Patterns of food acquisition in Brazilian households and associated factors: a population-based survey

Objective: To identify food acquisition patterns in Brazil and relate them to the sociodemographic characteristics of the household. Design: A cross-sectional national Household Budget Survey (HBS). Principal component factor analysis was used to derive food patterns (factors) on the basis of the acquisition of food classified into thirty-two food groups. Setting: The source of data originates from the 2002-2003 HBS carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics between June 2002 and July 2003 using a representative sample of all Brazilian households. Subject: A total of 48 470 households allocated into 443 strata of households that were geographically and socio-economically homogeneous as a study unit. Results: We identified two patterns of food acquisition. The first, named `dual`, was characterized by dairy, fruit, fruit juice, vegetables, processed meat, soft drinks, sweets, bread and margarine, and by inverse correlations with Brazilian staple foods. In contrast, the second pattern, named `traditional`, was characterized by rice, beans, manioc, flour, milk and sugar. The `dual` pattern was associated with higher household educational level, income and the average age of adults on the strata, whereas the `traditional` presented higher loadings in less-educated households and in the rural setting. Conclusions: Dietary patterns described here suggest that policies and programmes to promote healthy eating need to consider that healthy and non-healthy foods may be integral in the same pattern.

Pulp tissue from primary teeth: new source of stem cells

SHED (stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth) represent a population of postnatal stem cells capable of extensive proliferation and multipotential differentiation. Primary teeth may be an ideal source of postnatal stem cells to regenerate tooth structures and bone, and possibly to treat neural tissue injury or degenerative diseases. SHED are highly proliferative cells derived from an accessible tissue source, and therefore hold potential for providing enough cells for clinical applications. In this review, we describe the current knowledge about dental pulp stem cells and discuss tissue engineering approaches that use SHED to replace irreversibly inflamed or necrotic pulps with a healthy and functionally competent tissue that is capable of forming new dentin.

Consumo alimentar e ecologia de populações ribeirinhas em dois ecossistemas amazônicos: um estudo comparativo

OBJETIVO: Este artigo analisa e compara os dados de consumo alimentar de duas populações ribeirinhas da Amazônia vivendo em ecossistemas contrastantes de floresta tropical: a várzea estacional e a floresta de terra firme. MÉTODOS: Foi estudado o consumo alimentar de 11 unidades domésticas na várzea (Ilha de Ituqui, Município de Santarém) e 17 na terra firme (Floresta Nacional de Caxiuanã, Municípios de Melgaço e Portel). O método utilizado foi o recordatório de 24 horas. As análises estatísticas foram executadas com o auxílio do programa Statistical Package for Social Sciences 12.0. RESULTADOS: Em ambos os ecossistemas, os resultados confirmam a centralidade do pescado e da mandioca na dieta local. Porém, a contribuição de outros itens alimentares secundários, tais como o açaí (em Caxiuanã) e o leite in natura (em Ituqui), também foi significante. Além disso, o açúcar revelou ser uma fonte de energia confiável para enfrentar as flutuações sazonais dos recursos naturais. Parece haver ainda uma maior contribuição energética dos peixes para a dieta de Ituqui, provavelmente em função da maior produtividade dos rios e lagos da várzea em relação à terra firme. Por fim, Ituqui revelou uma maior dependência de itens alimentares comprados, enquanto Caxiuanã mostrou estar ainda bastante vinculada à agricultura e às redes locais de troca. CONCLUSÃO: Além dos resultados confirmarem a importância do pescado e da mandioca, também mostraram que produtos industrializados, como o açúcar, têm um papel importante nas dietas, podendo apontar para tendências no consumo alimentar relacionadas com a atual transição nutricional e com a erosão, em diferentes níveis, dos sistemas de subsistência locais.

ScriptLattes: an open-source knowledge extraction system from the Lattes platform

The Lattes platform is the major scientific information system maintained by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). This platform allows to manage the curricular information of researchers and institutions working in Brazil based on the so called Lattes Curriculum. However, the public information is individually available for each researcher, not providing the automatic creation of reports of several scientific productions for research groups. It is thus difficult to extract and to summarize useful knowledge for medium to large size groups of researchers. This paper describes the design, implementation and experiences with scriptLattes: an open-source system to create academic reports of groups based on curricula of the Lattes Database. The scriptLattes system is composed by the following modules: (a) data selection, (b) data preprocessing, (c) redundancy treatment, (d) collaboration graph generation among group members, (e) research map generation based on geographical information, and (f) automatic report creation of bibliographical, technical and artistic production, and academic supervisions. The system has been extensively tested for a large variety of research groups of Brazilian institutions, and the generated reports have shown an alternative to easily extract knowledge from data in the context of Lattes platform. The source code, usage instructions and examples are available at http://scriptlattes.sourceforge.net/.

Synthesis of Fe/Ti oxides from a single source alkoxide precursor under inert atmosphere

The heterometal alkoxide [FeCl{Ti2(OPr i)9}] (1) was employed as a single source precursor for the preparation of Fe/Ti oxides under inert atmosphere. Three different synthetic procedures were adopted in the processing of 1, either employing aqueous HNO3 or HCl solutions, or in the absence of mineral acids. Products were characterised by powder X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) and Raman, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Mössbauer spectroscopies. Oxide products contained titanium(IV) and either iron(III) or iron(II), depending on reaction conditions and thermal treatment temperatures. An interesting iron(III)→iron(II) reduction was observed at 1000 ºC in the HNO3-containing system, leading to the detection of ilmenite (FeTiO3). SEM/EDS studies revealed a highly heterogeneous metal distribution in all products, possibly related to the presence of a significant content of carbon and of structural defects (oxygen vacancies) in the solids.

Porcine skin as a source of biodegradable matrices: alkaline treatment and glutaraldehyde crosslinking

In this work, the modifications promoted by alkaline hydrolysis and glutaraldehyde (GA) crosslinking on type I collagen found in porcine skin have been studied. Collagen matrices were obtained from the alkaline hydrolysis of porcine skin, with subsequent GA crosslinking in different concentrations and reaction times. The elastin content determination showed that independent of the treatment, elastin was present in the matrices. Results obtained from in vitro trypsin degradation indicated that with the increase of GA concentration and reaction time, the degradation rate decreased. From thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry analysis it can be observed that the collagen in the matrices becomes more resistant to thermal degradation as a consequence of the increasing crosslink degree. Scanning electron microscopy analysis indicated that after the GA crosslinking, collagen fibers become more organized and well-defined. Therefore, the preparations of porcine skin matrices with different degradation rates, which can be used in soft tissue reconstruction, are viable.

HPLC microfractionation of flavones and antioxidant (radical scavenging) activity of Saccharum officinarum L.

The antioxidant activity of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) juice towards DPPH reagent was determined (EC50) and the main compounds with radical scavenging activity in juice and leaves extracts were identified by HPLC-UV/PAD analysis combined with HPLC microfractionation monitored by TLC using β-carotene and DPPH as the detection reagents. In sugarcane leaves, luteolin-8-C-(rhamnosylglucoside) (1) was the most important compound with radical scavenging activity; in sugarcane juice, the flavones diosmetin-8-C-glucoside (2), vitexin (3) schaftoside (9), isoschaftoside (10) and 4',5'-dimethyl-luteolin-8-C-glucoside (11) were the most relevant compounds. The content of juice flavonoids (0.241 ± 0.001 mg total flavonoids/mL juice), comparable to other food sources of flavonoids, suggest the potential of sugarcane as a dietary source of natural antioxidants. However, the low antioxidant ability of sugarcane juice (EC50 = 100.2 ± 2.6 g L-1) also points to the need for further studies about the dietary intake of sugarcane flavonoids and its effects on human health.

Quantification and source identification of atmospheric particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their dry deposition fluxes at three sites in Salvador Basin, Brazil, impacted by mobile and stationary sources

The present work has aimed to determine the 16 US EPA priority PAH atmospheric particulate matter levels present in three sites around Salvador, Bahia: (i) Lapa bus station, strongly impacted by heavy-duty diesel vehicles; (ii) Aratu harbor, impacted by an intense movement of goods, and (iii) Bananeira village on Maré Island, a non vehicle-influenced site with activities such as handcraft work and fisheries. Results indicated that BbF (0.130-6.85 ng m-3) is the PAH with highest concentration in samples from Aratu harbor and Bananeira and CRY (0.075-6.85 ng m-3) presented higher concentrations at Lapa station. PAH sources from studied sites were mainly of anthropogenic origin such as gasoline-fueled light-duty vehicles and diesel-fueled heavy-duty vehicles, discharges in the port, diesel burning from ships, dust ressuspension, indoor soot from cooking, and coal and wood combustion for energy production.

Knoop microhardness and FT-Raman evaluation of composite resins: influence of opacity and photoactivation source

The aim of this study was to evaluate the degree of conversion by Knoop microhardness (KHN) and FT-Raman spectroscopy (FTIR) of one nanofilled (Filtek Supreme-3M-ESPE [FS]) and one microhybrid composite (Charisma-Heraeus-Kulzer [CH]), each with different opacities, namely enamel, dentin, and translucent, which were photo-activated by a quartz-tungsten-halogen lamp (QTH) and a light-emitting diode (LED). Resin was bulk inserted into a disc-shaped mold that was 2.0 mm thick and 4 mm in diameter, obtaining 10 samples per group. KHN and FTIR values were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey's tests (α = 0.05). Nanofilled resin activated by a LED presented higher microhardness values than samples activated by a QTH for dentin opacity (p < 0.05). The microhybrid resin showed no differences in KHN or FTIR values with different activation sources or opacity. The nanofilled dentin and enamel resins showed lower FTIR values than the translucent resin. The KHN values of the translucent resins were not influenced by the light source.

Validation of a food frequency questionnaire to assess the consumption of carotenoids, fruits and vegetables among adolescents: the method of triads

The aim of this study was to validate the intake of carotenoids, fruits and vegetables estimated by the Food Frequency Questionnaire for Adolescents (FFQA) using the method of triads. Blood samples were collected from 80 elementary school adolescents to assess serum levels of β-carotene. Partial correlation coefficients (r) were calculated between an estimated intake of carotenoids, fruits and vegetables and the serum levels of β-carotene. Validity coefficients were calculated using the method of triads. With the exception of carotenoids, partial r from the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) were greater than those of the 24-hour recall (24hR). The fruit/vegetable group showed the highest partial r for the FFQ (r = 0.235) and the 24hR (r = 0.137). The highest validity coefficient was obtained for the vegetable group, as assessed by the FFQ (r = 0.873). On average, the validity coefficient values for the FFQ were greater than those obtained for the 24hR or the β-carotene serum levels. The FFQA is an accurate tool for estimating the intake of carotenoids, fruits and vegetables in this population group.

Assessing the validity of a food frequency questionnaire among low-income women in São Paulo, southeastern Brazil

This study describes the validity of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) in 93 low-income women (20-65 years), participating in a case-control study in São Paulo, Brazil. Two FFQ (FFQ1 and FFQ2, 12 months apart) and three 24-hour dietary recalls (24hR) were conducted between 2003 and 2004 to estimate dietary intake during the past year. The Pearson correlation coefficients (crude, energy-adjusted and de-attenuated) were used for comparisons between FFQ and 24hR. The agreement between the methods was further examined by the Bland-Altman analysis. For the assessment of long-term reliability, the energy-adjusted intra-class correlation coefficients were mostly around 0.40, but higher for vitamin A and folate (0.50-0.56). Energy-adjusted, attenuation-corrected Pearson validity correlations between FFQ and DR ranged from 0.30-0.54 for macronutrients to 0.20-0.48 for micronutrients, with higher value for calcium (0.75). There were small proportions of grossly misclassified nutrient intakes, while Bland-Altman plots indicated that the FFQ is accurate in assessing nutrient intake at a group level.

Consumo alimentar e doença macrovascular em nipo-brasileiros: um estudo transversal

OBJETIVO: Descrever o hábito alimentar de nipo-brasileiros com e sem doença macrovascular (DMV). MÉTODOS: Definiu-se DMV, para 1.165 nipo-brasileiros, a partir de escores atribuídos ao histórico de saúde, eletrocardiograma e valores do índice tornozelo-braquial. Determinou-se o consumo alimentar habitual por meio de Questionário de Frequência do Consumo de Alimentos. RESULTADOS: A porcentagem de casos confirmados com DMV foi de 3,2%, sendo semelhante entre os sexos. Observou-se, de forma estatisticamente significante, maior frequência de indivíduos com DMV (confirmados ou suspeitos) entre aqueles de primeira geração, com idade > 60 anos, tabagistas, com hipertensão arterial, hipertrigliceridemia e diabetes. Nipo-brasileiros com DMV (confirmados ou suspeitos) apresentaram menor perímetro do quadril e maior idade, pressão arterial sistólica, triglicérides, glicemia, consumo de alimentos fonte de ferro e menor fonte de fibras de grãos. Encontrou-se diferença estatisticamente significante apenas para o consumo de gordura saturada (análise bruta: segundo terço versus primeiro terço). CONCLUSÕES: programas de educação nutricional devem ser incentivados neste grupo com alta prevalência de doenças crônicas não transmissíveis.

Frequência à creche e estado nutricional de pré-escolares: uma revisão sistemática

OBJETIVO: Descrever e comparar estudos longitudinais que permitam inferir sobre a influência da creche no estado nutricional de crianças pré-escolares. FONTES DE DADOS: Revisão sistemática de trabalhos científicos publicados entre janeiro de 1990 e dezembro de 2008. Buscaram-se os estudos nas seguintes bases de dados: Lilacs, Scielo e PubMed. Realizou-se também pesquisa manual dos artigos referenciados. A busca ocorreu no período de março de 2008 a junho de 2009, e os descritores utilizados foram: "creche", "estado nutricional", "antropometria", "consumo alimentar", "anemia" e "alimentação escolar". SÍNTESE DOS DADOS: Na primeira etapa do estudo, obtiveram-se 78 artigos, mas somente sete puderam ser incluídos. Os outros 71 não apresentaram dados para contribuir com o objetivo específico deste estudo. Entre os artigos pesquisados na literatura, existem poucos que permitem inferir sobre a influência que a creche pode ter em relação ao estado nutricional de pré-escolares. Contudo, estudos longitudinais têm mostrado a relação causal entre a presença frequente da criança na creche e a melhoria do estado nutricional. CONCLUSÕES: Existe uma relação positiva entre a frequência da criança na creche e a melhoria do estado nutricional.

Influence of food components on lipid metabolism: scenarios and perspective on the control and prevention of dyslipidemias

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the main causes of death in the Western world. Among the risk factors that are modifiable by diet, for reducing cardiovascular disease risks, the total plasma concentrations of cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-C, and HDL-C are the most important. Dietary measures can balance these components of the lipid profile thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The main food components that affect the lipid profile and can be modified by diet are the saturated and trans fats, unsaturated fats, cholesterol, phytosterols, plant protein, and soluble fiber. A wealth of evidence suggests that saturated and trans fats and cholesterol in the diet raise the total plasma cholesterol and LDL-C. Trans fats also reduce HDL-C, an important lipoprotein for mediating the reverse cholesterol transport. On the other hand, phytosterols, plant proteins, isoflavones, and soluble fiber are protective diet factors against cardiovascular diseases by modulating plasma lipoprotein levels. These food components at certain concentrations are able to reduce the total cholesterol, TG, and LDL-C and raise the plasma levels of HDL-C. Therefore, diet is an important tool for the prevention and control of cardiovascular diseases, and should be taken into account as a whole, i.e., not only the food components that modulate plasma concentrations of lipoproteins, but also the diet content of macro nutrients and micronutrients should be considered.