Síndrome metabólica em trabalhadores de turnos alternantes de uma mineradora na Região dos Inconfidentes – MG

Objetivo: Investigar a prevalência da síndrome metabólica (SM) e de seus componentes, entre trabalhadores em turnos alternantes de uma mineradora na região de Inconfidentes – MG. Métodos: Foram avaliados 678  trabalhadores em turnos alternantes de quatro minas na região de Inconfidentes – MG. Foram coletados dados sociodemográficos, comportamentais, antropométricos, bioquímicos e foi medida a pressão arterial. A SM foi diagnosticada de acordo com os critérios recomendados pelo Institute Diabetes Federation (2005). As análises estatísticas foram realizadas com o software Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) versão 17.0, usado para a realização da análise descritiva e do teste do qui-quadrado para comparação entre os grupos, adotando-se nível de significância alfa de 5%. O estudo foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa da Instituição. Resultados: A média de idade dos motoristas era de 34 anos, a maioria composta por indivíduos não brancos, que cursaram o ensino médio completo e que viviam com cônjuge. Foi relatado que 72,7% não fumavam, 82,3% não apresentavam consumo de risco de bebidas alcoólicas e 26,1% não praticavam atividade física. A prevalência de SM observada foi de 34,5%, com 52,4% com circunferência da cintura (CC) ≥ 90 cm, 51,9 % com alteração da pressão arterial (PA), 33,6% com triacilgliceróis ≥ 150 mg/dL, 59,4% com HDL colesterol <40mg/dL e 14,9% com glicemia de jejum ≥ 100 mg/dL. Conclusão: Verificou-se elevada prevalência de SM entre os trabalhadores, assim como altas prevalências de alteração de CC, PA e de HDL-colesterol

Práticas de amamentação no município de Ouro Preto, MG, Brasil

OBJETIVO: Conhecer a freqüência e a duração mediana das práticas de aleitamento materno em crianças de 0-24 meses no município de Ouro Preto, MG. MÉTODOS: Estudo epidemiológico tipo transversal em amostra estratificada de 229 crianças provenientes de 1.800 domicílios, visitados em 1996 e sorteados por conglomerado em três estágios. A freqüência e a duração mediana das práticas foram calculadas mediante tábua de vida. RESULTADOS: A duração mediana da amamentação foi de 198 dias, sendo de 71 dias para a amamentação exclusiva somada à predominante e 17 dias para a amamentação exclusiva. CONCLUSÃO: Embora a maioria das mães amamente seus filhos ao nascer, a introdução de outros alimentos ainda é bastante prematura, fato que justifica a necessidade de intervenções para prevenir o desmame parcial e/ou total precoce.OBJECTIVE: To identify the frequency and median duration of breast-feeding in children aged 0-24 months in the city of Ouro Preto, Brazil. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out to identify the median duration of breastfeeding in children aged 0-24 months. A sample of 229 children from 1800 households was drawn by clusters at three different occasions and stratified according to the area (urban or rural). The frequency and median duration of breast-feeding were calculated using the life table technique. RESULTS: A median duration of 198 days was found for breast-feeding as a whole: 71 days for the group of exclusive plus mainly breastfeeding and 17 days for exclusive breastfeeding. CONCLUSION: The current pattern of breast-feeding is of a short-term practice. This evidence suggests the need for intervention programs to promote breast-feeding for longer periods and delay the introduction of food supplementation, preventing the early weaning

Evaluation of inflammatory and oxidative profile in patients with recurrent wheezing

Wheezing is a clinical expression of numerous respiratory-related conditions. Although asthma is the leading cause of wheezing during childhood. The present study aims to evaluate the inflammatory and oxidative profile of pediatric patients with recurrent wheezing. Seventy-eight volunteers were divided into three groups according to their age (≤ 36, 36 to 72 and ≥ 73 months). Blood was collected for hematological evaluation, serum detections of total immunoglobulin E (IgE), and C-reactive protein (PCRus). The oxidative profile was evaluated by total antioxidant capacity (FRAP), malondialdehyde (MDA) and carbonylated protein markers. There was no significant difference in the IgE and PCRus levels among the three groups evaluated. However, a significant positive correlation was observed for PCRus with total leukocyte and with neutrophils for the group of patients ≥ 73 months of age. The intermediate age group presented significantly reduced FRAP values in the serum, while significant values of oxidative damage markers were observed in the group of patients ≥ 73 months of age. When determining the correlation between inflammatory and oxidative markers, only the ≥ 73 months group showed significant. The group ≥ 73 months stands out with significant alterations of the oxidative stress markers and their correlations with the inflammatory profile

Indicadores de adiposidade como m?todo de rastreamento para polissonografia em trabalhadores de turno.

Objective: to verify the discriminatory power of adiposity indicators in the prediction of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in shift workers. Methods: a crosssectional study carried out in an iron ore extraction company, in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Anthropometric data were collected and polysomnography (PSG) was performed in 118 male shift workers who owned at least one overall risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Results: the OSA prevalence in the sample was 84.7%. Among the adiposity indicators used to predict OSA (? 5 events/hour), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and total body fat (TBF) showed sensitivity values higher than 70%. Visceral fat (VF), neck circumference (NC), and neck-to-height ratio (NHtR) were the most effective in correctly identifying workers without OSA (specificity values higher than 70%). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for WC and NHtR were greater than 0.7, which indicated the test was effective in discriminating individuals with OSA. Conclusions: alterations in abdomen and neck adiposity indicators have a significant relationship with the presence of OSA and showed effectiveness as a screening method for PSG. WC and NHtR are considered good indicators for OSA prediction.Objetivo: verificar o potencial discriminat?rio dos indicadores de adiposidade na predi??o da apneia obstrutiva do sono (AOS) em trabalhadores de turnos. M?todos: estudo transversal realizado em uma empresa de extra??o de min?rio de ferro, em Minas Gerais, Brasil. Dados antropom?tricos foram coletados e polissonografia (PSG) foi realizada em 118 trabalhadores de turno do sexo masculino que possu?am ao menos um fator de risco global para doen?a cardiovascular. Resultados: a preval?ncia de AOS na amostra foi de 84,7%. Entre os indicadores de adiposidade usados para predizerem a AOS (? 5 eventos/ hora), o ?ndice de massa corporal (IMC), a circunfer?ncia da cintura (CC), a rela??o cintura/estatura (RCE) e a gordura corporal total (GCT), revelaram valores de sensibilidade acima de 70%. Gordura visceral (GV), circunfer?ncia do pesco?o (CP) e rela??o pesco?o-estatura (RPE) foram as mais efetivas em identificar corretamente trabalhadores sem AOS (valores de especificidade acima de 70%). As ?reas sob a curva de Caracter?stica de Opera??o do Receptor (COR) para CC e RPE foram maiores que 0,7, o que indicou que o teste foi eficaz na discrimina??o de indiv?duos com AOS. Conclus?es: altera??es nos indicadores de adiposidade abdominal e cervical t?m rela??o significativa com a presen?a de AOS e demostraram efic?cia como m?todo de rastreamento para PSG. CC e RPE s?o considerados bons indicadores para predizerem a AOS

Hypovitaminosis D is associated with visceral adiposity, high levels of low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides in alternating shift workers.

Background: Studies suggest that there is a strong association between low vitamin D levels and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors (RFs). Hypovitaminosis D (25(OH)D < 30 ng/mL or 75 nmol/L) is a recent public health problem that has reached different populations. The objective of the study was to investigate whether hypovitaminosis D is an additional mechanism to explain the disturbances in the lipid profile as well as the excess of abdominal fat presented by alternating shift workers of a mining company in the region of Inconfidentes, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a sample of 391 adult males, aged 20 - 57 years old and working alternating shifts, who had at least one risk criterion for CVD. Demographic, behavioral, clinical, and anthropometric and body composition variables were obtained. A blood sample was drawn for determining 25(OH) D, parathyroid hormone intact molecule, lipid profile, blood glucose, insulin, C-reactive protein, and adipokines. Results: The average age of the 391 study participants was 36.1 ? 7.3 years. The percentage of hypovitaminosis D and dyslipidemia was 73% and 74.2%, respectively. Excess visceral fat was significant in the hypovitaminosis D group, with an odds ratio (OR) of 2.4 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1 - 5.2). Dyslipidemia showed 25(OH)D levels significantly lower (OR: 2.7, 95% CI: 1.6 - 4.3) than in individuals with normal levels of cholesterol and fractions, and triglycerides. After adjusted the analysis by age and seasonality, the vitamin levels had a significant inverse association and dose-dependent with lowdensity lipoprotein (OR: 5.9), triglycerides (OR: 2.3) and visceral fat area (OR: 2.4). Conclusion: Hypovitaminosis D and dyslipidemia were found in the majority of our mining company shift workers. Furthermore, excess visceral adiposity, hypertriglyceridemia and high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels are strong predictors of hypovitaminosis D

Resistin and visfatin concentrations are related to central obesity and inflammation in Brazilian children.

Background: The evidence that cardiovascular disease begins in childhood and adolescence, especially in the presence of excess weight, is associated with dysfunction on adipokine pro-inflammatory secretion. These affect glucose metabolism and lead to other complications related to insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease. This study assessed the association of anthropometric and metabolic parameters related to obesity, cardiovascular risk, and insulin resistance with concentrations of resistin and visfatin, in children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was developed with 178 children of 6?10 years old enrolled in public city schools. Anthropometric data, composition body, clinical, and biochemical were measured according to standard procedures. We used multiple regression models by stepwise method to evaluate the associations of resistin and visfatin with variables of interest. Results: In healthy weight children, resistin was associated with LDL cholesterol, visfatin, atherogenic index, and waist-to-height ratio, whereas in obese children resistin was associated with visfatin and interaction between conicity index and HOMA-AD. Furthermore, in healthy weight children, visfatin was associated to resistin and triceps skinfold thickness and negatively associated to HOMA-AD, while in obese ones visfatin was associated with waistto- height ratio, atherogenic index, resistin, and interaction between trunk adiposity index and adiponectin and was negatively associated with the HOMA-IR index. Conclusions: Our study shows an association between anthropometric and biochemical variables related to visceral fat and inflammation. These results suggest the resistin and visfatin as good pro-inflammatory markers. In addition, both adipokines are strongly related to central obesity, in children

Stilbenes from Deguelia rufescens var. urucu (Ducke) A. M. G. Azevedo leaves: effects on seed germination and plant growth

The Amazon biodiversity may provide plants whose chemical substances are capable of controlling weeds. In this study we report the isolation and identification of five stilbenes from the leaves of "timbó vermelho" (Deguelia rufescens var. urucu): 4-methoxylonchocarpene (1); 3,5-dimethoxy-4´-hydroxy-3´-prenyl-trans-stilbene (2), lonchocarpene (3), 3,5-dimethoxy-4´-O-prenyl-trans-stilbene (4) and pterostilbene (5). Compounds 2 and 4 are new natural products although 2 has been previously cited as synthesis product. Potential allelopathic activity for 1, 2 and 4 was evaluated over seed germination and plant growth of Mimosa pudica weed. The observed effects on seed germination did not vary significantly (p > 0.05) when the analysis of phytotoxicity was performed with the substances alone, the maximum inhibition did not exceed 20%. The most intense inhibitions on radicle and hypocotyl development were found for compound 4 (p 0,05) quando a análise da fitotoxidade foi realizada com as substâncias isoladamente, cuja inibição máxima não ultrapassou 20%. A inibição mais intensa, quanto ao desenvolvimento da radícula e do hipocótilo, foi encontrada para o composto 4 (p < 0,05). Isoladamente, 4 causou efeito inibitório significativamente maior (p < 0,05) no desenvolvimento da radícula e do hipocótilo, do que 1 e 2. Quando testados aos pares, apresentaram antagonismo para a germinação de sementes e sinergismo para o desenvolvimento da radícula e hipocótilo

Flavonoids from the Brazilian plant Croton betulaster inhibit the growth of human glioblastoma cells and induce apoptosis

This study investigated the effects of the flavonoids 5-hydroxy-7,4′-dimethoxyflavone, casticin, and penduletin, isolated from Croton betulaster Müll Arg., Euphorbiaceae, a plant utilized in popular medicine in Brazil, on the growth and viability of the human glioblastoma cell line GL-15. We observed that 5-hydroxy-7,4′-dimethoxyflavone and casticin were not toxic to GL-15 cells after 24 h of exposure. However, casticin and penduletin inhibited the metabolic activity of glioblastoma cells significantly at a concentration of 10 μM (p ≤ 0.05). Flavonoids casticin and penduletin also induced a significant and dose-dependent growth inhibition beginning at 24 h of exposure, and the most potent flavonoid was penduletin. It was also observed that penduletin and casticin induced an enlargement of the cell body and a reduction of cellular processes, accompanied by changes in the pattern of expression of the cytoskeletal protein vimentin. Signs of apoptosis, such as the externalization of membrane phosphatidyl serine residues, nuclear condensation, and fragmentation, were also detected in cells treated with 50–100 μM flavonoids. Our results indicate that flavonoids extracted from C. betulaster present antitumoral activity to glioblastoma cells, with penduletin proving to be the most potent of the tested flavonoids. Our results also suggest that these molecules may be promising supplementary drugs for glioblastoma treatment