Qualidade microbiol?gica e efeito das condi??es de congelamento e da incid?ncia de luz sobre os teores de retinol e capacidade antioxidante total do leite humano.

Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Sa?de e Nutri??o. Escola de Nutri??o, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto.Os Bancos de Leite Humano (BLH) s?o respons?veis pela capta??o, processamento e armazenamento em condi??es seguras do leite humano doado. Sabe-se que essas etapas de manipula??o do leite humano (LH) podem interferir na sua qualidade nutricional e funcional, no entanto, as evid?ncias cient?ficas ainda n?o s?o bem esclarecidas. Assim, o objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar o efeito das condi??es de armazenamento (tempos/temperaturas de congelamento e efeito da incid?ncia de luz) sobre os teores de retinol e a capacidade antioxidante total (CAT) do LH, bem como a sua qualidade microbiol?gica. Na primeira etapa do estudo foi avaliado o efeito de diferentes tempos e temperaturas de congelamento sobre a CAT no leite humano cru (LHC) por dois m?todos in vitro (ABTS e DPPH). Na segunda etapa foi avaliado o impacto da luz, conferido pela utiliza??o de diferentes frascos de vidro (transparente, transparente recoberto por papel alum?nio e ?mbar) sobre os teores de retinol e a CAT no leite humano pasteurizado (LHP). A qualidade microbiol?gica do LHC doado pelas 10 doadoras que participaram do estudo foi avaliada por meio das seguintes an?lises realizadas em triplicata: contagens de Staphylococcus aureus, coliformes totais e termotolerantes, mes?filos aer?bios totais, e fungos e leveduras. Tamb?m foi aplicado um question?rio e um checklist para verificar a conformidade dos procedimentos de extra??o e armazenamento do leite adotados pelas doadoras. De acordo com a an?lise de ABTS, os n?veis de CAT aumentaram significativamente durante o tempo de armazenamento nas 3 temperaturas avaliadas, ao contr?rio da an?lise por DPPH em que os n?veis diminu?ram significativamente com o tempo de armazenamento nas 3 temperaturas, por?m as duas an?lises indicaram que as menores temperaturas preservaram mais a CAT. Com rela??o ao efeito da incid?ncia de luz por meio dos tr?s diferentes tipos de frascos avaliados, verificou-se que n?o houve interfer?ncia significativa por nenhum deles na CAT. J? em rela??o aos teores de retinol, verificou-se que os frascos ?mbar e transparente recoberto por papel alum?nio permitiram maior estabilidade do retinol contido no LH. De acordo com os resultados microbiol?gicos, verificou-se o crescimento de todos os microrganismos estudados nos leites de todas as doadoras e, em alguns casos, acima dos limites considerados seguros. Os resultados do checklist mostram que alguns procedimentos higi?nico-sanit?rios necess?rios n?o est?o sendo realizados de forma criteriosa, sendo importante a adequada orienta??o das m?es quanto a esses aspectos de higiene.The Human Milk Banks are responsible for the safe capture, processing and storage of donated human milk. It is known that these steps in the manipulation of human milk (HM) can interfere in its nutritional and functional quality, however, the scientific evidence is not yet clear. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of storage conditions (freezing times / temperatures and effect of light incidence) on retinol levels and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), as well as their microbiological quality. In the first stage of the study the effect of different times and freezing temperatures on TAC in raw human milk was evaluated by two in vitro methods (ABTS and DPPH). In the second stage, the impact of the light, verified by the use of different glass bottles (transparent, transparent covered by aluminum foil and amber) on retinol and TAC content in pasteurized human milk was evaluated. The microbiological quality of the raw human milk donated by the 10 donors participating in the study was evaluated by means of the following analyzes performed in triplicate: counts of Staphylococcus aureus, total and thermotolerant coliforms, total aerobic mesophiles, and fungi and yeasts. A questionnaire and a checklist were also applied to verify the conformity of the milk extraction and storage procedures adopted by the donors. According to the ABTS analysis, TAC levels increased significantly during the storage time at the 3 temperatures evaluated, unlike the DPPH analysis in which the levels decreased significantly with the storage time at the 3 temperatures, however the two analyzes indicated that the lower temperatures preserved the TAC more. Regarding the effect of light incidence through the three different types of flasks evaluated, it was verified that there was no significant interference by any of them in TAC. Regarding the retinol contents, it was verified that the amber and transparent bottles covered by aluminum foil allowed for a greater stability of the retinol contained in the HM. According to the microbiological results, the growth of all the microorganisms studied in the milk of all the donors was verified, and in some cases, above the limits considered safe. The results of the checklist show that some necessary hygienic-sanitary procedures are not being performed in a judicious way, being important the adequate orientation of the mothers regarding these aspects of hygiene

Inspiratory threshold loading reduces lipoperoxidation in obese and normal-weight subjects

Obesity is related to increased oxidative stress. Although low-intensity physical exercise reduces oxidative stress, obese subjects may show exercise intolerance. For these subjects, inspiratory threshold loading could be an alternative tool to reduce oxidative stress. We investigated the effects of inspiratory threshold loading on biomarkers of oxidative stress in obese and normal-weight subjects. Twenty obese (31.4 ± 6 years old, 10 men and 10 women, 37.5 ± 4.7 kg/m2) and 20 normal-weight (29.4 ± 8 years old, 10 men and 10 women, 23.2 ± 1.5 kg/m2) subjects matched for age and gender participated in the study. Maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) was assessed by a pressure transducer. Blood sampling was performed before and after loading and control protocols to assess thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), protein carbonylation, and reduced glutathione. Inspiratory threshold loading was performed at 60% MIP and maintained until task failure. The 30-min control protocol was performed at 0 cmH2O. Our results demonstrated that inspiratory threshold loading reduced TBARS across time in obese (6.21 ± 2.03 to 4.91 ± 2.14 nmol MDA/ml) and normal-weight subjects (5.60 ± 3.58 to 4.69 ± 2.80 nmol MDA/ml; p = 0.007), but no change was observed in protein carbonyls and glutathione in both groups. The control protocol showed no significant changes in TBARS and protein carbonyls. However, reduced glutathione was increased across time in both groups (obese: from 0.50 ± 0.37 to 0.56 ± 0.35 μmol GSH/ml; normal-weight: from 0.61 ± 0.11 to 0.81 ± 0.23 μmol GSH/ml; p = 0.002). These findings suggest that inspiratory threshold loading could be potentially used as an alternative tool to reduce oxidative stress in both normal-weight and obese individuals

Developmental Defects of Enamel in Primary Teeth and Association with Early Life Course Events: A Study of 6--36 Month old Children in Manyara, Tanzania.

Children with low birth weight show an increased prevalence of developmental defects of enamel in the primary dentition that subsequently may predispose to early childhood caries (ECC).Focusing 6--36 months old, the purpose of this study was to assess the frequency of enamel defects in the primary dentition and identify influences of early life course factors; socio-demographics, birth weight, child's early illness episodes and mothers' perceived size of the child at birth, whilst controlling for more recent life course events in terms of current breastfeeding and oral hygiene. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the high fluoride area of Manyara, northern Tanzania including 1221 child-mother pairs who attended Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) clinics for immunization and/or growth monitoring. After the primary caregivers had completed face to face interviews at the health care facility, children underwent oral clinical examination whereby ECC and developmental defects of enamel were recorded using field criteria. All erupted teeth were examined and the enamel defects were assessed on buccal surfaces according to the modified DDE Index. The prevalence of enamel defects was 33.3%. Diffuse opacities were the most common defects identified (23.1%), followed by hypoplasia (7.6%) and demarcated opacities (5.0%). The most frequently affected teeth were the upper central incisors (29.0% - 30.5%), whereas lower central incisors (4.3% to 4.5%) were least frequently affected. Multiple logistic regression analysis, adjusting for confounding the factors revealed that having normal birth weight (equal or more than 2500 g) associated with lower odds of having enamel hypoplasia [OR 0.22 (95% CI 0.1-0.7)]. No statistically significant association occurred between birth weight and diffuse opacities, demarcated opacities or combined DDE. Children with the history of low birth weight were more likely than their normal birth weight counterparts to present with enamel hypoplasia. In view of the frequent occurrence of enamel defects and the fact that hypoplasia may constitute a risk factor for future ECC, enamel defects should be included as a dental health indicator in epidemiological studies of children in northern Tanzania

Comparing Models for Early Warning Systems of Neglected Tropical Diseases

Early Warning Systems (EWS) are management tools to predict the occurrence of epidemics. They are based on the dependence of a given infectious disease on environmental variables. Although several neglected tropical diseases are sensitive to the effect of climate, our ability to predict their dynamics has been barely studied. In this paper, we use several models to determine if the relationship between cases and climatic variability is robust—that is, not simply an artifact of model choice. We propose that EWS should be based on results from several models that are to be compared in terms of their ability to predict future number of cases. We use a specific metric for this comparison known as the predictive R2, which measures the accuracy of the predictions. For example, an R2 of 1 indicates perfect accuracy for predictions that perfectly match observed cases. For cutaneous leishmaniasis, R2 values range from 72% to77%, well above predictions using mean seasonal values (64%). We emphasize that predictability should be evaluated with observations that have not been used to fit the model. Finally, we argue that EWS should incorporate climatic variables that are known to have a consistent relationship with the number of observed cases

Complex temporal climate signals drive the emergence of human water-borne disease

Predominantly occurring in developing parts of the world, Buruli ulcer is a severely disabling mycobacterium infection which often leads to extensive necrosis of the skin. While the exact route of transmission remains uncertain, like many tropical diseases, associations with climate have been previously observed and could help identify the causative agent's ecological niche. In this paper, links between changes in rainfall and outbreaks of Buruli ulcer in French Guiana, an ultraperipheral European territory in the northeast of South America, were identified using a combination of statistical tests based on singular spectrum analysis, empirical mode decomposition and cross-wavelet coherence analysis. From this, it was possible to postulate for the first time that outbreaks of Buruli ulcer can be triggered by combinations of rainfall patterns occurring on a long (i.e., several years) and short (i.e., seasonal) temporal scale, in addition to stochastic events driven by the El Nino-Southern Oscillation that may disrupt or interact with these patterns. Long-term forecasting of rainfall trends further suggests the possibility of an upcoming outbreak of Buruli ulcer in French Guiana

Network model of immune responses reveals key effectors to single and co-infection dynamics by a respiratory bacterium and a gastrointestinal helminth

Co-infections alter the host immune response but how the systemic and local processes at the site of infection interact is still unclear. The majority of studies on co-infections concentrate on one of the infecting species, an immune function or group of cells and often focus on the initial phase of the infection. Here, we used a combination of experiments and mathematical modelling to investigate the network of immune responses against single and co-infections with the respiratory bacterium Bordetella bronchiseptica and the gastrointestinal helminth Trichostrongylus retortaeformis. Our goal was to identify representative mediators and functions that could capture the essence of the host immune response as a whole, and to assess how their relative contribution dynamically changed over time and between single and co-infected individuals. Network-based discrete dynamic models of single infections were built using current knowledge of bacterial and helminth immunology; the two single infection models were combined into a co-infection model that was then verified by our empirical findings. Simulations showed that a T helper cell mediated antibody and neutrophil response led to phagocytosis and clearance of B. bronchiseptica from the lungs. This was consistent in single and co-infection with no significant delay induced by the helminth. In contrast, T. retortaeformis intensity decreased faster when co-infected with the bacterium. Simulations suggested that the robust recruitment of neutrophils in the co-infection, added to the activation of IgG and eosinophil driven reduction of larvae, which also played an important role in single infection, contributed to this fast clearance. Perturbation analysis of the models, through the knockout of individual nodes (immune cells), identified the cells critical to parasite persistence and clearance both in single and co-infections. Our integrated approach captured the within-host immuno-dynamics of bacteria-helminth infection and identified key components that can be crucial for explaining individual variability between single and co-infections in natural populations

Cold gas accretion in galaxies

Evidence for the accretion of cold gas in galaxies has been rapidly accumulating in the past years. HI observations of galaxies and their environment have brought to light new facts and phenomena which are evidence of ongoing or recent accretion: 1) A large number of galaxies are accompanied by gas-rich dwarfs or are surrounded by HI cloud complexes, tails and filaments. It may be regarded as direct evidence of cold gas accretion in the local universe. It is probably the same kind of phenomenon of material infall as the stellar streams observed in the halos of our galaxy and M31. 2) Considerable amounts of extra-planar HI have been found in nearby spiral galaxies. While a large fraction of this gas is produced by galactic fountains, it is likely that a part of it is of extragalactic origin. 3) Spirals are known to have extended and warped outer layers of HI. It is not clear how these have formed, and how and for how long the warps can be sustained. Gas infall has been proposed as the origin. 4) The majority of galactic disks are lopsided in their morphology as well as in their kinematics. Also here recent accretion has been advocated as a possible cause. In our view, accretion takes place both through the arrival and merging of gas-rich satellites and through gas infall from the intergalactic medium (IGM). The infall may have observable effects on the disk such as bursts of star formation and lopsidedness. We infer a mean ``visible'' accretion rate of cold gas in galaxies of at least 0.2 Msol/yr. In order to reach the accretion rates needed to sustain the observed star formation (~1 Msol/yr), additional infall of large amounts of gas from the IGM seems to be required.Comment: To appear in Astronomy & Astrophysics Reviews. 34 pages. Full-resolution version available at http://www.astron.nl/~oosterlo/accretionRevie

The Diversity of Religious Diversity. Using Census and NCS Methodology in Order to Map and Assess the Religious Diversity of a Whole Country

Religious diversity is often captured in “mapping studies” that use mostly qualitative methods in order to map and assess the religious communities in a given area. While these studies are useful, they often present weaknesses in that they treat only limited geographic regions, provide limited possibilities for comparing across religious groups and cannot test theories. In this article, we show how a census and a quantitative national congregations study (NCS) methodology can be combined in order to map and assess the religious diversity of a whole country (Switzerland), overcoming the problems mentioned above. We outline the methodological steps and selected results concerning organizational, geographic, structural, and cultural diversity

Malaria transmission pattern resilience to climatic variability is mediated by insecticide-treated nets

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria is an important public-health problem in the archipelago of Vanuatu and climate has been hypothesized as important influence on transmission risk. Beginning in 1988, a major intervention using insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) was implemented in the country in an attempt to reduce <it>Plasmodium </it>transmission. To date, no study has addressed the impact of ITN intervention in Vanuatu, how it may have modified the burden of disease, and whether there were any changes in malaria incidence that might be related to climatic drivers.</p> <p>Methods and findings</p> <p>Monthly time series (January 1983 through December 1999) of confirmed <it>Plasmodium falciparum </it>and <it>Plasmodium vivax </it>infections in the archipelago were analysed. During this 17 year period, malaria dynamics underwent a major regime shift around May 1991, following the introduction of bed nets as a control strategy in the country. By February of 1994 disease incidence from both parasites was reduced by at least 50%, when at most 20% of the population at risk was covered by ITNs. Seasonal cycles, as expected, were strongly correlated with temperature patterns, while inter-annual cycles were associated with changes in precipitation. Following the bed net intervention, the influence of environmental drivers of malaria dynamics was reduced by 30–80% for climatic forces, and 33–54% for other factors. A time lag of about five months was observed for the qualitative change ("regime shift") between the two parasites, the change occurring first for <it>P. falciparum</it>. The latter might be explained by interspecific interactions between the two parasites within the human hosts and their distinct biology, since <it>P. vivax </it>can relapse after a primary infection.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The Vanuatu ITN programme represents an excellent example of implementing an infectious disease control programme. The distribution was undertaken to cover a large, local proportion (~80%) of people in villages where malaria was present. The successful coverage was possible because of the strategy for distribution of ITNs by prioritizing the free distribution to groups with restricted means for their acquisition, making the access to this resource equitable across the population. These results emphasize the need to implement infectious disease control programmes focusing on the most vulnerable populations.</p