Height-based equations as screening tools for elevated blood pressure in the SAYCARE study

This study evaluated the accuracy of four height-based equations: blood pressure to height ratio (BPHR), modified BPHR (MBPHR), new modified BPHR (NMBPHR), and height-based equations (HBE) for screening elevated BP in children and adolescents in the SAYCARE study. We measured height and BP of 829 children and adolescents from seven South American cities. Receiving operating curves were used to assess formula performance to diagnose elevated BP in comparison to the 2017 clinical guideline. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV) were calculated for the four screening formulas. The diagnostic agreement was evaluated with the kappa coefficient. The HBE equation showed the maximum sensitivity (100%) in children, both for boys and girls, and showed the best performance results, with a very high NPV (>99%) and high PPV (>60%) except for female children (53.8%). In adolescents, the highest sensitivity (100%) was achieved with the NMBPHR for both sexes. Kappa coefficients indicated that HBE had the highest agreement with the gold standard diagnostic method (between 0.70 and 0.75), except for female children (0.57). Simplified methods are friendlier than the percentile gold standard tables. The HBE equation showed better performance than the other formulas in this Latin American pediatric population

Relación entre la composición, la capacidad antioxidante y el contenido fenólico de alimentos concentrados para perros

Oxidative stress has been associated with the development of many chronic and degenerative diseases in canines. The presence of antioxidants in food contributes to the reduction of the harmful effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitrogen (RNS). Polyphenols are a group of substances with high antioxidant activity and play an important role in the prevention of diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the composition, the antioxidant capacity and the polyphenol content of dog feeds from different commercial segments. Nineteen dog foods from four commercial segments: popular, economic, premium and super premium were randomly selected. Through a bromatological analysis the composition of each feed was evaluated. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total phenolic content (TFC) were measured through the ABTS and Folin-Ciocalteu methods, respectively. Analysis of variance and correlation were performed. Dog feeds of the premium and super premium segments presented higher proportions of crude protein and fat, and lower crude fiber, ash, calcium and phosphorus, in comparison with feeds of the popular and economic segments (p<0.05). For the popular, economic, premium and super premium segments, TFC values of 160.1 ± 49.8, 146.7 ± 41.5, 131.6 ± 21.5 and 144.9 ± 34.1 mg of gallic acid/100 g of sample and CAT values of 3146.0 ± 564.5, 2895.4 ± 581.0, 2837.6 ± 241.7 and 2875.79 ± 325.8 μmol Trolox/L sample were determined, respectively (p>0.05). A positive correlation was found between crude fiber content and TFC (r = 0.47, p<0.05). It is concluded that commercial segmentation of the dog feeds is not reflected in its antioxidant contribution and a higher crude fiber content, typical of feeds of the popular and economic segments, is positively associated with the content of phenols.El objetivo de esta investigación fue evaluar la relación entre la composición, la capacidad antioxidante y el contenido de polifenoles de concentrados para perros de diferentes segmentos comerciales. Se seleccionaron aleatoriamente 19 alimentos para perros de cuatro segmentos comerciales: popular, económico, premium y super premium. Mediante un análisis bromatológico se evaluó la composición de cada alimento. Se midió la capacidad antioxidante total (CAT) y el contenido fenólico total (FT) a través de los métodos ABTS y Folin-Ciocalteu, respectivamente. Se realizaron análisis de varianza y de correlación. Los concentrados de los segmentos premium y super premium presentaron proporciones mayores de proteína cruda y grasa, y menores de fibra cruda, cenizas, calcio y fósforo en comparación con los concentrados de los segmentos popular y económico (p<0.05). Para los segmentos popular, económico, premium y super premium se encontraron valores de FT de 160.1 ± 49.8, 146.7 ± 41.5, 131.6 ± 21.5 y 144.9 ± 34.1 mg de ácido gálico/100 g de muestra y valores de CAT de 3146.0 ± 564.5, 2895.4 ± 581.0, 2837.6 ± 241.7 y 2875.79 ± 325.8 μmol Trolox/l de muestra, respectivamente (p>0.05). Se encontró una correlación positiva entre el contenido de fibra cruda y el FT (r = 0.47, p<0.05). Se concluye que la segmentación comercial de los concentrados para perros no está reflejada en su aporte antioxidante y que un mayor contenido de fibra cruda, propio de concentrados de los segmentos popular y económico, está asociado positivamente con el contenido de fenoles

Maternal factors associated with birth weight in term infants, Colombia, 2002-2011

ABSTRACT: The study aimed to identify maternal factors associated with birth weight in Colombia from 2002 to 2011. This was a descriptive study based on data from the Live Birth Registry of Colombia, Administrative Department of Vital Statistics. Birth weight was classified as low birth weight < 2,500g, insufficient birth weight 2,500-2,999g, normal birth weight 3,000-3,999g, and high birth weight ≥ 4,000g. Data analysis used Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and multinomial logistic regression. Women with increased likelihood of low birth weight newborns were 35 years or older (OR = 1.4; 95%CI: 1.39-1.4), had little schooling (OR = 1.1; 95%CI: 1.1-1.1), were single (OR = 1.1; 95%CI: 1.1-1.2), without prenatal care (OR = 1.9; 95%CI: 1.9-2.0), and lived in rural areas (OR = 1.2; 95%CI: 1.1-1.2). Women with higher prevalence of high birth weight newborns were 35 years or older (OR = 1.1; 95%CI: 1.1-1.1) and had four or more children (OR = 2.1; 95%CI 2.0-2.1). Insufficient birth weight showed a similar pattern to low birth weight. In conclusion, social, demographic, and maternal factors influence the birth weight of newborns in Colombia.RESUMEN: El estudio tuvo como objetivo identificar los factores maternos asociados con el peso al nacer, en Colombia, entre 2002-2011. Fue un estudio descriptivo, basado en información del Registro de Nacido Vivo de Colombia del Departamento Administrativo de Estadísticas Vitales, se clasificó el peso al nacer como: bajo peso al nacer < 2.500g, peso insuficiente 2.500- 2.999g, peso adecuado 3.000-3.999g y macrosomía ≥ 4.000g. Para el análisis se utilizó la U Mann-Whitney, Kruskall Wallis y un modelo de regresión logística multinomial. Las mujeres con mayor probabilidad de recién nacidos con bajo peso fueron las de 35 años o más (OR = 1,4; IC95%: 1,39- 1,4), con bajo nivel educativo (OR = 1,1; IC95%: 1,1-1,1), solteras (OR = 1,1; IC95%: 1,1-1,2), sin asistencia a controles prenatales (OR = 1,9; IC95%: 1,9-2,0) y de la zona rural (OR = 1,2; IC95%: 1,1-1,2). Las mujeres con mayor prevalencia de recién nacidos macrosómicos fueron de 35 años o más (OR = 1,1; IC95%: 1,1-1,1) y de 4 hijos o más (OR = 2,1; IC95%: 2,0-2,1). El peso insuficiente tuvo un comportamiento similar al bajo peso al nacer. En conclusión, los factores sociodemográficos y maternos influencian el peso al nacer de recién nacidos de mujeres colombianas

Changes in seasonal streamflow extremes experienced in rivers of Northwestern South America (Colombia)

A measure of the variability in seasonal extreme streamflow was estimated for the Colombian Caribbean coast, using monthly time series of freshwater discharge from ten watersheds. The aim was to detect modifications in the streamflow monthly distribution, seasonal trends, variance and extreme monthly values. A 20-year length time moving window, with 1-year successive shiftments, was applied to the monthly series to analyze the seasonal variability of streamflow. The seasonal-windowed data were statistically fitted through the Gamma distribution function. Scale and shape parameters were computed using the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) and the bootstrap method for 1000 resample. A trend analysis was performed for each windowed-serie, allowing to detect the window of maximum absolute values for trends. Significant temporal shifts in seasonal streamflow distribution and quantiles (QT), were obtained for different frequencies. Wet and dry extremes periods increased significantly in the last decades. Such increase did not occur simultaneously through the region. Some locations exhibited continuous increases only at minimum QT

Remdesivir and three other drugs for hospitalised patients with COVID-19: final results of the WHO Solidarity randomised trial and updated meta-analyses.

BACKGROUND World Health Organization expert groups recommended mortality trials of four repurposed antiviral drugs - remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, and interferon beta-1a - in patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). METHODS We randomly assigned inpatients with Covid-19 equally between one of the trial drug regimens that was locally available and open control (up to five options, four active and the local standard of care). The intention-to-treat primary analyses examined in-hospital mortality in the four pairwise comparisons of each trial drug and its control (drug available but patient assigned to the same care without that drug). Rate ratios for death were calculated with stratification according to age and status regarding mechanical ventilation at trial entry. RESULTS At 405 hospitals in 30 countries, 11,330 adults underwent randomization; 2750 were assigned to receive remdesivir, 954 to hydroxychloroquine, 1411 to lopinavir (without interferon), 2063 to interferon (including 651 to interferon plus lopinavir), and 4088 to no trial drug. Adherence was 94 to 96% midway through treatment, with 2 to 6% crossover. In total, 1253 deaths were reported (median day of death, day 8; interquartile range, 4 to 14). The Kaplan-Meier 28-day mortality was 11.8% (39.0% if the patient was already receiving ventilation at randomization and 9.5% otherwise). Death occurred in 301 of 2743 patients receiving remdesivir and in 303 of 2708 receiving its control (rate ratio, 0.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.81 to 1.11; P = 0.50), in 104 of 947 patients receiving hydroxychloroquine and in 84 of 906 receiving its control (rate ratio, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.89 to 1.59; P = 0.23), in 148 of 1399 patients receiving lopinavir and in 146 of 1372 receiving its control (rate ratio, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.25; P = 0.97), and in 243 of 2050 patients receiving interferon and in 216 of 2050 receiving its control (rate ratio, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.96 to 1.39; P = 0.11). No drug definitely reduced mortality, overall or in any subgroup, or reduced initiation of ventilation or hospitalization duration. CONCLUSIONS These remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir, and interferon regimens had little or no effect on hospitalized patients with Covid-19, as indicated by overall mortality, initiation of ventilation, and duration of hospital stay. (Funded by the World Health Organization; ISRCTN Registry number, ISRCTN83971151; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04315948.)

Genome-wide association study of Tourette Syndrome

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a developmental disorder that has one of the highest familial recurrence rates among neuropsychiatric diseases with complex inheritance. However, the identification of definitive TS susceptibility genes remains elusive. Here, we report the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) of TS in 1285 cases and 4964 ancestry-matched controls of European ancestry, including two European-derived population isolates, Ashkenazi Jews from North America and Israel, and French Canadians from Quebec, Canada. In a primary meta-analysis of GWAS data from these European ancestry samples, no markers achieved a genome-wide threshold of significance (p<5 × 10−8); the top signal was found in rs7868992 on chromosome 9q32 within COL27A1 (p=1.85 × 10−6). A secondary analysis including an additional 211 cases and 285 controls from two closely-related Latin-American population isolates from the Central Valley of Costa Rica and Antioquia, Colombia also identified rs7868992 as the top signal (p=3.6 × 10−7 for the combined sample of 1496 cases and 5249 controls following imputation with 1000 Genomes data). This study lays the groundwork for the eventual identification of common TS susceptibility variants in larger cohorts and helps to provide a more complete understanding of the full genetic architecture of this disorder

Partitioning the Heritability of Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Reveals Differences in Genetic Architecture

The direct estimation of heritability from genome-wide common variant data as implemented in the program Genome-wide Complex Trait Analysis (GCTA) has provided a means to quantify heritability attributable to all interrogated variants. We have quantified the variance in liability to disease explained

Estado nutricional del hierro en gestantes adolescentes, Medellín, Colombia

Objetivo: analizar el estado nutricional del hierro en gestantes adolescentes de tercer trimestre. Metodología: estudio analítico de corte transversal con 276 adolescentes entre 10 y 19 años, en tercer trimestre de gestación de la Empresa Social del Estado (ese) Metrosalud (Medellín, 2011-2012), con datos de hemoglobina, volumen corpuscular medio, concentración de hemoglobina corpuscular media e ingesta de suplemento de hierro. La ferritina sérica se analizó en 178 gestantes, controlada por proteína C-reactiva. Se utilizaron medidas de tendencia central, dispersión, porcentajes y pruebas de Chi2, anova, Kruskal-Wallis y U de Mann-Whitney. Resultados: la prevalencia de anemia fue 17,1% en el tercer trimestre de gestación y por deficiencia de hierro, 51%. La mediana de ferritina sérica fue 13,3 μg/L (RQ: 7,7 μg/L-17,9 μg/L); sólo el 5,6% (n = 9) presentó valores adecuados de ferritina. Las madres que tomaron suplemento de hierro diariamente presentaron mejores concentraciones de hemoglobina y ferritina, frente a aquellas que no lo hicieron, Hb 12,1g/dL vs. 11,7 g/dL (p = 0,019) y ferritina sérica 14,6 μg/L vs. 7,0 μg/L (p = 0,000). Discusión: hubo altas prevalencias de anemia y ferropenia en las gestantes, asociadas con la no adherencia al suplemento de hierro