13 research outputs found
Conference Highlights of the 16th International Conference on Human Retrovirology: HTLV and Related Retroviruses, 26–30 June 2013, Montreal, Canada
Handwriting production in Spanish children with dyslexia: spelling or motor difficulties?
Relationship between circulating miR-132 and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in a Chinese population
Aleitamento materno e práticas alimentares de crianças menores de seis meses em Alfenas, Minas Gerais Breastfeeding and feeding practices for infants under six months of age from Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil
OBJETIVO: Determinar a prevalência da amamentação e avaliar o consumo de outros alimentos em crianças menores de seis meses em Alfenas, Estado de Minas Gerais. MÉTODOS: Trata-se de estudo epidemiológico transversal, realizado por meio de inquérito domiciliar com uma amostra de 126 crianças nascidas em 2008. Os dados foram obtidos a partir de formulário com o recordatório de 24 horas da alimentação da criança e outras questões. Na análise dos dados, foi utilizado o Programa Epi Info, versão 6.04. Foi determinada a prevalência das diferentes categorias de amamentação (amamentação exclusiva, amamentação predominante, amamentação complementada e amamentação) segundo faixas etárias. O Teste de Fischer e o Teste qui-quadrado foram calculados na associação de variáveis com o aleitamento materno. RESULTADOS: A prevalência da amamentação exclusiva em crianças menores de seis meses foi de 37,3%. A introdução de alimentos semissólidos ocorreu acentuadamente a partir do quinto mês de vida. No sexto mês, 50,7% das crianças encontravam-se em amamentação complementada. As crianças menores de seis meses não amamentadas, comparadas com as amamentadas, apresentaram prevalências significativamente maiores quanto ao consumo de água, frutas e comida da famÃlia. Não foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre a amamentação exclusiva até o sexto mês e as variáveis maternas estudadas. CONCLUSÃO: Apesar de vários resultados deste estudo apresentarem-se superiores aos de outros municÃpios, a prevalência do aleitamento materno em Alfenas ainda está distante da recomendação de que crianças recebam exclusivamente leite materno até os seis meses de idade.<br>OBJECTIVE: This study determined the prevalence of breastfeeding and evaluated the consumption of other foods by infants under six months of age from Alfenas, Minas Gerais. METHODS: This cross-sectional, epidemiological study included 126 children born in 2008. The infants' caregivers were interviewed at home using the 24hrs recall and other questions to collect information on the infants' diets. The software Epi Info version 6.04 was used to analyze the data. The prevalence of different breastfeeding categories was determined (exclusive breastfeeding, predominant breastfeeding, complementary breastfeeding and breastfeeding) based on age group. The Fisher's and chi-square tests were used to investigate possible associations between the variables and breastfeeding. RESULTS: The prevalence of breastfeeding in children under six months of age was 37.3%. Semi-solid foods were introduced abundantly during the infants' fifth month of age. In the sixth month, the diet of 50.7% of the children contained complementary foods in addition to breast milk. The prevalence of water, fruit and family food intakes among non-breastfed infants under six months of age was significantly higher that of their breastfed counterparts. There were no significant differences between exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months and the studied maternal variables. CONCLUSION: Although the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of an infant's life in Alfenas is higher than that of other cities, it still needs plenty of improvement to meet the recommendation that infants should be exclusively breastfed in that period
Expression of interferon regulatory factors (IRF-1 and IRF-2) during radiation-induced damage and regeneration of bone marrow by transplantation in mouse
Gap junctions in cells of the immune system: structure, regulation and possible functional roles
Gap junction channels are sites of cytoplasmic communication between contacting cells. In vertebrates, they consist of protein subunits denoted connexins (Cxs) which are encoded by a gene family. According to their Cx composition, gap junction channels show different gating and permeability properties that define which ions and small molecules permeate them. Differences in Cx primary sequences suggest that channels composed of different Cxs are regulated differentially by intracellular pathways under specific physiological conditions. Functional roles of gap junction channels could be defined by the relative importance of permeant substances, resulting in coordination of electrical and/or metabolic cellular responses. Cells of the native and specific immune systems establish transient homo- and heterocellular contacts at various steps of the immune response. Morphological and functional studies reported during the last three decades have revealed that many intercellular contacts between cells in the immune response present gap junctions or "gap junction-like" structures. Partial characterization of the molecular composition of some of these plasma membrane structures and regulatory mechanisms that control them have been published recently. Studies designed to elucidate their physiological roles suggest that they might permit coordination of cellular events which favor the effective and timely response of the immune system