The projected economic burden of non-communicable diseases attributable to overweight in Brazil by 2030.

OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of overweight increases the risk of several non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and, consequently, the costs of health care systems. In this study, we aimed to project the economic burden of NCDs attributable to overweight in Brazil between 2021 and 2030. METHODS: A cohort simulation of adults (17-117 years) using multistate lifetable modeling was used to estimate the costs of NCDs attributable to overweight in Brazil. The projections of direct health care costs (outpatient and inpatient expenses in the Unified Health System) and indirect costs (years of productive life lost) considered different trajectories of the prevalence of overweight between 2021 and 2030. RESULTS: In 2019, the prevalence of overweight was 55.4% in the adult Brazilian population. We estimate that around 1.8 billion international dollars (Int$) would be spent on the direct health care cost of NCDs between 2021 and 2030, through the continued increase in overweight prevalence observed between 2006 and 2020. The indirect costs over the same time would be approximately 20.1 billion Int$. We estimate that halving the annual increase in body mass index slope from the beginning of 2021 until 2030 would save 20.2 million Int$ direct and indirect costs by 2030. In the scenario of keeping the prevalence of overweight observed in 2019 constant until 2030, the savings would be 40.8 million Int$. Finally, in the scenario of a 6.7% reduction in the prevalence of overweight observed in 2019 (to be achieved gradually until 2030), 74.1 million Int$ would be saved. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the high economic burden of overweight in the Brazilian adult population.

Characterization of Heat Diffusion Properties of Rubberized Two-Layer Systems Using Open Photoacoustic Cell Spectroscopy.

We applied the open photoacoustic cell method operating at high frequency as an efficient and highly precise tool for the measurement of thermal properties of rubberized two-layer systems. The heat-coupling between the two layers is treated using the analogy between thermal and electrical resistances widely used in heat transfer problems. The thermal resistance between the two layers is considered effective and the problem is decoupled for each layer. Measurements are performed in two-layer samples of aluminum foil coated with layers of rubberized paint with different thicknesses. Thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity are determined for the paint. The results are retrieved from the thermal resistance model assuming the effective thermal diffusivity of the composite material.

Effect of the addition of chia's by-product on the composition of fatty acids in hamburgers through chemometric methods.

BACKGROUND: Hamburger is a meat-based food that is easy to prepare and is widely consumed. It can be enriched using different ingredients, such as chia's by-product, which is rich in omega-3. Chemometrics is a very interesting tool to assess the influence of ingredients in the composition of foods. A complete factorial design 2(2) (two factors in two levels) with duplicate was performed to investigate the influence of the factors (1) concentration of textured soy proteins (TSP) and (2) concentration of chia flour partially defatted (CFPD) as a partial replacement for the bovine meat and porcine fat mix in hamburgers. RESULTS: The results of proximal composition, lipid oxidation, fatty acids sums, ratios, and nutritional indexes were used to propose statistical models. The factors TSP and CFPD were significant, and the increased values contributed to improve the composition in fatty acids, crude protein, and ash. Principal components analysis distinguished the samples with a higher content of chia. In desirability analysis, the highest level of TSP and CFPD was described as the optimal region, and it was not necessary to make another experimental point. CONCLUSION: The addition of chia's by-product is an alternative to increase the α-linolenic contents and to obtain nutritionally balanced food.

Development of a green chromatographic method for determination of fat-soluble vitamins in food and pharmaceutical supplement.

A green chromatographic analytical method for determination of fat-soluble vitamins (A, E, D3 and K1) in food and pharmaceutical supplement samples is proposed. The method is based on the modification of a C18 column with a 3.00% (w/v) sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) aqueous solution at pH 7 (0.02 mol L(-1) phosphate buffer solution) and in the usage of the same surfactant solution as mobile phase with the presence of 15.0% (v/v) butyl alcohol as an organic solvent modifier. After the separation process, the vitamins are detected at 230 nm (K1, D3 and E), 280 nm (A, E, D3 and K1) and 300 nm (K1, D3 and E). The chromatographic procedure yielded precise results (better than 5%) and is able to run one sample in 25 min, consuming 1.5 g of SDS, 90 mg of phosphate and 7.5 mL of butyl alcohol. When the flow rate of the mobile phase is 2 mL min(-1) the retention times are 4.0, 9.6, 13.0 and 22.7 min for D3, A, E and K1 vitamins, respectively; and all peak resolutions are higher than 2. The analytical curves present the following linear equations: area=6290+34852 (vitamin A), R2=0.9998; area=4092+36333 (vitamin E), R2=0.9997; area=-794+30382 (vitamin D3) R2=0.9998 and area=-7175+82621 (vitamin K1), R2=0.9996. The limits of detection and quantification for vitamins A, E, D(3) and K(1) were estimated for a test pharmaceutical vitamin supplement sample as 0.81, 1.12, 0.91 and 0.83 mg L(-1) and 2.43, 3.36, 2.73 and 2.49, respectively. When the proposed method was applied to food and pharmaceutical sample analysis, precise results were obtained (R.S.D.<5% and n=3) and in agreement with those obtained by using the classical chromatographic method that uses methanol and acetonitrile as mobile phase. Here, the traditional usage of toxic organic solvent as mobile phase is avoided, which permits to classify the present method as green.

Trans fatty acid-forming processes in foods: a review.

There is a mounting concern about the intake of foods containing trans fatty acids (TFA) due to their deleterious effects on human health, mainly on the cardiovascular system. In this way, it is important to consider the processes that form TFA in foods, and the alternatives to minimize them. Among the processes that result in the formation of TFA, the hydrogenation of vegetable oils stands out for its impact on the diet of people living in industrialized countries. Other processes such as edible oil refining, meat irradiation, food frying, and biohydrogenation also contribute to increase the daily intake of TFA.

Trans fatty acid-forming processes in foods: a review

There is a mounting concern about the intake of foods containing trans fatty acids (TFA) due to their deleterious effects on human health, mainly on the cardiovascular system. In this way, it is important to consider the processes that form TFA in foods, and the alternatives to minimize them. Among the processes that result in the formation of TFA, the hydrogenation of vegetable oils stands out for its impact on the diet of people living in industrialized countries. Other processes such as edible oil refining, meat irradiation, food frying, and biohydrogenation also contribute to increase the daily intake of TFA.

Existe uma crescente preocupação em relação a ingestão elevada de ácidos graxos trans (AGT), devido aos seus efeitos desfavoráveis à saúde, principalmente sobre o sistema cardiovascular. Assim, é importante considerar os processos queoriginam os AGT nos alimentos, e as alternativas para minimizar a sua formação. Entre os processos que resultam na produção de AGT, a hidrogenação de óleos vegetais tem recebido o maior destaque por seu impacto na dieta de pessoas que vivem em países industrializados. Outros processos, como o refino de óleos vegetais, a irradiação de carnes, o preparo de alimentos fritos e a bio-hidrogenação, também contribuem para aumentar a ingestão diária de AGT.

Correlation of animal diet and fatty acid content in young goat meat by gas chromatography and chemometrics.

The meat fatty acids (FA) profiles of caprines submitted to different dietary treatments were determined by gas chromatography. The data were treated by Chemometrics to consider all variables together. The contents of saturated FA (SFA), monounsaturated FA (MUFA), polyunsaturated FA (PUFA), omega-3 (n-3) FA, and omega-6 (n-6) FA in 32 samples were analyzed. PUFA:SFA and n-6:n-3 ratios were also considered. The multivariate methods of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to analyze the experimental results. HCA can group samples according to their basic composition, and PCA can explain the relationship among the dietary treatments according to the meat fatty acid composition. Treatment 1 presented the highest n-6 FA concentration, PUFA:SFA, and n-6:n-3 ratios, and the lowest MUFA and n-3 concentrations. Opposite results were observed for treatment 4. Treatments 2 and 3 were highly similar with differences mainly in SFA and MUFA concentrations.

Urodynamic findings in men operated on for an undescended testicle.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that men with a history of undescended testicle have voiding problems similar to those in rodents exposed to excessive amounts of oestrogens during development, although the role of oestrogen in the failure of the human testicle to descend remains controversial. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirteen men (mean age 45 years) previously operated on for an undescended testicle (testis-retention, TR group) and 12 age-matched men operated on for inguinal hernia or appendicitis (control group) participated in a urodynamic examination, transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) of the prostate, and blood tests for hormones and prostate-specific protein. They also completed a questionnaire on urinary symptoms. RESULTS: The free maximum flow rate was significantly lower and the detrusor pressure at maximum flow (P(det)Q(max)) slightly higher in the TR than the control group. Three men in the TR group (and none of the controls) had bladder outlet obstruction (BOO), whereas voiding was not obstructed among 11 control men (and five men in the TR group). The hormone concentrations of the groups did not differ significantly but the prostates were significantly smaller in the TR group. The testosterone concentrations and the ratio between 17beta-oestradiol (E2) and free testosterone (E2/fT) influenced prostate size significantly. An exploratory analysis suggested that E2/fT may influence the maximum detrusor pressure and P(det)Q(max). CONCLUSION: Men born with an undescended testicle had smaller prostates but more often had BOO than did the controls. The results suggest that an imbalance between the actions of oestrogen and testosterone may influence the initiation and continuance of BOO among cryptorchid men.

Cholesterol and fatty acids profile of Brazilian commercial chicken giblets

This study was carried out to determine the chemical composition, cholesterol contents and fatty acids profile of Brazilian commercial chicken giblets. The analysis were performed in gizzard, liver and heart in natura and also in cooked gizzard, fried liver and roasted heart. Fat and cholesterol contents ranged from 0.88 and 72.68 mg/100 g, in cooked gizzard, to 22.19 and 213.18 mg/100 g, in roasted heart. As the fat content gets higher, so does the cholesterol content. Palmitic (C16:0) and stearic acids (C18:0) were the predominant saturated fatty acids (SFA). The C16:0 ranged from 6.39 in cooked gizzard to 18.51 in fried liver. The C18:0 level ranged from 6.62 in roasted heart to 19.19 in cooked gizzard. Linoleic acid (C18:2 omega 6) was the predominant polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). The data revealed that the three different analysed giblets presented a good PUFA/SFA ratio, with values of 1.11, 1.14 and 1.40 for cooked gizzard, fried liver and roasted heart, respectively.

An approach to educating residents about palliative care and clinical ethics.

Despite interest in end-of-life educational efforts, attitudinal barriers still thwart the integration of palliative care into medical education. The authors present their experience introducing a graduate medical education program in ethics and palliative care at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Through this initiative the authors sought to enhance residents' knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for effective palliative care. Residents were targeted because they are in a unique stage of their training; while they have mastered many basic clinical skills they remain open to educational experiences that might alter their lifelong practice patterns. Course material was based upon the residents' experiences. Using their case histories interested them as adult learners and validated the importance of the subject matter. Seminar themes included professionalism, the physician facing death, ethical, legal, cross-cultural, and religious issues at the end of life, and pain and symptom management. The program provided a valuable educational forum for residents to give voice to their reflections and receive supportive feedback from peers and faculty. Building upon the residents' own clinical experiences with end-of-life care effectively engaged their interest and provided much-needed instruction in this evolving area of study.

Persistent organochlorine pesticide residues in water, sediments and water Hyacinth Eichornia crassipes from the floodplain of high Paraná river, Porto Rico region, Brazil

Residues of organochlorine pesticides have been monitored in water, in the water hyacinth Eichhomia crassipes and in the sediments of three subsystems of the high Paraná river, during the period of August 1992 to August 1994. The Baia river-Guaraná lake subsystem presented the greatest content and frequency of contamination by organochlorines. Also, sediments in this subsystem have shown higher levels of contamination than water and water hyacinth. The pesticides detected in higher concentration in these subsystems were HCH, aldrin, heptachlor, ensosulfan, p.pï-DDE and p.p'-DDT

Antialgal substances for iodine-disinfected swimming pools.

Forty substances were tested for antialgal activity against Chlorella pyrenoidosa (Wis. 2005) and Phormidium inundatum (Wis. 1093). C. pyrenoidosa exhibited greater resistance to adverse effects of test compounds than did P. inundatum. Although several structurally unrelated compounds were inhibitory to both alga species, even at an initial concentration of 1.0 mg/liter, methylthio-s-triazines, ametryne, prometryne, and terbutryne, at 0.1 mg/liter, restricted growth to less than 25% of control (untreated) cultures. The methylthio-s-triazines were virtually chemically unreactive with free iodine. Inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus by free iodine dosages of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0 mg/liter was unaffected by the presence of 2.0 mg of terbutryne per liter.

Estimation of growth rate from the mitotic index.

The growth rate of a eukaryotic population dividing at a constant rate can be estimated from the equation, t(m)/g ln 2 = ln (1 + R), in which t(m) is the time required for mitosis, g is the generation time, and R is the fraction of cells undergoing mitosis. Values for t(m) and R can be determined by direct microscope examination of the population. The validity of the derived equation has been checked with an exponentially growing culture of a prokaryote, Escherichia coli, in which chloramphenicol was administered to inhibit protein synthesis. Cells having enough protein completed the division process whereas the rest of the population was inhibited. From the plot of the growth curve before and after administration of chloramphenicol, t(m) and R were estimated. The calculated and actual growth rates were almost identical.