Pilar Montero

Characteristics of menstrual cycles in Moroccan girls: prevalence of dysfunctions and associated behaviours.

Population studies on normal and dysfunctional characteristics of menstrual cycles are scarce for western populations and practically non-existent for non-western ones. Recent data suggest that the type of menstrual cycle can be relevant for later gynaecological problems in several ways. The type of menstrual cycle is related to menarcheal age in a way that those with early maturation show more menstrual disorders which are the largest diagnosis category accounting for hysterectomies in adult women. On the other hand menstrual pain is often cited as the main single cause of school absenteeism among adolescent girls. The aim of this study is to describe characteristics of menstrual cycles, prevalence of main dysfunctions and their relationship to the age of maturity. The sample comprises 495 adolescent girls from Marrakech (Morocco) aged 12-19 years. At 13 years, 40% of these girls had reached menarche. The median age at menarche is 13.04. The prevalences of abdominal pain, premenstrual symptoms and irregularity are 69.60, 51.20 and 23.03 respectively. Abdominal pain is significantly more frequent in girls with early menarche.

Nutritional assessment and diet quality of visually impaired Spanish children

Background: The visually impaired represents a fairly numerous group in Spain although no data on their nutritional status has previously been published. Aim: This work aims to assess the nutritional state of a sample of visually impaired children and the quality of their diet. Subjects and methods: The sample comprised 229 boys and girls aged between 8 and 18 years (mean = 14, SD = 2.6), all of whom had a visual discapacity and were students of the Centros de Recursos Educativos (CREs; Educational Resources Centres) of the Organización Nacional de Ciegos de España (ONCE; Spanish National Organization for the Blind). Results: This sample featured a high prevalence of overweight (25.8%) and obesity (11.8%) according to the international standard. The mean daily energy consumption and the quantity of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and fibre were greater in boys (2604 kcal day−1; 290 g of carbohydrates, 126 g of fats and 90 g of proteins) than in girls (2159 kcal day−1, 232 g of carbohydrates, 107 g of fats and 80 g of proteins). No differences in diet intake according to degree of visual impairment were found. Their diet was unbalanced in comparison with the nutritional objectives for the Spanish population, since consumption of carbohydrates was low and that of fats was very high. The results relating to the quality of the diet reveal quite large deviations from the Mediterranean model. Only 11.9% of the whole sample had a value corresponding to a good quality diet. Conclusion: The pattern of dietary consumption was the same as that observed in non visually impaired children in Spain in quantity and quality, nevertheless the prevalence of overweight and obesity is higher than in children without visual handicaps.

Functional decline over 2 years in older Spanish adults: Evidence from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe

To evaluate the social, educational, health and behavioral predictors of physical functional decline in older Spanish adults.

Social inequality in dynamic balance performance in an early old age Spanish population: The role of health and lifestyle associated factors

This study investigates the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and dynamic balance performance and whether lifestyle factors explained any possible associations. A total of 448 nondisabled individuals, age-range 54-75 years and enrolled in the Active Aging Longitudinal Study of Spain in 2006, constituted the study population. Baseline data of this cross-sectional study were obtained by personal interviews and objective measures of balance performance. The present study shows an educational gradient in poor dynamic balance, where individuals with no formal education had higher risk of poor balance, also after adjustment for age, gender, obesity and physical activity. In addition, obesity and sedentary physical activity were related to poor dynamic balance. The findings suggest an independent effect of both SES and behavioral factors on poor balance performance in the older Spanish population.

Maternal plasma antioxidant status in the first trimester of pregnancy and development of obstetric complications.

INTRODUCTION Oxidative stress is present in pregnancy complications. However, it is unknown if early maternal antioxidant status could influence later development of complications. The use of assisted reproduction techniques (ART) is rising due to the delay of first pregnancy and there is scarce information on its influence on oxidative balance. OBJECTIVE To assess the possible relationship between maternal plasma antioxidant status in first trimester of gestation with later development of pregnancy complications, evaluating the influence of ART and nutrition. METHODS Plasma from 98 healthy pregnant women was obtained at week 10, nutrition questionnaires filled and women were followed until delivery. We evaluated biomarkers of oxidative damage (carbonyls, malondialdehyde-MDA), antioxidants (thiols, reduced glutathione, phenolic compounds, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities) by spectrophotometry/fluorimetry and melatonin (ELISA). Antioxidant status score (Antiox-S) was calculated as the computation of antioxidants. Diet-antioxidants relationship was evaluated through multiple correspondence analysis. RESULTS Melatonin and carbonyls exhibited a negative correlation. No difference in oxidative damage was found between groups, but Antiox-S was significantly lower in women who developed complications. No differences in oxidative damage or Antiox-S were found between ART and no-ART pregnancies. High consumption of foods of vegetable origin cluster with high plasma levels of phenolic compounds and with high Antiox-S. CONCLUSIONS In early normal gestation, low plasma antioxidant status, assessed through a global score, associates with later development of pregnancy complications. Larger population studies could help to determine the value of Antiox-S as predictive tool and the relevance of nutrition on maternal antioxidant status.

Corrigendum to “Maternal plasma antioxidant status in the first trimester of pregnancy and development of obstetric complications” [YPLAC (47C) (2016) 37–45]

Corrigendum to “Maternal plasma antioxidant status in the first trimester of pregnancy and development of obstetric complications” [YPLAC (47C) (2016) 37e45] David Ramiro-Cortijo , Teresa Herrera , Pilar Rodríguez-Rodríguez , Angel L. L opez de Pablo , María De La Calle , María R. L opez-Gim enez , Ana I. Mora-Urda , Perla Y. Guti errez-Arzapalo , Rub en G omez-Rioja , Yolanda Aguilera , María A. Martín-Cabrejas , Luis Condezo-Hoyos , M. Carmen Gonz alez , Pilar Montero , Bernardo Moreno-Jim enez , Silvia M. Arribas a, *

Functional decline over 2 years in older Spanish adults: Evidence from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe: Functional decline in older Spanish adults

To evaluate the social, educational, health and behavioral predictors of physical functional decline in older Spanish adults.

Functional decline over two years in older Spanish adults: Evidence from SHARE

To evaluate the social, educational, health and behavioral predictors of physical functional decline in older Spanish adults.

Functional decline over 2 years in older Spanish adults

To evaluate the social, educational, health and behavioral predictors of physical functional decline in older Spanish adults.