Alicia Bibiana Orden

Parasitosis intestinales en poblaciones Mbyá-Guaraní de la Provincia de Misiones, Argentina: aspectos epidemiológicos y nutricionales

Intestinal parasite infestation in indigenous Mbya-Guarani communities in Misiones, Argentina, was described and associated with nutritional status and environmental and cultural factors. The results were compared with those from Takuapi, a neighboring indigenous population, and the nearest urban population, Aristobulo del Valle. The Ritchie, Willis, and Kato Katz techniques were used to analyze the stool samples. Anthropometric parameters were analyzed and earth samples processed. From a total sample of 296 individuals analyzed in the four populations, 100 (87.7%), 63 (88.7%), 49 (96.1%), and 50 (82%) were infested in Kaaguy Poty, Yvy Pyta, Takuapi, and Aristobulo del Valle, respectively. 84% of infested individuals had multiple parasites. The 43% of the individuals presented malnutrition, and 87% of these were infested. There was an association between use of latrines and Giardia lamblia (p < 0.01); open-air defecation, lack of footwear, and hookworms (p < 0.01); and housing type and total helminthes (p < 0.01). Earth samples were contaminated with parasites. The results suggest the relationship between environmental contamination and high prevalence of intestinal parasites in these human populations.

How Genetic Are Human Body Proportions

Children tend to resemble their parents in stature, body proportions, body composition, and rate of development. It may be assumed that barring the action of obvious environmental influences on growth (such as chronic illness or long-term malnutrition) these resemblances reflect the influence of genes that parents contribute to their biological offspring. A study published by Prokopec and Lhotska (1989), based on a sample of 81 boys and 78 girls, is an example of this view. The subjects, all from Prague, were measured annually from birth to age 20 years. The PreeceBaines growth curve was fit to the longitudinal data of each subject. From these fitted curves for all the boys and girls, the three tallest, the three shortest, the three slowest maturing, and the three fastest maturing of each sex were selected. None of these extreme cases was known to have any major chronic or acute diseases. Neither the subject’s history of common childhood diseases, nor the occupation of the fathers had an effect, positive or negative, on growth and development. In contrast, the midparent height did predict the adult stature of offspring. Mid-parent height is the average of the stature of the mother and the father. Inspection of the Preece-Baines curves showed that tall or short stature at age 20 could be predicted from stature at age four years. The positive impact of mid-parent stature on offspring growth and the predictability of adult height from stature at age four are prima facia evidence for the role of heredity. Moreover, these findings attest to the early establishment of individual patterns of growth and their stability over time.

Socioenvironmental Conditions and Nutritional Status in Urban and Rural Schoolchildren

We analyzed the nutritional status of urban and rural schoolchildren from Mendoza (Argentina), but avoided rural and urban categorization by generating subpopulations as a function of their socioenvironmental characteristics. We transformed weight and height data into z‐scores using the CDC/NCHS growth charts; defined underweight, stunting, and wasting by z‐scores of less than −2 SD; and calculated overweight and obesity, according to the cutoff proposed by the International Obesity Task Force. Socioenvironmental characteristics included housing, public services, parental resources, and farming practices; we processed these variables by categorical principal‐component analysis. The two first axes defined four subgroups of schoolchildren: three of these were associated with urban characteristics, while the remaining subgroup was considered rural. Nutritional status differed across groups, whereas overweight was similar among the groups and obesity higher in urban middle‐income children. Urban differences were manifested mainly as underweight, but rural children exhibited the greatest stunting and wasting. Thus, the negative effects of environment on nutritional status in children are not restricted to poor periurban and rural areas, though these are indeed unfavorable environments for growth: some urban families provide children with sufficient quantity and diversity of foods to expose them to obesity. By contrast, the more affluent urban families would appear to have greater possibilities for allowing their children to adopt a healthy life‐style. Although the causes of differences in nutritional status between middle‐ and high‐income urban groups are not clear, these determinants probably involve economic as well as educational influences. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2008.

Estado nutricional y composición corporal de niños pobres residentes en barrios periféricos de La Plata, Argentina

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate nutritional status and body composition as indicators of quality of life among poor children served by neighborhood soup kitchens in La Plata, Argentina. METHODS: From April to November 2004, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 608 healthy children from 1-11 years of age who were being served by two neighborhood soup kitchens in the outlying areas of the city of La Plata. The sample was stratified by age and sex. Height-for-age, weight-for age, and weight-for-height, were measured, as well as BMI, muscle mass and adipose tissue. Z-scores were computed for the data. Odds ratios and the respective 95% confidence intervals were calculated. RESULTS: Prevalence of low weight-for-age was 9%; low weight-for-height, 3%; and low height-for-age, 15%. The prevalence of overweight and obesity were 12.5% and 7.1%, respectively. Among the study sample, 47.2% had low muscle mass and 20.4% had low adipose tissue. Among overweight and obese children, adipose tissue was 34.3% higher than that of the reference population, while muscle mass was 12.5% lower. CONCLUSIONS: Undernutrition and obesity are both found among the community of children studied. The high prevalence of delayed growth (i.e., low height-for-age), undernutrition (i.e., low weight-for-age), and the acute lack of muscle mass even among overweight and obese children, seem to be part of the consequences of an inevitable process that unfolds in the face of adverse living conditions.

Growth of functional cranial components in rats submitted to intergenerational undernutrition

The aim of the present study was to discover how intergenerational undernutrition affects the growth of major and minor functional cranial components in two generations of rats. Control animals constituted the parental generation (P). The undernourished generations (F1 and F2) were fed 75% of the control diet. Animals were X‐rayed every 10 days from 20 to 100 days of age. The length, width and height of the major (neurocranium and splanchnocranium) and minor (anterior‐neural, middle‐neural, posterior‐neural, otic, respiratory, masticatory and alveolar) cranial components were measured on each radiograph. Volumetric indices were calculated to estimate size variations of these components. Data were processed using the Kruskal–Wallis and Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests for two samples. Impairment in splanchnocranial and neurocranial growth was found, the latter being more affected than the former in F1. Comparison between F2 and F1 animals showed cumulative effects of undernutrition in both major and minor components (anterior‐neural, respiratory, masticatory and alveolar in males, and middle‐neural and respiratory in females). Such differential effects on minor components may reflect a residual mechanical strain resulting from the linkage between components. This phenomenon was clearly observed in the neurocranium and could be understood as an adaptive response to the demands of the associated functional matrices.

Nutritional status in two Mbyá-Guaraní communities from misiones (Argentina).

Growth and nutritional status of children and adults in two Mbyá-Guaraní communities from Argentina, was assessed. Height, weight, sitting height, upper arm circumference, triceps and subscapular skinfold were measured on 120 individuals aged from 2 to 60 between March and May, 2001. Data were transformed to z-scores using United States references (NHANES I and NHANES II). A z-score of less than -2 was used as the cut-off point to determine the prevalence of stunting and wasting respectively. Mean z-scores for weight, height, and upper arm circumference lie below the reference (0 > Z > -3), while in sitting height ratio and muscular area for females they were above the US standard (0 < Z < 2). Skinfold thicknesses and muscular area for males were similar to the reference (2 > Z > -1). Our findings are in agreement with others South American Indian research that the prevalence of stunting (36.7%) is significantly higher than wasting (1.8%). The presence of parasitic infections and nutritional environment previously described in this population could be related to the short stature.

ESTADO NUTRICIONAL Y PARASITOSIS INTESTINALES EN NIÑOS RESIDENTES EN ZONAS URBANA, PERIURBANA Y RURAL DEL PARTIDO DE BRANDSEN (BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA)

Carta a los directores de la publicacion en referencia a algunos aspectos de la nota citada.

Nutritional status in parasitized and nonparasitized children from two districts of buenos aires, Argentina

The Program for the Control of Intestinal Parasites and Nutrition was designed to intervene in small communities to prevent and control the effects of parasitic infections on childrens health. Objectives: To analyze the association between nutritional status and parasitic infection in suburban and rural children from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Methods: Nutritional status was assessed by anthropometric (weight, height, BMI, skinfolds, upper arm circumference, muscle, and fat upper arm areas) and biochemical (Hb, Ca, Mg, Zn, and Cu) indicators. Parasitological analysis were made on both serial stool and perianal swab samples. A total of 708 children aged 3–11 were measured. The biochemical analysis included 217 blood samples and the parasitological study included 284 samples. Results: Anthropometric status was similar in both settings with low rates of underweight and stunting (<6%), and high rates of overweight (∼17%) and obesity (∼12%). Ca deficiency was significantly higher in suburban children where 80% of them were hypocalcemic. Around 70% of fecal samples contained parasites. Among infected children, the most prevalent species were Blastocystis hominis and Enterobius vermicularis (∼43%) followed by Giardia lamblia (∼17%). Differences in parasitological status between districts were not significant. In the suburban district parasitized children were lighter, shorter, and had a lower upper arm circumference than their non‐infected peers. No differences in anthropometric status were seen among infected and uninfected rural children. Conclusions: The results suggest an association between intestinal parasites and physical growth in suburban children. Rural children seem to be protected against the effects of parasitic infection. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 26:73–79, 2014.

Diferencias en las prevalencias de desnutrición al usarse referencias nacionales e internacionales

OBJETIVO: Evaluar si el empleo de dos referencias distintas (internacional y nacional) ocasiona diferencias en las prevalencias de emaciacion y retraso del crecimiento en una muestra de ninos de 8 a 14 anos. METODOS: Se realizo un estudio transversal en una muestra de 1 470 escolares de ambos sexos de la ciudad de La Plata (Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina). A partir de los datos de peso y talla se calcularon las puntuaciones Z respecto a los valores de referencia de la primera y la segunda encuesta estadounidense de salud y nutricion (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, NHANES I y II), y de la Sociedad Argentina de Pediatria. Las prevalencias de emaciacion y retraso del crecimiento se calcularon tomando un punto de corte de dos desviaciones estandar (DE) por debajo de la mediana de referencia. Se compararon las prevalencias mediante la prueba de ji al cuadrado con correccion de Yates y se calcularon la razon de posibilidades (odds ratio, RP) y los intervalos de confianza del 95% (IC95%). RESULTADOS: La referencia internacional se asocio positivamente a una mayor prevalencia de retraso del crecimiento, tanto en la muestra total (RP = 5,12; IC95%: 3,27 a 8,05) como en varones (RP = 4,36; IC95%: 2,43 a 7,93) y en mujeres (RP = 6,32; IC95%: 3,10 a 13,27). La prevalencia de emaciacion fue similar con ambas referencias. La distribucion de la talla para la edad presento un sesgo a la izquierda respecto de la referencia internacional y a la derecha respecto de la nacional, mientras que la del peso para la talla se superpuso a ambas referencias. CONCLUSIONES: Las diferencias en las prevalencias de retraso del crecimiento calculadas segun las dos referencias utilizadas reflejan cuadros disimiles del estado nutricional de la poblacion evaluada. El incremento de la talla de los ninos respecto a la referencia nacional apunta a la presencia de una tendencia secular positiva y puede explicar parte de las diferencias en la prevalencia de retraso del crecimiento.

Weight and height percentiles calculated by the LMS method in Argentinean schoolchildren. A comparative references study

Abstract Background: The Argentinean population is characterized by ethnic, cultural and socio-economic diversity. Aim: To calculate the percentiles of weight-for-age (W/A) and height-for-age (H/A) of schoolchildren from Argentina employing the LMS method; and to compare the obtained percentiles with those of the international and national references. Subjects and methods: Anthropometric data of 18 698 students (8672 girls and 10 026 boys) of 3–13 years old were collected (2003–2008) from Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chubut, Jujuy, La Pampa and Mendoza. Percentiles of W/A and H/A were obtained with the LMS method. Statistical and graphical comparisons were established with the WHO (international reference) and with that published by the Argentinean Paediatric Society (national reference). Results: Differences in W/A and H/A, regarding the references, were negative and greater at the highest percentiles and in most of the age groups. On average, the differences were greater for boys than girls and for national than international references. Conclusion: The distribution of weight and height of schoolchildren, coming from most regions of the country, differs from those of national and international references. It should be advisable to establish a new national reference based on internationally recognized methodological criteria that adequately reflect the biological and cultural diversity of the Argentinean populations.