charm quarks hadronising to baryons is found compared to e$^{+}$e$^{−}$ and ep collisions. The $\textrm{c}\overline{\textrm{c}}$ production cross section at midrapidity is found to be at the upper bound of state-of-the-art perturbative QCD calculations.[graphic not available: see fulltext