Sociocultural and interpersonal influences on latina women’s beliefs, attitudes, and experiences with gestational weight gain

Latinos are the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the U.S., and Latina women represent the largest portion of minority births, having the highest birth rate in the U.S. for over 20 years. In addition, Latina women are at increased risk of entering pregnancy being overweight or having obesity and gaining excess gestational weight. Excess gestational weight gain (GWG) has short- and long-term adverse health outcomes for the woman and her child. Although culturally tailored interventions show promise toward promoting healthy GWG among Latina women, findings from current interventions have had mixed results, suggesting the need for further tailoring to meet the needs of this heterogeneous population group. This qualitative study was designed to explore first-time pregnant, low-income Latina women’s beliefs, attitudes, and experiences with GWG. The study employed qualitative research using semi-structured interviews conducted with 23 first-time pregnant Latina women between 22 and 36 weeks of gestation. Interviews were conducted by trained bilingual staff, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results showed that participants were uncertain if their GWG was within a healthy range. Although the majority of participants knew that GWG should be limited, they were not sure what the amount should be. In addition, the majority of participants reported attitudes of acceptance of and resignation to excessive GWG as being part of pregnancy. Several women appeared to believe that they did not have control over their weight gain during pregnancy. Moreover, analysis identified that sociocultural and interpersonal factors such as social support influence the beliefs, attitudes, and experiences with GWG of the low-income, majority immigrant Latina women who participated in this study. Study findings can be used to further tailor prenatal care practices and interventions aimed at altering modifiable risk factors associated with excess GWG among Latinas. Future interventions designed for low-income, immigrant Latina women that consider sociocultural influences on women’s beliefs and attitudes related to GWG, as well as the influence of social support networks on women’s health behaviors during pregnancy, will likely be more effective in preventing excessive GWG

Dental Amalgam Restorations and Children’s Neuropsychological Function: The New England Children’s Amalgam Trial

BACKGROUND: A concern persists that children’s exposure to mercury vapor from dental amalgams produces neurotoxicity. OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to compare the neuropsychological function of children, without prior exposure to dental amalgam, whose caries were repaired using either dental amalgam or mercury-free composite materials. METHODS: We conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 534 6- to 10-year-old urban and rural children who were assessed yearly for 5 years using a battery of tests of intelligence, achievement, language, memory, learning, visual–spatial skills, verbal fluency, fine motor function, problem solving, attention, and executive function. RESULTS: Although the mean urinary mercury concentration was greater among children in the amalgam group than the composite group (0.9 vs. 0.6 μg/g creatinine), few significant differences were found between the test scores of children in the two groups. The differences found were inconsistent in direction. Analyses using two cumulative exposure indices—surface years of amalgam and urinary mercury concentration—produced similar results. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to elemental mercury in amalgam at the levels experienced by the children who participated in the trial did not result in significant effects on neuropsychological function within the 5-year follow-up period

Parenting practices that may encourage and discourage physical activity in preschool-age children of Brazilian immigrant families: A qualitative study

Brazilians are a rapidly increasing Latino immigrant group in the United States (US), yet little research has examined factors influencing physical activity (PA) levels and behaviors of children growing up in Brazilian immigrant families. This information is needed to develop culturally sensitive interventions tailored to this population. Therefore, this qualitative study explored PA parenting practices used by Brazilian immigrant mothers living in the US. Thirty-seven Brazilian immigrant mothers with at least one child between the ages of 2 and 5 years participated in 1of 7 focus group discussions. Thematic analysis identified seven parenting practices that mothers employ that may encourage or facilitate physical activity their preschool-aged children’s PA including: 1) modeling PA; 2) engaging and being physically active with child; 3) providing logistic support; 4) encouraging, praising, and offering motivational support; 5) watching, supervising, and teaching children how to engage in PA; 6) monitoring and setting limits to child’s screen time; and 7) prompting child to be physically active. In addition, analysis identified four parenting practices that may discourage or inhibit children’s PA including: 1) modeling of sedentary behaviors; 2) having rules and restrictions due to safety- and weather-related concerns; 3) limiting child’s outdoor time due to parental time constraints; and 4) restricting child’s outdoor and play time as punishment. Furthermore, analyses demonstrated that social contextual factors (e.g., income, housing, neighborhood safety, etc.) influence mothers’ PA parenting practices and consequently, their children’s PA. This is the first qualitative study, to our knowledge, to explore PA parenting practices of Brazilian-born immigrant mothers living in the US. Future research should further explore PA parenting practices of Brazilian immigrant parents including quantifying PA parenting practices that encourage and discourage PA, as well as examining the influence of fathers’ PA parenting practices on young children’s PA

meis1 regulates cyclin D1 and c-myc expression, and controls the proliferation of the multipotent cells in the early developing zebrafish eye

5 páginas, 4 figuras. Supplementary material for this article is available at http://dev.biologists.org/cgi/content/full/135/5/799/DC1During eye development, retinal progenitors are drawn from a multipotent, proliferative cell population. In Drosophila the maintenance of this cell population requires the function of the TALE-homeodomain transcription factor Hth, although its mechanisms of action are still unknown. Here we investigate whether members of the Meis gene family, the vertebrate homologs of hth, are also involved in early stages of eye development in the zebrafish. We show that meis1 is initially expressed throughout the eye primordium. Later, meis1 becomes repressed as neurogenesis is initiated, and its expression is confined to the ciliary margin, where the retinal stem population resides. Knocking down meis1 function through morpholino injection causes a delay in the G1-to-S phase transition of the eye cells, and results in severely reduced eyes. This role in cell cycle control is mediated by meis1 regulating cyclin D1 and c-myc transcription. The forced maintenance of meis1 expression in cell clones is incompatible with the normal differentiation of the meis1-expressing cells, which in turn tend to reside in undifferentiated regions of the retinal neuroepithelium, such as the ciliary margin. Together, these results implicate meis1 as a positive cell cycle regulator in early retinal cells, and provide evidence of an evolutionary conserved function for Hth/Meis genes in the maintenance of the proliferative, multipotent cell state during early eye development.This work was supported by grants BMC2003-06248 and BFU2006-00349/BMC from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, co-funded by FEDER, to F.C. J.B., M.J.T. and J.S. are supported by the Fundação para Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal. The CABD is institutionally supported by Junta de Andalucía.Peer reviewe

Perception of nurses in relation to training services offered through the service of continuous education

Objectives: To understand the perception of nurses on the learning process of in-service training program and review the training program in service sector of Continuing Education. Method: A quantitative and qualitative descriptive study and Field, through a semi-structured interviews analyzed using Bardin content analysis's. Results: Three categories emerged: Discontinuity of the training process, Time as a determinant of the teaching-learning process and working as a decisive factor in the organization of inservice training. Conclusion: It must suit the needs of service in terms of presentation of training, taking into account the reality of the labor process, seeking to align the effectiveness of professional development training, minimizing differences between trained professionals and its resistance to actions of Continuing Education meetings

BURDEN OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF CANCER PATIENTS IN PALLIATIVE CARE

Objective: To analyze the correlation between the burden of family caregivers of cancer patients in Palliative Care and the variables gender, age, health problems, and length of care.Method: Descriptive correlational study with a non-probabilistic sample of 147 family caregivers at the Oncological Palliative Care Clinic in 2021 in Belém do Pará - Brazil. The Zarit Overload Scale was used to collect data, with descriptive and inferential statistical analysis.Results: 86 (58.5%) of the caregivers were female, 66 (44.9%) caregivers felt "Very overloaded", and 104 (70.7%) had Moderate to Severe overload. There was no consistency in concluding that the variables gender, age group, health problems, or length of care had a statistically significant relationship (p>0.05).Conclusion: It is hoped that the results will contribute to increasing knowledge of the subject, supporting care practice, and formulating public policies to meet the needs of caregivers of family members who are ill with cancer

Blood lead level and dental caries in school-age children.

The association between blood lead level and dental caries was evaluated in cross-sectional analyses of baseline data for 543 children 6-10 years old screened for enrollment in the Children's Amalgam Trial, a study designed to assess potential health effects of mercury in silver fillings. Approximately half of the children were recruited from an urban setting (Boston/Cambridge, MA, USA) and approximately half from a rural setting (Farmington, ME, USA). Mean blood lead level was significantly greater among the urban subgroup, as was the mean number of carious tooth surfaces. Blood lead level was positively associated with number of caries among urban children, even with adjustment for demographic and maternal factors and child dental practices. This association was stronger in primary than in permanent dentition and stronger for occlusal, lingual, and buccal tooth surfaces than for mesial or distal surfaces. In general, blood lead was not associated with caries in the rural subgroup. The difference between the strength of the associations in the urban and rural settings might reflect the presence of residual confounding in the former setting, the presence of greater variability in the latter setting in terms of important caries risk factors (e.g., fluoride exposure), or greater exposure misclassification in the rural setting. These findings add to the evidence supporting a weak association between children's lead exposure and caries prevalence. A biologic mechanism for lead cariogenicity has not been identified, however. Our data are also consistent with residual confounding by factors associated with both elevated lead exposure and dental caries

“A CRIANÇA É DO TAMANHO DE MIM”: crianças ribeirinhas do Tapará Grande /PA

Buscou-se identificar qual o conceito que crianças de cinco e seis anos de idade, na comunidade de várzea Tapará Grande, da Amazônia paraense, em Santarém, têm sobre o que é ser criança. Participaram 15 crianças, sendo 9 meninas e 6 meninos. Para coleta dos dados foi utilizado o instrumento História pra completar. A análise dos dados realizou-se com uso da técnica do Discurso do Sujeito. Os resultados encontrados para o tema “o que é ser criança” foram analisados por grupo etário. As ideias centrais encontradas no grupo de crianças de 5 anos foram: a) a criança é pequena; b) a criança é legal e obedece aos mais velhos; c) o que a criança faz; d) utiliza-se como referência; e) o que pertence à criança; f) não saber; g) dúvidas. As ideias centrais encontradas para o grupo de 6 anos foram: a) um bebê; b) o que o bebê não faz; c) utiliza-se como referência; d) dúvida; e) afirmativa de saber o que é ser uma criança. Ambos os grupos se utilizaram como referência e trouxeram atividades para explicar o que é uma criança. As crianças de 5 anos narraram de modo mais pessoal, enquanto as crianças de 6 anos afirmaram que uma criança é um bebê e relataram atividades de um bebê. Assim, percebeu-se que os conceitos das crianças traduziram elementos do contexto de desenvolvimento, suas atividades e as relações com a família, com os espaços e pessoas da comunidade.“THE CHILD IS THE SIZE OF ME”: children riverside’s Tapará Grande/PAAbstractWe sought to identify what the concept that children of five and six years of age, in the community of várzea Tapará Grande, cover from Amazon, in Santarém, Pará have about what it means to be a child. Participated 15 children, 9 girls and 6 boys. Data collection instrument was used Story to complete. The Data analysis was performed with the use of the technique of the discourse of the subject. The results founded for the topic “what it’s like to be a child” were analyzed by age group. The central ideas founded in the Group of children of 5 years were: a) the child is small; b) the child is cool and obey your elders; c) what the child does; d) uses as reference; e) that belongs to the child; f) don’t know; g) questions. The central ideas found for the Group of 6 years were: a) a baby; b) what the baby does not; c) is used as a reference; (d) doubt; e) affirmative know what being a child. Both groups were used as a reference and brought activities to explain what a child is. The Children of 5 years narrated so more staff, while the children of 6 years stated that a child is a baby and related activities of a baby. Therefore, it was noticed that the concepts of children translated elements of the context of development, yours activities and the relations with the family, with the spaces and people in the community.“EL NIÑO ES EL TAMAÑO DE MÍ”: niños ribereños del Tapará Grande/PAResumenSe intentó identificar el concepto de lo que los niños de cinco y seis años de edad, en la comunidad de várzea Tapará Grande, dela Amazonia Paraense, en Santarém, Pará tienen sobre lo que significa ser un niño. Participaron 15 niños, 9 niños y 6 niñas. Para la recogida de datos se utilizaron historias para completar.  El análisis de datos se realizan con el uso de la técnica del discurso del sujeto. Los resultados para el tema “lo es para ser un niño” se analizaron por grupo de edad. Las ideas centrales que se encuentran en el grupo de niños de 5 años fueron: a) el niño es pequeño; b) el niño es legal y obedecer a sus mayores; c) lo que el niño hace; d) utiliza como referencia; e) que pertenece al niño; f) no sé; g) preguntas. Las ideas centrales que se encontraron para el grupo de 6 años fueron: a) un bebé; b) lo que el bebé no lo hace; c) se utiliza como referencia; (d)); e) afirmativamente saben lo que significa ser un niño. Ambos grupos fueron utilizados como referencia y trae actividades para explicar lo que es un niño. Los niños de 5 años narraron lo más personal, mientras que los niños de 6 años dijo que un niño es un bebé y las actividades de un bebé. Así, se observó que los conceptos de los niños tradujeron los elementos del contexto de desarrollo, sus actividades y relaciones con la familia, con los espacios y personas de la comunidad

ERICA: prevalência de comportamentos alimentares saudáveis em adolescentes brasileiros

OBJETIVO Descrever a prevalência de comportamentos alimentares considerados saudáveis em adolescentes brasileiros, segundo sexo, idade, escolaridade da mãe, tipo de escola, turno de estudo e região geográfica. MÉTODOS Os dados analisados provêm do Estudo de Riscos Cardiovasculares em Adolescentes (ERICA), estudo transversal, nacional e de base escolar. Foram avaliados adolescentes de 1.247 escolas em 124 municípios brasileiros, utilizando questionário autopreenchível que incluía um bloco sobre aspectos relacionados ao comportamento alimentar. Foram considerados saudáveis os seguintes comportamentos alimentares: consumo de café da manhã, ingestão de água e realização de refeições com os pais ou responsáveis. As estimativas das prevalências foram apresentadas em proporções, com seus respectivos intervalos de confiança de 95%. O teste Qui-quadrado foi utilizado para avaliar a diferença das prevalências dos comportamentos alimentares saudáveis de acordo com as demais variáveis. Utilizou-se o módulosurvey do programa Stata versão 13,0 para análise de dados de amostra complexa. RESULTADOS Foram avaliados 74.589 adolescentes (72,9% dos alunos elegíveis). Desses, 55,2% eram do sexo feminino e a média de idade foi de 14,6 anos (DP = 1,6). Entre os adolescentes brasileiros, aproximadamente metade apresentou comportamentos alimentares saudáveis quanto ao consumo de café da manhã, realização de refeições com os pais ou responsáveis e ingestão de cinco ou mais copos de água por dia. Todos os comportamentos alimentares saudáveis analisados apresentaram diferença estatisticamente significativa por sexo, idade, tipo de escola, turno de estudo ou região geográfica. CONCLUSÕES Sugere-se que ações específicas, de abordagem intersetorial, sejam implementadas para a disseminação dos benefícios dos comportamentos alimentares saudáveis. Adolescentes do sexo feminino, mais velhos (15 a 17 anos), cujas mães têm escolaridade mais baixa, alunos de escolas públicas e da região Sudeste, deveriam ser o foco dessas ações já que são os que apresentam menores frequências dos comportamentos saudáveis analisados.OBJECTIVE To describe the prevalence of eating habits considered healthy in adolescents according to sex, age, education level of the mother, school type, session of study, and geographic region. METHODS The assessed data come from the Study of Cardiovascular Risks in Adolescents (ERICA), a cross-sectional, national and school-based study. Adolescents of 1,247 schools of 124 Brazilian municipalities were evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire with a section on aspects related to eating behaviors. The following eating behaviors were considered healthy: consuming breakfast, drinking water, and having meals accompanied by parents or legal guardians. All prevalence estimates were presented proportionally, with their respective 95% confidence intervals. The Chi-square test was used to evaluate the differences in healthy eating habits prevalences according to other variables. The module survey of the Stata program version 13.0 was used to analyze complex data. RESULTS We evaluated 74,589 adolescents (72.9% of the eligible students). Of these, 55.2% were female, average age being 14.6 years (SD = 1.6). Among Brazilian adolescents, approximately half of them showed healthy eating habits when consuming breakfast, drinking five or more glasses of water a day, and having meals with parents or legal guardians. All analyzed healthy eating habits showed statistically significant differences by sex, age, type of school, session of study, or geographic region . CONCLUSIONS We suggest that specific actions of intersectoral approach are implemented for the dissemination of the benefits of healthy eating habits. Older female adolescents (15 to 17 years old) who studied in public schools, resided in the Southeast region, and whose mothers had lower education levels, should be the focus of these actions since they present lower frequencies concerning the evaluated healthy habits

Optical coherence tomography angiography metrics Monitor severity progression of diabetic retinopathy—3-year longitudinal study

To examine retinal vessel closure metrics and neurodegenerative changes occurring in the initial stages of nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and severity progression in a three-year period. Three-year prospective longitudinal observational cohort of individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D), one eye per person, using spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and OCT-Angiography (OCTA). Eyes were examined four times with one-year intervals. OCTA vessel density maps of the retina were used to quantify vessel closure. Thickness of the ganglion cell + inner plexiform layer (GCL + IPL) was examined to identify retinal neurodegenerative changes. Diabetic retinopathy ETDRS classification was performed using the seven-field ETDRS protocol. A total of 78 eyes/patients, aged 52 to 80 years, with T2D and ETDRS grades from 10 to 47 were followed for 3 years with annual examinations. A progressive increase in retinal vessel closure was observed. Vessel density (VD) showed higher decreases with retinopathy worsening demonstrated by step-changes in ETDRS severity scale (p < 0.001). No clear correlation was observed between neurodegenerative changes and retinopathy progression. Conclusions: Retinal vessel closure in NPDR correlates with DR severity progression. Our findings provide supporting evidence that OCTA metrics of vessel closure may be used as a surrogate for DR severity progression.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio