Publications (5)4.98 Total impact
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Article: Cord blood essential fatty acid and alpha-tocopherol in full-term newborns in a Northeast Brazil area.
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ABSTRACT: Malnutrition of children during the first two years of life constitutes a public health concern in Brazil, particularly in the Northeast. Most of the nutrition data are concerned with protein-energy malnutrition and hypovitaminosis A. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess the essential fatty acid (EFA) status, which is crucial in physical and mental development, and that of vitamin E which prevents against the oxidative loss of EFA physiological properties, in 81 full-term newborns. Blood samples were obtained from the residual blood of the umbilical cord (UC) at delivery. Fatty acid composition of UC plasma did not show any sign of EFA deficiency. The levels of docosahexanoic (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) appeared to be quite similar to those obtained in European populations. UC plasma vitamin E content was 6.31 +/- 1.99 mumol/L whereas the lipid-normalized vitamin E was 2.36 mumol/mmol of lipids. An interesting point was that newborns with vitamin E inferior to the median value (5.80 mumol/L) revealed significantly lower contents of linoleic acid and DHA in UC than newborns superior to the median value. Together with the absolute or normalized plasma level of vitamin E, this supports the observation that one quarter of the community's newborns is deficient in vitamin E.International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research 06/2002; 72(3):155-60. · 0.88 Impact Factor -
Article: Percutaneous subclavian central venous catheterization in children and adolescents: success, complications and related factors.
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ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to investigate the rates of success and of complications of percutaneous subclavian central venous catheterization in children and adolescents and to identify factors associated with them. This was a study of a series of 204 percutaneous subclavian central venous catheterizations of children and adolescents, using polyvinyl chloride catheters (Intracath(R)), at the Instituto Materno-Infantil Professor Fernando Figueira between December 1, 2003 and April 30, 2004. An analysis was performed of variables related to the patient, such as age, and of variables related to the procedure, such as success/failure, type of anesthesia, complications, who performed the procedure and the number of attempts needed. Overall, 89.2% of catheterizations were successful. Percentage success rates were significantly greater when percutaneous subclavian central venous catheterization was performed with the child sedated (94%). Around 43.2% of subclavian catheterizations progressed with complications related to insertion of the catheter; however, complications of greater severity were observed in just 3.5% of cases. There were a greater number of complications related to percutaneous subclavian central venous catheterizations performed by a first-year resident (58.8%), who performed a significantly greater percentage of procedures on children younger than 1 year and who also made a greater number of attempts per patient. The chance of success was greater when patients were sedated for catheterization. There was a greater chance of complications related to insertion of the catheter when percutaneous subclavian central venous catheterization was performed by less experienced physicians, and it would be prudent to designate those central venous catheterizations that present greater risk to surgeons with greater experience.Jornal de Pediatria 83(1):64-70. · 1.01 Impact Factor -
Article: [Does birth weight affect nutritional status at the end of first year of life?].
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ABSTRACT: To evaluate the association between low birth weight and nutritional status at the end of the first year of life. This was a nested case-control study within a cohort. The study was carried out at maternity hospitals in four cities in the Zona da Mata Meridional in Pernambuco state, Brazil. Newborn infants were recruited during the first 24 hours of life. Their weights were measured at birth and at the end of the first year of life. Household visits were made twice weekly during the first year of life to collect data on breastfeeding and occurrence of diarrhea. In the case-control study, each case (child at nutritional risk) was a child with weight-for-age index < the 10th percentile (n = 117) and each control was a child with weight-for-age index > or = the 10th percentile (n = 411). Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to investigate risk factors for nutritional status at 12 months. Low birth weight and living in a household with no latrine were significantly associated with nutritional risk at the end of the first year of life. Children born weighing 1,500 g to 2,499 g had 29 times (95% CI = 9.77-87.49) the chance of being at nutritional risk at 12 months of life than those whose birth weights had been > 3,500 g (p < 0.001). Children living in households without a flush toilet had three times (95% CI = 1.54-6.22) the chance of nutritional risk at 12 months of life in relation to those that had a latrine with a septic tank at home (p = 0.01). Low birth weight is an important risk factor of nutritional risk at the end of the first year of life. It is important to adopt strategies for its reduction and prevention.Jornal de Pediatria 81(5):377-82. · 1.01 Impact Factor -
Article: Impact of weekly treatment with ferrous sulfate on hemoglobin level, morbidity and nutritional status of anemic infants.
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ABSTRACT: To evaluate the impact of weekly treatment with ferrous sulfate on hemoglobin level, morbidity and nutritional status in a sample of anemic infants from Zona da Mata Meridional in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. A controlled, community-based intervention was carried out with 378 infants who were followed-up for 18 months. Hemoglobin level was measured at 12 months in a total of 245 children randomly selected. Participating infants were divided into three groups: two received 45 mg of elemental iron weekly, from 12 to 18 months of life (69 children with moderate/severe anemia, and 111 with mild anemia); the third group was composed of 65 non-anemic children, who received no intervention. The remaining 133 children constituted the control group, for comparisons on nutritional status and morbidity. The prevalence of anemia was 73.5% at 12 months of life. After 6 months of treatment, 42.3% of anemic children reached hemoglobin levels >or= 11.0 g/dL. The mean increase was 1.6 g/dL, being higher (2.5 g/dL) in the group with lower levels of hemoglobin at baseline. Children without anemia at baseline received no treatment, and 40.3% of them became anemic at the end of follow-up, with a mean decrease of 0.5 g/dL in hemoglobin levels. A significantly greater weight gain was observed in the two treated groups, while no significant improvements were seen in linear growth and duration of diarrhea. The fact that less than half the children receiving ferrous sulfate recovered from anemia at the end of follow-up, along with the development of anemia in many untreated, previously non-anemic infants, suggests the need for effective control strategies.Jornal de Pediatria 82(6):452-7. · 1.01 Impact Factor -
Article: Influence of breastfeeding type and maternal anemia on hemoglobin concentration in 6-month-old infants.
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ABSTRACT: To verify the influence of breastfeeding type and of maternal anemia on hemoglobin concentration in 6-month-old infants. This was a cross-sectional study nested in a community-based, randomized and controlled intervention study that aimed to prolong the duration of exclusive breastfeeding during the first 6 months of life. This study was conducted in four towns in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco and newborn infants were recruited from March to August of 2001. The hemoglobin concentrations of 330 mothers and infants were assayed and type of breastfeeding was assessed 6 months after delivery. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to identify factors that independently contributed to the infants' hemoglobin concentration. The type of feeding had no influence on the hemoglobin concentration in the sample as a whole, however, there was a significant difference when the "exclusive + predominant breastfeeding" subset of infants was analyzed, with the children of anemic mothers exhibiting a reduction of 0.7g/dL in median hemoglobin. Mothers' hemoglobin level, type of flooring at home, type of delivery, and birthweight all significantly contributed to the variation in the infants' hemoglobin concentration. In contrast with type of breastfeeding, maternal anemia did have an influence on the hemoglobin levels of 6-month-old infants, even when only children on "exclusive + predominant breastfeeding" were analyzed. These findings highlight the need to prevent maternal anemia before conception, during pregnancy and throughout lactation.Jornal de pediatria 86(1):65-72. · 1.07 Impact Factor
