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Background/Objectives:Studies evaluating the effect of folic acid supplementation, either alone or in combination with iron, on the linear and ponderal growth of children are practically nonexistent. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of folic acid supplementation with ferrous sulfate on both linear growth and weight gain in anemic and nonanemic children attending Municipal Daycare Centers in Goiania, State of Goias, Brazil.Subjects/Methods:A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was conducted on 188 children aged 6-24 months. The effects of ferrous sulfate and folic acid supplementation were evaluated using the analysis of variance procedure, based on a double factorial model with two factors of fixed effects (folic acid supplementation and ferrous sulfate supplementation), adjusted for initial weight. The level of significance was 0.05.Results:The children who received folic acid supplementation showed greater weight gain than the monthly average weight gain of those not given the supplement (P=0.026). This effect was independent of the dose of ferrous sulfate (P for interaction=0.693). Folic acid supplementation increased the gain of weight-for-age Z-score when compared with the placebo group (P=0.018), independent of the dose of ferrous sulfate.Conclusion:Folic acid had no effect on linear growth. The use of folic acid supplementation increased the monthly average weight gain and the gain in weight-for-age Z-score compared with the placebo group. This effect was independent of the dose of ferrous sulfate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of salinity, plant competition and shading on Phragmites australis and Spartina alterniflora were evaluated in greenhouse incubations of intact wetland sediments collected from natural plant stands. Salinity and competition had significant negative effects on growth of both species. Competition reduced growth of both species, but at higher salinity there was a disproportionately large reduction in P. australis growth compared to S. alterniflora. The result was observed in comparisons of both above ground biomass and underground recoverable reserves. The greater negative effect on growth of P. australis appears to result from its lower tolerance than S. alterniflora, to salinities typical of non-riverine New England salt marshes. Increased shading reduced growth of S. alterniflora at higher salinities, suggesting an additional factor potentially influencing its competition with P. australis. Findings agree with previous studies' suggestions of the importance of interactions between stress tolerance and competition in determining wetlands plant species zonation. Enhancing competition with P. australis may provide another approach for Phragmites control. While current methods typically focus on removal of colonizing stands, parallel introduction of native species, such as S. alterniflora might also be considered, either via favorable habitat creation or through direct transplants, as a potentially means of faster replacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a two-stage approach to nurse scheduling that considers both nurse preferences and hospital constraints. In the auction stage, nurses bid for their preferred working shifts and rest days using “points”. An optimization model awards shifts to the highest bidders insofar as possible while maintaining hospital requirements. In the schedule completion stage, an optimization model allocates the unfilled shifts to nurses who have not yet met their minimum required hours. The approach is demonstrated via a case study in the emergency department at York Hospital. A schedule with a high percentage of awarded bids was generated in a few minutes of computer time. Further experimentation suggests that the approach works well under a variety of conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to characterize the clinical and serological features of a large cohort of patients with antinuclear antibody (ANA) positive undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD). Consecutive patients with UCTD, followed up at the Rheumatology Clinic of the participating centers, were included. Data from these patients were obtained by clinical evaluation and chart review. All patients were diagnosed as having UCTD on basis of the following criteria: positive ANA plus at least one clinical feature of connective tissue disease, but not fulfilling classification criteria for any differentiated connective tissue disease. One hundred eighty-four patients were studied (female patients—94.5%; mean age at time of evaluation—47 years). The most prevalent manifestations were arthralgia (66%), arthritis (32%), Raynaud’s phenomenon (30%), sicca symptoms (30%), and leukopenia (19%). The prevalence of ANA was 100%, anti-SSA 20%, anti-dsDNA 14%, and anti-SSB 7%. Patients with anti-dsDNA/anti-Sm, anticentromere/anti-Scl70, or anti-SSA/anti-SSB antibodies more frequently presented a set of manifestations close to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis, or Sjögren syndrome, respectively. We analyze a large cohort of UCTD. Seventy-two percent of these UCTD patients present lupus-, scleroderma-, or Sjögren-like features but do not fulfill classification criteria and mostly present a mild disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Itacaiunas and Curionopolis viruses were isolated from Culicoides midges in Parauapebas municipality, Pará state, Brazil, in 1984 and 1985, respectively. Itacaiunas virus infected newborn mice and mosquito cells (C6/36), but did not replicate in some mammalian cell lineages; while Curionopolis virus infected only mice. Neither virus showed a serological relationship with any of the 195 known arboviruses circulating in Brazil, nor against 38 other rhabdoviruses isolated worldwide. Both virus particles are bullet-shaped and similar in morphology to that observed for other members of the family Rhabdoviridae. Partial nucleotide sequencing of the N protein showed that those two viruses constitute a separate clade in the family Rhabdoviridae, which we propose to be a new genus, designated Bracorhabdovirus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]