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OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of preterm birth by categories of birth weight, and to obtain an equation to correct the estimates. METHODS: Systematic review of the Brazilian literature published from 1990 to 2012, to identify studies with primary collection of data on birth weight and gestational age. Twelve studies were selected and contributed for tabulations of preterm prevalence according to 100 g birth weight categories. These results were combined using sex-specific fractional polynomial equations and the resulting curves were compared with results from the Live Birth Information System for the years 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2011. RESULTS: For all birth weight categories, preterm prevalence estimates based on primary studies had a higher prevalence than those of the the Live Birth Information System. The prevalence reported by the Live Birth Information System was of 7.2% in 2010, about 38.0% lower than the estimated prevalence of 11.7% obtained with the correctional equation. CONCLUSIONS: Information reported by the Live Birth Information System on preterm prevalence does not reflect the true magnitude of the problem in Brazil, and should not be used without the correction factors proposed in the present analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological studies suggest that glucocorticoid excess in the fetus may contribute to the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. However, the impact of maternal glucocorticoid on the cardiovascular system of the offspring has not been much explored in studies involving humans, especially in childhood. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of maternal cortisol concentrations on child arterial elasticity. One hundred and thirty pregnant women followed from 1997 to 2000, and respective children 5–7 years of age followed from 2004 to 2006 were included in the study. Maternal cortisol was determined in saliva by an enzyme immunoassay utilizing the mean concentration of nine samples of saliva. Arterial elasticity was assessed by the large artery elasticity index (LAEI; the capacitive elasticity of large arteries) by recording radial artery pulse wave, utilizing the equipment HDI/PulseWave CR-2000 Cardiovascular Profiling System®. The nutritional status of the children was determined by the body mass index (BMI). Insulin concentration was assessed by chemiluminescence, and insulin resistance by the homeostasis model assessment. Blood glucose, total cholesterol and fractions (LDL-c and HDL-c) and triglyceride concentrations were determined by automated enzymatic methods. The association between maternal cortisol and child arterial elasticity was assessed by multivariate linear regression analysis. There was a statistically significant association between maternal cortisol and LAEI (P = 0.02), controlling for birth weight, age, BMI and HDL-c of the children. This study suggests that exposure to higher glucocorticoid concentrations in the prenatal period is associated to lower arterial elasticity in childhood, an earlier cardiovascular risk marker. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Revista de Saúde Pública is the property of Faculdade de Educacao da Universidade de Sao Paulo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Saúde Pública is the property of Faculdade de Educacao da Universidade de Sao Paulo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The objectives of this case-control study were to compare the levels of folate in cord and maternal blood of 315 mothers who had intrauterine growth-retarded (IUGR) babies and 321 mothers who had appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) babies, to evaluate the correlation between cord and maternal folate and to assess the prevalence of folate deficiency. Mothers were recruited from the four largest hospitals in Campinas city, south-east Brazil. The gestational ages of the newborns were evaluated by the Capurro method. They were classified as being IUGR according to the Lubchenco birthweight-for-gestational-age standard. Red blood cell (RBC) folate was measured by radio-immunoassay. Slightly more IUGR (25.7%) than AGA babies (19.9%) had cord folate levels ≤ 226.5 nmol/l (100 ng/ml) (p = 0.05) and similar percentages of IUGR (32.1%) and AGA (29.9%) mothers had folate levels ≤ 226.5 nmol/l. Mean cord folate levels in IUGR and AGA babies were 10% higher than mean folate levels in the two groups of mothers (p < 0.001). There were weak correlations between maternal and cord folate in IUGR (r = 0.31) and AGA (r = 0.35) (p < 0.001) mother/baby groups. In this population, 35% of mothers were folatedeficient although it was not associated with IUGR. Nevertheless, it would be important to give Brazilian women folate tablets during pregnancy and to investigate the effect on concentrations of homocysteine and on the prevalence of birth defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a summary of a research study regarding the impact of vitamin A supplementation on anemia of children with vitamin A deficiency from Teresina City, Brazil. The author explains the theoretical basis of the experiment which is that iron deficiency appears to impair vitamin A metabolism, leading to an increase in retinol sequestration to the liver.

The main purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between salivary cortisol concentrations and self-report anxiety in 50 adolescent and 178 non-adolescent women during the last month of pregnancy. The subjects were randomly selected from a previous study involving women who attended antenatal care from September 1997 to August 2000 at 17 health services in Southeast Brazil. Salivary cortisol was measured with an enzyme immunoassay kit, and anxiety was assessed by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventories (STAI) of Spielberger. After saliva collection, the participants completed the STAI. Mean concentrations of cortisol for both pregnant adolescents (14.17 +/- 6.78 nmol/l) and non-adolescents (13.81 +/- 8.51 nmol/l) were similar (P = 0.89). Forty-three percent of the pregnant adolescents and 30.5% of the non-adolescents felt anxious at the time of being questioned (State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) scores >40; P = 0.06). Cortisol concentrations in adolescents were negatively related to the SAI scores (r = -0.39; P = 0.01) which assess a temporary condition of anxiety. There was a statistically significant difference in mean cortisol concentrations between adolescents with low (<=40) and high (>40) SAI scores (P = 0.03, t-test), but no differences for non-adolescents. The negative relationship between salivary cortisol concentrations and anxiety scores in adolescents may be due to puberty-related hormone differences during this period of life. Pregnant adolescents may possess unique biological or psychological characteristics compared to adults and non-pregnant adolescents. Thus, we need to know more about the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis of pregnant adolescents.