Perinatal and parental determinants of childhood overweight in 6-12 years old children

Introduction & aims: The identification of determinants of childhood overweight is crucial to early diagnosis and prevention. The aim of this study was to assess perinatal and parental related risk factors concerning children for having excessive body weight. Methods: Cross-sectional study involving 3,101 children participating in the programme “Alimenta su salud” conducted in Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). Anthropometric and sociodemographic data were obtained from a general questionnaire. Analysed factors as potential predictors of childhood overweight were sex, age, birth weight, infant feeding, number of siblings, as well as parental marital status, educational level and obesity. Prevalence of overweight stratified by potential determinants was assessed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations between variables and the likelihood of being overweight. Results: The overweight prevalence (including obesity) was 30.3% in boys and 28.3% in girls, according to the IOTF criteria. Higher rates in younger subjects and some gender differences were observed. Parental obesity was the most important predictive variable for childhood overweight in both sexes and birth weight over 3,500 g in girls (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3-2.3). Having one or more siblings (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5-0.9) and higher paternal education (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-0.9) in boys, and older age in girls (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.5-.09), resulted protective factors against childhood overweight. No independent effects of marital status, maternal education and infant feeding patterns on childhood excess weight were identified. Conclusions: Perinatal and parental factors could contribute to predict the risk of being overweight/obese in children aged 6 to 12 years, which should be considered when formulating obesity prevention and intervention strategies, stressing the importance of targeting obese parents with young children

Parity implications for anthropometrical variables, lifestyle behaviors and dietary habits in pregnant women

Background. Maintaining an adequate health status and appropriate lifestyles during pregnancy is of great importance to prevent adverse outcomes for both mother and baby. The present study aimed to assess the nutritional status, socio-demographic features, lifestyle behaviors and dietary habits of pregnant women in Spain, and to identify the influence of parity on these profiles. Methods. This cross-sectional study included pregnant women from regions all over Spain. The information was collected through a 40 item questionnaire, previously validated, by community health professionals. Results. The 5,087 pregnant women analyzed had an average age of 31.9 years with an adequate nutritional status. The distribution of the sample was 56% nulliparous and 44% multiparous. The nulliparous reported a better self-perceived health status and nutritional balance, and a lower incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus. However, the multiparous showed healthier lifestyle habits (lower rates of smoking and alcohol consumption) and more physically active patterns. Regarding diet, nulliparous pregnant women consumed more dairy products, fresh fruit and nuts, and less bread, rice/pasta/potatoes, meat, sausage and buns/pastries than multiparous pregnant women. Conclusions. Differences between analyzed patterns were observed in anthropometrical variables, lifestyle behaviors and dietary habits, which may require different nutritional messages to nulliparous as compared to multiparous from a public health point of view.Fundamento. Durante el embarazo, el mantenimiento de un adecuado estado de salud y estilos de vida, es de gran importancia para prevenir resultados adversos tanto para la madre como para el bebé. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivos evaluar el estado nutricional, características sociodemográficas, estilos de vida y hábitos alimentarios de mujeres embarazadas en España, e identificar la influencia de la paridad sobre estos perfiles. Material y método. Este estudio transversal incluyó mujeres embarazadas de todas las comunidades autónomas de España. La información se recogió a través de un cuestionario de 40 preguntas, previamente validado, por profesionales de la salud comunitarios. Resultados. Las 5.087 mujeres embarazadas presentaron una edad media de 31,9 años y un adecuado estado nutricional. De la muestra un 56% fueron nulíparas y un 44% multíparas. Las mujeres nulíparas declararon mejor autopercepción de su estado de salud y estado nutricional, y menor incidencia de diabetes mellitus gestacional. Sin embargo, las mujeres multíparas mostraron estilos de vida más saludables (tasas de consumo de tabaco y alcohol más bajas) y un patrón de actividad física más activo. En cuanto a la dieta, las nulíparas consumieron más lácteos, fruta fresca y frutos secos, y menos pan, arroz/pasta/patatas, carne, embutidos y bollos/pasteles que las multíparas. Conclusiones. Se observaron diferencias entre los grupos analizados en cuanto a variables antropométricas, estilos de vida y hábitos alimentarios, que pueden requerir distintos mensajes nutricionales para mujeres nulíparas y multíparas, desde un punto de vista de Salud Pública

Influence of parental healthy-eating attitudes and nutritional knowledge on nutritional adequacy and diet quality among preschoolers: the SENDO project

Parental nutrition knowledge and attitudes play a fundamental role in their children's food knowledge. However, little is known about their influence on their children's diet quality and micronutrient intake. Thus, we aimed to assess the association of parental nutrition knowledge and healthy-eating attitudes with their children's adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern and micronutrient adequacy. Parental healthy-eating attitudes and knowledge of the quality of their child's diet as well as anthropometric, lifestyle, and nutrient intake characteristics were recorded with a basal questionnaire that included a 140-item-food frequency-questionnaire. A total of 287 pre-school children were included in the analyses. Intake adequacy was defined using the Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) cut-off point method. We developed a parental nutrition knowledge and healthy-eating attitudes scores and evaluated whether they were independently associated with 1) children's inadequate intake (probability of failing to meet 3 EAR) of micronutrients, using logistic regression analyses, and 2) children's diet quality (adherence to the Mediterranean Diet according to a Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents, the KIDMED index), using multiple linear regression models. A higher score in the parental healthy-eating attitudes score was associated with lower risk of failing to meet 3 EAR compared with the reference category (odds ratio (OR): 0.3; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.12-0.95; p for trend: 0.037) and a higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet in the most adjusted model ( coefficient: 0.34; 95% CI 0.01-0.67; p for trend: 0.045). Our results suggest a positive association of parental healthy-eating attitudes with nutritional adequacy and diet quality in a sample of Spanish preschoolers. Public health strategies should focus on encouraging parental healthy-eating attitudes rather than simply educating parents on what to feed their children, recognizing the important influence of parental behavior on children's practices

High consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with increased risk of micronutrient inadequacy in children: The SENDO project

Due to its rising prevalence, which parallels that of ultraprocessed food (UPF) consumption, inadequate micronutrient intake in childhood is a public health concern. This study aimed to evaluate the association between UPF consumption and inadequate intake of 20 micronutrients in a sample of children from the Mediterranean area. Cross-sectional information from participants in the “Seguimiento del Niño para un Desarrollo Óptimo” (SENDO) project 2015–2021 was used. Dietary information was gathered with a previously validated 147-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and the NOVA system was used to classify food items. Children were classifed by tertiles of energy intake from UPF. Twenty micronutrients were evaluated, and inadequate intake was defned using the estimated average requirement as a cutof. Crude and multivariable adjusted OR (95% CI) for the inadequacy of≥3 micronutrients associated with UPF consumption were calculated ftting hierarchical models to take into account intra-cluster correlation between siblings. Analyses were adjusted for individual and family confounders. This study included 806 participants (51% boys) with a mean age of 5 years old (SD: 0.90) and an average energy intake from UPF of 37.64% (SD: 9.59). An inverse association between UPF consumption and the intake of 15 out of the 20 micronutrients evaluated was found (p<0.01). After the adjustment for individual and family confounders, compared with children in the frst tertile of UPF consumption, those in the third tertile showed higher odds of inadequate intake of≥3 micronutrients (OR 2.57; 95%CI [1.51–4.40]). Conclusion: High UPF consumption is associated with increased odds of inadequate intake of micronutrients in childhood

Effect of bovine viral diarrhea virus on subsequent infectivity of bovine gammaherpesvirus 4 in endometrial cells in primary culture: An in vitro model of viral co-infection

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and bovine gammaherpesvirus 4 (BoHV-4) infect the uterus of cattle, being responsible for huge economic losses. Most of the pathogenesis of BoHV-4 in the bovine reproductive tract has been elucidated by conducting tests on primary cultures. Thus, it is important to have optimal in vitro conditions, avoiding the presence of other pathogens that can alter the results. BVDV is one of the most frequent viral contaminants of cell cultures. Considering that non-cytopathic (NCP) BVDV biotype can generate persistently infected (PI) cattle, which are the major source for virus transmission in susceptible herds, it is important to check products derived from cattle that are intended to be used in research laboratories. The aim of this work was to evaluate how the natural infection of bovine endometrial cells (BEC) with a NCP BVDV strain (BEC + BVDV) affects BoHV-4 replication. We have demonstrated a delay in BoHV-4 gene expression and a decrease in viral load in the extracellular environment in BEC + BDVD cells compared to BEC (BVDV-free) cells. These results confirm that replication of BoHV-4 in BEC primary cultures is affected by previous infection with BVDV. This finding highlights the importance of ruling out BVDV infection in bovine primary cell cultures to avoid biological interference or misinterpretation of results at the time of performing in vitro studies with BoHV-4.Fil: Romeo, Florencia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce. Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible; Argentina. Ministerio de Ciencia. Tecnología e Innovación Productiva. Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica; ArgentinaFil: Louge Uriarte, Enrique Leopoldo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce. Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible; ArgentinaFil: Delgado, Santiago Germán. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez Altamiranda, Erika Analia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce. Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible; ArgentinaFil: Pereyra, Susana Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce. Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible; ArgentinaFil: Morán, Pedro Edgardo. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Sandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comision de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación Veterinaria de Tandil; ArgentinaFil: Verna, Andrea Elizabeth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible - Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Buenos Aires Sur. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Balcarce. Instituto de Innovación para la Producción Agropecuaria y el Desarrollo Sostenible; Argentin

Dietary and health profiles of spanish women in preconception, pregnancy and lactation

Abstract: The nutritional status and lifestyle of women in preconception, pregnancy and lactation determine maternal, fetal and child health. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate dietary patterns and lifestyles according the perinatal physiological status in a large sample of Spanish women. Community pharmacists that were previously trained to collect the data recruited 13,845 women. General information, anthropometric measurements, physical activity, unhealthy habits and dietary data were assessed using a validated questionnaire. Mean values and percentages were used as descriptive statistics. The t-test, ANOVA or chi-squared test were used to compare groups. A score that included dietary and behavioral characteristics was generated to compare lifestyles in the three physiological situations. The analysis revealed that diet quality should be improved in the three stages, but in a different manner. While women seeking a pregnancy only met dairy recommendations, those who were pregnant only fulfilled fresh fruits servings and lactating women only covered protein group requirements. In all cases, the consumption allowances of sausages, buns and pastries were exceeded. Food patterns and unhealthy behaviors of Spanish women in preconception, pregnancy and lactation should be improved, particularly in preconception. This information might be useful in order to implement educational programs for each population group

The inclusion of functional foods enriched in fibre, calcium, iodine, fat-soluble vitamins and n-3 fatty acids in a conventional diet improves the nutrient profile according to the Spanish reference intake

Objective The growing interest in maintaining good health status through optimal nutrition has boosted the launch of a number of functional foods on the market. The objective of the present study was to theoretically evaluate the nutritional relevance of incorporating selected enriched foods in the diet. Design A 28 d dietary plan, designed to be balanced under the recommended macronutrients criteria, was used as a basal diet. Some conventional foods were exchanged with foods enriched in fibre, calcium, iodine, vitamins A, D, E or n-3 fatty acids. Setting Nutritional composition of basal and modified diets was derived and compared to the Spanish recommended intakes (RI). Results The basal diet covered the recommendations for fibre and calcium with mean intake of 28 g and 1241 mg, respectively. The current intake of salt, if iodized, or bread elaborated with this salt, allowed reaching the daily intake of iodine every day, with a mean supply of 216 μg/d and 278 μg/d, respectively. The deficient supply of vitamin E in the basal diet (mean = 8 mg/d) was covered by including enriched margarine and dairy products (mean = 15 mg/d). The low n-3 fatty acids intake in the basal diet (1·1 g/d) increased up to 1·9 g/d after the use of enriched margarine, butter and biscuits and soya drink instead of milk. Conclusions In order to improve the accomplishment of the RI iodine, vitamin E and n-3 fatty acids, interesting strategies dealing with the incorporation of enriched foods in the diet were successfully initiated

Taxocenosis de chicharritas y salivazos (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae, Cercopidae) potencialmente vectores de Xylella fastidiosa en agroecosistemas citrícolas del NOA

El incremento de enfermedades asociadas a Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) ha impulsado el estudio de sus insectos vectores. En Argentina, Xf es el agente causal de enfermedades a cultivos agronómicamente importantes (almendros, olivos, cítricos) en áreas productoras del NEA y NOA. La “Clorosis Variegada de los Cítricos”, provocada por esta bacteria, está entre las enfermedades más relevantes en el NEA y representa una amenaza para el NOA. Xylella fastidiosa es transmitida por hemípteros cicadélidos Cicadellinae (“chicharritas”) y cercópidos (“salivazos”). En Sudamérica, 12 especies de cicadelinos son vectores confirmados, de los cuales 10 están en agroecosistemas citrícolas del Litoral. El escaso conocimiento de la taxocenosis de chicharritas y salivazos asociada a agroecosistemas citrícolas del NOA, sumado a la presencia de Xf en esta región fundamenta el objetivo de este trabajo. Para ello se estableció la composición faunística de chicharritas y salivazos en tres localidades citrícolas (Yatasto, Salta, Lules, Tucumán y Yuto, Jujuy). Se realizaron muestreos estacionales durante los años 2015-2017 en plantaciones de naranja Valencia y la vegetación asociada. Se utilizaron trampas adhesivas amarillas sobre los cítricos y red entomológica en la vegetación espontánea. En Yatasto, se identificaron un total de 15 especies (2 cercópidos, 13 cicadelinos), de las 10 colectadas sobre los cítricos Scopogonalia subolivacea (Stål) y Macugonalia cavifrons (Stål) fueron las más abundantes y, en la vegetación asociada, se colectaron nueve especies siendo S. subolivacea y Draeculacephala tucumanensis Dietrich las más abundantes. En Lules, se identificaron 17 especies (1 cercópido, 16 cicadelinos), M. cavifrons (Stål), S. subolivacea y M. lineiceps fueron las más abundantes sobre los cítricos y Hortensia similis (Walker) en la vegetación asociada. En Yuto, se identificaron 5 especies de cicadelinos, Ciminius yana Young fue la más abundante en la vegetación asociada. Del total de las especies identificadas, cuatro son vectores confirmados de Xf y seis son portadoras de la bacteria según estudios realizados en Misiones y Entre Ríos; entre estas, la especie predominante H. similis podría considerarse como un vector potencial en agroecosistemas citrícolas del NOA y priorizarse en futuros estudios de detección. PICT-2014nº 0607, Proyecto 11/N/723 UNLP.Fil: Defea, Bárbara Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Entomología; ArgentinaFil: Martin, Santiago. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Foieri, Alvaro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Microbiología y Zoología Agrícola; ArgentinaFil: Tapia, S.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Salta-jujuy. Estacion Experimental Agropecuaria Yuto.; ArgentinaFil: Virla, Eduardo Gabriel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Planta Piloto de Procesos Industriales Microbiológicos; Argentina. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Dirección de Zoología. Instituto de Entomología; ArgentinaFil: Paradell, Susana Liria. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaX Congreso Argentino de EntomologíaMendozaArgentinaUniversidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias AgrariasConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas ÁridasInstituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuari

Pleiotropic effects of cell wall amidase LytA on Streptococcus pneumoniae sensitivity to the host immune response

The complement system is a key component of the host immune response for the recognition and clearance of Streptococcus pneumoniae. In this study, we demonstrate that the amidase LytA, the main pneumococcal autolysin, inhibits complement-mediated immunity independently of effects on pneumolysin by a complex process of impaired complement activation, increased binding of complement regulators, and direct degradation of complement C3. The use of human sera depleted of either C1q or factor B confirmed that LytA prevented activation of both the classical and alternative pathways, whereas pneumolysin inhibited only the classical pathway. LytA prevented binding of C1q and the acute-phase protein C-reactive protein to S. pneumoniae, thereby reducing activation of the classical pathway on the bacterial surface. In addition, LytA increased recruitment of the complement downregulators C4BP and factor H to the pneumococcal cell wall and directly cleaved C3b and iC3b to generate degradation products. As a consequence, C3b deposition and phagocytosis increased in the absence of LytA and were markedly enhanced for the lytA ply double mutant, confirming that a combination of LytA and Ply is essential for the establishment of pneumococcal pneumonia and sepsis in a murine model of infection. These data demonstrate that LytA has pleiotropic effects on complement activation, a finding which, in combination with the effects of pneumolysin on complement to assist with pneumococcal complement evasion, confirms a major role of both proteins for the full virulence of the microorganism during septicemia.This work was supported by grant SAF2012-39444-C01/02 from MINECO. The Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES) and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER) are initiatives of ISCIII. E.R.-S. was supported by an FPU fellowship from MINECO.S