Julicristie Machado de Oliveira

The Influence of Vitamin A Supplementation on Iron Status

Vitamin A (VA) and iron deficiencies are important nutritional problems, affecting particularly preschool children, as well as pregnant and lactating women. A PubMed (National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA) literature review was carried out to search for clinical trials published from 1992 to 2013 that assessed the influence of vitamin A supplementation on iron status. Simultaneous use of iron and vitamin A supplements seemed to be more effective to prevent iron deficiency anemia than the use of these micronutrients alone. Some studies did not include a placebo group and only a few of them assessed vitamin A status of the individuals at baseline. Moreover, the studies did not consider any inflammatory marker and a reasonable number of iron parameters. Another important limitation was the lack of assessment of hemoglobin variants, especially in regions with a high prevalence of anemia. Assessment of hemoglobin variants, inflammatory markers and anemia of chronic inflammation would be important to the studies investigated. Studies involving different populations are necessary to elucidate the interaction between the two micronutrients, especially regarding iron absorption and modulation of erythropoiesis.

Effects of fish oil on lipid profile and other metabolic outcomes in HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy: a randomized placebo-controlled trial

Summary Although antiretroviral therapy has revolutionized the care of HIV-infected patients, it has been associated with metabolic abnormalities. Hence, this study was planned to investigate the effects of fish oil on lipid profile, insulin resistance, and body fat distribution in HIV-infected Brazilian patients on antiretroviral therapy, considering that marine omega-3 fatty acids seem to improve features of the metabolic syndrome. We conducted a randomized, parallel, placebo-controlled trial that assessed the effects of 3 g fish oil/day (540 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid plus 360 mg of docosahexaenoic acid) or 3 g soy oil/day (placebo) on 83 HIV-infected Brazilian men and non-pregnant women on antiretroviral therapy. No statistically significant relationships between fish oil supplementation and longitudinal changes in triglyceride (p = 0.335), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.078), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.383), total cholesterol (p = 0.072), apolipoprotein B (p = 0.522), apolipoprotein A1 (p = 0.420), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol/apolipoprotein B ratio (p = 0.107), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance index (p = 0.387), body mass index (p = 0.068), waist circumference (p = 0.128), and waist/hip ratio (p = 0.359) were observed. A low dose of fish oil did not alter lipid profile, insulin resistance, and body fat distribution in HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy.

Meaning Negotiation for Consensus Formation in Ontology Integration

In project teams, having an unique vocabulary and a common understanding about terms is essential to the success of the project. This issue especially disturbs a design project, which has a multidisciplinary team and must consist of people with specific and different knowledge, from diverse domains, to execute special activities. Negotiation arises from this context as a process for the construction of consensus. The goal of this work is to present a model of negotiation to obtain the consensus of meanings, based on models of business negotiation, and consequently, deal with conflicts and the multiplicity of understandings of a concept, making this negotiation a way for creating value for all agents involved

Aconselhamento nutricional de criancas menores de dois anos de idade: potencialidades e obstaculos como desafios estrategicos

This article sought to conduct a critical analysis of the state of the art of the scientific production in counseling practices in nutrition for infants under two years of age, discussing the opportunities and obstacles in terms of strategic challenges for implementing healthy nutrition practices. It is a bibliographic study, with the core interest being counseling on infant nutrition. The majority (58.1 %) of the articles analyzed was published between 2008 and 2011. The educative actions of counseling on infant feeding were directed at health professionals and caregivers to children under two years of age. As opportunities in the practice of nutritional counseling the following stand out: an improvement in the performance of health professionals, the adoption of healthy eating practices by caregivers, and an improvement in the nutritional status of the children. As obstacles, the following stand out: a lack of training of caregivers and professionals regarding complementary healthy feeding and difficulties regarding the practice of counseling by a health care professional. This evidence reaffirms the importance of incorporating counseling guidance on infant feeding, as permanent practices in policies for child health care.

Customer Relationship Management in Universities and Research Centres

Customer relationship management -CRM -is a broad term that can cover every mode of customer interaction. This concept has been widely used in business language, enabling companies to gain more knowledge about their customers which, in its turn, can be used to improve marketing and sales targeting, improving their results. University and research institutions (URIs), as any other organizations, also need to cater to the needs of their clients, which may be: society in general, their students, researchers and collaborators; other institutions -of a research or commercial nature with which they interact (supplying data, results from research work, consultancy work, and the execution of partnerships) -or governments that make use of their teaching practices and results from their research work. So, this work is a CRM proposal for URIs, studying the differences between the academic/scientific and business world and proposing an environment to manage all kinds of relationships in the academic and scientific scenario.

Abdominal perimeter is associated with food intake, sociodemographic and behavioral factors among adults in southern Brazil: a population-based study

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to investigate the abdominal perimeter determinants in adults who live in the city of Lages, SC. DESIGN A population-based cross-sectional study in adults from 20 to 59 years-old of the urban area (n=2.022). The dependent variable is the abdominal perimeter, the independent variables are: age, skin color self-reported, marital status, number of children, per capita income, education, physical activity, smoking, nutrition, self-reported diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, body weight index. The differences between the mean perimeters were tested using ANOVA test and multiple linear regression for confounding adjustment. RESULTS The response rate was 98.2%, 52.3% were women. The mean abdominal perimeter for men was 93.66 cm (SD 13.8) and for women 92.80 cm (SD 14.5). There was a positive association of abdominal circumference with age (p.

Microbiological Quality of Organic and Conventional Leafy Vegetables

The aim of this study was to assess the microbiological profile of leafy vegetables from organic and conventional farming ( ). The microbiological parameters analyzed consisted of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeasts and molds, coliforms at 30 and 45°C, and Salmonella ssp. A biochemical identification of the Enterobacteriaceae species was carried out. Some Enterobacteriaceae species were identified in the produce from both farming systems and Hafnia alvei was the most widespread specie observed. Salmonella spp. was not detected in the samples analyzed. The microbial counts for indicator microorganisms were, in general, higher for conventional leaves when compared to those produced by organic farming.