Validity of partial protocols to evaluate the prevalence of developmental defects of enamel in permanent dentition: a birth cohort study in Southern Brazil.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the validity of partial protocols (PP) to assess the prevalence of developmental defects of enamel (DDE) in permanent teeth and identify the strength of the association between DDE and some risk factors, using PP compared to the full-mouth (FM) exam. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in a population-based birth cohort of children born in 2004 in Pelotas, Southern Brazil. Socioeconomic, demographic, pre-, per-, and post-birth variables were collected. A subsample of 994 children was clinically examined for DDE in 2017, using the modified DDE index, using the "full- mouth" (FM) protocol. After FM had been performed, a dataset was created. Two different partial protocols (PP) were simulated from FM data: "only buccal surfaces (BS)" and "incisive and molars only (IM)." Sensitivity, absolute and relative bias, and inflation factors were calculated. RESULTS: For any DDE, FM had prevalence of 40.8%. The prevalence of DDE was 38.8% and 36.0%, for BS and IM protocols, respectively. When tested for any DDE, PP "BS" and "IM" showed high sensitivity. The underestimation of the true prevalence did not exceed 6.9% for PP "BS" and 16.1% for PP "IM." All protocols showed similar magnitude of association with the selected risk factors. CONCLUSION: Both PP "BS" and "IM" can be used to estimate the prevalence of DDE in epidemiological studies. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Oral health surveys now have the option of using PP to collect DDE prevalence and investigate their association with risk factors, being less time-consuming, expensive, and labor intensive.

Maternal depression in first 1000 days of life and early childhood caries prevalence at 48 months of age.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of maternal's depression trajectory in the first 1000 days of the child's life on the prevalence of early childhood dental caries (ECC), in a birth cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All infants born in Pelotas in 2015 were identified, and the mothers were invited to participate in the cohort. A total of 3645 children were included in the study. The outcome was ECC at 48 months of age assessed according to ICDAS. Maternal depression was collected using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) antenatally, at 3, 12, and 24 months of age. Maternal depressive symptom trajectory variables were created using group-based trajectory models and adopting two cutoff points. Poisson regression model with robust variance was used to identify the total effect of maternal depressive symptom trajectories on ECC, adjusting by confounders. RESULTS: A total of 29.2% of the mothers presented a high trajectory for screening of depression, and 18.8% presented a high trajectory of depression diagnosis. The prevalence of ECC was 26.7%. After adjusted analysis, maternal depression trajectories (screening and diagnosis) from pregnancy to 24 months increased the risk for ECC at 48 months of age (RR = 1.14; 95% CI 1.02-1.28 and RR = 1.19; 95% CI 1.05-1.35). CONCLUSIONS: Children from mothers with high depression trajectory had higher risk of having dental caries at 48 months compared to children from mothers with low depression trajectory. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Strategies of early detection and treatment of maternal mental disorders during the Golden Period should be considered of high priority in health services since it could impact positively in children's life.

Maternal depression is associated with injuries in children aged 2-4 years: the Pelotas 2004 Birth Cohort.

INTRODUCTION: Injuries during childhood, which mostly consist of falls, burns, drowning, poisonings and car crashes, are among the main causes of death among children and young adults in several countries. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between maternal depression and the incidence of injuries during childhood. METHODS: In 2004, children who were born in the municipality of Pelotas, Brazil, were enrolled in a population-based birth cohort, with evaluations at birth and at 3, 12, 24 and 48 months of age. Maternal depression during pregnancy was evaluated at the time of delivery. At 12 and 24 months post partum, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used. The injuries incidence rates at ages of 24-48 months and the crude and adjusted IRRs were calculated with 95% CI through Poisson's regression. RESULTS: A total of 3533 children were analysed. The incidence of injuries was higher among children whose mothers presented depressive symptoms during pregnancy and at 12 and 24 months compared with those whose mothers did not present any symptoms. In the adjusted analysis, the IRR among girls whose mothers presented depressive symptoms during pregnancy and EPDS ≥13 at 12 and 24 months was 1.31 (1.15-1.50); and, among boys, 1.18 (1.03-1.36). INTERPRETATION: Maternal depression is associated with higher incidence of injuries between 24 and 48 months of age, in both sexes.

Associations between body mass index, body composition and bone density in young adults: findings from a southern Brazilian cohort.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the association of body composition components and obesity with bone density. METHODS: Prospective study with data on 2968 members of the 1993 Pelotas Birth Cohort from follow-ups at 18 and 22 years of age. Areal bone mineral density (aBMD, g/cm2) was evaluated for whole body, lumbar spine, and femoral neck at 22 years using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Simple and multiple linear regression, stratified by sex, were used to assess the effect of BMI, fat mass (FMI) and lean mass index (LMI), evaluated at 18 and 22 years, and obesity trajectories classified by FMI and categorized as "never", "only at 18 years", "only at 22 years" or "always" on aBMD. RESULTS: Among men, the largest coefficients were observed for BMI, followed by lean mass and fat mass. Compared to fat mass, lean mass presented the largest coefficients for all sites, with the strongest associations observed for the femoral neck (ß: 0.035 g/cm2; 95% CI: 0.031; 0.039 for both follow-ups), while the largest effect for FMI was observed for whole-body aBMD at 18 years (ß: 0.019 g/cm2; 95% CI: 0.014; 0.024). Among women, the strongest associations were observed for LMI. The largest coefficients for LMI and FMI were observed for femoral neck at age 18, presented ß: 0.030 g/cm2, 95% CI: 0.026, 0.034 for LMI and ß: 0.012 g/cm2; 95% CI: 0.009; 0.015) for FMI. Men who were "always obese" according to FMI had smallest aBMD for spine (ß: -0.014; 95%CI: - 0.029; - 0.001). Women who were obese "only at 18 years" had smallest aBMD for the whole-body (ß: -0.013; 95%CI: - 0.023; - 0.002), whereas those who were obese "only at 22 years" had larger whole-body and femoral neck aBMD (ß: 0.013; 95%CI: 0.009; 0.017 and ß: 0.027; 95%CI: 0.016; 0.038, respectively) and those "always obese" for whole-body aBMD (ß: 0.005; 95%CI: 0.001; 0.011) compared to the reference category. CONCLUSIONS: The indexes were positively associated with aBMD in this sample. Fat mass had smaller positive influence on these outcomes than lean mass, suggesting the most important body composition component for bone density is the lean mass.

Impact of the age at menarche on body composition in adulthood: results from two birth cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that early menarche is positively associated with adiposity in adulthood. However, it is important to assess whether this association is due to early menarche or to the association of adiposity in late childhood with age at menarche. We evaluated the association between age at menarche and body composition in adolescence and adulthood, among subjects who have been prospectively followed in two Brazilian birth cohort studies. METHODS: In 1982 and 1993, the hospitals births in Pelotas were identified, and these subjects have been followed for several times. Information on age at menarche was obtained from the women (1982 cohort) and their mothers (1993 cohort). At 30 and 18 years, the following body composition measures were evaluated: body mass index, waist circumference, fat-free mass index and fat mass index measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and thickness of the abdominal visceral fat layer measured by ultrasound. The analyses were adjusted for: birth weight, maternal pregestational weight, gestational age, family income, household score index, maternal schooling, weight-for-height z-score at 4 years (1982), and body mass index at 11 years (1993). RESULTS: At 30 and 18 years, 2045 and 2092 women were evaluated, respectively. The prevalence of early menarche (≤11 years of age) was 24.7 % in the 1982 and 27.6 % in the 1993 cohort. In the 1982 cohort, early menarche was positively associated with all body composition variables compared to those with late menarche (≥14 years of age) even after adjusting for confounders (fat mass index: 2.33 kg/m2, 95 % Confidence interval: 1.64; 3.02). However, in the 1993 cohort, after adjusting for body mass index at 11 years, the regression coefficient for the association with fat mass index decreased from 2.2 kg/m2 (95 % Confidence interval: 1.7; 2.6) to 0.26 (95 % Confidence interval: -0.08; 0.60). CONCLUSIONS: The association between age at menarche and body composition in adulthood is strongly explained by pre-pubertal adiposity.

Factors associated with periodontal diseases in pregnancy: Findings of the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study.

Although periodontal disease is common during pregnancy, little is known about socioeconomic, behavioral, or biological determinants related to clinically assessed periodontal condition during this period. We assessed the prevalence of periodontal disease and associated factors in pregnant women. This population-based survey used data used from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study, Brazil. Pregnant women expected to give birth between December 2014 and May 2016 were interviewed and clinically examined by trained dentist, with periodontal measures collected in all teeth, six sites per tooth. Outcomes were periodontitis (using the 2012 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Periodontology criteria) and gingivitis (by the 2018 European Federation of Periodontology/ American Academy of Periodontology classification). Multivariate hierarchical Poisson regression was used to assess the associations between socioeconomic, systemic, and clinical oral factors and periodontal disease. A total of 2,474 pregnant women participated in the study. Prevalence of periodontitis and gingivitis was 14.63% and 21.67%, respectively. Lower educational level and calculus were associated with higher prevalence periodontitis and gingivitis (P<0.05). Smoking was also associated with periodontitis (P=0.05), and lower frequency of toothbrushing (P=0.005) with gingivitis. Periodontal disease, especially gingivitis, was prevalent in pregnant women and their determinants were socioeconomic, environmental, and clinical oral health factors.

Prevalence of and Factors Associated With High Blood Pressure at 15 Years of Age: A Birth Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Arterial hypertension is the greatest cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Our aim was to investigate the prevalence of and factors associated with high blood pressure (HBP) among adolescents. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Pelotas 2004 Birth Cohort included 4231 newborns from hospital births in Pelotas, Brazil. A digital automatic OMRON sphygmomanometer (model HEM 742) was used to measure blood pressure on 3 occasions (at 6, 11, and 15 years of age). Those with blood pressure ≥95th percentile for age, height, and sex on each of the 3 occasions were considered as presenting HBP. Independent variables included family (income and history of arterial hypertension), maternal (schooling, age, pregestational body mass index, and smoking during pregnancy), and adolescent characteristics at birth (sex, skin color, gestational age, intrauterine growth, and systolic and diastolic genetic factors), and at 15 years (sleep, physical activity, sodium intake, screen time, work, body mass index, fat mass index, fat-free mass index, growth pattern, and puberty status). The prevalence of HBP (95% CI) was calculated. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) stratified by sex were obtained by logistic regression. A total of 1417 adolescents with complete information on blood pressure on the 3 occasions were analyzed. The prevalence of HBP was 3.2% (95% CI, 1.9%-4.5%) in female adolescents and 4.3% (95% CI, 2.8%-5.8%) in male adolescents. Female adolescents with a family history of arterial hypertension had a 3 times higher chance of HBP than their counterparts (OR, 3.1 [95% CI, 1.26-7.54]). In male adolescents, excessive maternal pregestational weight was associated with a 2.3-fold increase in the chance of HBP. In both sexes, excessive adolescent weight was associated with HBP (ORs, 3.5 and 5.0, for female and male adolescents, respectively). A higher fat mass index and fat-free mass index in female (ORs, 1.4 and 1.2, respectively) and male adolescents (ORs, 2.5 and 3.0, respectively) increased the chance of HBP. Among male adolescents, the chance of HBP was higher among those with rapid weight gain between 48 months and 6 years and between 6 and 11 years and rapid height gain between 6 and 11 years. CONCLUSIONS: Higher fat mass in both sexes and rapid weight gain in male adolescents are risk factors for HBP in adolescents aged 15 years, potentially amenable to prevention.

Pre-, Peri-, and Postnatal Risk for the Development of Enamel Defects in Permanent Dentition: A Birth Cohort in Southern Brazil.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to find potential risk factors associated with the occurrence of developmental defects of enamel (DDE) in permanent dentition of a birth cohort in Southern Brazil. Methods: This study is a 2004 birth cohort carried out in the city of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. A subsample of 996 children was clinically examined at 12 to 13 years of age. The pre- and perinatal variables used for this study were: twin pregnancy; type of delivery; prematurity; birth weight; Apgar score in the first and fifth minute; health problems at birth; and intensive care unit admission at birth. Gender and family income variables were also collected. Some postnatal variables were collected: "hospitalization in the first 24 months"; "breastfeeding"; "respiratory diseases in the first 48 months"; "urinary infection in the first 48 months"; and "ear pain in the first 48 months." To assess an association between the presence of DDE and various risk factors, unadjusted and adjusted Poisson regression with robust variance was performed with a respective prevalence ratio. Results: The prevalence of DDE was 40.8 percent. The variables investigated did not present a statistical association with DDE. Conclusion: No association of developmental defects of enamel in permanent dentition with any of the factors investigated in this study was found.

Ultra-processed food consumption by children from a Pelotas Birth Cohort.

OBJECTIVE: Assessing the regular consumption of ultra-processed foods by children at 24 months of age from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort and the main demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors related to the consumption of these products. METHODS: Population-based cohort in the city of Pelotas, RS, where 4,275 children were assessed at birth and 95.4% of them were followed up until 24 months of age. Food consumption was assessed by a questionnaire on regular consumption of ultra-processed foods, which collected information regarding sex, household income, maternal skin color, schooling level, and age, the child attending day care and having siblings, breastfeeding status, and obesity. The outcome was the sum of ultra-processed foods regularly consumed by a child. A multivariate Poisson regression analysis was used to calculate the association between the regular consumption of ultra-processed foods and exposure variables. RESULTS: The mean number of ultra-processed foods consumed was 4.8 (SD = 2.3). The regular consumption of ultra-processed foods was positively associated with black skin color and having siblings, and negatively associated with household income and maternal schooling level and age. CONCLUSION: The mean regular consumption of ultra-processed foods by children from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort is high, which can negatively affect the children's diet. The risk of consuming this kind of food was higher among children from families of lower socioeconomic status, whose mothers present lower education level, black skin color, and younger age.

Wich factors influencing the number of teeth at 12 months of age: a birth cohort study.

This study aimed to verify, through a longitudinal follow-up, the pre-, peri- and postnatal factors associated with the eruption of deciduous teeth. The study was nested in a Birth Cohort Study conducted in Pelotas, a Southern Brazilian city. Mothers were followed prenatally and their children were followed-up perinatally, at 3 and 12 months of age. The outcome was the number of teeth at 12 months, and exploratory variables included maternal habits and characteristics, anthropometric measures of children and mothers, and socioeconomic and demographic information. Data were collected through interviews with the mother and children's clinical exam. Poisson regression models were used for the analysis. Participants included 4,014 children with a mean number of erupted teeth at 12 months of 5.50. After adjustments, a lower mean number of teeth was observed in children from non-white mothers, early preterm children, and shorter children at birth and at 12 months. A higher number of teeth was observed for mothers with excessive weight gain during pregnancy, mothers who smoked during pregnancy, weightier children at birth and at 12 months, and for children with larger heads at birth and at 12 months. Our findings suggest that maternal and children characteristics influenced primary tooth eruption.

Chronic non-communicable diseases and COVID-19: EPICOVID-19 Brazil results.

OBJECTIVE: Describing the prevalence of chronic diseases and associated socioeconomic and demographic factors, evaluating the patterns of social distancing and the antibodies prevalence against SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 symptoms in carriers and non-carriers of chronic diseases. METHODS: Data from 77,075 individuals aged 20 to 59 from three steps of the EPICOVID-19 Brazil (a nationwide serological survey conducted between May and June, 2021) were assessed. The presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 was examined by rapid tests. Self-reported prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, asthma, cancer, chronic kidney disease and heart disease were investigated. The prevalence of mask use, adherence to isolation measures and antibodies were evaluated separately amid carriers and non-carriers of chronic diseases. The prevalence of symptoms was analyzed among carriers and non-carriers of chronic diseases with antibodies. RESULTS: The prevalence of at least one chronic disease was 43%, higher in the Southeast region, among white and indigenous individuals, women, less schooled and in lower socioeconomic position. The use of masks when leaving home was similar among carriers and non-carriers of chronic diseases (98%). The proportion of participants who reported adherence to isolation measures was higher amid carriers (15.9%) than non-carriers (24.9%) of chronic diseases. The prevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 was similar amongst carriers and non-carriers (2.4% and 2.3%). The prevalence of cough, dyspnea, palpitations and myalgia was significantly higher among carriers, but the proportion of symptomatic patients was similar between groups. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of chronic diseases in Brazil is high and the COVID-19 pandemic affects carriers and non-carriers of chronic diseases similarly. Carriers present more severe forms of COVID-19 and higher prevalence of symptoms. Greater adherence to social distancing measures among chronic patients is disassociated from a lower incidence of COVID-19 in this group.

Analysis of early and late maternal complications associated with delivery using propensity score.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze early and late maternal complications associated with the mode of delivery in a birth cohort in Brazil, using the propensity score technique for analysis. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study, using data from the Pelotas Birth Cohort, RS, 2004. A total of 4,189 women were included and a descriptive analysis of the data and subsequent calculation of the propensity and pairing score of vaginal delivery women and cesarean delivery women with similar scores (1,366 pairs). We then assessed the difference in outcome risk between the groups. RESULTS: Women in the cesarean group had 2.9 percentage points (pp) more risk of postpartum infection, 1.13 p.p. more risk of urinary infection, 1.10 p.p. more risk of anesthetic complications and 1.24 p.p. higher risk of headache compared to vaginal delivery, but less risk of anemia (-2.43 pp) and hemorrhoids (-1.24 p.p.). The use of propensity scores is extremely useful for reducing bias and increasing accuracy in observational studies when experimental studies cannot be performed. CONCLUSION: Cesarean sections have been associated with a higher prevalence of postpartum and urinary tract infections, anesthetic complications and headache and lower prevalence of anemia and hemorrhoids, so they should be performed with clear indications and when their benefits outweigh potential risks.

Internet addiction in students from an educational institution in Southern Brazil: prevalence and associated factors.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of Internet addiction (IA) and its associated factors among students at an Educational Institution in Southern Brazil. METHOD: This is a cross-sectional study, targeting a sample of students aged from 14 to 20 years. They were selected by random sampling to be representative of the 4038 students enrolled at the institute at the time. IA was assessed using the Internet Addiction Test (IAT). Screening for anxiety and/or depressive disorders was performed using the Well-Being Index (WHO-5). RESULTS: The prevalence of IA was 50.8% and the rate was higher among individuals who had screened positive for depressive or anxiety disorders than among those who had not (p = 0.003). There was an association between IA and access to certain types of content, such as gaming (p = 0.010), work and study related content (p = 0.030), and using the internet to access sexual content (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Further studies are needed to confirm the high prevalence of IA and explore factors associated with it in samples with similar characteristics to ours. The associations between this dependency and positive screening for anxiety and/or depressive disorders and the types of content accessed are an alert to the existence of these important relationships and illustrate the importance of studying them further. Knowledge about these associations provides an opportunity to implement measures for prevention, such as psychoeducation, and to offer adequate treatment.

Growth from birth to adolescence and bone mineral density in young adults: The 1993 Pelotas birth cohort.

BACKGROUND: The study examined the association of body size (weight and length) at birth and gain in height and weight during childhood and adolescence with areal bone mineral density (aBMD) in adulthood for women and men. METHODS: 756 members (335 men and 421 women) of the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth cohort were studied. Data on weight and length/height were obtained at birth and subsequent follow-ups at 1, 4, 11, 15, 18, and 22 years of age and specific z scores were calculated by sex. The outcome was whole body aBMD (g/cm²) measured at 22 years of age using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The effects of exposures, weight and length/height gain, were analyzed using conditional relative weight (CWh) and conditional length/height (CH). Linear regression models were adjusted for multiple confounders, including mother's educational level, family income, maternal smoking during pregnancy, gestational age, breastfeeding and skin color. RESULTS: In the adjusted models, among men greater height gain at 4, 11, and 18 years of age was associated with higher whole body aBMD, and the result with greatest magnitude was at 11 years of age (ß 0.018 g/cm²; 95%CI 0.006; 0.030). Among women, aBMD was associated with height gain at all assessments from 1-15 years, with greatest effect size at 4 years of age (ß 0.017 g/cm²; 95%CI 0.007; 0.027). Regarding to body weight, among men, greater weight at 4 and 15 years were associated with higher aBMD, with the highest coefficients for 15 years of age (ß 0.015 g/cm²; 95%CI 0.003; 0.027); for women, except at birth, all weight gain variables were associated with aBMD and the highest coefficients were observed at 4 years (ß 0.025 g/cm²; 95%CI 0.015; 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: In this birth cohort, height and weight gain, especially from 4 to 15 years have important positive implications for aBMD to early adulthood.

Prevalence, mortality and risk factors associated with very low birth weight preterm infants: an analysis of 33 years.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence, mortality and risk factors associated with the birth of very low birth weight preterm infants over a period of 33 years. METHODS: Four cross-sectional studies were analyzed, using data from perinatal interviews of birth cohorts in the city of Pelotas collected in 1982, 1993, 2004, and 2015. Based on perinatal questionnaires, anthropometric measurements of newborns and death certificates were analyzed to obtain the prevalence rate, neonatal mortality, and risk factors (maternal age, income and type of delivery) for very low birth weight. RESULTS: A total of 19,625 newborns were included in the study. In the years 1982, 1993, 2004, and 2015, there were, respectively, 5909, 5232, 4226, and 4258 births. The prevalence of very low birth weight was, respectively, 1.1% (n=64), 0.9% (n=46), 1.4% (n=61), and 1.3% (n=54). There was no statistical evidence of an increasing trend over time (p=0.11). Among the risk factors, family income in the three poorest quintiles was associated with prevalence rates that were approximately twice as high as in the richest quintile (p=0.003). Mortality per 1000 live births for neonates weighing <1500g decreased from 688 to 259 per thousand from 1982 to 2015 (p<0.001), but still represented 61% of neonatal deaths in the latter year. CONCLUSION: Although mortality in very low birth weight decreased by more than 60% in recent years, this group still contributes with more than half of neonatal deaths. Low family income remains an important risk factor in this scenario.

Noncommunicable diseases among nursing professionals at a charitable hospital in Southern Brazil. / Doenças crônicas não transmissíveis em profissionais de enfermagem de um hospital filantrópico no Sul do Brasil.

OBJECTIVE: to describe the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), long term (current) drug therapy, blood pressure levels and capillary glycemia among a nursing team at a charitable hospital in Pelotas/RS. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. The questions were adapted from the Vigitel system questionnaire (Telephone Surveillance of Chronic Disease Risk and Protection Factors). All participants had their blood pressure and blood glucose measured. RESULTS: Of the 272 staff assessed, 29.4% reported having NCDs, 48.9% were on long term (current) drug therapy and 73.9% reported a family history of NCDs. Among those interviewed, 20.6% reported using antihypertensive drugs, of these 27.7% had high blood pressure levels, and 2.6% reported using antihypoglycemic agents, 42.9% of whom had high blood glucose. CONCLUSION: Among those professionals who stated they had high blood pressure and diabetes, those who were on medication had higher blood pressure and glucose levels than those who were not on medication.

Eosinophilic esophagitis-Where are we today?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the practical diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to eosinophilic esophagitis and to increase the visibility of the disease among pediatricians. SOURCES: A search of the MEDLINE, Embase, and CINAHL databases and recent consensus statements and guidelines were performed. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS: The definition of eosinophilic esophagitis is based on symptoms and histology. It is important to rule out other diseases associated with esophageal eosinophil-predominant inflammation. It is not yet clear whether the increased prevalence is due to a real increase in incidence or a result of increased awareness of the disease. Various options for management have been used in pediatric patients, including proton pump inhibitors, dietary restriction therapies, swallowed topical steroids, and endoscopic dilations. More recently, proton pump inhibitor-responsive esophageal eosinophilia and eosinophilic esophagitis have been contemplated on the same spectrum, and proton pump inhibitors should be considered the initial step in the treatment of these patients. CONCLUSIONS: Eosinophilic esophagitis is a relatively new disease with a remarkable progression of its incidence and prevalence in the past two to three decades, and diagnostic criteria that are constantly evolving. It is important to better understand the pathogenesis of the disease, the predisposing factors, the natural history, and the categorization of varying phenotypes to develop diagnostic and therapeutic strategies that meet the clinical needs of patients.

Birth order and number of siblings and their association with overweight and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Context: The effect of both birth order and number of siblings on overweight and/or obesity has not been determined. Birth order and sibsize have been mathematically coupled to overweight and/or obesity, but thus far their respective effects have been estimated separately. Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effects of both birth order and number of siblings on the risk of overweight/obesity. Data Sources: The electronic databases MEDLINE, Social Science, SocINDEX, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus, and Academic Search Complete were searched systematically. Study Selection: Titles and abstracts of 1698 records were examined. After 1504 records were excluded, 2 authors independently assessed the full text of all remaining papers (n = 194); disagreements were resolved by discussion. Data Extraction: A standardized form for assessment of study quality and evidence synthesis was used to extract data from the included studies. Results: Twenty studies were included in the systematic review, 14 of which were included in the meta-analysis. Meta-analyses showed that lower (vs higher) birth order and smaller (vs greater) number of siblings were associated with overweight and/or obesity, with ORs of 1.47 (95%CI, 1.12-1.93) and 1.46 (95%CI, 1.17-1.84), respectively. However, among the 9 studies that attempted to separate the effects of birth order and number of siblings in the same analysis, a higher risk of overweight/obesity was consistently found among individuals without siblings than among those with 1 or more siblings, rather than among firstborns more generally. Conclusion: The results show that both lower birth order and lower number of siblings are associated with risk of overweight/obesity, which suggests that only children are at a slightly increased risk of overweight/obesity. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO registration number CRD42014015135.

Factors associated with periodontal diseases in pregnancy: Findings of the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study

Abstract Although periodontal disease is common during pregnancy, little is known about socioeconomic, behavioral, or biological determinants related to clinically assessed periodontal condition during this period. We assessed the prevalence of periodontal disease and associated factors in pregnant women. This population-based survey used data used from the 2015 Pelotas Birth Cohort Study, Brazil. Pregnant women expected to give birth between December 2014 and May 2016 were interviewed and clinically examined by trained dentist, with periodontal measures collected in all teeth, six sites per tooth. Outcomes were periodontitis (using the 2012 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Periodontology criteria) and gingivitis (by the 2018 European Federation of Periodontology/ American Academy of Periodontology classification). Multivariate hierarchical Poisson regression was used to assess the associations between socioeconomic, systemic, and clinical oral factors and periodontal disease. A total of 2,474 pregnant women participated in the study. Prevalence of periodontitis and gingivitis was 14.63% and 21.67%, respectively. Lower educational level and calculus were associated with higher prevalence periodontitis and gingivitis (P<0.05). Smoking was also associated with periodontitis (P=0.05), and lower frequency of toothbrushing (P=0.005) with gingivitis. Periodontal disease, especially gingivitis, was prevalent in pregnant women and their determinants were socioeconomic, environmental, and clinical oral health factors.