Laura Beatriz López

Iron, zinc, and copper nutritional status in children infected with Helicobacter pylori.

Objective: Helicobacter pylori colonizes the gastric mucosa of about half of the worlds population and it has been related to extragastrointestinal diseases. The present study sought to evaluate the association between H pylori infection and iron, zinc, and copper nutritional status in symptomatic children. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 395 children (4–16 years) with upper gastrointestinal symptoms, who were tested for H pylori infection by the 13C-urea breath test. Iron status was determined by hemoglobin, serum ferritin, and serum transferrin receptors. Copper and zinc serum concentrations were also evaluated. Epidemiological data, dietary assessment, and anthropometric indicators were analyzed as potential confounding factors. Results: Prevalence of H pylori infection was 24.3%. Anemia and iron deficiency (ID) were found in 12.0% and 14.3% of the H pylori–positive and 8.9% and 11.0% of the H pylori–negative children, respectively. There was no association between H pylori infection and anemia (odds ratio = 1.54 [95% confidence interval [CI] 0.73%–3.24%]) or ID (odds ratio = 1.35 [95% CI 0.67–2.70]). Crude β coefficients showed that H pylori has no significant effect on hemoglobin, serum ferritin, serum transferrin receptors, copper, and zinc concentrations. However, adjusted results suggested that H pylori–infected children had an increase of 9.74 μg/dL (95% CI 2.12–17.37 μg/dL) in copper concentrations. Conclusions: This study revealed that H pylori infection was not associated with iron deficiency, anemia, or zinc concentrations; however, a positive relation with copper status was found after adjusting for confounding factors. The contribution of H pylori infection to higher copper concentrations needs to be confirmed by additional studies.

Decreasing Trend of Helicobacter pylori Infection in Children with Gastrointestinal Symptoms from Buenos Aires, Argentina

Background:  Helicobacter pylori infection is declining in developed and developing countries. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate over an 8‐year period the rate of H. pylori infection in children with gastrointestinal symptoms from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Changes in skinfolds and mid-upper arm circumference during pregnancy in Argentine women

This investigation describes the pattern of changes in mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), triceps, biceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses during the course of pregnancy, and its relationship with maternal and newborn outcomes. A prospective cohort of 1066 pregnant women were selected in seven different urban regions in Argentina. Measurements of MUAC were carried out at 16, 28 and 36 gestational weeks. In a subsample of 488 women, triceps, biceps and subscapular skinfold thicknesses were measured. Mean total increase in subscapular, tricipital and bicipital skinfolds from 16 to 36 weeks of gestation were 4.5, 3.6 and 2.6 mm, respectively. MUAC showed a mean increase of 1.7 cm in the same period. Overweight or obese women at the start of pregnancy had lower increases in all measurements compared with women with normal or low body mass index. Maternal anthropometry was related to birthweight; women who gave birth to infants of less than 3000 g had lower average values in all measurements than those who had normal birthweight infants. LMS curves for MUAC and skinfolds by gestational age are presented, which can be used as a reference to assess maternal nutrition status during pregnancy. MUAC, tricipital and subscapular skinfold for gestational age curves are proposed for monitoring maternal nutritional status during pregnancy. MUAC cut-off points of 24.5, 25.5 and 26.5 cm for 16, 28 and 36 weeks of gestation, respectively, are also proposed as a proxy to detect low birthweight.

Reference charts for weight gain and body mass index during pregnancy obtained from a healthy cohort

Objective. To create reference charts for weight gain and body mass index (BMI) in pregnancy derived from longitudinal data obtained in a representative sample of the Argentinean population. Methods. A prospective cohort of 1439 healthy pregnant women was selected from antenatal clinics in seven different urban regions in Argentina. Serial anthropometric measurements were made at weeks 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36 and in the last pre-natal control. Centile curves of body weight and BMI by gestational age were developed using the LMS method. Results. Mean weight gain at 38 weeks of gestation was 11.9 ± 4.4 kg. There were no differences in total weight gain between women who enter pregnancy with low, normal or overweight; only those women with a pre-pregnancy BMI in the range of obesity showed a significantly lower weight gain (10.2 ± 4.8 kg). At 12 weeks of pregnancy, BMI values of the 10th, 50th and 90th centiles were 19.3, 22.8 and 29.0, and at 38 weeks these values were 23.3, 27.4 and 33.8, respectively. Conclusion. This BMI for gestational age chart, based on women who delivered normal birth weight infants and processed with modern statistical methods, represents an improvement in pre-natal care monitoring.

DIALIZABILIDAD DE HIERRO Y ZINC EN CEREALES PARA DESAYUNOS COMERCIALES FORTIFICADOS CON HIERRO ELEMENTAL, SULFATO FERROSO O EDTA FERRICO SODICO

Se comparo la dializabilidad de Fe y Zn en 7 cereales para desayuno comercialmente fortificados o no, con Fe elemental y ZnO y se comparo la dializabilidad de Fe y Zn en tres tipos diferentes de cereales experimentalmente fortificados con ZnO y FeNa2EDTA o FeSO4 en el laboratorio. Se utilizo una metodologia in vitro que mide el porcentaje de dializabilidad (D%) del mineral en condiciones controladas de pH. Los cereales comercialmente fortificados presentaron valores de DFe% entre 0,4 y 15,0 y entre 1,0 y 5,6; sin y con leche. Para DZn% los valores fueron entre 3,3 y 16,1 y entre 3,3 y 30,8, sin y con leche. Casi todos los cereales fortificados en el laboratorio presentaron mayor DFe% (entre 19,5 y 28,6) y DZn% (entre 12,4 y 29,2) cuando fueron fortificados con FeNa2EDTA (con y sin leche). Los resultados obtenidos muestran al FeNa2EDTA como una alternativa viable para la fortificacion de cereales para desayuno.

Polipica durante el embarazo: geofagia asociada al consumo de tiza y pagofagia a la ingesta de jabón

Resumen es: La polipica es un trastorno que se manifiesta por el consumo persistente de dos o mas sustancias no nutritivas. Se describen dos casos de puerperas que ...

Comparación de SDS-PAGE y métodos inmunoquímicos para la detección de proteínas de soja en productos cárnicos crudos y cocidos

The aim of this study was to evaluate the detection of soy proteins in raw and cooked meat products using SDS-PAGE and immunochemical methods. Ten raw model systems of bovine meat added with soy protein isolates, eight cooked model systems of boneless ham added with soy protein isolates and eight commercial meat products were analized. Model systems and commercial samples were analyzed by SDS-PAGE, Dot Blot, Immunoblotting and ELISA (Soy allergen kit from Neogen). Dot blot and Immunoblotting resulted to be the most sensitive analytical methods for the detection of soy proteins. The concentrations of the soy protein isolate obtained with the ELISA kit were much lower than real values. Soy proteins that were not declared in the label of several samples were detected using different methods. The heat treatment applied to the cooked meat products would affect the solubility of soy proteins and their ability to react with the antibodies of the ELISA kit used.

Reference Charts for Anthropometric Changes During Pregnancy

Maternal nutritional status should be viewed as the result of a very long process beginning in the mother’s own intrauterine life, and constitutes a critical determinant of pregnancy outcomes for both the mother and her infant.

DETERMINACIÓN DEL CONTENIDO DE GLIADINAS EN ALIMENTOS ELABORADOS CON AMARANTO, QUÍNOA Y/O CHÍA

Resumen es: Amaranto, quinoa y chia, por ser naturalmente libres de gluten, pueden ser incorporados en la dieta celiaca. Con el objeto de evaluar una posible contami...

NIVELES DE ZINC EN PLASMA Y GLOBULO ROJO EN ESTUDIANTES UNIVERSITARIAS

Introduccion: en Argentina es muy escasa la informacion bioquimica respecto al estado nutritional con respecto al zinc (Zn) en mujeres en edad fertil. Segun la Encuesta Nacional de Nutricion y Salud el 33,5% de las mujeres de 10 a 49 anos presentan una ingesta inadecuada. Objetivos: La finalidad de este trabajo exploratorio fue estudiar el comportamiento de tres indicadores bioquimicos: Zn en plasma (ZnP), Zn en eritrocito (ZnE) y la relacion Zn/Hb en un grupo de estudiantes universitarias. Metodos: La muestra estuvo constituida por 48 estudiantes universitarias clinicamente sanas, que aceptaron ser incluidas en el estudio. Se les realizo una evaluacion antropometrica mediante la determinacion del IMC. Se les extrajo sangre venosa en ayunas, determinando ZnP y ZnE por espectofotometria de absorcion atomica. Resultados: El grupo estudiado presento una edad promedio de 22.3 ±3.3 anos y las siguientes caracteristicas antropometricas (Media ± DE): peso (kg): 56.0 ± 6.8; talla (m): 1.62 ± 0,05; IMC (kg/m2):21.3 ± 2.2. Las estadisticas descriptivas: media ± DE, (IC 95%) y [rango ] de los indicadores bioquimicos fueron: ZnP(j?g/dL): 95 ± 20, (89 - 100), [60 - 175]; ZnE(^g/mL): 13.2 ± 2.6, (12.5 - 13.9), [7.6 - 18.5] ; Zn/Hb: 39.8 ± 7.2, (37.7-41.9), [24.4-54]. Conclusiones: El comportamiento de los indicadores presento una distribucion normal y el 6.3% de las estudiantes con valores de ZnP inferiores a 70 f 70^g/L, lo cual indicaria un estado nutritional satisfactorio para este oligoelemento.