Dificuldades alimentares em pré-escolares de uma escola de educação infantil / Feeding difficulties in preschool children at an early childhood education school

Dificuldade alimentar é todo problema que afeta negativamente o processo dos pais ou cuidadores de suprirem alimento ou nutrientes à criança. O objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar as dificuldades alimentares em pré-escolares de uma escola municipal de educação infantil de Uruguaiana/RS. O estudo foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa e realizado entre outubro e novembro de 2022. Foram convidadas a participar da pesquisa todos os pais ou responsáveis das crianças (n=70) que frequentavam a escola, na faixa etária de 4-5 anos. Todos receberam o Termo de Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido, bem como o questionário de pesquisa. O instrumento utilizado foi a Escala Brasileira de Alimentação Infantil (EBAI), que possui 14 perguntas referentes à alimentação das crianças. Foi realizada estatística descritiva, em termos de frequência e realizada análise de variância (ANOVA) para comparações entre os sexos (p<0,05). Foram obtidas 31 respostas dos pais relativas à alimentação das crianças. Os dados revelaram que 9,68% (n=3) possuíam algum grau de dificuldade alimentar, sendo 3,33% (n=1) com grau severo e 6,45% (n=2) com grau moderado. As demais crianças (n=28) também apresentaram comportamentos relacionados às dificuldades alimentares, porém, sem pontuação suficiente para serem classificadas com dificuldade alimentar. Os comportamentos mais frequentemente descritos foram: o responsável usar distrações ou ir atrás da criança para que ela coma, tempo de a alimentação em torno de 31-60min ou mais, criança que nauseia, cospe ou vomita com algum tipo de alimento e a influência negativa da alimentação nas relações familiares. Desta forma, observou-se um baixo percentual de dificuldades alimentares na população estudada, de acordo com a literatura estudada.

Feeding difficulties are any problem that negatively affects the process of parents or caregivers providing food or nutrients to the child. The objective of this work was to investigate eating difficulties in preschool children at a municipal early childhood education school in Uruguaiana/RS. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee and carried out between October and November 2022. All parents or guardians of children (n=70) who attended school, aged 4-5 years, were invited to participate in the research. Everyone received the Free and Informed Consent Form, as well as the research questionnaire. The instrument used was the Brazilian Infant Feeding Scale (EBAI), which has 14 questions regarding children's nutrition. Descriptive statistics were performed in terms of frequency and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for comparisons between sexes (p<0.05). 31 responses were obtained from parents regarding children's nutrition. The data revealed that 9.68% (n=3) had some degree of feeding difficulty, 3.33% (n=1) with a severe degree and 6.45% (n=2) with a moderate degree. The remaining children (n=28) also presented behaviors related to feeding difficulties, however, without enough scores to be classified as having feeding difficulties. The most frequently described behaviors were: the caregiver using distractions or going after the child to make them eat, feeding time around 31-60 minutes or more, child who nauseates, spits or vomits with some type of food and the negative influence of food in family relationships. Thus, a low percentage of feeding difficulties was observed in the studied population, in accordance with the literature studied.

Micronucleus in exfoliated buccal cells of crack users: systematic review and meta-analysis / Micronúcleos en células bucales exfoliadas en consumidores de crack: una revisión sistemática y meta-análisis

Abstract This research aimed to conduct a systematic review and metanalysis to compare the frequency of cell damage in crack users and nonusers, through Micronucleous (MN) test in buccal mucosa cells. A comprehensive search was carried out on MEDLINE via PubMeb, Web of Science, LILACS and the grey literature without restrictions. It was included case-control studies that report the frequency of micronuclei in the oral mucosa of adult crack users and nonusers. A review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42018115672), and conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines for the report of this systematic review. Furthermore, study quality was evaluated using an adapted Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cross-sectional studies.The original search yielded 27 references, after eligibility criteriaonly five articles were included. The number of micronuclei was higher in crack users compared to nonusers. Also, secondary outcomes: binucleated cells, nuclear buds, pyknosis, karyorrhexis and karyolysis had higher prevalence in crack users.Crack use is associated with genotoxic and mutagenic effects because there is a higher frequency of micronuclei in exfoliated cells of crack users. In addition, MN test proved to be a goodbiomarker to assess the mutagenic impact of crack use in oral epithelium.

Resumen Esta investigación tuvo como objetivo realizar una revisión sistemática y un meta-análisis para comparar la frecuencia de daño celular en usuarios de crack y sin crack, a través de la prueba de micronúcleos (MN) en células de la mucosa bucal. Se realizó una búsqueda exhaustiva en MEDLINE a través de PubMeb, Web of Science, LILACS y la literatura gris sin restricciones. Se incluyeron estudios de casos y controles que informaron la frecuencia de micronúcleos en la mucosa oral de usuarios adultos de crack y sin crack. Se registró un protocolo de revisión con PROSPERO (CRD42018115672), y se realizó de acuerdo con las pautas de PRISMA para el informe de esta revisión sistemática. Además, la calidad del estudio se evaluó mediante una escala Newcastle-Ottawa adaptada para estudios transversales. La búsqueda original arrojó 27 referencias, después de los criterios de elegibilidad se incluyeron un total de cinco artículos. El número de micronúcleos fue mayor en los usuarios de crack en compa ración con los usuarios sin crack. Además, los resultados secundarios de células binucleadas, yemas nucleares, picnosis, cario- rrexis y cariólisis tuvieron una mayor prevalencia en los usuarios de crack. El uso de crack se asocia con efectos genotóxicos y mutagénicos porque hay una mayor frecuencia de micronúcleos en las células exfoliadas de los usuarios de crack. Además, la prueba de MN demostró ser un buen biomarcador para evaluar el impacto mutagénico del uso de crack en el epitelio oral.

Selenium and mercury concentration in drinking water and food samples from a coal mining area in Brazil.

Selenium (Se) is an essential element for human health and can also alleviate the toxicity of elements such as mercury (Hg), which is considered deleterious to health. The study area is an important coal mineral region in Brazil, generating 40% of all Brazilian coal. During the coal mining process, Se and Hg are released, which can induce potential human health risks via the food chain. The purpose of the present study is to determine total Se and its species and total Hg in drinking water and food locally produced from a coal mining area, to assess the impact of coal mining. The samples were collected in two cities, with and without coal mining influence. Total Se levels in drinking water and food were assessed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and its species by high-performance liquid-ICP-MS, while total Hg was determined by cold vapor atomic fluorescence spectrometry. Drinking water (1.1 ± 0.2 mg L-1 dry weight) (p = 0.02) and tomatoes (1.5 ± 0.1 mg kg-1 dry weight) (p = 0.01) from the coal mining area had higher total Se concentration than the control area. The highest Se concentrations were found in animal-based food (6.4 ± 0.8 mg kg-1 dry weight) with an important contribution of Se IV (65%). The analyzed sample did not accumulate a significant amount of Hg. Future studies on the estimates of daily intake of these elements and dietary pattern of the population are needed to make appropriate dietary recommendations and support public health action.

Biomonitoring of trace elements in urine samples of children from a coal-mining region.

Biomonitoring through urine samples is important for evaluating environmental exposure, since urine is the main form of excretion for most chemical elements. Children are considered more vulnerable to adverse environmental conditions, especially children in developing countries. This study aimed to biomonitor trace elements in urine samples in children from a coal-mining region in the extreme south of Brazil. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 96 children between 6 and 11 years of age. Socioeconomic data and urine samples were collected to estimate the concentration of iron, zinc, selenium, lead, and cadmium. The prevalence of metals above the reference values was 52.0% for Se, followed by 15.6% for Zn. The data point toward a vulnerability to adverse environmental conditions in these children. Although the concentrations of the elements did not reveal intoxication cases, biomonitoring should be carried out continuously in order to assess exposure to metals and ensure the health of the population. This article provides data that help determine natural levels of metallic elements in children, specifically in South America, which have not yet been established.

Alcohol intake during pregnancy among parturients in southern Brazil / Consumo de bebida alcoólica durante a gestação entre parturientes do extremo sul do Brasil

Abstract Objectives: to assess alcohol intake prevalence and identify associated factors among pregnant women in the municipality of Rio Grande, RS, Brazil. Methods: this was a crosssectional study which included all parturient women residing in the municipality who gave birth in 2013. Two outcomes were characterized: alcohol intake during pregnancy and excessive alcohol intake during pregnancy. In the analysis, proportions were tested using the Chisquare test, whilst Poisson regression was used in the multivariate analysis. Results: 9.4% (CI95%= 8.210.5) of the 2,685 parturient women studied reported having consumed alcohol during pregnancy, with beer being most common beverage. Following adjustment, the factors associated with alcohol intake in pregnancy were: age ≥30 years, brown skin colour, living without a partner, low schooling, tobacco smoking and illicit drug use, having had more children and late onset of prenatal care. Excessive alcohol intake was found in 12.7% (CI95%= 8.616.9) of those who reported drinking during pregnancy and the factors associated with this practice were age ≥30 years, lower schooling and illicit drug use. Conclusions: this study found high alcohol intake during the gestation period and identified women more susceptible to this practice. There is an evident need for health professionals to work on preventing and handling alcohol intake among pregnant women in the municipality

Resumo Objetivos: avaliar a prevalência e identificar fatores associados ao consumo de álcool entre gestantes no município de Rio Grande, RS. Métodos: estudo transversal que incluiu todas as parturientes residentes neste município que tiveram filhos no ano de 2013. Foram caracterizados dois desfechos: consumo de bebida alcoólica durante a gestação; e, consumo excessivo. Na análise utilizouse teste quiquadrado para proporções, enquanto na multivariada, regressão de Poisson. Resultados: 9,4% (IC95%= 8,2 - 10,5) das 2685 parturientes estudadas referiram ter consumido bebida alcoólica durante a gestação, sendo cerveja a mais comum. Após ajuste, os fatores associados ao consumo de álcool na gestação foram: idade ≥30 anos, cor da pele parda, viver sem companheiro, baixa escolaridade, ser tabagista e usuária de drogas ilícitas, maior paridade e início tardio do prénatal. O consumo excessivo de álcool ocorreu para 12,7% (IC95%= 8,616,9) daquelas que referiram ter bebido na gestação, e os fatores significativamente associados a esta prática foram idade ≥30 anos, menor escolaridade e uso de drogas ilícitas. Conclusões: este estudo mostrou elevado consumo de álcool no período gestacional e identificou mulheres mais suscetíveis a esta prática. Evidenciase a necessidade de os profissionais de saúde atuarem na prevenção e no manejo do consumo de álcool entre gestantes neste município.