Reproducibility, relative validity and calibration of a food frequency questionnaire for adults

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the reproducibility and relative validity and calibrate the dietary intake assessment of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) using a random sample of 195 adults aged 20 to 50 years from the Central-West Region of Brazil. The reference method used by the study was two 24-hour recalls (24hR) that provided energy-adjusted deattenuated food intake data for comparison purposes. With respect to reproducibility, the average weighted kappa was 0.43 and exact agreement was 41.5%. With regard to relative validity, correlation coefficients ranged from 0.32 (thiamin) to 0.51 (carbohydrates), with a mean of 0.41. Deattenuation and adjustment for energy intake decreased most correlation coefficients in relation to crude values. The food frequency questionnaire showed good reliability and moderate validity for most nutrients based on classification into quartiles of energy and nutrient intake. The calibrated means of the FFQ were more similar to the means estimated from the 24hR and showed lower standard deviation

Endocrine Dysfunction in Children with Zika-Related Microcephaly Who Were Born during the 2015 Epidemic in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil.

Congenital viral infections and the occurrence of septo-optic dysplasia, which is a combination of optic nerve hypoplasia, abnormal formation of structures along the midline of the brain, and pituitary hypofunction, support the biological plausibility of endocrine dysfunction in Zika-related microcephaly. In this case series we ascertained the presence and describe endocrine dysfunction in 30 children with severe Zika-related microcephaly from the MERG Pediatric Cohort, referred for endocrinological evaluation between February and August 2019. Of the 30 children, 97% had severe microcephaly. The average age at the endocrinological consultation was 41 months and 53% were female. The most frequently observed endocrine dysfunctions comprised short stature, hypothyroidism, obesity and variants early puberty. These dysfunctions occurred alone 57% or in combination 43%. We found optic nerve hypoplasia (6/21) and corpus callosum hypoplasia (20/21). Seizure crises were reported in 86% of the children. The most common-and clinically important-endocrine dysfunctions were pubertal dysfunctions, thyroid disease, growth impairment, and obesity. These dysfunctions require careful monitoring and signal the need for endocrinological evaluation in children with Zika-related microcephaly, in order to make early diagnoses and implement appropriate treatment when necessary

The Microcephaly Epidemic Research Group Paediatric Cohort (MERG-PC): A Cohort Profile.

This cohort profile aims to describe the ongoing follow-up of children in the Microcephaly Epidemic Research Group Paediatric Cohort (MERG-PC). The profile details the context and aims of the study, study population, methodology including assessments, and key results and publications to date. The children that make up MERG-PC were born in Recife or within 120 km of the city, in Pernambuco/Brazil, the epicentre of the microcephaly epidemic. MERG-PC includes children from four groups recruited at different stages of the ZIKV microcephaly epidemic in Pernambuco, i.e., the Outpatient Group (OG/n = 195), the Microcephaly Case-Control Study (MCCS/n = 80), the MERG Pregnant Women Cohort (MERG-PWC/n = 336), and the Control Group (CG/n = 100). We developed a comprehensive array of clinical, laboratory, and imaging assessments that were undertaken by a 'task force' of clinical specialists in a single day at 3, 6, 12, 18 months of age, and annually from 24 months. Children from MCCS and CG had their baseline assessment at birth and children from the other groups, at the first evaluation by the task force. The baseline cohort includes 711 children born between February 2015 and February 2019. Children's characteristics at baseline, excluding CG, were as follows: 32.6% (184/565) had microcephaly, 47% (263/559) had at least one physical abnormality, 29.5% (160/543) had at least one neurological abnormality, and 46.2% (257/556) had at least one ophthalmological abnormality. This ongoing cohort has contributed to the understanding of the congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) spectrum. The cohort has provided descriptions of paediatric neurodevelopment and early epilepsy, including EEG patterns and treatment response, and information on the frequency and characteristics of oropharyngeal dysphagia; cryptorchidism and its surgical findings; endocrine dysfunction; and adenoid hypertrophy in children with Zika-related microcephaly. The study protocols and questionnaires were shared across Brazilian states to enable harmonization across the different studies investigating microcephaly and CZS, providing the opportunity for the Zika Brazilian Cohorts Consortium to be formed, uniting all the ZIKV clinical cohorts in Brazil

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Tabagismo e obesidade abdominal em doadores de sangue Smoking and abdominal fat in blood donors

OBJETIVO: Analisar a associação entre tabagismo e obesidade abdominal em doadores de sangue. MÉTODOS: Estudo de corte transversal com 1.235 homens adultos doadores de sangue (idade: 20-59 anos) em Cuiabá (MT). Foram coletados dados socioeconômicos, demográficos e antropométricos, bem como informações sobre o estilo de vida dos participantes. Neste estudo, a circunferência da cintura e a relação cintura/quadril foram utilizadas como marcadores de obesidade abdominal. A associação desses dois marcadores com o tabagismo foi analisada por meio de regressão linear múltipla em modelos distintos, ajustados para potenciais fatores de confusão. RESULTADOS: Dos 1.235 entrevistados, 273 (22,1%) declararam ser fumantes e, desses, 99 (36,3%) relataram fumar mais de 15 cigarros por dia. A média do índice de massa corpórea nos fumantes foi menor que nos não fumantes (p 11 cigarros/dia. CONCLUSÕES: Nesta amostra, o tabagismo associou-se positivamente com indicadores de obesidade abdominal, independentemente de potenciais fatores de confusão, inclusive o consumo de bebidas alcoólicas.OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between smoking and abdominal fat among male blood donors. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving 1,235 adult male blood donors (age, 20-59 years) in the city of Cuiabá, Brazil. Socioeconomic, demographic, and anthropometric data, as well as information on the lifestyle of the participants, were collected. In this study, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio were used as markers of abdominal fat. The association between these two markers and smoking was analyzed by multiple linear regression in separate models, adjusted for potential confounders. RESULTS: Of the 1,235 respondents, 273 (22.1%) reported being smokers, and, of those, 99 (36.3%) reported smoking more than 15 cigarettes per day. The average body mass index was lower among smokers than among nonsmokers (p 11 cigarettes/day. CONCLUSIONS: In our sample, smoking was positively associated with indicators of abdominal fat, regardless of potential confounding factors, including the consumption of alcoholic beverages

Fatores associados à experimentação do cigarro em adolescentes Factors associated with cigarette experimentation among adolescents

OBJETIVO: Analisar a prevalência e os fatores associados à experimentação do cigarro em adolescentes. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal, utilizando-se questionário específico, onde foram entrevistados 2.883 estudantes do ensino fundamental e do 1º ano do ensino médio, de escolas localizadas na zona urbana da cidade de Cuiabá (MT). Estimou-se a prevalência e foram analisados os principais fatores relacionados à experimentação do cigarro. Após isso, obteve-se um modelo logístico hierarquizado descrevendo as chances da experimentação do cigarro relacionada com as variáveis investigadas. RESULTADOS: A prevalência da experimentação do cigarro foi de 30,2%. No modelo final de análise, as principais variáveis relacionadas com a experimentação do cigarro foram menor nível de escolaridade da mãe (OR = 2,44; IC95%: 1,72-3,47); menor nível socioeconômico (OR = 1,39; IC95%: 1,01-1,93); estudar na escola pública (OR = 1,56; IC95%: 1,22-2,00); estar no 1º ano do ensino médio (OR = 3,45; IC95%: 2,63-4,54); estudar no período noturno (OR = 2,44; 1,85-3,22); ter pais separados (OR = 1,23; IC95%: 1,02-1,49); já ter sido reprovado na escola (OR = 2,17; IC95%: 1,78-2,70); ter amigos fumantes (OR = 3,75; IC95%: 2,99-4,70); ter irmãos fumantes (OR = 2,44; IC95%: 1,82-3,27); e ser mais velho (17-19 anos) (OR = 2,44; IC95%: 1,39-4,17). CONCLUSÕES: Foi alta proporção de adolescentes que experimentaram o cigarro. Após ajuste para variáveis de confusão os fatores mais fortemente associados à experimentação do cigarro foram nível de escolaridade da mãe, idade do adolescente, estudar no período noturno, já ter sido reprovado na escola e ter amigos e irmãos fumantes. Medidas preventivas devem ser direcionadas aos adolescentes, dentro das instituições escolares, como forma de controle do tabagismo.OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of and factors associated with smoking experimentation among adolescents. METHODS: Cross-sectional study, using a specific questionnaire to interview 2,883 students from 7th to 10th grade in schools located in the urban area of the city of Cuiabá, in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. Prevalence was estimated, and the principal factors related to cigarette experimentation were analyzed. Subsequently, a hierarchical logistic model was used to describe the chances of cigarette experimentation related to the variables being investigated. RESULTS: The prevalence of cigarette experimentation was 30.2%. In the final model of the analysis, the main variables related to cigarette experimentation were low maternal level of education (OR = 2.44; 95% CI: 1.72-3.47); low socioeconomic level (OR=1.39; 95% CI: 1.01-1.93); studying in a public school (OR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.22-2.00); being in 10th grade (OR = 3.45; 95% CI: 2.63-4.54); attending school in the evening (OR = 2.44; 95% CI: 1.85-3.22); having divorced parents (OR = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.02-1.49); having been held back for one school year (OR = 2.17; 95% CI: 1.78-2.70); having friends who smoke (OR = 3.75; 95% CI: 2.99-4.70) having a sibling who smokes (OR = 2.44; 95% CI: 1.82-3.27); and being older (age 17-19 years) (OR = 2.44; 95% CI: 1.39-4.17). CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of adolescents have experimented with smoking. After adjusting for confounding variables, the factors most strongly associated with cigarette experimentation were maternal level of education, age of the adolescent, attending school in the evening, having been held back for one school year and having a sibling who smokes. Preventive measures must be directed at adolescents in schools in order to control smoking

Sintomas respiratórios como indicadores de estado de saúde em trabalhadores de indústrias de cerâmicas

OBJETIVO: Analisar a prevalência de sintomas respiratórios e sua associação com as características sociodemográficas e do ambiente de trabalho. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal realizado com 464 trabalhadores das indústrias de cerâmicas localizadas no município de Várzea Grande (MT). Para a coleta de dados, foi aplicado um questionário constituído de questões referentes às características sociodemográficas, ambiente de trabalho e sintomas respiratórios. Para a análise dos dados, foi utilizada a razão de prevalência e seu respectivo IC95% entre a variável dependente (sintomas respiratórios) e as demais variáveis explicativas. Na análise multivariada, foram construídos dois modelos hierárquicos, tendo como resposta as variáveis "sintomas respiratórios gerais" e "sintomas respiratórios graves". RESULTADOS: Na população estudada, a prevalência de "sintomas respiratórios gerais" foi de 78%, e aquela de "sintomas respiratórios graves" foi de 35%. Os fatores associados a "sintomas respiratórios gerais" foram sexo, faixa etária, escolaridade, ocupação, exposição à poeira e exposição a produto químico. Os fatores associados a "sintomas respiratórios graves" foram escolaridade, exposição à poeira e exposição a produto químico. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados apontam para a presença de doenças da via aérea superior e inferior na população estudada