Changes in land use affect anuran helminths in the South Brazilian grasslands.

Degradation and habitat loss of natural grasslands in Southern Brazil has a negative impact on native organisms, potentially including the composition of anuran helminth communities. Here, we characterized the richness, abundance, taxonomic composition, prevalence and intensity of helminth infection in four anuran species. Host anurans were collected in 34 ponds (19 in native grasslands with livestock and 15 in agricultural cultivation) from the highland grasslands in the Brazilian states of Santa Catarina and Paraná. Our results showed a significant difference between native grasslands with livestock and agricultural cultivation regarding the structure of helminth communities for the hosts Aplastodiscus perviridis and Pseudis cardosoi. We also found a greater prevalence and intensity of infection in anurans in areas of agricultural cultivation than in native grasslands with livestock. We found that the environmental descriptors (local and landscape) seem to explain most of the differences in anuran parasitism recorded between native grasslands with livestock and agricultural areas. Thus, we emphasized that the loss of grassy habitat due to conversion to agricultural cultivation can alter helminth communities in anurans, with further work needed to understand the mechanisms involved.

Can differences between continental and insular habitats influence the parasites communities associated with the endemic frog Haddadus binotatus?

Habitats characterized by geographic isolation such as islands have been studied using different organisms as models for understanding the dynamic and insular patterns of biodiversity. Determinants of parasite richness in insular host populations have been conducted mainly with mammals and birds, showing that parasite richness decreases in insular areas. In the present study, we predicted that the type of environment (insular or continental) can influence the richness, diversity and abundance of parasites associated with the endemic frog Haddadus binotatus (Spix, 1824). We sampled frogs in two insular and two mainland fragments to survey their helminth parasites. The total richness was composed of 15 taxa of Nematoda and two of Acanthocephala, and the community composition of the two islands had more similarities between them than the two mainland localities. The insular effect was positive for richness and abundance of helminths, and no significant effect was observed on helminth diversity - even the mean diversity presented high numbers for the islands. We presumed that insular hosts could have lost some parasites in the colonization process when these continental islands were separated from the mainland, approximately 11,000 years ago. However, the high richness and abundance on islands can be explained by an epidemiological argument, which considers high population density due to insularity and other features of the host as factors that increase parasite transmission success among individuals.

A comparison of distribution curves of body mass index from Brazil and the United States for assessing overweight and obesity in Brazilian adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the validity of recommendations for use of the 85th and 95th percentiles of body mass index (BMI) of the population in the United States of America as a screening tool to assess overweight/obesity in adolescents. METHODS: We investigated the relation between BMI and percent body fat in 1,540 adolescents (717 males and 823 females) aged 10 to 17.9 years old from a private high school in Niterói, a city in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We used bioelectric impedance, with the appropriate equations for adolescents, to estimate percent body fat, which served as the gold standard (30% for girls and 25% for boys) to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of the 85th and 95th percentiles of the United States and Brazilian distribution curves of BMI. RESULTS: Sensitivity and specificity were high (above 80%) for the Niterói boys, except for the 85th percentile of the Brazilian curve (specificity = 61.8%) and for the 95th percentile of the United States curve (sensitivity = 55.4%). For the Niterói girls, the 85th- and 95th-percentile BMI cutoff points, from both the United States and Brazilian curves, showed low sensitivity, and that sensitivity decreased with age. Specificity was high for the girls, and much higher than it was for the boys. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that using BMI to screen for overweight/obesity in adolescents can generate a high percentage of false-positives for Niterói boys and an even higher percentage of false-negatives for Niterói girls. A more universal approach to using anthropometric measures to screen for overweight/obesity should be developed, preferably linked to stages of maturation.

[Historical and methodological aspects of the measurement and prediction of basal metabolic rate: a review]. / Aspectos históricos e metodológicos da medição e estimativa da taxa metabólica basal: uma revisão da literatura.

This paper reviews the most relevant aspects of measuring basal metabolic rate (BMR). The authors discuss individual and lifestyle factors (age, anthropometry, smoking, physical activity, diet, menses, and ethnicity) as well as possible environmental factors at time of measurement which may alter BMR values. Various available predictive equations, especially those recommended by the World Health Organization in 1985, and subsequent validation studies, particularly in populations living in the tropics, are presented. The review indicates the need for more information on BMR from populations living in different parts of the world so that better estimates can be provided for clinicians and epidemiologists.

[Energy adequacy ratio (intake/requirements) as an indicator of families nutritional assessment: a critical analysis of methods applied to food consumption surveys]. / Taxa de adequação (ingestão/requerimento) de energia como indicador do estado nutricional das famílias: uma análise crítica dos métodos aplicados em pesquisas de consumo de alimentos.

The authors discuss problems associated with the use of the energy adequacy ratio as an indicator of nutritional status in population-based studies derived from household food consumption surveys. They describe the use of food consumption data to estimate family energy intake and to compare it among families and with family requirements to determine the family energy adequacy ratio. The article also discusses the use of international recommendations for human energy requirements and their limitations, based on the lack of consideration of non-food conditions, adaptive mechanisms, inadequacy of estimates of the baseline metabolism rate, and the lack of information to evaluate energy expenditure in non-work physical activities in the household surveys consulted. To illustrate the discussion, the authors use data from the National Family Budget Survey (ENDEF) conducted by the Brazilian Census and Statistics Bureau (IBGE) in 1974-1975. The article concludes that the main use of the adequacy ratio is to identify families suffering food restriction.

[Public and occupational health aspects related to municipal solid waste management]. / Aspectos de saúde coletiva e ocupacional associados à gestão dos resíduos sólidos municipais.

Based on a literature review, the paper calls attention to public and occupational health problems related to poor municipal solid waste management resulting from a development model that views environmental protection, public health, and workers' health as secondary issues. The authors emphasize the need for research to support a new waste management model highlighting the importance of environmental preservation and protection of human health, in addition to suggesting measures to achieve such goals. The discussion aims to incorporate solid waste management into the public health agenda.

[Nutritional status of vitamin A in mother/newborn pairs from 2 hospital nurseries in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]. / Estado nutricional de vitamina A no binômio mãe/recém-nascido em duas maternidades no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

The aim of the present study was to assess maternal and newborn (umbilical blood) vitamin status in 220 mothers/newborns at birth from two public health centers in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The proportion of low retinol levels (cut-off point 1.05 mumol/L) in the umbilical cord of newborns (55.4%) was greater than found in their mothers (23.6%). A highly significant correlation (X2 = 14.2; p < 0.0001) was found between the levels of retinol of mothers and newborns. The overall prevalence of low levels of retinol in the mother was 23.6% whereas that of newborns was 55.4%. Umbilical cord mean concentration less than 1.05 mumol/L was significantly lower (2.49 +/- 1.08 mumol/L) in mother with vitamin A deficiency (3.21 +/- 0.97 mumol/L; p < 0.0001). Low birth weight was associated with vitamin A deficiency (X2 = 6.86; p < 0.01). These data reinforce the need for close pre-natal attention in vitamin A status.

[Basal metabolic rate is overestimated by predictive equation in college-age women of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]. / A taxa metabólica basal é superestimada pelas equações preditivas em universitárias do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

Since the World Health Organization suggested predictive equations for basal metabolic rate (BMR) in 1985 there has been great interest in their validity in different populations worldwide. It has been shown that these equations overestimate BMR in some populations, particularly the ones living in the tropics. There is limited new information on BMR in segments of the Brazilian population. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare measured with estimated BMR using some published predictive equations in 50 college students from Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. BMR was measured by indirect calorimetry and the predictive equations used were the ones published by: FAO/WHO/UNU (1985); Harris & Benedict (1919), and Henry & Rees (1991). Estimated BMRs were significantly greater than measured BMR (p < 0.05). Overestimation was greatest with the equation published by Harris & Benedict (18.9%) followed by the ones by FAO/WHO/UNU (12.5%) and Henry & Rees (7.2%). Body composition did not correlate with the overestimation of BMR. More data are necessary so that appropriate predictive equations can be developed for the Brazilian population.

[Distribution of body mass indices of a Brazilian population under 25 years of age]. / Distribuição dos valores do índice de massa corporal da população brasileira até 25 anos.

This paper presents the percentage distribution of the body mass index of the Brazilian population from birth to age 25, based on a national survey conducted in 1989. Survey data show that body mass index decreases from birth until around 6 years of age, reaching a plateau at 8 years and progressively increasing until the age of 19 or 20 years for females and 20 or 21 for males. The survey also revealed that after the age of 12 females present a greater body mass index than males, as well as a larger range of percentile values (from 3 to 97). A comparison with data from other countries showed that the body mass index profile in Brazil is similar to that observed in France, Great Britain, and the United States. Before the age of 6, Brazilian youngsters have a mean body mass index that resembles that of North American children, and a lower one thereafter. A comparison between the median body mass index of Brazilian and British youngsters revealed consistently lower values among Brazilian females. When compared to that of France, Brazil's male population has a systematically lower body mass index after the age of 8. It is suggested that the data presented in our study be used only for comparing groups of individuals and studies, and not for screening or clinical monitoring, due to the great variability in growth patterns during adolescence.

[Hypovitaminosis A in neonates in 2 public maternity hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]. / Hipovitaminose A em recém-nascidos em duas maternidades públicas no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

Vitamin A status (umbilical cord retinol levels) of 253 newborns in two public hospitals of Rio de Janeiro showed a high prevalence (55. 7%) of deficiency (retinol levels below 1.05 micromol/L). This rate of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) was independent of other nutritional and anthropometric parameters, such as low birth weight or small for gestational age. These data suggest that newborns can be as vulnerable to VAD as other population groups considered at high risk. They also suggest that special attention should be paid to this group, actually the most vulnerable to the harmful effects of VAD. Hypovitaminosis A should be among the first diagnostic hypotheses when an infant presents with an abnormality

[Anthropometric indices and nutritional status of low income school children in a municipality of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil): a pilot study]. / Indices antropométricos e estado nutricional de escolares de baixa renda de um município do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Brasil): um estudo piloto.

The growth and nutritional status of 185 school-aged children (97 boys and 88 girls) of low socio-economic level in Nova Iguaçú, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were studied. Nutritional anthropometry identified 3.52 and 6.25% of the children as suffering from wasting and stunting, respectively. These prevalences of malnutrition were comparable to those described in pre-school children living in a "favela" (shanty town) of Rio de Janeiro. In general, the median height fell below the 25th centile of the international standard of growth. The value of 10 year-old boys fell below the 10th centile. The mean values of weight and height of these children were comparable to those of children from the Northeastern region of Brazil ("Nordeste"), higher than those found for children in the State of Paraíba, Brazil, and lower than those for middle-class children of the State of S. Paulo. Skinfold thickness, arm circumference, and arm fat area data were higher in girls than boys. However, arm muscle are values in boys were superior in comparison to those of girls.