Nitrogen sources and CO2 concentration synergistically affect the growth and metabolism of tobacco plants.

The initial stimulation of photosynthesis under elevated CO2 concentrations (eCO2) is often followed by a decline in photosynthesis, known as CO2 acclimation. Changes in N levels under eCO2 can have different effects in plants fertilized with nitrate (NO3-) or ammonium (NH4+) as the N source. NO3- assimilation consumes approximately 25% of the energy produced by an expanded leaf, whereas NH4+ requires less energy to be incorporated into organic compounds. Although plant-N interactions are important for the productivity and nutritional value of food crops worldwide, most studies have not compared the performance of plants supplied with different forms of N. Therefore, this study aims to go beyond treating N as the total N in the soil or the plant because the specific N compounds formed from the available N forms become highly engaged in all aspects of plant metabolism. To this end, plant N metabolism was analyzed through an experiment with eCO2 and fertigation with NO3- and/or NH4+ as N sources for tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants. The results showed that the plants that received only NO3- as a source of N grew more slowly when exposed to a CO2 concentration of 760 µmol mol-1 than when they were exposed to ambient CO2 conditions. On the other hand, in plants fertigated with only NH4+, eCO2 enhanced photosynthesis. This was essential for the maintenance of the metabolic pathways responsible for N assimilation and distribution in growing tissues. These data show that the physiological performance of tobacco plants exposed to eCO2 depends on the form of inorganic N that is absorbed and assimilated.

Developmental Outcomes Among Young Children With Congenital Zika Syndrome in Brazil.

Importance: Although birth defects in children with congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) are expected to result in significant intellectual disabilities, the extent of delay and profiles of development have yet to be fully described. Objectives: To describe the neurodevelopmental profiles of children with CZS and to test whether prenatal and postpartum characteristics were associated with the severity of developmental delays. Design, Setting, and Participants: This is a case series of the trajectories of developmental, behavioral, and medical needs of 121 young children with CZS who were assessed at a specialized rehabilitation center in Recife, Brazil, beginning in January 2018 as part of 5-year longitudinal study. Children were included if they had serologic confirmation of Zika virus and met clinical criteria accompanied by parental report of suspected exposure to Zika virus during pregnancy. Exposures: Prenatal Zika virus exposure. Main Outcomes and Measures: The Brazilian version of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition, was administered by trained assessors as part of an initial comprehensive assessment battery. Caregiver interviews and medical record reviews were conducted to gather basic demographic information and medical comorbidities. Linear regression was used to identify potential factors for development. Results: The sample included 121 young children (mean [SD] age, 31.2 [1.9] months; 61 [50.4%] girls). At age approximately 2.5 years, nearly all children in this sample demonstrated profound developmental delays across all domains of functioning, with a mean (SD) developmental age equivalent to approximately 2 to 4 months (eg, cognitive domain, 2.24 [3.09] months; fine motor subscale, 2.15 [2.93] months; expressive language subscale, 2.30 [2.52] months). A relative strength was found in receptive language, with scores on this scale significantly higher than most other domains (eg, cognition: t = 3.73; P < .001; fine motor: t = 6.99; P < .001). Head circumference at birth was the single strongest factor associated with outcomes across all developmental domains (eg, cognitive: ß = 1.41; SE, 0.67; P = .04; fine motor: ß = 1.36; SE, 0.49; P = .007). Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this study provide important information regarding the severity of disability that these children and their families will experience. The findings also establish an initial point from which to monitor developmental trajectories, medical comorbidities (eg, seizures), effectiveness of interventions, and cumulative consequences on families.

Aleitamento materno e doenças inflamatórias intestinais / Breastfeeding and inflammatory bowel disease

Doença inflamatória intestinal (DII) é uma doença crônica que tem como suas principais formas: a retocolite ulcerativa (RCU) e a doença de Crohn (DC). Esta doença é caracterizada por edema, ulceração e perda de função intestinal. Tem sido estudado, exaustivamente, se a amamentação pode influenciar o desenvolvimento destas doenças. O leite humano é recomendado como nutriente exclusivo para alimentação de recém-nascidos nos primeiros seis meses de vida, e sugerido sua manutenção, acrescido de alimentos sólidos, até dois anos de idade. É inquestionável seus benefícios nutricionais, imunológicos e psicossociais. O leite humano tem combinação única e específica de elementos tais como proteínas, lipídeos, carboidratos, vitaminas, enzimas, minerais e anticorpos que garantem o desenvolvimento normal dos recém-nascidos. Este estudo fez uma revisão de literatura no que diz respeito a relação entre amamentação e DII, especialmente DC e RCU. Foi realizada uma pesquisa de artigos nacionais e internacionais envolvendo o tema, e os artigos selecionados foram discutidos em nossa revisão. Encontrou-se que a amamentação protege o recém-nascido contra diversas doenças infecciosas, entretanto não há um consenso de que o aleitamento materno seja fator protetor contra as DIIs. Esses achados podem estar relacionados as diferentes metodologias utilizadas nos artigos avaliados.

The inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disease in which the retocolitis ulcerativeand the Crohn’s disease represents its main forms. The disease is characterized by swelling, ulcerations, and loss of function of the intestines. It has been exausted studied if breastfeeding can influence the development of these diseases. The human milk is recommended as the exclusive nutrient source for feeding infants for the first six months of life and it should be continued with the addition of solid foods after six months of age until the second year of life. It has an unquestionable nutritional, immunological, psychological benefits. Human milk has an unique and specific combination of elements such proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, enzymes, mineral and antibodies that guarantees the normal development of the infants. This study tried to review the literature concerning the breastfeeding and the IBD, specially CD and URC. It was realized search for articles involving this subject and the selected articles were discussed in our review. We found that breastfeeding protects the newborn against several infectious diseases, but there is not a consensus that it may be a protective factor to the development the inflammatory bowel disease. This finding may be related to the differents methodologies utilized in the articles evaluated.