Geohelminth Infections among Pregnant Women in Rural Western Kenya; a Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Geohelminth infections are common in rural western Kenya, but risk factors and effects among pregnant women are not clear.

Methodology

During a community-based cross-sectional survey, pregnant women were interviewed and asked to provide a blood sample and a single fecal sample. Hemoglobin was measured and a blood slide examined for malaria. Geohelminth infections were identified using the concentration and Kato-Katz method.

Results

Among 390 participants who provided a stool sample, 76.2% were infected with at least one geohelminth: 52.3% with Ascaris lumbricoides, 39.5% with hookworm, and 29.0% with Trichuris trichiura. Infection with at least one geohelminth species was associated with the use of an unprotected water source (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1–3.0) and the lack of treatment of drinking water (AOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–3.1). Geohelminth infections were not associated with clinical symptoms, or low body mass index. A hookworm infection was associated with a lower mid upper arm circumference (adjusted mean decrease 0.7 cm, 95% CI 0.3–1.2 cm). Hookworm infections with an egg count ≥1000/gram feces (11 women) were associated with lower hemoglobin (adjusted mean decrease 1.5 g/dl, 95% CI 0.3–2.7). Among gravidae 2 and 3, women with A. lumbricoides were less likely to have malaria parasitemia (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2–0.8) compared to women without A. lumbricoides, unlike other gravidity groups.

Conclusion

Geohelminth infections are common in this pregnant population; however, there were few observed detrimental effects. Routine provision of antihelminth treatment during an antenatal clinic visit is recommended, but in this area an evaluation of the impact on pregnancy, malaria, and birth outcome is useful.     

Reductions in the Prevalence and Incidence of Geohelminth Infections following a City-wide Sanitation Program in a Brazilian Urban Centre

Objective

In the city of Salvador, a large urban centre in Northeast Brazil, a city-wide sanitation intervention started in 1997, aimed at improving the sewerage coverage of households from 26% to 80%. Our aim was to study the impact of the intervention on the prevalence and incidence of geohelminths in the school-aged population.

Methods

The study comprised two comparable cohorts: the first assembled in 1997, before the intervention, and the second assembled in 2003, after the intervention. Both were sampled from 24 sentinel areas chosen to represent the different environmental conditions throughout the city. Copro-parasitological examinations were carried out on every individual from both cohorts, at baseline and nine months later. Demographic, socio-economic, and environmental data were collected using semi-structured questionnaires and environmental surveys. A hierarchical modelling approach fitting a sequence of Poisson multivariate linear models was undertaken to test the effect of the intervention variables on the prevalence and incidence rate ratios.

Findings

729 and 890 children aged 7–14 years (mean = 10.4 y, SD = 0.05 y) were analysed over the first and the second cohorts, respectively. The adjusted reductions of the prevalence and incidence rates at the second in relation to the first cohort were 27% and 34%, 25% and 32%, 33% and 26%, and 82% and 42% for geohelminths overall, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and hookworm, respectively. Hierarchical modelling showed that a major part of each of these reductions was explained by the intervention.

Conclusion

Our results show that a city-wide sanitation program may reduce significantly the prevalence and incidence of geohelminths.     

Micronutrient Deficiencies and Plasmodium vivax Malaria among Children in the Brazilian Amazon

Background

There is a growing body of evidence linking micronutrient deficiencies and malaria incidence arising mostly from P. falciparum endemic areas. We assessed the impact of micronutrient deficiencies on malaria incidence and vice versa in the Brazilian state of Amazonas.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We evaluated children <10 years old living in rural communities in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, from May 2010 to May 2011. All children were assessed for sociodemographic, anthropometric and laboratory parameters, including vitamin A, beta-carotene, zinc and iron serum levels at the beginning of the study (May 2010) and one year later (May 2011). Children were followed in between using passive surveillance for detection of symptomatic malaria. Those living in the study area at the completion of the observation period were reassessed for micronutrient levels. Univariate Cox-proportional Hazards models were used to assess whether micronutrient deficiencies had an impact on time to first P. vivax malaria episode. We included 95 children median age 4.8 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 2.3–6.6), mostly males (60.0%) and with high maternal illiteracy (72.6%). Vitamin A deficiencies were found in 36% of children, beta-carotene deficiency in 63%, zinc deficiency in 61% and iron deficiency in 51%. Most children (80%) had at least one intestinal parasite. During follow-up, 16 cases of vivax malaria were diagnosed amongst 13 individuals. Micronutrient deficiencies were not associated with increased malaria incidence: vitamin A deficiency [Hazard ratio (HR): 1.51; P-value: 0.45]; beta-carotene [HR: 0.47; P-value: 0.19]; zinc [HR: 1.41; P-value: 0.57] and iron [HR: 2.31; P-value: 0.16]). Upon reevaluation, children with al least one episode of malaria did not present significant changes in micronutrient levels.

Conclusion

Micronutrient serum levels were not associated with a higher malaria incidence nor the malaria episode influenced micronutrient levels. Future studies targeting larger populations to assess micronutrients levels in P. vivax endemic areas are warranted in order to validate these results.     

反复呼吸道感染患儿的微生态研究

反复呼吸道感染（ＲＲＩ）在幼儿中较为常见。本文对４０例ＲＲＩ患儿口咽部菌群进行了定性、定量、定位检测。结果表明,需氧菌细菌群密度为２．１６３５±０．５０４７。３２例分离出两种以上需氧菌、以奈瑟氏菌和肺炎链球菌为多见,共检出９种需氧菌,７０株,６种厌氧菌,３９株。药敏试验表明,几种致病菌对青霉素等抗生素较敏感,而对红霉素、庆大霉素敏感率较低。     

北京市方庄地区儿童全血微量营养素含量检测结果分析

目的:通过分析北京市方庄地区儿童全血微量营养素的含量及影响因素,研究探讨微量营养素缺乏的防治措施。方法:2011年1月至12月北京中医药大学东方医院儿科门诊1887例健康体检儿童,收集末梢血,采用原子吸收光谱仪检测全血5种微量营养素铜、锌、钙、镁、铁的含量,并从性别、年龄、季节(月份)方面进行比较分析。结果:全血5种微量营养素含量无性别差异(P0.05),但存在季节差异,4-6月铜、锌含量降低;7-9月钙、镁含量降低;10-12月铁含量降低(P0.05)。全血锌、铁含量存在年龄差异,婴幼儿最低(P0.05)。1887例儿童中,缺乏较多的元素依次为铁(38.8%)、钙(22.3%)、锌(12.8%),其中,4-7岁(17.0%)、7-12岁(21.5%)年龄段组以锌缺乏居多。1岁以内(51.2%)、1-3岁(44.6%)年龄段组以铁缺乏居多。全血铜、锌、钙、铁缺乏无性别差异(P0.05)。全血5种微量营养素缺乏存在季节差异,1-3月镁缺乏明显,4-6月铜、锌缺乏明显,10-12月钙、铁缺乏明显(P0.05)。结论:北京市方庄地区儿童主要存在锌、钙、铁的缺乏,以秋冬季及初春明显。其中婴幼儿以铁缺乏为主,学龄前期及学龄期儿童以锌缺乏为主。应加强对此地区儿童的营养宣教和饮食指导。     

Aerobic Fitness,Micronutrient Status,and Academic Achievement in Indian School-Aged Children

Aerobic fitness has been shown to have several beneficial effects on child health. However, research on its relationship with academic performance has been limited, particularly in developing countries and among undernourished populations. This study examined the association between aerobic fitness and academic achievement in clinically healthy but nutritionally compromised Indian school-aged children and assessed whether micronutrient status affects this association. 273 participants, aged 7 to 10.5 years, were enrolled from three primary schools in Bangalore, India. Data on participants’ aerobic fitness (20-m shuttle test), demographics, anthropometry, diet, physical activity, and micronutrient status were abstracted. School-wide exam scores in mathematics and Kannada language served as indicators of academic performance and were standardized by grade level. The strength of the fitness/achievement association was analyzed using Spearman’s rank correlation, multiple variable logistic regression, and multi-level models. Significant positive correlations between aerobic capacity (VO2 peak) and academic scores in math and Kannada were observed (P < 0.05). After standardizing scores across grade levels and adjusting for school, gender, socioeconomic status, and weight status (BMI Z-score), children with greater aerobic capacities (mL * kg-1 * min-1) had greater odds of scoring above average on math and Kannada exams (OR=1.08, 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.15 and OR=1.11, 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.18, respectively). This association remained significant after adjusting for micronutrient deficiencies. These findings provide preliminary evidence of a fitness/achievement association in Indian children. While the mechanisms by which aerobic fitness may be linked to academic achievement require further investigation, the results suggest that educators and policymakers should consider the adequacy of opportunities for physical activity and fitness in schools for both their physical and potential academic benefits.     

Infections in Children Admitted with Complicated Severe Acute Malnutrition in Niger

Background

Although malnutrition affects thousands of children throughout the Sahel each year and predisposes them to infections, there is little data on the etiology of infections in these populations. We present a clinical and biological characterization of infections in hospitalized children with complicated severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in Maradi, Niger.

Methods

Children with complicated SAM hospitalized in the intensive care unit of a therapeutic feeding center, with no antibiotics in the previous 7 days, were included. A clinical examination, blood, urine and stool cultures, and chest radiography were performed systematically on admission.

Results

Among the 311 children included in the study, gastroenteritis was the most frequent clinical diagnosis on admission, followed by respiratory tract infections and malaria. Blood or urine culture was positive in 17% and 16% of cases, respectively, and 36% had abnormal chest radiography. Enterobacteria were sensitive to most antibiotics, except amoxicillin and cotrimoxazole. Twenty-nine (9%) children died, most frequently from sepsis. Clinical signs were poor indicators of infection and initial diagnoses correlated poorly with biologically or radiography-confirmed diagnoses.

Conclusions

These data confirm the high level of infections and poor correlation with clinical signs in children with complicated SAM, and provide antibiotic resistance profiles from an area with limited microbiological data. These results contribute unique data to the ongoing debate on the use and choice of broad-spectrum antibiotics as first-line treatment in children with complicated SAM and reinforce the call for an update of international guidelines on management of complicated SAM based on more recent data.     

硒对甲型H1N1流感病毒感染小鼠的保护作用

目的:通过研究硒对流感病毒悬液滴鼻处理的小鼠的体重变化、死亡率、血清硒水平和细胞因子的影响,探讨硒对感染流感病毒小鼠的保护作用。方法:将60只昆明小鼠分为5组,每组12只,分别为缺硒组(0 mg/kg)、正常给硒组(0.2 mg/kg)、补充硒组(0.3 mg/kg)、补充硒组(0.4 mg/kg)、补充硒组(0.5 mg/kg)。给5周龄的小鼠滴鼻接种50μL的A/NWS/33(H1N1)病毒悬液并观察21天,监测每组小鼠的体重变化和死亡率;并在接种病毒后的第3天、第5天,检测小鼠的血清硒、TNF-α和IFN-γ水平。结果:缺硒组小鼠的死亡率高于正常给硒组和补充硒组(P0.05);缺硒组小鼠的血清硒水平明显低于正常给硒组和补充硒组(P0.05);在病毒感染第5天,缺硒组小鼠的TNF-α和IFN-γ含量低于正常给硒组和补充硒组(P0.05),差异均有统计学意义。结论:硒可以提高机体对抗流感病毒的免疫反应。     

The Effects of Periconceptional Risk Factor Exposure and Micronutrient Supplementation on Birth Defects in Shaanxi Province in Western China

Objectives

1) To understand the current prevalence and main types of birth defects, 2) assess the periconceptional exposure of factors associated with birth defects in Shaanxi Province, and 3) provide scientific evidence for local governments to formulate services for the primary prevention of birth defects.

Methods

We sampled 16,541 households from 128 townships in 16 counties/districts in Shaanxi province using a multi-stage random sampling method. Among them, 10,544 women who had live born or stillborn infants with gestational age ≥28 weeks between 2008 and 2009 were interviewed using a structured questionnaire designed to collect information about periconceptional risk factor exposure, health care service utilization, and micronutrient supplements. Logistic regression was performed to assess the risk factors associated with birth defects and adjustments were made for imbalanced social-demographic characteristics between case and control groups.

Results

The prevalence of congenital birth defect in Shaanxi province was 14.3/1000 births. The environment risk factors associated with birth defects include unhealthy lifestyle (Alcohol, odds ratio (OR): 3.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.64−7.91; Smoking, OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 0.99−1.75; Drink strong tea, OR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.27−2.59), exposure to heavy pollution (OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.01−2.30), maternal diseases (OR: 1.77, 95% CI: 1.35−2.33), drug use (OR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.51−2.95), maternal chemical pesticide exposure (OR: 2.30, 95% CI: 1.16−4.57), and adverse pregnancy history (OR: 10.10, 95% CI: 7.55−13.53). Periconceptional folic acid or multiple micronutrients including folic acid supplementation, was associated with a reduced rate of birth defects (OR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.29−0.998).

Conclusions

Health care service utilization, unhealthy lifestyle factors, and environment risk factors seem to be associated with birth defects in Shaanxi province. Governmental agencies should focus on effective primary preventative methods, such as the delivery of periconceptional health education for minimizing potential risk factor exposures, periconceptional folic acid or micronutrient supplementation, environment monitoring, and assessment of factories with high levels of pollution.