Are the Growth Standards of the World Health Organization Valid for Spanish Children? The SONEV Study

Background: The use of different growth tables to assess the population’s nutritional status has given rise to a series of limitations arising from the lack of consensus and uniform methodological criteria. This leads to a disparity of results that prevent an accurate and reliable diagnosis of whether a child is overweight or obese. Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop growth references for weight, height, and body mass index for Eastern-Spanish children from 6 to 16 years of age. Methods: The final sample used to fit the growth curves was made up of 1,102 observations. The 2007 WHO curves are currently used for Child Health Service Cards. Therefore, tomake the comparison of the internal values obtained as realistic as possible, the same construction method has been used for the internal curves, modeling age as a continuous variable and simultaneously adjusting the curves, smoothing them using cubic splines and further smoothing the edge effects by means of data extending above or below the upper and lower age limits. Results: Growth curves for percentiles were constructed for both sexes and higher values were noticeably found to set as growth-standard compared to WHO-standards. Conclusion: Our analysis shows that the WHO 2007 standard references are not suitable for Eastern-Spanish children. The standards shown in this study are much more realistic and current, and we believe that their use will help healthcare professionals more effectively combat the current epidemic of overweight and obesity.Nutrición humana y dietétic

Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab Combination Therapy in the Treatment of Advanced Hepatocellular Cancer

Liver cancer, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma, is a global concern. This study focuses on the evaluation of Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab combination therapy as a promising alternative in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. The objectives of this systematic review include evaluating the efficacy of Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab combination therapy compared to conventional therapies with Sorafenib and other conventional therapies, analyzing the associated adverse effects, and exploring prognostic factors in the setting of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. A systematic literature review was carried out using the PubMed and Web of Science databases. Fifteen related articles were included and evaluated according to their level of evidence and recommendation. Results: The combination therapy of Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab, along with Sorafenib, showed positive results in the treatment of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Significant adverse effects were identified, such as gastrointestinal bleeding, arterial hypertension, and proteinuria, which require careful attention. In addition, prognostic factors, such as transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), and vascular invasion, were highlighted as key indicators of hepatocellular carcinoma progression. Conclusions: The combination of Atezolizumab and Bevacizumab is shown to be effective in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma, although it is essential to take into consideration the associated adverse effects. The prognostic factors identified may provide valuable information for the clinical management of this disease. This study provides a comprehensive overview of a promising emerging therapy for liver cancer.Medicin

Differences in Classification Standards For the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Children. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The prevalence of childhood obesity has increased dramatically all over the world in recent years. While obesity in adults can be easily measured using the BMI calculation, determining overweight and obesity in children is more controversial. The aim was to compare the three most used international classification systems (WHO 2007, CDC 2000 and Cole-IOTF) to determine overweight and obesity in infant and adolescent populations. We performed a systematic review in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines of articles comparing any of the three classification systems. The main findings were that the WHO 2007 criteria show the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity in the child and youth population. The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity was determined to be higher in boys than in girls in most studies, when analysing the classifications of the WHO 2007, CDC 2000 and Cole-IOTF together. However, there was a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity in girls than in boys when only the CDC 2000 and Cole-IOTF criteria were considered. Both the results of the review and the great heterogeneity found in the meta-analysis show that it is necessary to unify the criteria for the classification of childhood overweight and obesity. International standards are insufficient for working with the current population. A working group should be created to address this issue and agree on the unification of a gold standard, taking into account the geographical region, the ethnic groups and the age groups of the child and youth population and above all, the secular growth.Catholic University of Valencia for their contribution and help in the payment of the Open Access publication under grant number 2022-275-002. Likewise,Medicin

Analysis of the Psychosocial Sphere of Older Adults in Extreme Poverty in the Peruvian Amazon

The situation of social exclusion in which older adults live in extreme poverty is a problem that leads to psychological alterations such as depression or cognitive deterioration. Our objective was to analyze the living conditions and the psychosocial sphere of older adult people living in extreme poverty in Requena del Tapiche in Peru. This was an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. Sixty participants between 60 and 100 years of age of both sexes were included who gave their informed consent. Sociodemographic variables were analyzed, and the Gijón, family Apgar, Yesavage, and Pfeiffer scales were used. The sample was composed of 55% women and 45% men, with a mean age of 79.2 years (SD 6.67). More than half live alone or with their spouse. Fifty-seven percent sleep on the floor or on wood, and about 82% do not have safe water. Family dysfunction is found in 40%, and 98% are at social risk or with an established social problem and a precarious economic situation. More than 60% suffer from depressive symptoms, which are more frequent in women. We conclude that older adults perceive deficient family support, observing a deteriorated social situation. Most of them are at risk of social exclusion and loneliness, making them more vulnerable. They show sadness, with a high rate of depression. People with more cognitive impairment live alone, and those in social exclusion suffer a higher degree of depression. More cooperative projects and health promotion interventions developed in the peripheral neighborhoods of Requena del Tapiche are needed to improve the impact on the health of older adult people in extreme poverty.The publication costs of this work have been financed by the Catholic University of Valencia under grant 2023-275-001.Medicin

Asociación entre el índice de masa corporal materno, la ganancia de peso gestacional y el peso al nacer : estudio prospectivo en un departamento de salud

Objetivo: Contrastar la relación que existe entre la ganancia de peso gestacional y el peso del recién nacido, entre cada categoría de IMC pregestacional. Material y Métodos: Estudio observacional y descriptivo con muestreo bietápico en el Departamento de Salud de la Ribera (Valencia, España). Se clasificaron en cuatro grupos dependiendo del índice de masa corporal (IMC) pregestacional. Resultados: Se estudiaron 140 gestantes. La evolución de la ganancia de peso gestacional (GPG) y de sus gradientes trimestrales fue ascendente. Se produjo un mayor incremento del primer al segundo trimestre que del segundo al tercero para todas las categorías de IMC pregestacional. Según las recomendaciones internacionales de GPG el 16,4% de la muestra tuvo una ganancia de peso inferior a la recomendada, el 38,6% una ganancia de peso igual y el 45% una ganancia de peso superior. El IMC pregestacional categorizado por la OMS, está relacionado con el peso al nacer, mostrando significación estadística (F=6,636 y p<0,001). Las obesas con una ganancia de peso mayor de la recomendada tienen recién nacidos con mayor peso (4.353±821,924 g) y las de bajo-peso con ganancia menor de la recomendada, tienen recién nacidos con pesos menores (2.900±381,83 g) que el resto de grupos. Conclusiones: La GPG de forma absoluta no mostró significación estadística con el peso al nacer con ninguna categoría materna de IMC pregestacional y, como indicador aislado, no es un valor añadido a la calidad del control prenatal.Objectives: To ascertain the relationship between maternal weight gain and birth weight, in every pre-gestational body mass index (BMI) category. Material and Methods: A two-stage sampling observational and descriptive study was carried out in the health department of La Ribera (Valencia, Spain). The sample was divided into four groups according to pre-gestational BMI. Findings: 140 pregnant women were studied. We observed rising pre-gestational weight gain (PWG) and trimestral gradients. There was a higher increase from the first to the second trimester than from the second to the third trimester in every pre-gestational BMI category. According to the international recommendations of Institute of Medicine, 16.4% of women had an inferior gestational weight gain (GWG), 38.6% were within the recommendations and 45% were above them. The pre-gestational BMI, categorized by the WHO, is related to the birth weight, showing a statistical significance (F=6.636 and p<0.001). Obese mothers with a higher weight gain than the recommended have newborns with higher birth weight (4,353±821.924 g) and, underweight mothers with a lower weight gain than the recommended, have newborns with lower birth weights (2,900±381.83 g) than the rest of the groups. Conclusions: The absolute gestational weight gain did not show a statistical significance compared to the birth weight in any of the pre-gestational BMI categories and, as an isolated indicator, is not an added value to the prenatal quality control