Using the Uganda National Panel Survey to Analyze the Effect of Staple Food Consumption on Undernourishment in Ugandan children

Background: The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals Report, 2015, documents that, since 1990, the number of stunted children in sub-Saharan Africa has increased by 33% even though it has fallen in all other world regions. Recognizing this, in 2011 the Government of Uganda implemented a 5-year Nutrition Action Plan. One important tenet of the Plan is to lessen malnutrition in young children by discouraging over-consumption of nutritionally deficient, but plentiful, staple foods, which it defines as a type of food insecurity. Methods: We use a sample of 6101 observations on 3427 children age five or less compiled from three annual waves of the Uganda National Panel Survey to measure undernourishment. We also use the World Health Organization’s Child Growth Standards to create a binary variable indicating stunting and another indicating wasting for each child in each year. We then use random effects to estimate binary logistic regressions that show that greater staple food concentrations affect the probability of stunting and wasting. Results: The estimated coefficients are used to compute adjusted odds ratios (OR) that estimate the effect of greater staple food concentration on the likelihood of stunting and the likelihood of wasting. Controlling for other relevant covariates, these odds ratios show that a greater proportion of staple foods in a child’s diet increases the likelihood of stunting (OR = 1.007, p = 0.005) as well as wasting (OR = 1.011, p = 0.034). Stunting is confirmed with subsamples of males only (OR = 1.006, p = 0.05) and females only (OR = 1.008, p = 0.027), suggesting that the finding is not gender specific. Another subsample of children aged 12 months or less, most of whom do not yet consume solid food, shows no statistically significant relationship, thus supporting the validity of the other findings. Conclusion: Diets containing larger proportions of staple foods are associated with greater likelihoods of both stunting and wasting in Ugandan children. Other causes of stunting and wasting identified in past research are also confirmed with the Uganda data. Finally, the analysis provides clues to other possible causes of undernourishment in young children

Medicare Part D roulette: potential implications of random assignment and plan restrictions

Background: Dual-eligible (Medicare/Medicaid) beneficiaries are randomly assigned to a benchmark plan, which provides prescription drug coverage under the Part D benefit without consideration of their prescription drug profile. To date, the potential for beneficiary assignment to a plan with poor formulary coverage has been minimally studied and the resultant financial impact to beneficiaries unknown. Objective: We sought to determine cost variability and drug use restrictions under each available 2010 California benchmark plan. Methods: Dual-eligible beneficiaries were provided Part D plan assistance during the 2010 annual election period. The Medicare Web site was used to determine benchmark plan costs and prescription utilization restrictions for each of the six California benchmark plans available for random assignment in 2010. A standardized survey was used to record all de-identified beneficiary demographic and plan specific data. For each low-income subsidy-recipient (n = 113), cost, rank, number of non-formulary medications, and prescription utilization restrictions were recorded for each available 2010 California benchmark plan. Formulary matching rates (percent of beneficiary’s medications on plan formulary) were calculated for each benchmark plan. Results: Auto-assigned beneficiaries had only a 34% chance of being assigned to the lowest cost plan; the remainder faced potentially significant avoidable out-of-pocket costs. Wide variations between benchmark plans were observed for plan cost, formulary coverage, formulary matching rates, and prescription utilization restrictions. Conclusions: Beneficiaries had a 66% chance of being assigned to a sub-optimal plan; thereby, they faced significant avoidable out-of-pocket costs. Alternative methods of beneficiary assignment could decrease beneficiary and Medicare costs while also reducing medication non-compliance

A teoria crítica do direito das mulheres e as novas perspectivas da segunda década do século XXI

The problematization of women’s rights establishes one of the most relevant contributions of the series The law found on the street, on its volume 5, named “Introduction to Women’s Rights Critical Theory”, bearing a critical approach and clear language, easily comprehended, within a feminist epistemology in mind, aiming at the protection of human rights. This article intends to review some of the themes dealt with on the above mentioned work, with regard to Popular Legal women prosecutors, women’s access to justice, and women affected by collapsed dams from a current viewpoint, focusing on an open juridical construction in order to enhance the space of freedom and signification to the living, open to new revealing possibilities. Taking this into account, it was elected a bibliographic review method,  based on documental analysis, and articulated by a juridical perspective in order to enlarge citizenship spaces, recognizing and reassuring emancipating possibilities.A problematização do direito das mulheres, com uma abordagem crítica e linguajar claro, de fácil compreensão e acessível, a partir das epistemologias feministas e com enfoque na proteção dos direitos humanos, constituiu uma das relevantes contribuições da série O Direito Achado na Rua, em seu volume 5, nomeado “Introdução Crítica ao Direito das Mulheres”. Neste artigo, propõe-se revisitar alguns dos temas tratados na obra, especialmente relacionados às Promotoras Legais Populares, ao acesso à justiça para as mulheres e, ainda, o tema das mulheres atingidas por barragens, posicionando-os no contexto atual e, com enfoque para uma construção jurídica aberta voltada para ampliar o espaço de liberdade e de significação dos viventes, as novas possibilidades que se descortinam. Com esse objetivo, opta-se pelo método de revisão bibliográfica, da análise de documentos, articuladas por uma perspectiva jurídica que se volta para ampliar os espaços de cidadania, reconhecendo-os e garantindo suas possibilidades emancipadoras

Biology education research: Academic production characteristics of the graduate program in science education at the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Brazil

Este artigo apresenta um estudo referente à pesquisa em ensino de Biologia, pautado na descrição, análise e caracterização das dissertações defendidas no Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ensino de Ciências (PPGEC), da Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE). Para tal, foram analisadas 41 dissertações defendidas no período de 2003 a 2009, a partir de descritores propostos pelo Centro de Documentação em Ensino de Ciências (CEDOC), da Faculdade de Educação da Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP): ano de defesa, autor e orientadores, nível de ensino, foco temático e gênero do trabalho acadêmico. Os resultados mostraram que a pesquisa em Ensino de Biologia do PPGEC/UFRPE apresenta características comuns à pesquisa nessa área em âmbito nacional, como o predomínio de problemáticas que envolvem a Educação Básica. E, também, características singulares que refletem o processo de implantação e consolidação do curso de mestrado do PPGEC/UFRPE.v. 21n.228530

The use of rapamycin to treat vascular tumours and malformations: A single-centre experience

Objectives: To assess the safety and efficacy of rapamycin in treating children with vascular tumours and malformations. Study design: We performed a retrospective review at a large tertiary care paediatric centre to assess the efficacy and safety of using rapamycin to treat vascular tumours and malformations. Response to therapy was defined by patient-reported symptom improvement, radiological reduction in size of lesions, and/or improvement of laboratory parameters. Results: Forty-two patients (7 with vascular tumours and 35 with vascular malformations) have been treated with rapamycin. Despite 33 of 42 patients being diagnosed in the first year of life, the median age of initiating rapamycin was 11 years. Of the 38 children treated for a minimum of 4 months, 29 (76%) exhibited a clinical response. Twenty-one patients had follow-up imaging studies and of these, 16 (76%) had radiographic decrease in lesion size. Median time to demonstration of response was 49 days. All five children with vascular tumours and all three children with vascular malformations under the age of 4 years showed a clinical response. Response rate was lower for children ≥ 4 years of age (0/2, 0% for vascular tumours; 21/28, 75% for vascular malformations). No patient experienced an infection directly related to rapamycin or discontinued rapamycin due to toxicity. Conclusions: Rapamycin is safe and efficacious in most children with select vascular tumours and malformations. Young children appear to respond better, suggesting that early initiation of rapamycin should be considered

Memória e Identidade docente: o professor primário em Portugal (1964 – 1974)

Memory, in addition to contributing to the reconstitution of teachers' experience in their formation and in their professional life, is an important element of teacher formation. Searches accessed as memoirs of the primary teachers of Coimbra-PT for an improved understanding of their identity in the period 1964 to 1974. Conduct the visits from a semistructured script with 04 teachers who have passed the courses of teacher formation and actuators as teacher primary. As researches have shown that teachers have lived a conflict between the experiences of pedagogical work and as norms established by the government.La memoria, además de contribuir a la reconstitución de la experiencia de los profesores en su formación y en su vida profesional, constituye un elemento importante de formación de profesores. Buscas accedidas en las memorias de los profesores primarios de Coimbra-PT para una comprensión mejorada de su identidad en el período de 1964 a 1974. Realice las visitas a partir de un guión estructurado con 04 docentes que hayan pasado por los cursos de formación de profesores y actuadores como profesor imprimación. Las investigaciones revelaron que los profesores vivieron un conflicto entre las experiencias del trabajo pedagógico y de las normas establecidas por el gobierno.A memória, além de contribuir para a reconstituição da experiência dos professores em sua formação e em sua vida profissional, constitui-se como um importante elemento de formação de professores. Buscamos estudar as memórias dos professores primários de Coimbra-PT para melhor compreensão da constituição de sua identidade no período de 1964 a 1974. Realizamos entrevistas a partir de um Guião semiestruturado com quatro docentes que passaram pelos cursos de formação de professores primários e atuaram nessa função. As pesquisas revelaram que os professores viveram um conflito entre as experiências do trabalho pedagógico e as normas estabelecidas pelo govern

Reactional changes in short-term levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (lng-ius) use

Objective: To evaluate endocervical and vaginal environment changes in women using a levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS). Methods: A quasi-experimental study included sixty women who had an LNG-IUS inserted in the Family Planning Clinic of UNICAMP between April and November of 2016. Women in reproductive age, non-pregnant, without the use of antibiotics and contraceptives seeking for LNG-IUS insertion were selected for this study. All women were evaluated with regard to vaginal and endocervical pH, vaginal and endocervical Gram-stained bacterioscopy, and Pap-smear before and two months after LNG-IUS insertion. Clinical aspects such as cervical mucus, vaginal discharge, and cervical ectopy were also observed. Results: After LNG-IUS insertion, there was an increase in the following parameters: endocervical pH>4.5 (p=0.02), endocervical neutrophil amount (p<0.0001), vaginal cytolysis (p=0.04). There was a decrease in vaginal discharge (p=0.01). No statistically significant changes were found in vaginal pH, neutrophils amount in the vaginal mucosa, vaginal discharge appearance, vaginal candidiasis, bacterial vaginosis, vaginal coccobacillary microbiota, cervical mucus appearance, or cervical ectopy size. Conclusions: Short-term LNG-IUS use did not increase vulvovaginal candidiasis or bacterial vaginosis, and led to diminished vaginal discharge. Notwithstanding, this device promoted reactional changes in the vaginal and endocervical environment, without modification on cervical ectopy size.65685786

Nitric oxide production, inhibitory, antioxidant and antimycobacterial activities of the fruits extract and flavonoid content of Schinus terebinthifolius

AbstractThe extract of the fruits from Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi, Anacardiaceae, was obtained by exhaustive extraction with methanol. Its fractions and isolated compounds were collected by fractionation with RP-2 column chromatography. The crude extract, the flavonoid fraction and the isolated compound identified as apigenin (1), were investigated regarding its inhibitory action of nitric oxide production by LPS-stimulated macrophages, antioxidant activity by DPPH and the antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium bovis BCG. The samples exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on the nitric oxide production (e.g., 1, IC50 19.23 ± 1.64μg/ml) and also showed antioxidant activity. In addition, S. terebinthifolius samples inhibited the mycobacterial growth (e.g., 1, IC50 14.53 ± 1.25μg/ml). The necessary concentration to produce 50% of the maximum response (IC50) of these activities did not elicit a significant cytotoxic effect when compared with the positive control (100% of lysis). The antioxidant and nitric oxide inhibition activity displayed by S. terebinthifolius corroborates its ethnopharmacological use of this specie as an anti-inflammatory. In addition, our results suggest that the flavonoids of S. terebinthifolius are responsible for the activities found. We, describe for the first time the activity against Mycobacterium bovis BCG and the inhibition of nitric oxide production for S. terebinthifolius

Vaginal lipidomics of women with vulvovaginal candidiasis and cytolytic vaginosis: a non-targeted LC-MS pilot study

sem informaçãoTo characterize the lipid profile in vaginal discharge of women with vulvovaginal candidiasis, cytolytic vaginosis, or no vaginal infection or dysbiosis. Design. Cross-sectional study. Setting. Genital Infections Ambulatory, Department of Tocogynecology,138sem informaçãosem informaçãosem informaçãoThe supervision of the laboratory studies by Gustavo Henrique Bueno Duarte at Thomson Mass Spectrometry Laboratory–Campinas State Universit