Childhood Atopic Diseases and Early Life Circumstances: An Ecological Study in Cuba

Background: Children are especially vulnerable during periods of resource shortage such as economic embargoes. They are likely to suffer most from poor nutrition, infectious diseases, and other ensuing short-term threats. Moreover, early life circumstances can have important consequences for long-term health. We examined the relationship between early childhood exposure to the Cuban economic situation in the nineties and the occurrence of atopic diseases later in childhood. Methodology/Principal Findings: A cross-sectional study of 1321 primary schoolchildren aged 4-14 was conducted in two Cuban municipalities. Asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis were diagnosed using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire. Children were divided into three groups of exposure to the economic situation in the nineties according to birth date: (1) unexposed; (2) exposed during infancy; (3) exposed during infancy and early childhood. Associations were assessed using multiple logistic regression models. Exposure during infancy had a significant inverse association with the occurrence of asthma (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.33-0.94) and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (OR 0.46, 95% CI 0.25-0.85). The associations were stronger after longer exposure, i.e. during infancy and early childhood, for asthma (OR 0.40, 95% CI 0.17-0.95) and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.11-0.77). No significant associations were found for atopic dermatitis. Conclusions/Significance: Exposure to the economic situation in the nineties during infancy and early childhood was inversely associated with asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis occurrence later in childhood. We hypothesize that factors related to this period, such as infectious diseases and undernutrition, may have an attenuating effect on atopic disease development. The exact cause and underlying mechanisms need to be further elucidated

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Dynamics of the double burden of malnutrition in Guatemala : a secondary data analysis of the demographic and health surveys from 1998\u20132015

Abstract: Objective We estimated the prevalence and time trends of the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) in Guatemala and explored its occurrence based on socio-demographic factors. Study design This was a secondary data analysis using information from four Demographic and Health Surveys covering the period 1998\u20132015. Methods The unit of analysis was the household within which information was gathered from women 18\u201349 years and their children, 6\u201359 months. The main outcome was the prevalence of any DBM in the household (co-existence of undernutrition and overnutrition in a woman, her children or both). We estimated the prevalence of any DBM by survey and analysed time trends. Stepwise logistic regression was used to explore the occurrence of DBM and socio-demographic factors. Results We analysed 39,749 households across all surveys. The prevalence of any DBM was 25.3% (95%CI: 22.1\u201328.7) in 1998\u201399, 23.8% (22.0\u201325.8) in 2002, 25.9% (24.3\u201327.5) in 2008\u201309 and 24.2% (22.9\u201325.5) in 2014\u201315, with no significant change over time (P = 0.782). Characteristics associated with lower odds of any DBM were rural residence, female-headed household, wealth and women's secondary education. Higher odds were seen for households with electricity, women >25y, indigenous and with >2 children. Conclusion Our findings revealed that a quarter of Guatemala's households suffer from DBM, which has remained unchanged for 17 years. Interventions should prioritise urban areas, households of lower socio-economic status and those less educated. To increase awareness of policymakers of this pressing public health concern, further research on DBM could be strengthened by prospective study designs, integrating all household members and expanding the types of malnutrition

Quantifying overlapping forms of malnutrition across Latin America : a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of prevalence estimates

Abstract: Estimating the prevalence of double burden of malnutrition (DBM) is challenging in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region where various DBM typologies (e.g., obesity and stunting) are heterogeneous and estimates are scattered across literature This study aimed to assess the prevalence of DBM typologies in the LAC region. We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science to identify studies on the prevalence of DBM published between 1 January, 2000, and 23 January, 2023. Outcomes were the prevalence of the identified DBM typologies at the household, individual, or across life course levels. Random-effect meta-analyses of proportions were used to estimate pooled period prevalence for all outcomes. Heterogeneity was explored using meta-regressions. From 754 records identified, 60 (8%) studies were eligible, with a median of 4379 individuals. Studies reported data from 27 LAC countries collected between 1988 and 2017. Most studies used nationally representative surveys (68%) and scored as low risk of bias (70%). We identified 17 DBM typologies for which 360 estimates were analyzed. The prevalence of the identified DBM typologies ranged between 0% and 24%, with the DBM typology of \u201cadult with overweight and child with anemia\u201d having the highest prevalence (24.3%; 95% CI: 18.8%, 30.2%). The most frequently reported DBM typology was \u201cadult with overweight and child with stunting,\u201d with a prevalence of 8.5% (95% CI: 7.7, 9.3). All prevalences carried large heterogeneity (I2>90%), modestly explained by subregions and countries. DBM across the life course could not be estimated owing to insufficient estimates. In conclusion, using available data, our study suggests that the burden of DBM in the LAC region ranges between 0% and 24%. In the most frequent DBM typologies, overweight was a common contributor. Substantial progress can be made in curbing the burden of DBM in the LAC region through strategies addressing excess weight within these population groups. This study was registered at PROSPERO as CRD42023406755

Efficient green emission from wurtzite AlxIn1-xP nanowires

Direct band-gap III-V semiconductors, emitting efficiently in the amber-green region of the visible spectrum are still missing, causing loss in efficiency in light emitting diodes operating in this region, a phenomenon known as the "green gap". Novel geometries and crystal symmetries however show strong promise in overcoming this limit. Here we develop a novel material system, consisting of wurtzite AlxIn1-xP nanowires, which is predicted to have a direct band gap in the green region. The nanowires are grown with selective area metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy and show wurtzite crystal purity from transmission electron microscopy. We show strong light emission at room temperature between the near infrared 875nm (1.42eV) and the "pure green" 555nm (2.23eV). We investigate the band structure of wurtzite AlxIn1-xP using time-resolved and temperature dependent photoluminescence measurements and compare the experimental results with density functional theory simulations, obtaining excellent agreement. Our work paves the way for high efficiency green light emitting diodes based on wurtzite III-phosphide nanowires

Efficient green emission from wurtzite Al\u3csub\u3ex\u3c/sub\u3eIn\u3csub\u3e1-x\u3c/sub\u3eP nanowires

\u3cp\u3eDirect band-gap III-V semiconductors, emitting efficiently in the amber-green region of the visible spectrum are still missing, causing loss in efficiency in light emitting diodes operating in this region, a phenomenon known as the green gap . Novel geometries and crystal symmetries however show strong promise in overcoming this limit. Here we develop a novel material system, consisting of wurtzite Al\u3csub\u3ex\u3c/sub\u3eIn\u3csub\u3e1-x\u3c/sub\u3eP nanowires, which is predicted to have a direct band gap in the green region. The nanowires are grown with selective area metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy and show wurtzite crystal purity from transmission electron microscopy. We show strong light emission at room temperature between the near infrared 875nm (1.42eV) and the pure green 555nm (2.23eV). We investigate the band structure of wurtzite Al\u3csub\u3ex\u3c/sub\u3eIn\u3csub\u3e1-x\u3c/sub\u3eP using time-resolved and temperature dependent photoluminescence measurements and compare the experimental results with density functional theory simulations, obtaining excellent agreement. Our work paves the way for high efficiency green light emitting diodes based on wurtzite III-phosphide nanowires.\u3c/p\u3

Crude and adjusted odds ratio’s (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of exposure to the Cuban economic situation in the nineties for the different atopic diseases.

<p>Statistically significant associations are given in bold and borderline significant associations in italic.</p>*<p>Adjusted for age & municipality.</p

From research to evidence-informed decision making: a systematic approach

Prevention, Population and Disease management (PrePoD)Public Health and primary car