Comparison of the nutritional status in children aged 5 to 10 years old on the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme in the States of Acre and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Introduction: In recent years, there has been a reduction in cases of malnutrition in Brazil but this has been accompanied with an increase in the overweight and obesity rates. These changes, together with others, such as changes in eating patterns and lifestyle, characterise the process of nutritional transition. Objective: We aimed to compare the prevalence of nutritional status of beneficiary children of the Bolsa Família Program (PBF) in the states of Acre and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and to analyse the changes in the anthropometric profile of these children during 5 years. Methods: This is an ecological study using secondary data from the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (SISVAN) and Bolsa Família Department of SUS (DATASUS), which assessed the nutritional status of children over 5 years and under 10 years benefiting from the PBF in the years 2011 to 2015 in the states of Acre and Rio Grande do Sul. The sample consisted of 94,865 children from Acre and 342,462 children from Rio Grande do Sul. The Body Mass Index was used to classify the nutritional status. Results: The mean prevalence of eutrophic children aged 5 to 10 years in Acre was 70.42% and was 61.28% in Rio Grande do Sul. Overweight was 13.06% in Acre and 19.48% in Rio Grande do Sul. Obesity was 5.08% in Acre and 9.36% in Rio Grande do Sul. Severe obesity was 4.02% in Acre and 6.92% in Rio Grande do Sul. Conclusion: Overweight and obesity in children benefiting from the PBF has been growing in the last 5 years, notably in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. This is possibly due to the fact that the nutritional transition is at a more advanced stage here than in Acre State. 

Relação de indicadores antropométricos com fatores de risco para doença cardiovascular em adultos e idosos de Rio Branco, Acre

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between anthropometric variables and cardiovascular risk factors in adults and older adults of Rio Branco, Acre. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study with 641 adults and 957 older adults was conducted. The statistical analyses consisted of the distribution of anthropometric variables according to the cardiovascular risk factors by frequency and dispersion measures. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated with their respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) using the SPSS® version 20.0. RESULTS: Moderate correlations were obtained in adult men for waist-hip ratio and total cholesterol (r = 0.486; p < 0.001) and for waist-hip and triglyceride ratios (r = 0.484; p < 0.001). The highest prevalence of hypertension and diabetes in adults were observed in men; in the older adults, the prevalence of hypertension was above 65% in both sexes. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was above 78% in obese adults and older adults. When analyzing the associations, a higher strength of association was found between arterial hypertension and waist-to-stature ratio (PR = 13.42; 95%CI 12.58–14.31) and body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2 (PR = 6.61; 95%CI 6.34–6.89) in adult men. In the analysis of diabetes, the waist-hip ratio presented greater robustness in the association for women (PR = 7.53; 95%CI 6.92–8.20) and men (PR = 9.79; 95%CI 9.14–10.49). CONCLUSION: Anthropometric variables are important predictors of cardiovascular risk; however, their assessments should be performed independently, according to sex and age group.OBJETIVO: Analisar a associação entre variáveis antropométricas e os fatores de risco cardiovascular na população de adultos e idosos de Rio Branco, Acre. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal de base populacional com 641 adultos e 957 idosos. As análises estatísticas consistiram na distribuição das variáveis antropométricas segundo os fatores de risco cardiovascular por medidas de frequência e dispersão. Foram calculadas a correlação de Pearson e razões de prevalência (RP) com seus respectivos intervalos de confiança de 95% (IC5%), empregando as rotinas do SPSS® versão 20.0. RESULTADOS: Correlações moderadas foram obtidas nos adultos homens para relação cintura-quadril e colesterol total (r = 0,486; p < 0,001) e para relação cintura-quadril e triglicerídeos (r = 0,484; p < 0,001). As maiores prevalências de hipertensão arterial e diabetes nos adultos foram observadas nos homens; já nos idosos, as prevalências de hipertensão ficaram acima de 65% em ambos os sexos. As prevalências de dislipidemia ficaram acima de 78% nos indivíduos obesos adultos e idosos. Ao analisar as associações, constatou-se maior força de associação entre hipertensão arterial e relação cintura-estatura (RP = 13,42; IC95% 12,58–14,31) e com índice de massa corporal maior que 30 kg/m2 (RP = 6,61; IC95% 6,34–6,89) nos homens adultos. Na análise para diabetes, a relação cintura-quadril apresentou maior robustez na associação para mulheres (RP = 7,53; IC95% 6,92–8,20) e homens (RP = 9,79; IC95% 9,14–10,49). CONCLUSÃO: As variáveis antropométricas são importantes preditores de risco cardiovascular; no entanto, suas avaliações devem ser feitas de forma independente, segundo sexo e grupo etário

Avaliação da influência do exercício físico regular na modulação do sistema imunológico de camundongos infectados com Toxoplasma Gondii

Physical exercise has been implicated in several immunophysiological improvements especially during the aging process when an immunocompromised status could be established. Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that causes a widespread opportunistic infection, which may present severe consequences, particularly to the fetus and immunocompromised patients. It is estimated that one-third of the human population worldwide has been infected by this parasite, being the reactivation during immunesenescence an unexplored public health issue. The present study was designed to assess the immunophysiological differences between exercised versus sedentary C57BL/6 male mice that have been infected by T. gondii. Before the two key set of experiments, several other sets were carried out to the prospection of the main found data of this study. There were two main sets of experiments: in the first set, the animals were infected after exercising and three groups were formed: experimental groups - infected sedentary (IS, n=6); infected exercised (IEx, n=6) and control group - non-infected sedentary (NIS, n=6). When splenocytes were stimulated by T. gondii-soluble tachyzoite antigens, it was found an significant increasing (P0.05). In order to further investigate the consequences of these data for the host, a second set of experiments was performed, when the animals were infected before exercising and four groups of animals were established for comparison purpose, as follows: experimental groups - infected sedentary (IS, n=7); infected exercised (IEx, n=6) and control groups - non-infected sedentary (NIS, n=6) and non-infected exercised (NIEx, n=6). It was found that exercised group survived longer (P0,05). Com objetivo de se pesquisar posteriormente as consequências destes dados para o hospedeiro, um segundo conjunto de experimentos foram realizados, quando os animais foram infectados antes do início dos exercícios, e quatro grupos foram estabelecidos para comparação deste propósito, como se segue: dois grupos controles não infectados - sedentário (NIS, n=6) e exercitado (NIEx, n=6), e dois grupos infectados - sedentário (IS, n=7) e exercitado (IEx, n=6). Encontrou-se que o grupo infectado exercitado teve sua longevidade aumentada (P<0,05) comparado com o infectado sedentário. Em ambos os conjuntos de experimentos, os camundongos foram submetidos à exercícios moderados: de corrida (14 m/min; 3 x/semana) e resistido (60-80% de uma repetição máxima; 2x/semana). Em síntese, exercícios físicos aeróbicos e resistidos moderados são capazes de modular a resposta do sistema imune no combate da infecção por T. gondii sendo estas características imunológicas benéficas para o hospedeiro

Why Physical Activity Should Be Considered in Clinical Trials for COVID-19 Vaccines: A Focus on Risk Groups

Since the World Health Organization declared the global COVID-19 state of emergency in early 2020, several vaccine candidates have emerged to control SARS-CoV-2, and some of them have been approved and implemented in vaccination campaigns worldwide. Although clinical trials for these vaccines have been carried out using highly controlled methods with accurate immunological tests, clinical questionnaires did not include questions concerning the physical activity profile among volunteers. It has been well established that physical activity plays a pivotal role in the immune response after vaccination, led by the activation of cytokines, antibodies, and cells. This concept should have been considered when evaluating the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine candidates, particularly in elderly and obese people. Here, we discuss data from the literature providing strong evidence regarding the importance of analyzing physical activity parameters to improve the accuracy of clinical trials on assessing the efficacy of vaccine candidates