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Biomedical subjects

M A Barbieri

Publications and source records attributed to M A Barbieri.

71 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

[Perinatal health: low birth weight and social class].

A survey was carried out in Ribeirão Preto, S. Paulo State, Brazil, between June 1978 and May 1979 with a view to studying the prevalence of low birth weight and its occurrence among different social classes. Data were collected from 8,878 singleton live births in eight maternity hospitals, accounting for 98% of all births in the area. Social classes were determinated by the use of a model proposed by Singer and modified for epidemiological purposes by Barros. Out of the 8,878 births, 660 (7.5%) were of low birth weight. The prevalence of deficient weight at birth (between 2,500 and 2,999 grams) was of 21.1%. Analysis indicated that 50.6% of children with low birth weight were at term and the majority of them suffered form intrauterine growth retardation. The prevalence of low birth weight according to social class was seen to be lower in the bourgeoisie classes (ranging from 2.8% to 3.9%) and higher in working classes (from 7% up to 9.5%). Low birth weight (defined as less than or equal to 2,500 grams) was used for purposes of comparison with other previous surveys. The percentage was lower in this study (8.3%) than that found in the Interamerican Investigation of Mortality in Childhood (8.7%), carried out in 1968-70. No statistically significant differences in the percentage of low birth weight were found in the case of Ribeirão Preto when these two surveys were compared.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

[Perinatal health in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil: distribution of the head circumference measurement of newborn infants].

A sample of 4554 of newborn was used to study the distribution of the head circumference measure shortly after birth. The sample is part of the cohort born in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, from June 1st, 1978 to May 31st, 1979. It was possible to show that such measure follows a normal distribution for both sex (either separately or together) and to calculate 'normality limits' for practical use.

Brazil↗
PubMed1989

[Skull growth in children].

The authors review papers and researches about skull growth in newborns and infants: they analysed and correlated anthropometric data with maternal biological and social factors.

Anthropometry↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The relative strength of weight and length at birth in contrast to social factors as determinants of height at 18 years in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: There is scarce information on the relative importance of measurements at birth and social factors in determining adult height. AIM: To assess the relative contribution of length and weight at birth, and social factors to height at 18 years. METHODS: A total of 3470 boys born in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, in 1978/1979 were reassessed at the time of military conscription. Anthropometric, demographic and social variables were collected concurrently and used in a multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 2029 (61.3%) of the target population were assessed at 18 years. In the adjusted analysis, birth length, birth weight, social class, neighbourhood wealth of subject, maternal age and birth order were highly associated with height at 18 years. The results were similar when birth weight and length at birth were included as continuous or categorical variables. The differences in height due to length at birth were greater than those due to social factors. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated the lasting and greater effect of length and weight at birth on height in comparison to social factors, but social factors are still meaningful in their effects on height. Birth length has a marginal greater effect on final height than birth weight.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Affinity sites for beta-glucuronidase on the surface of human spermatozoa.

Glycosidases secreted by the epididymis become bound to the surface of spermatozoa during their transit through the epididymal duct. They are believed to play a role in mammalian fertilization. In the present report, we demonstrate that beta-glucuronidase binds to the surface of ejaculated human spermatozoa with high affinity and in a saturable manner. The binding is Ca(2+)-independent, inhibited by either mannose-6-phosphate, phosphomannan fragments from the yeast Hansenula holstii and alpha-mannosidase from the Dictyostelium discoideum, suggesting that phosphomannosyl receptors are involved in the recognition of the enzyme. The catalytic site of the enzyme is not involved in the binding. The localization of the beta-glucuronidase binding-sites is restricted to the surface of the sperm head. These results suggest that the spermatozoa could be the target for glycosidases present in the seminal plasma.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Age at menarche among schoolgirls from a rural community in Southeast Brazil].

The purpose of this study was to determine the 3rd percentile (P3), 50th percentile (P50 = median age at menarche = MAM), and amplitude between the extremes (P97 and P3) of age at menarche among schoolgirls in the county of Barrinha, São Paulo, Brazil. Values were correlated with socioeconomic conditions such as social class, number of siblings, and father's employment status. This was a cross-sectional study based on the use of status quo adjusted by logit for calculation of percentiles. A questionnaire was applied to 1,602 schoolgirls aged 8 to 17 years (incomplete). MAM was 12 years (y) and 6 months (m), with a P97 of 10 y and 2 m and a P3 of 14 y and 10 m. Girls from lower-income families and those with unemployed fathers showed later MAM. No difference in MAM was observed with respect to number of siblings. Amplitude between P97 ad P3 was great in the overall sample. We conclude that Barrinha presented a MAM similar to and even lower than regional values for Brazil and for some developed countries. The study of the interval between extreme percentiles proved to be a better indicator of biological diversity and socioeconomic inequality than MAM alone.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Maternal age, social changes, and pregnancy outcome in Ribeirão Preto, southeast Brazil, in 1978-79 and 1994.

This study focused on changes in demographic, social, and health-care patterns and pregnancy outcome related to maternal age from 1978-79 to 1994 in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo State, Brazil. Information on pregnancy outcome was obtained from two cohorts of singleton live births, 6,681 births in 1978/79 and 2,839 births in 1994. A standardized questionnaire was submitted to mothers after delivery, and demographic information was collected from official records. There was a significant increase in teenage pregnancies (from 5.1% to 7.4%) and a decrease in infant mortality (36/1,000 to 17/1,000). There were significant decreases in the proportion of mothers with low schooling (24.5% to 14.4%), smoking (28.9% to 21.%), and multiparity (14.7% to 9.0%). Prenatal coverage improved (from 23.4% to 9.0% of patients with fewer than 4 prenatal visits), while cesareans increased (from 30.6% to 50.8%), as did preterm delivery (7.2% to 13.6%) and low birthweight (7.2% to 10.6%). Despite significant improvements in some maternal characteristics, the proportion of teenage pregnancies, preterm deliveries, low birthweight, and cesareans increased, raising concerns about the health costs and consequences for mothers and infants.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Growth of preterm infants].

A hundred-forty-one infants born from 26 to 36 weeks, appropriate-for-gestational-age, were followed from birth until the corrected postmenstrual age of 42 weeks. Weight, height and cephalic perimeter were measured on a weekly basis. Based on the average values and percentiles of these measurements it was adjusted a third degree polynomial function. The growth curves obtained, when compared with the so-called intra-uterine growth curves, showed that during the 40th and 42nd postmenstrual weeks the averages and medians are similar. It was observed that the growth dynamics of the preterm infants showed a catch-up pattern in the immediate postnatal period.

English Abstract↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Rapid recovery from optic papillitis secondary to oto-mastoiditis in pediatric age].

In this paper we report the case of an acute papillitis of the right optic nerve secundary to a mastoiditis and sinusitis of the same site in a 10-year old boy. At onset the child presented a painful movement of the ocular globe, monolateral amaurosis and papillary oedema. The exams have confirmed the correlation among mastoiditis, sinusitis and papillitis. At the same time, we were able to exclude the presence of endocranial tumours and alteration of the other side. The child underwent a steroid therapy with a complete recovery within 30 days.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Perinatal health and mother-child health care in the municipality of São Luís, Maranhão State, Brazil.

The purpose of this article was to evaluate socioeconomic and demographic indicators, reproductive health, use of prenatal, childbirth, and neonatal services, and anthropometric data for mothers and infants. The authors performed a cross-sectional analysis of a systematic sample of 2,831 hospital births in São Luís, Maranhão State, from March 1997 to February 1998 at ten public and private maternity hospitals. The sample was stratified proportionally according to the number of births in each maternity hospital. Mothers answered a standard questionnaire. Of the total, 97.9% were live births and 98% were singletons. Prenatal coverage was 89.5%, and prevalence of cesarean sections was 33.8%. A physician provided prenatal care in 75.7% of cases and performed 73.8% of the deliveries. The Unified Health System covered the costs of 76.4% of the prenatal visits and 89.7% of the deliveries. A pediatrician was present in the delivery room in 50.2% of cases. The low birth weight rate was 9.6% and the preterm birth rate 13.9%. Reasons for concern included a high percentage of adolescent mothers, single mothers (or without partners), the high cesarean rate, and the high percentage of births attended by unqualified personnel.

Brazil↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Rin1 is a negative regulator of the IL3 receptor signal transduction pathways.

Cytokines interact with cell-surface receptors, initiating signaling cascades that promote cell growth while inhibiting the pathways of apoptotic cells. Rin1 is a multifunctional protein that has been shown to regulate EGF receptor signaling and endocytosis. To examine the role of Rin1 in IL3 receptor signaling pathways, Rin1 and deletion mutants were expressed in cells using a retrovirus system. In this study, the overexpression of Rin1 molecules was shown to selectively block IL-3 activation of the Ras-Erk1/2 and PI3K/Akt pathways and the IL-3-stimulated incorporation of [3H] thymidine into DNA without a significant effect on the activity of the JNK and p38K pathways. Moreover, the depletion of Rin1 by RNA interference induced cell growth. In addition, Rin1 was also required as a downstream effector of BCR/ABL-induced cell proliferation. Interestingly, the expression of Rin1 selectively blocked the activation of Erk1/2 induced by the BCR/ABL oncogene. These results demonstrate that Rin1 plays an essential and selective role in both IL3- and BCR/ABL-induced cell proliferation and highlight a new function for Rin1 in leukemic cells.

Cell Growth Processes↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Production and concentration of saliva and salivary amylase in obese children].

The objective of the present study was to study the profile of salivary amylase in obese children. The study was conducted on 58 children, 29 of whom were identified as obese (obese group) and 29 as non-obese (control group). The parameters for the assignment to the two groups studied were the W/H ratio of the NCHS and the tricipital skinfold. The children in the obese group presented percentiles of 90 or more for both curves. Saliva was collected after chemical stimulation with lemon juice using a standardized technique. The weight of secreted saliva and the concentration and total production of salivary amylase over a period of five minutes were determined in the samples collected. The results demonstrated that, among the control children, amylase concentration and total production were significantly higher in boys than in girls. Among the obese children, boys presented significantly higher salivary secretion than girls. Obese boys presented a significantly lower amylase concentration compared to control, a fact that was not observed for girls. Total salivary amylase production was not reduced among obese boys, suggesting that the decreased enzyme concentration in obese subjects is compensated for by greater salivary secretion.

Amylases↗