Deficiencia de cinc en mujeres en edad reproductiva, La Habana, Cuba / Zinc deficiency in childbearing-aged women, Havana, Cuba

Introducción: La deficiencia de cinc se considera un problema de salud global. Existe escasa información sobre el estado nutricional del cinc en mujeres cubanas en edad reproductiva. Objetivo: Identificar deficiencia de cinc y cobre sérico en mujeres en edad reproductiva, según factores relacionados, como la anemia, inflamación, exceso de peso y adiposidad abdominal. Métodos: Se estudiaron 104 mujeres de 18 a 40 años de edad, de La Habana, aparentemente sanas. Se realizó un estudio transversal descriptivo. Se realizó la determinación de cinc, cobre, hemoglobina, ferritina, proteína C reactiva, alfa 1 glicoproteína, peso, talla y circunferencia mínima de la cintura, se calculó el índice de masa corporal. Se utilizaron puntos de corte internacionales para la evaluación. Resultados: La prevalencia de deficiencia de hierro, estimada por ferritina sérica, cinc y cobre sérico fueron 66,3 por ciento (67/102), 36,2 por ciento (34/94) y 19,1 por ciento (18/94), respectivamente. De las mujeres 23,5 por ciento (24/102) tenían anemia e inflamación 8,8 por ciento (9/102) y 13 por ciento (13/102) estimada por CRP y AGP. Predominaron mujeres con exceso de peso 52,9 por ciento (54/102) y adiposidad abdominal 61,8 por ciento (60/97). Conclusiones: El riesgo de deficiencia de cinc en la muestra es elevado, la prevalencia del Zn sérico disminuido supera el 20 por ciento. No existe criterio para evaluar el riesgo de deficiencia de cobre como problema de salud pública. Las deficiencias de cinc y cobre no parecen estar asociadas a la anemia, la inflamación y el estado nutricional general. Se requiere realizar pesquisas adicionales para identificar la magnitud de las deficiencias de cinc y cobre y sus posibles causas(AU)

Introduction: Zinc deficiency is considered a global health problem. There is scarce information on zinc's nutritional state in Cuban childbearing-aged women. Objective: Identify zinc and serum copper deficiency in childbearing-aged women, based on related factors, such as anemia, inflammation, excess weight and abdominal adiposity. Methods: 104 seemingly healthy women from Havana, aged 18 to 40 were studied. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted. The determination of zinc, copper, hemoglobin, ferritin, C-reactive protein, alpha 1 glycoprotein, weight, size and minimum waist circumference was made, and the body mass index was calculated. International breakpoints were used for evaluation. Results: The prevalence of iron deficiency, estimated by serum ferritin, zinc and serum copper was 66.3 percent (67/101), 36.2 percent (34/94) and 19.1 percent (18/94), respectively. Of women, 23.5 percent (24/102) had anemia, and 8.8 percent had inflammation (9/102) and 13 percent (13/100) estimated by CRP and AGP. Women with overweight 52.9 percent (54/102) and abdominal adiposity 61.8% (60/97) predominated. Conclusions: The risk of zinc deficiency in the sample is high, the prevalence of decreased serum Zn exceeds 20 percent. There is no criterion for assessing the risk of copper deficiency as a public health problem. Zinc and copper deficiencies do not appear to be associated with anemia, inflammation and overall nutritional status. Additional tests are required to identify the magnitude of zinc and copper deficiencies and their possible causes(AU)

Cellular Redox Imbalance and Neurochemical Effect in Cognitive-Deficient Old Rats.

The purpose of the present study is to access the linkage between dysregulation of glutamatergic neurotransmission, oxidative metabolism, and serine signaling in age-related cognitive decline. In this work, we evaluated the effect of natural aging in rats on the cognitive abilities for hippocampal-dependent tasks. Oxidative metabolism indicators are glutathione (GSH), malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, and cytosolic phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity. In addition, neurotransmitter amino acid (L-Glutamic acid, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), DL-Serine and DL-Aspartic acid) concentrations were studied in brain areas such as the frontal cortex (FC) and hippocampus (HPC). The spatial long-term memory revealed significant differences among experimental groups: the aged rats showed an increase in escape latency to the platform associated with a reduction of crossings and spent less time on the target quadrant than young rats. Glutathione levels decreased for analyzed brain areas linked with a significant increase in MDA concentrations and PLA2 activity in cognitive-deficient old rats. We found glutamate levels only increased in the HPC, whereas a reduced level of serine was found in both regions of interest in cognitive-deficient old rats. We demonstrated that age-related changes in redox metabolism contributed with alterations in synaptic signaling and cognitive impairment.