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Biomedical subjects

A M Menezes

Publications and source records attributed to A M Menezes.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Length and ponderal index at birth: associations with mortality, hospitalizations, development and post-natal growth in Brazilian infants.

BACKGROUND: Low birthweight infants suffer greater mortality and neonatal morbidity, grow less well in infancy and show poorer psycho-motor development. However, this simple categorization may obscure important differences in aetiology and prognosis between infants born stunted, thin, or both. METHODS: In 1993, all births in Pelotas, Brazil, were enrolled into a prospective study of health and development in infancy. Of 5249 live births, 5160 had length and weight measures at birth, and were classified into tertiles of length and ponderal index. All deaths and hospitalizations were monitored, and suspected developmental delay and attained growth at 12 months were assessed on a subsample of 1364 infants. Logistic regression was used to control for gestational age and socioeconomic status. RESULTS: There was no association between birth length and ponderal index tertiles. After adjusting for gestational age, infants in the lower tertiles of both length and ponderal index presented a 3.8-times higher risk of mortality from day 8 to day 365, and a 2.5-times higher risk of hospitalization compared to infants with greater birth lengths and/or ponderal indices. Suspected developmental delay was associated with length and, less strongly, with ponderal index, but there was no synergism between the two. Infants in the middle and upper tertiles of ponderal index at birth became thinner. CONCLUSIONS: Birth length was strongly associated with development at 12 months, but only infants born both short and thin were at increased risk of mortality and hospitalizations. The combination of the two measures provides a useful classification of the anthropometric status of the newborn.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Severe brain injury after cardiac surgery in children: consequences for the family and the need for assistance.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the short and longer term needs of parents whose children sustain severe brain injury after cardiac surgery and to determine what further measures could be of use to the family after such a catastrophe. DESIGN: Qualitative analysis of data generated by semistructured interviews and a series of self report questionnaires. SETTING: Tertiary cardiothoracic referral centre. SUBJECTS: Group 1: four sets of parents (eight individuals) whose children had suffered severe brain injury after heart surgery; group 2: four sets of parents (seven individuals) caring for children with acute brain injury from other causes. RESULTS: The data provide evidence of social, emotional, physical, practical, and financial difficulties. After the children suffered brain injury following cardiac surgery their parents did not receive information, support, and practical assistance as early as they needed it. CONCLUSIONS: Although a small population was studied, it would seem that a structured, planned health care service response to this devastating event is not established; therefore, the needs of these parents are not well met. The parents and our inquiries suggest that a coordinator who is not attached to the hospital where brain injury occurred might optimally fulfil this role.

Brain Damage, Chronic↗
PubMed1998

[Risk factors for perinatal mortality in Pelotas, a southern city of Brazil, 1993].

INTRODUCTION: Although there was a considerable reduction in infant mortality in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul in the last decade, its perinatal causes were reduced only by 28%. The associated factors of these causes were analysed. MATERIAL AND METHOD: All hospital births and perinatal deaths were assessed by daily visits to all the maternity hospitals in the city, throughout 1993 and including the first week of 1994. RESULTS: The perinatal mortality rate was 22.1 per thousand births. The multivariate analysis showed the following risk factors: low socioeconomic level, male sex and maternal age above 35 years. Among multigravidae women, the fetal mortality rate was significantly increased for mothers with a previously low birthweight and a previous stillbirth. For early neonatal mortality the risk was significantly increased by a smaller number of antenatal visits than 5 and low birthweight. CONCLUSIONS: Main risk factors for perinatal mortality: low socioeconomic level, maternal age above 35 years and male sex. For early neonatal mortality the risk was significantly increased by a smaller number of antenatal visits than 5 and low birthweight.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Environmental tobacco smoke and breastfeeding duration.

The effect of smoking on breastfeeding duration was investigated in a population-based birth cohort study of 1,098 Brazilian infants. There were few losses to follow-up (3.2%) in the first 6 months. Maternal smoking was strongly associated with breastfeeding duration, even after adjustment for confounding. Compared with nonsmokers, mothers smoking 20 or more cigarettes daily presented an odds ratio of 1.94 for breastfeeding for less than 6 months. Environmental tobacco smoke was also an independent risk factor. After adjustment for maternal smoking and other confounders, households where more than 10 cigarettes were smoked daily by persons other than the mother presented an odds ratio of 1.48 compared with those without smokers. These results remained unchanged after stratification for maternal smoking. This is the first report of a possible effect of environmental tobacco smoke on breastfeeding duration.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Low birthweight, preterm births and intrauterine growth retardation in relation to maternal smoking.

The association between the intensity and duration of cigarette smoking during pregnancy and the frequency of low birthweight, preterm births and intrauterine growth retardation was investigated in a historical cohort. All 5166 livebirths occurring in the city of Pelotas, Brazil, during 1993 were identified and mothers interviewed soon after delivery. Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy had a birthweight 142 g lower than those of non-smoking mothers. The odds ratio for low birthweight among children of smokers was 1.59 [95% CI 1.30-1.95]. There was no association between smoking and preterm delivery assessed by the Dubowitz score. In relation to intrauterine growth retardation, smoking was associated with an odds ratio of 2.07 [95% CI 1.69-2.53]. There was a direct dose-response association between the number of cigarettes smoked and the risk of growth retardation. Women whose partner smoked were also at higher risk of having a child with growth retardation. All the above results were adjusted for confounding factors. The effect of maternal smoking on low birthweight seems to be attributable to intrauterine growth retardation rather than preterm delivery.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1997

[Tobacco smoking among pregnant women in an urban area in southern Brazil, 1982-93].

OBJECTIVE: A comparison between on the prevalence of smoking during pregnancy in 1982 and that in 1993 in Pelotas, Southern Brazil. METHODOLOGY: Cross-sectional study. All hospital deliveries in 1982 and 1993--corresponding to over 99% of all births in those years--were studied. A total of 6,011 and 5,304 mothers were interviewed, respectively. RESULTS: The prevalence of smoking during pregnancy showed a small decrease from 35.7% in 1982 to 33.5% in 1993 (p < 0.05). In the two years under study, family income and number of antenatal care visits were inversely associated with the prevalence of maternal smoking. The rate of stopping smoking during pregnancy was 20.6%.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Longitudinal study of the mother and child population in an urban region of southern Brazil, 1993: methodological aspects and preliminary results].

All babies born in the hospitals of the city of Pelotas, Brazil, in 1982 were studied soon after delivery and followed up prospectively during the first years of their lives. In 1993, this study was repeated with a similar methodology, with the aim of assessing eventual changes in the level of maternal and child health. All five maternity hospitals in the city were visited daily and the 5,304 babies born included in the study. They were weighed and measured, and their gestational age was assessed using the Dubowitz method. Their mothers were examined and interviewed regarding a large number of risk factors. The mortality of these children was studied through the surveillance of all hospitals, cemeteries and death registries, and all hospital admissions were also recorded. Two nested case-control studies were carried out to assess risk factors for mortality and hospital morbidity. A systematic sample of 655 children were examined at home at one and three months of age, and these infants, as well as another sample of 805 children including all low-birthweight babies were also examined at the ages of six and twelve months. Their psychomotor development was also assessed. Losses to follow-up were only 6.6% at twelve months. Relative to the 1982 indicators, perinatal mortality fell by about 30% and infant mortality by almost 50%. The median duration of breastfeeding increased from 3.1 to 4.0 months. On the other hand, there was little change in the prevalences of low birthweight or of length for age at twelve months. The article that refers this abstract describes the methodology of the study and forthcoming publications will present detailed results.

Birth Weight↗
PubMed1995

Chronic bronchitis and the type of cigarette smoked.

BACKGROUND: Smoking is a well known primary risk factor for chronic bronchitis. However, little is known about the relationship between different types of cigarettes smoked and chronic bronchitis. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between chronic bronchitis and the type of cigarette smoked. METHODS: A cross-sectional prevalence study was conducted in an urban area (Pelotas) of Southern Brazil. A total of 1053 subjects aged > or = 40 years were interviewed about respiratory symptoms and some risk factors for chronic bronchitis. RESULTS: After adjustment for confounding factors, the number of daily cigarettes smoked was strongly associated with the risk of chronic bronchitis (odds ratio [OR] = 8.10, 95% CI: 4.46-14.71 for smokers of > or = 20 cigarettes per day compared to non-smokers). Among smokers, maize leaf cigarettes showed the highest risk (OR = 5.43 compared to non-smokers, 95% CI: 2.65-11.13) and filter cigarettes the lowest (OR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.19-4.03). CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the number of cigarettes smoked, the use of maize leaf cigarettes was shown to have an important independent association with chronic bronchitis.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Prevalence and risk factors for chronic bronchitis in Pelotas, RS, Brazil: a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic bronchitis causes high morbidity and mortality throughout the world. It is basically a preventable disease. However, few population based studies of chronic bronchitis have been carried out in less developed countries. METHODS: A population based cross sectional survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of chronic bronchitis and associated risk factors in an urban area (Pelotas) of southern Brazil. 1053 subjects aged 40 years and over (90.3% of eligible subjects) were interviewed using the ATS-DLD-78 questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the subjects interviewed 12.7% were classified as having chronic bronchitis. In univariate analyses a significant increase in the relative odds of chronic bronchitis was seen in men (OR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.50 to 3.13), low family income (OR = 2.60, 95% CI 1.47 to 4.47 for lowest quartile), low schooling (OR = 4.65, 95% CI 2.36 to 9.18 for those with no schooling), smoking habits (OR = 6.92, 95% CI 4.22 to 11.36 for smokers of 20 or more cigarettes per day), high occupational exposure to dust (OR = 2.48, 95% CI 1.56 to 3.94), inadequate housing (OR = 2.09, 95% CI 1.22 to 3.58), high level of indoor air pollution (OR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.99), and reported childhood respiratory illnesses (OR = 2.08, 95% CI 1.25 to 3.49). Multiple logistic regression resulted in the identification of the following independent risk factors: family income (OR = 1.99, 95% CI 1.04 to 3.81 for subjects in the lowest quartile compared with those in the highest quartile), schooling (OR = 5.60, 95% CI 2.52 to 12.45 for subjects with no schooling compared with those with nine or more years), smoking (OR = 8.10, 95% CI 4.46 to 14.71 for smokers of 20 or more cigarettes per day compared with non-smokers), and history of major respiratory illnesses in childhood (OR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.20 to 3.85). CONCLUSIONS: Low family income, poor schooling, smoking, and childhood respiratory illnesses were significantly associated with chronic bronchitis.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Effect of myrcene on nociception in mice.

Myrcene, a monoterpene isolated from lemon grass oil (Cymbopogon citratus) has been investigated for antinociception in mice by a low temperature (51.5 +/- 0.5 degrees C) hot plate method and by the acetic acid-induced writhing test. Significant inhibition of nociception was seen in the tests with myrcene at doses of 10 and 20 mg kg-1 (i.p.) or at 20 and 40 mg kg-1 (s.c.), respectively. The antinociceptive effect was significantly antagonized by naloxone (1 mg kg-1) or yohimbine (2 mg kg-1). The results suggest that myrcene is capable of inducing antinociception in mice, probably mediated by alpha 2-adrenoceptor stimulated release of endogenous opioids.

Acyclic Monoterpenes↗
PubMed1988

Effect of Astronium urundeuva (aroeira) on gastrointestinal transit in mice.

In order to assess the use of Astronium urundeuva in folk medicine for treatment of diarrheal conditions, the alcoholic extract of its bark was tested on gastrointestinal transit in mice. The extract at oral doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg significantly inhibited physostigmine-induced gastrointestinal propulsion. Considering these data together with an in-vitro anti-acetylcholine effect reported earlier from this laboratory, we suggest that anti-cholinergic effects of the plant may account in part for its anti-diarrheal activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Effect of calcium-entry blockers on the diuretic response to hydrochlorothiazide in the rat.

The influence of the calcium-entry blockers, verapamil, nifedipine and diltiazem on hydrochlorothiazide-induced diuresis was determined in hydrated conscious rats. Nifedipine significantly inhibited hydrochlorothiazide-induced 5-h excreted urine volume and urinary sodium with little effect on potassium excretion. Both verapamil and diltiazem significantly enhanced urinary sodium excretion with no effect on either urine volume or potassium excretion. These results are of interest in view of the current use of nifedipine as an anti-hypertensive agent, alone or in combination with a thiazide diuretic.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Osteocalcin].

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Biomarkers↗