Consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with dietary iron availability, anemia, and excess weight in socially vulnerable children.

Background & Aims: Eating habits during childhood have undergone significant changes, with a notable increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF). This situation deserves attention, given the close relationship between UPF and adverse health outcomes. This is due to the nutritional composition of UPF, which has high levels of health-critical nutrients such as sugar, fat, and sodium, thus compromising the overall quality of the diet.

Molecular characterization of virulence and antimicrobial resistance profile of Shigella species isolated from children with moderate to severe diarrhea in northeastern Brazil.

Molecular characterization of virulence and antimicrobial resistance profiles were determined for Shigella species isolated from children with diarrhea in Fortaleza, Brazil. Fecal specimens were collected along with socioeconomic and clinical data from children with moderate to severe diarrhea requiring emergency care. Shigella spp.

Combination of different methods for detection of Campylobacter spp. in young children with moderate to severe diarrhea.

Campylobacter spp. were detected - using culture, ELISA, PCR, and qPCR - among children (0-36months) with moderate to severe diarrhea in Northeastern Brazil. Our data showed that either the qPCR alone or PCR along with ELISA might be an alternative to culture to diagnose Campylobacter due to their enhanced sensitivity.

Prospective cohort study with active surveillance for fever in four dengue endemic countries in Latin America.

To prepare for a Phase III dengue vaccine efficacy trial, 20 investigational sites were selected for this observational study to identify dengue infections in a closed cohort (N = 3,000 children 9-16 years of age). Of 255 acute febrile episodes experienced by 235 children, 50 (21.3%) were considered serologically probable dengue, and 18 (7.

Efficacy of a tetravalent dengue vaccine in children in Latin America.

Background: In light of the increasing rate of dengue infections throughout the world despite vector-control measures, several dengue vaccine candidates are in development.

Methods: In a phase 3 efficacy trial of a tetravalent dengue vaccine in five Latin American countries where dengue is endemic, we randomly assigned healthy children between the ages of 9 and 16 years in a 2:1 ratio to receive three injections of recombinant, live, attenuated, tetravalent dengue vaccine (CYD-TDV) or placebo at months 0, 6, and 12 under blinded conditions. The children were then followed for 25 months.

A critical comparison between the World Health Organization list of essential medicines for children and the Brazilian list of essential medicines (Rename).

Objective: To perform a critical comparison between the Brazilian national essential medicines list (Rename, 2012) with the list of essential medicines for children (LEMC, 2011) of the World Health Organization (WHO), regarding the differences among drugs and formulations listed for children.

Methods: The LEMC drugs were classified into four categories: 1) absent in Rename; 2) included in Rename but without any formulation suitable for children; 3) listed in Rename only in some formulations; 4) present in Rename in all formulations. The missing formulations were analyzed by therapeutic group.

Campylobacter jejuni infection and virulence-associated genes in children with moderate to severe diarrhoea admitted to emergency rooms in northeastern Brazil.

Campylobacter is an important cause of foodborne gastroenteritis. We determined the occurrence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, using culture-based methods and PCRs targeting virulence-associated genes (VAGs) among children aged ≤14 years who were treated for diarrhoea at emergency rooms in northeastern Brazil. Genomic DNA was extracted directly from stool samples collected from 366 children.

Lack of drug preparations for use in children in Brazil.

Objective: To identify drugs which are not suited for pediatric use in Brazil.

Methods: A descriptive study involving the development of a national list of unlicensed and off-label medications for pediatric use (problem drugs in pediatrics, PDP) through a literature review, a comparison among sources of the Brazilian pharmaceutical industry, and a survey with pediatricians. Drugs coded at the Anatomic Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) Classification System were analyzed regarding licensing status in Brazil and recommendations/indications in pediatrics, based on the following reference sources: the list of licensed drugs of the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency (2005), the Brazilian Dictionary of Pharmaceutical Specialties (2005-2007) and the website www.

Infectious diseases in paediatric pathology: experience from a developing country.

Infectious and parasitic diseases have always challenged man. Although many of them are typically seen in some areas of the world and can be adequately managed by just improving socioeconomic status and sanitary conditions, they are still quite prevalent and may sometimes be seen outside their original geographical areas. Human migration due to different reasons, tourism, blood transfusion and solid organ transplantation has created new concerns for health professionals all over the world.

Safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of influenza vaccine in children.

Objectives: To review the immunogenicity, safety and efficacy of inactivated and attenuated trivalent influenza vaccines in children.

Sources Of Data: Database search of the medical literature indexed on MEDLINE, LILACS and in the Cochrane Library. Review articles, clinical trials and epidemiological studies published from 1990 to 2006 were selected for analysis.

Comparison between normal saline and a polyelectrolyte solution for fluid resuscitation in severely dehydrated infants with acute diarrhoea.

Unlabelled: The optimal intravenous solution for rehydration of infants and children with severe dehydration is debated.

Aim: The aim was to compare the efficacy of a polyelectrolyte solution (group PS) with sodium chloride 0.9% solution (group NS) in rapid parenteral rehydration of severely dehydrated infants with acute diarrhoea.

American visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) in hospitalized children from an endemic area.

Objective: To study epidemiological and clinical aspects of American visceral leishmaniasis in hospitalized children in Ceará, Brazil.

Methods: A retrospective and observational study was carried out with children suffering from American visceral leishmaniasis admitted to Hospital Infantil Albert Sabin in Fortaleza. Medical records were reviewed consistently.

[Nasopharyngeal isolates of S. pneumoniae from healthy carriers and children with pneumonia: colonization rates and antimicrobial susceptibility].

Objectives: To compare colonization rates and antimicrobial resistance of nasopharyngeal pneumococci in healthy carriers and children with pneumonia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study. Healthy subjects of this study were selected from randomly chosen immunization centers and day-care centers, and those with pneumonia were selected in pediatric emergency rooms.

Common infectious diseases and skin test anergy in children from an urban slum in northeast Brazil.

Background: Acute respiratory infection (ARI), diarrheal disease (DD) and infective dermatitis (ID) are important causes of morbidity in children under five, in Northeast Brazil.

Objectives: (a) to evaluate the morbidity of ARI, DD and ID; and (b) to determine their association with cellular immunity in poor urban children from Fortaleza, Brazil.

Materials And Methods: A prospective cohort study.

Comparing pharmacokinetics of amoxicillin given twice or three times per day to children older than 3 months with pneumonia.

For children with ambulatory pneumonia, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends oral amoxicillin (15 mg/kg of body weight/dose) thrice daily (t.i.d.

Antimicrobial susceptibility and serotypes of nasopharyngeal Streptococcus pneumoniae in children with pneumonia and in children attending day-care centres in Fortaleza, Brazil.

The susceptibility of nasopharyngeal Streptococcus pneumoniae to eight antibiotics was studied in 482 children under 5 years of age with community-acquired pneumonia and in 429 healthy pneumococci carriers in Fortaleza, Brazil. Serotyping of strains with pooled and type-specific antisera was also performed. Overall, S.