Association between children's caregivers time preferences and childhood overweight and obesity in Mexico.

BACKGROUND: Parents or children's primary caregivers are a key influence on child weight as both decision makers and role models for eating patterns, physical activity, and other social behaviors. It is unknown whether caregivers' time preferences are associated with overweight or obesity in children. The primary objective was to estimate the association between parents' or caregivers' time preferences and children having overweight or obesity in Mexico. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a representative survey of the Mexican population. A multinomial logistic model was used to examine the association between parents' or caregivers' time preferences (patience and time consistency) and child overweight or obesity, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS: The study included 9,102 children (mean age 10, 43% female) and 5,842 caregivers (mean age 37; 95% female). Intertemporal preference was strongly associated with increased odds of overweight or obesity in children. A medium patient caregiver had higher odds of having overweight (adjusted OR: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.19, 2.52). Similarly, having a caregiver with a present (OR: 2.52; 95% CI: 1.72, 3.70) or future bias (OR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.98) was associated with higher odds of obesity. CONCLUSION: Caregivers' time preferences were associated with having overweight and obesity in children and should be considered when developing policies to reduce children's obesity status.

Health Utilities Index Mark 3 scores for children and youth: Population norms for Canada based on cycles 5 (2016 and 2017) and 6 (2018 and 2019) of the Canadian Health Measures Survey.

Background: Utility scores are an important tool for evaluating health-related quality of life. Utility score norms have been published for Canadian adults, but no nationally representative utility score norms are available for children and youth. Data and methods: Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3) data from two recent cycles of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (i.e., 2016 and 2017, and 2018 and 2019) were used to provide utility score norms for children aged 6 to 11 years and adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. Children younger than 14 years answered the HUI3 under the supervision of an adult, while older children answered without supervision. Utility scores were reported as a weighted average (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) and median values (interquartile range). Utility scores were stratified by sociodemographic and medical characteristics of the child or adolescent. Regression analyses were used to identify predictors of utility scores. All results were weighted using sampling weights provided by Statistics Canada. Results: Among the 2,297,136 children aged 6 to 11 years and the 2,329,185 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years in the weighted sample, the average utility scores were 0.95 (95% CI: 0.94 to 0.95) and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.87 to 0.90), respectively. Approximately 60% of the children and 34% of the adolescents had a utility score of 1.00. Analyses identified several factors associated with utility scores (e.g., age, chronic condition and income levels), although differences were observed between children and adolescents. Interpretation: This study provides utility score estimates based on a nationally representative sample of Canadian children and youth. Further research examining the determinants of utility scores of children and adolescents is warranted.

A review of implementation and evaluation of Pan American Health Organization's policies to prevent childhood obesity in Latin America.

Rationale: To inform future policies, the study objectives were to determine to what extent the policies included in the 5-year Plan of Action for the Prevention of Obesity in Children and Adolescents-proposed by Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and signed by 19 Latin America countries in 2014-have been implemented and evaluated. Methods: A scoping review of the Governmental websites for Latin American countries and a literature review was conducted to identify whether policies have been implemented and evaluated. Key information was abstracted. Results: The review identified 115 PAHO policies/interventions implemented (43% implemented after signing the proposed plan in 2014). Nearly all (18/19) countries implemented food guidelines or school feeding programs, but fiscal and marketing policies were less commonly implemented (6/19). Through the review, 44 evaluations of PAHO policies were identified of which 23% were qualitative and 77% quantitative. The results of these evaluations were in general positive (e.g., decrease in sugar-sweetened beverages consumption following tax implementation) but no studies evaluated the outcome of reduced obesity. Conclusions: PAHO recommended policies have been implemented to various degrees in Latin America since 2014 and more research is required to understand their impacts on child and adolescent obesity.

A behavioral economics analysis of the participation in early childhood development social programs promoted by civil societies in Mexico.

Based on a behavioral economics (BE) approach, we analyzed the decision to participate in an early childhood development (ECD) program implemented in Mexico by a non-governmental organization. We conducted a literature review and a qualitative study of four localities participating in the ECD program. Situated in the state of Oaxaca, these communities are characterized by high and very high levels of social marginalization. From May 20 to 30, 2019, we collected primary data through semi-structured interviews (n = 30) and focus groups (n = 7) with a total of 61 informants (51 women and 10 men). We then performed an inductive systematic analysis of the data to identify documented cognitive bias associated with the decisions of individuals to participate and remain in or abandon social programs. The interviewees were living in conditions of poverty, facing difficulties in meeting even their most basic needs including food. Program participants attached far greater weight to incentives such as the basic food basket than to the other benefits offered by the program. The four localities visited maintained traditional views of domestic roles and practices, particularly regarding child-rearing, where women were in charge of childcare, home care and food preparation. Problems linked to child malnutrition were a decisive factor in the decision of residents to participate and remain in the program. Testimonials gathered during the study demonstrated that the longer the mothers remained in the program, the more they understood and adopted the concepts promoted by the interventions. In contexts marked by economic vulnerability, it is essential that ECD programs create the necessary conditions for maximizing the benefits they offer. Our analysis suggests that cognitive load and present bias were the biases that most severely affected the decision-making capacity of beneficiaries. Therefore, considering loss aversion and improving the management of incentives can help policymakers design actions that "nudge" people into making the kinds of decisions that contribute to their well-being.

Proteomic Characterization of Synaptosomes from Human Substantia Nigra Indicates Altered Mitochondrial Translation in Parkinson's Disease.

The pathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD) is the loss of neuromelanin-containing dopaminergic neurons within the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Additionally, numerous studies indicate an altered synaptic function during disease progression. To gain new insights into the molecular processes underlying the alteration of synaptic function in PD, a proteomic study was performed. Therefore, synaptosomes were isolated by density gradient centrifugation from SNpc tissue of individuals at advanced PD stages (N = 5) as well as control subjects free of pathology (N = 5) followed by mass spectrometry-based analysis. In total, 362 proteins were identified and assigned to the synaptosomal core proteome. This core proteome comprised all proteins expressed within the synapses without regard to data analysis software, gender, age, or disease. The differential analysis between control subjects and PD cases revealed that CD9 antigen was overrepresented and fourteen proteins, among them Thymidine kinase 2 (TK2), mitochondrial, 39S ribosomal protein L37, neurolysin, and Methionine-tRNA ligase (MARS2) were underrepresented in PD suggesting an alteration in mitochondrial translation within synaptosomes.

Uptake, transport, and effects of nano-copper exposure in zucchini (Cucurbita pepo).

Numerous studies on short term effects of copper-based nanomaterials on plants have been published, however investigations with plants grown in a complex soil medium are lacking. In this study Grey Zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) was grown in an environmental growth chamber using a 1:1 (v/v) potting mix native soil mixture amended with Kocide 3000, nCuO, bCuO, or Cu NPs. After 3 weeks Cu concentrations in the root, stem, and leaves of treated plants were significantly higher than control plants. This increase in Cu concentration did not adversely affect plant growth or chlorophyll production. The activity ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in the roots tissues of plants treated with Kocide 3000, nCuO, and bCuO decreased by at least 45%. Catalase (CAT) activity in root tissues of plants treated with 50 mg/kg of Cu NP decreased by 77%, while those treated at 200 mg/kg were reduced by 80%, compared to controls. The activity of APX and CAT in the leaves of all treated plants remained similar to control plants. Based on the endpoints used in this study, with the exception of a decrease in the accumulation of Zn and B in the roots, the exposure of zucchini to the tested copper compounds resulted in no negative effects.

Affordability of Food and Beverages in Mexico between 1994 and 2016.

We estimated the affordability of food and beverages by energy density and nutrient quality in Mexico and tested for differential trends in affordability over time and by income quintile. We used the National Income and Expenditures Survey from 1994 to 2016, and information on the caloric and nutrient content of food and beverages from Mexican food composition tables. We estimated food energy density (kcal/kg) and nutrient quality of food and beverages using the nutrient-rich food index (NRFI). Affordability of food and beverages was defined as household monthly income needed to purchase 1000 kcal. The affordability index was expressed by quintiles of energy density and quintiles of the NRFI and by income quintile over time. We found that more energy-dense foods and food and beverages with lower nutrient quality were more affordable compared to healthier food and beverages. Food categories with lower energy density and a higher NRFI became less affordable over time for most income groups, but the burden was higher for lower-income households. A comprehensive national strategy should be implemented to make healthier options more affordable and discretional foods and beverages with lower nutrient quality less affordable.

Is Olfactory Epithelium Biopsy Useful for Confirming Alzheimer's Disease?

OBJECTIVES: The clinical symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are preceded by a long asymptomatic period associated with "silent" deposition of aberrant paired helical filament (PHF)-tau and amyloid-beta proteins in brain tissue. Similar depositions have been reported within the olfactory epithelium (OE), a tissue that can be biopsied in vivo. The degree to which such biopsies are useful in identifying AD is controversial. This postmortem study had 3 main goals: first, to quantify the relative densities of AD-related proteins in 3 regions of the olfactory neuroepithelium, namely, the nasal septum, middle turbinate, and superior turbinate; second, to establish whether such densities are correlated among these epithelial regions as well as with semi-quantitative ratings of general brain cortex pathology; and third, to evaluate correlations between the protein densities and measures of antemortem cognitive function. METHODS: Postmortem blocks of olfactory mucosa were obtained from 12 AD cadavers and 24 controls and subjected to amyloid-beta and PHF-tau immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: We observed marked heterogeneity in the presence of the biomarkers of tau and amyloid-beta among the targeted olfactory epithelial regions. No significant difference was observed between the cadavers with AD and the controls regarding the concentration of these proteins in any of these epithelial regions. Only one correlation significant was evident, namely, that between the tau protein densities of the middle and the upper turbinate (r = .58, P = .002). CONCLUSION: AD-related biomarker heterogeneity, which has not been previously demonstrated, makes comparisons across studies difficult and throws into question the usefulness of OE amyloid-beta and PHF-tau biopsies in detecting AD.

Is there a link between availability of food and beverage establishments and BMI in Mexican adults?

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between density of stores (food and beverage stores, stores selling only fruits and vegetables, and supermarkets) and the BMI of adults aged ≥20 years in Mexico. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was performed. Individual data came from the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey, while information on stores was taken from the National Institute of Geography and Statistics' National Statistics Directory of Economic Units. A weighted least-squares model was estimated to test the association between density of stores and BMI of adults adjusting for sex, age, education, presence of hypertension, diabetes or both, household assets index and marginality index at the municipality level. SETTING: Mexico. RESULTS: An additional 1 sd in the density of fruit and vegetable stores was associated with a reduction of 0·24 (95 % CI -0·37, -0·12) kg/m2 in BMI when the densities of the other stores were at their mean values. For food and beverage store density, a difference of 1 sd was associated with an increase of 0·50 (95 % CI 0·33, 0·67) kg/m2 in BMI, while for supermarkets the corresponding association was a reduction of 0·48 (95 % CI -1·52, 0·56) kg/m2 in BMI. CONCLUSIONS: In places with a higher density of stores that offer unhealthy foods, the BMI of adults tends to be higher.

Employment changes associated with the introduction of taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages and nonessential energy-dense food in Mexico.

We assessed changes in employment in the manufacturing industry, the commercial sector and national unemployment rates, associated with the fiscal policies implemented in 2014 in Mexico: a 1 peso per liter excise tax to sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and an 8% tax on nonessential energy-dense food. We used data from three nationally representative surveys. Controlling for contextual variables, we used interrupted time series analyses to model changes in number of employees in the SSB and nonessential energy-dense food industry, in commercial establishments selling beverages and food and changes in national unemployment rates. Our results show that there were no significant changes in employment associated with the taxes in the manufacturing industries (for beverages and nonessential energy-dense food). We found a very small increasing trend in the post-tax period for employment in commercial stores and a decreasing trend in the unemployment rate. However, these changes are negligible and unlikely to be caused by the implementation of the taxes. In conclusion, there were no employment reductions associated with the fiscal policies implemented in Mexico in 2014 on SSB and nonessential energy-dense food.

After Mexico Implemented a Tax, Purchases of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Decreased and Water Increased: Difference by Place of Residence, Household Composition, and Income Level.

Background: In January 2014, Mexico implemented a tax on sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) purchases of 1 peso/L.Objective: We examined the heterogeneity of changes in nonalcoholic beverage (SSB and bottled water) purchases after the tax was implemented by household income, urban and rural strata, and household composition.Methods: We used 4 rounds of the National Income and Expenditure Surveys: 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014. Changes in purchases in per capita liters per week were estimated with the use of 2-part models to adjust for nonpurchases. We compared absolute and relative differences between adjusted changes in observed purchases in 2014 with expected purchases in 2014 based on prior trends (2008-2012). The models were adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics of the households, place of residence, and lagged gross domestic product per capita.Results: We found a 6.3% reduction in the observed purchases of SSBs in 2014 compared with the expected purchases in that same year based on trends from 2008 to 2012. These reductions were higher among lower-income households, residents living in urban areas, and households with children. We also found a 16.2% increase in water purchases that was higher in low- and middle-income households, in urban areas, and among households with adults only.Conclusions: SSB purchases decreased and water purchases increased after an SSB tax was imposed in Mexico. The magnitude of these changes was greater in lower-income and urban households.

Beverages Sales in Mexico before and after Implementation of a Sugar Sweetened Beverage Tax.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate changes in sales of sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) and plain water after a 1 peso per liter excise SSB tax was implemented in Mexico in January 2014. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We used sales data from the Monthly Surveys of the Manufacturing Industry from January 2007 to December 2015. We estimated Ordinary Least Squares models to assess changes in per capita sales of SSB and plain water adjusting for seasonality and the global indicator of economic activity. RESULTS: We found a decrease of 7.3% in per capita sales of SSB and an increase of 5.2% of per capita sales of plain water in 2014-2015 compared to the pre-tax period (2007-2013). CONCLUSIONS: Adjusting for variables that change over time and that are associated with the demand for SSB, we found the tax was associated with a reduction in per capita sales of SSB. The effectiveness of the tax should be evaluated in the medium and long term.

Argyrophilic Grain Disease: Demographics, Clinical, and Neuropathological Features From a Large Autopsy Study.

Argyrophilic grain disease (AGD) is a frequent late-onset, 4-repeat tauopathy reported in Caucasians with high educational attainment. Little is known about AGD in non-Caucasians or in those with low educational attainment. We describe AGD demographics, clinical, and neuropathological features in a multiethnic cohort of 983 subjects ≥50 years of age from São Paulo, Brazil. Clinical data were collected through semistructured interviews with an informant and included in the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly, the Clinical Dementia Rating, and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Neuropathologic assessment relied on internationally accepted criteria. AGD was frequent (15.2%) and was the only neuropathological diagnosis in 8.9% of all cases (mean, 78.9 ± 9.4 years); it rarely occurred as an isolated neuropathological finding. AGD was associated with older age, lower socioeconomic status (SES), and appetite disorders. This is the first study of demographic, clinical, and neuropathological aspects of AGD in different ethnicities and subjects from all socioeconomic strata. The results suggest that prospective studies of AGD patients include levels of hormones related to appetite control as possible antemortem markers. Moreover, understanding the mechanisms behind higher susceptibility to AGD of low SES subjects may disclose novel environmental risk factors for AGD and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Three-dimensional and stereological characterization of the human substantia nigra during aging.

The human brain undergoes non-uniform changes during aging. The substantia nigra (SN), the source of major dopaminergic pathways in the brain, is particularly vulnerable to changes in the progression of several age-related neurodegenerative diseases. To establish normative data for high-resolution imaging, and to further clinical and anatomical studies we analyzed SNs from 15 subjects aged 50-91 cognitively normal human subjects without signs of parkinsonism. Complete brains or brainstems with substantia nigra were formalin-fixed, celloidin-mounted, serially cut and Nissl-stained. The shapes of all SNs investigated were reconstructed using fast, high-resolution computer-assisted 3D reconstruction software. We found a negative correlation between age and SN volume (p = 0.04, rho = -0.53), with great variability in neuronal numbers and density across participants. The 3D reconstructions revealed SN inter- and intra-individual variability. Furthermore, we observed that human SN is a neuronal reticulum, rather than a group of isolated neuronal islands. Caution is required when using SN volume as a surrogate for SN status in individual subjects. The use of multimodal sequences including those for fiber tracts may enhance the value of imaging as a diagnostic tool to assess SN in vivo. Further studies with a larger sample size are needed for understanding the structure-function interaction of human SN.

Changes in Prices After an Excise Tax to Sweetened Sugar Beverages Was Implemented in Mexico: Evidence from Urban Areas.

In 2014 an excise tax to non-alcoholic sweetened beverages (SSB) was implemented in Mexico. The objective of this paper is to study whether and to what degree these taxes passed-through onto SSB prices in urban areas overall and by region, type of beverage and package size. Prices were obtained from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography from 2011 to 2014. We applied a pre-post quasi-experimental approach using fixed effects models. In sensitivity analysis we applied other model specifications to test the robustness of the findings and we also present weighted estimations based on household purchases. The dependent variables are real prices of a specific beverage category; the main independent variables are dummies for each month of 2014, and the models adjust for time trends and seasonality. Results suggest that the SSB tax passed along to consumers for all SSBs and we found overshifting for the carbonated SSBs. A greater effect is seen among the small package sizes, and we see heterogeneous effects by region. Estimating the effect of the tax on prices is important to understand the potential effect on consumption.

Enrichment of single neurons and defined brain regions from human brain tissue samples for subsequent proteome analysis.

Brain function in normal aging and neurological diseases has long been a subject of interest. With current technology, it is possible to go beyond descriptive analyses to characterize brain cell populations at the molecular level. However, the brain comprises over 100 billion highly specialized cells, and it is a challenge to discriminate different cell groups for analyses. Isolating intact neurons is not feasible with traditional methods, such as tissue homogenization techniques. The advent of laser microdissection techniques promises to overcome previous limitations in the isolation of specific cells. Here, we provide a detailed protocol for isolating and analyzing neurons from postmortem human brain tissue samples. We describe a workflow for successfully freezing, sectioning and staining tissue for laser microdissection. This protocol was validated by mass spectrometric analysis. Isolated neurons can also be employed for western blotting or PCR. This protocol will enable further examinations of brain cell-specific molecular pathways and aid in elucidating distinct brain functions.

Young Infants Match Facial and Vocal Emotional Expressions of Other Infants.

Research has demonstrated that infants recognize emotional expressions of adults in the first half-year of life. We extended this research to a new domain, infant perception of the expressions of other infants. In an intermodal matching procedure, 3.5- and 5-month-old infants heard a series of infant vocal expressions (positive and negative affect) along with side-by-side dynamic videos in which one infant conveyed positive facial affect and another infant conveyed negative facial affect. Results demonstrated that 5-month-olds matched the vocal expressions with the affectively congruent facial expressions, whereas 3.5-month-olds showed no evidence of matching. These findings indicate that by 5 months of age, infants detect, discriminate, and match the facial and vocal affective displays of other infants. Further, because the facial and vocal expressions were portrayed by different infants and shared no face-voice synchrony, temporal or intensity patterning, matching was likely based on detection of a more general affective valence common to the face and voice.

Osteogénesis imperfecta: caso clínico / Osteogenesis imperfecta: report of a clinical case

Las displasias esqueléticas son un grupo de enfermedades de los huesos, de origen genético, tipo generalizado. Son enfermedades poco frecuentes. Se han descrito aproximadamente 350 tipos de displasias óseas diferentes. Dentro de éstas, se encuentra la osteogénesis imperfecta, en la que hay una alteración del colágeno tipo 1. Este colágeno se encuentra también en la conjuntiva, en los ligamentos y en los dientes; de allí que las manifestaciones pueden observarse también en áreas extraóseas. En el caso clínico, se describe la situación de una paciente pediátrica con diagnóstico de osteogéensis imperfecta tipo 1, la problemática de la enfermedad y las posibilidades de tratamiento odontológico.

Osteogénesis imperfecta: caso clínico / Osteogenesis imperfecta: report of a clinical case

Las displasias esqueléticas son un grupo de enfermedades de los huesos, de origen genético, tipo generalizado. Son enfermedades poco frecuentes. Se han descrito aproximadamente 350 tipos de displasias óseas diferentes. Dentro de éstas, se encuentra la osteogénesis imperfecta, en la que hay una alteración del colágeno tipo 1. Este colágeno se encuentra también en la conjuntiva, en los ligamentos y en los dientes; de allí que las manifestaciones pueden observarse también en áreas extraóseas. En el caso clínico, se describe la situación de una paciente pediátrica con diagnóstico de osteogéensis imperfecta tipo 1, la problemática de la enfermedad y las posibilidades de tratamiento odontológico.(AU)

The role of intersensory redundancy in the emergence of social referencing in 5½-month-old infants.

Early evidence of social referencing was examined in 5½-month-old infants. Infants were habituated to 2 films of moving toys, one toy eliciting a woman's positive emotional expression and the other eliciting a negative expression under conditions of bimodal (audiovisual) or unimodal visual (silent) speech. It was predicted that intersensory redundancy provided by audiovisual (but not available in unimodal visual) events would enhance detection of the relation between emotional expressions and the corresponding toy. Consistent with predictions, only infants who received bimodal, audiovisual events detected a change in the affect-object relations, showing increased looking during a switch test in which the toy-affect pairing was reversed. Moreover, in a subsequent live preference test, they preferentially touched the 3-dimensional toy previously paired with the positive expression. These findings suggest social referencing emerges by 5½ months in the context of intersensory redundancy provided by dynamic multimodal stimulation and that even 5½-month-old infants demonstrate preferences for 3-dimensional objects on the basis of affective information depicted in videotaped events.