Early feeding practices and eating behaviour in preschool children: The CORALS cohort.

This study aimed to investigate if the duration of breastfeeding and the method at initiation of complementary feeding affect eating behaviour in children aged 3-6 years. This is a cross-sectional analysis from the Childhood Obesity Risk Assessment Longitudinal Study project, an ongoing longitudinal cohort study that aims to identify childhood obesity risk factors in Spanish children. A total of 1215 children aged 3-6 years were included. Breastfeeding duration and the method of initiation of complementary feeding [baby-led weaning (BLW), traditional/spoon or mixed method] were evaluated. Eating behaviour at 3-6 years was assessed with the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. Generalized linear models were fitted to assess the association between the aforementioned exposures and eating behaviour. Children breastfed for ≥4 months were less likely to be fussy eaters at 3-6 years compared to those breastfed for <1 month (OR: 0.86 95% CI: 0.76-0.98; p = 0.031). Compared to those children using the traditional/spoon-feeding method, those initiating complementary feeding through BLW or through a mixed approach were more likely to have higher scores on the enjoyment of food (EF) (OR, 95% CI: 1.33, 1.13-1.57; p = 0.001 and 1.17, 1.05-1.30; p = 0.002, respectively) and lower scores on food fussiness (FF) at 3-6 years (0.76, 0.62-0.91; p = 0.004 and 0.87, 0.78-0.98; p = 0.033, respectively). Breastfeeding for ≥4 months and initiation of complementary feeding with the BLW and a mixed approach were associated with greater EF and lower FF, which should endure practice.

Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Children.

Importance: High intake of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) has been associated with higher cardiometabolic risk in adults; however, the evidence in children is limited. Objective: To investigate the association between UPF consumption and cardiometabolic risk factors in the Childhood Obesity Risk Assessment Longitudinal Study (CORALS). Design, Setting, and Participants: This baseline cross-sectional analysis was conducted using the data of CORALS participants recruited between March 22, 2019, and June 30, 2022. Preschool children (aged 3-6 years) were recruited from schools and centers in 7 cities in Spain. Inclusion criteria included informed consent signed by parents or caregivers and having a completed a set of questionnaires about the child's prenatal history at home. Exclusion criteria included low command of Spanish or unstable residence. Exposure: Energy-adjusted UPF consumption (in grams per day) from food frequency questionnaires and based on the NOVA food classification system. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age- and sex-specific z scores of adiposity parameters (body mass index [BMI], fat mass index, waist-to-height ratio, and waist circumference) and cardiometabolic parameters (diastolic and systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance, high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides) were estimated using linear regression models. Results: Of 1509 enrolled CORALS participants, 1426 (mean [SD] age, 5.8 [1.1] years; 698 boys [49.0%]) were included in this study. Mothers of children with high UPF consumption were younger, had a higher BMI, were more likely to have overweight or obesity, and had lower education levels and employment rates. Compared with participants in the lowest tertile of energy-adjusted UPF consumption, those in the highest tertile showed higher z scores of BMI (ß coefficient, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.05-0.35), waist circumference (ß coefficient, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.05-0.35), fat mass index (ß coefficient, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.00-0.32), and fasting plasma glucose (ß coefficient, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.06-0.37) and lower z scores for HDL cholesterol (ß coefficient, -0.19; 95% CI, -0.36 to -0.02). One-SD increments in energy-adjusted UPF consumption were associated with higher z scores for BMI (ß coefficient, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.05-0.17), waist circumference (ß coefficient, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.02-0.15), fat mass index (ß coefficient, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.04-1.18), and fasting plasma glucose (ß coefficient, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.03-0.17) and lower HDL cholesterol (ß coefficient, -0.07; 95% CI, -0.15 to -0.00). Substituting 100 g of UPFs with 100 g of unprocessed or minimally processed foods was associated with lower z scores of BMI (ß coefficient, -0.03; 95% CI, -0.06 to -0.01), fat mass index (ß coefficient, -0.03; 95% CI, -0.06 to 0.00), and fasting plasma glucose (ß coefficient, -0.04; 95% CI, -0.07 to -0.01). Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that high UPF consumption in young children is associated with adiposity and other cardiometabolic risk factors, highlighting the need for public health initiatives to promote the replacement of UPFs with unprocessed or minimally processed foods.

Development of an Ecologically Valid Assessment for Social Cognition Based on Real Interaction: Preliminary Results.

Many social cognitive assessment measures that are appropriate for clinical use are currently available, but there is a general concern about their ecological validity. This study aimed to develop an applicable real interaction-based test to assess social cognition. A sample of 50 subjects (mean age 22 ± 5.8, 56% women) took the Social Interaction Test as well as two instruments for assessing social cognition: (1) the Movie for Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC) and (2) branch 4 from the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). The test showed no incidence on its application. The reliability of the 18-item final version of the test was a medium-high level (Cronbach's alpha = 0.701). To assess the internal structure of the test, a multidimensional scaling procedure was used. The common space of coordinates for the two-dimensional solution showed a normalized raw stress of 0.076 and Tucker's congruence coefficient of 0.965. The social interaction test showed stronger association with MASC (more realistic, video-based format) than with MSCEIT (less realistic, paper-based format). The Social Interaction Test is applicable and feasible to use it to assess social cognition in the general population.

The extracellular thioredoxin Etrx3 is required for macrophage infection in Rhodococcus equi.

Rhodococcus equi is an intracellular veterinary pathogen that is becoming resistant to current antibiotherapy. Genes involved in preserving redox homeostasis could be promising targets for the development of novel anti-infectives. Here, we studied the role of an extracellular thioredoxin (Etrx3/REQ_13520) in the resistance to phagocytosis. An etrx3-null mutant strain was unable to survive within macrophages, whereas the complementation with the etrx3 gene restored its intracellular survival rate. In addition, the deletion of etrx3 conferred to R. equi a high susceptibility to sodium hypochlorite. Our results suggest that Etrx3 is essential for the resistance of R. equi to specific oxidative agents.

Aconsejan dar mayor importancia a la educación nutricional durante el embarazo / Nutrition education for women of childbearing age

Objetivo: El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar las fuentes de información y el nivel de conocimiento que poseen, sobre alimentación en el embarazo, las mujeres en edad fértil, diferenciando entre mujeres con hijos o sin hijos y valorando la influencia que la edad y la profesión pueden producir. Método: estudio poblacional, descriptivo y transversal con 117 mujeres en edad fértil, entre los 18 y 50 años, residentes en el municipio de Leganés. Resultados: Sólo un 4.3 % de las encuestadas conocía qué alimento era mejor fuente de hierro durante el embarazo y un 25.6 % sabía que las espinacas constituyen una buena fuente de ácido fólico. Las mujeres con edades comprendidas entre 41-50 años poseen un mejor conocimiento de la composición de los alimentos (52.16 % ± 29,7), al igual que aquellas mujeres que desempeñan un trabajo que requiere de titulación universitaria (51,34 % ± 35,79). En cuanto a las pautas dietéticas a seguir durante esta etapa, el porcentaje de aciertos se encuentra alrededor del 50 %. Una vez más, las mujeres de entre 41 y 50 años y aquéllas que desempeñan un trabajo que requiere de titulación universitaria presentan mayores porcentajes de aciertos (50.90 % ± 20.79 y 57.1 % ±16.9 respectivamente). Las enfermedades riesgosas durante el embarazo, como la preeclampsia y la toxoplasmosis son poco conocidas, con un nivel de aciertos que no supera la mitad de la muestra (42.7 % y 45.3 %, respectivamente); por edades, el grupo de 41 a 50 años vuelve a ser el que posee el mayor porcentaje de aciertos, con 66.7 % ± 13.10 %...

[Pocket computers. Applications for personal digital assistants, PDAs]. / Ordenadores de bolsillo. Aplicativos informáticos para asistentes personales digitales.

In the sanitary environment there is a constant flow of all types of information; this fact obliges professionals to have at this disposition the tools which permit them to store, update, and have easy consultation access to this information. Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) form part of these technologies which can improve both access to and storage of this information. In this article, the authors review some general techniques these PDAs have, as well as data bases which can be useful to professional practices in nursing. The authors carried out a bibliographical search over the years 1999-2006 and an Internet search for sites which describe the uses of PDAs. The authors found 94 useful applications which include: planning and management of nursing practices; nursing techniques and procedures; filing clinical data or clinical histories; surgical nursing care, pediatric nursing and geriatric nursing; pharmacology calculating and administration of drugs and fluid therapy; reference values for diagnostic tests; medical guides and treatment (diagnostic and treatment) and for surgical nursing; medical dictionaries; medical specialties; miscellaneous. For each reference, the authors provide a description of the content, bibliographical sources, operating system, memory requirements, cost, website, and the possibility to download a test version or a demo. The authors conclude that PDAs make available a wide range of useful applications in the distinct phases where nurses perform their duties, offering many possibilities to the user.