"Competitive" Food and Beverage Laws and Obesity Among Diverse Youth in California High Schools.

Purpose: To investigate associations between the California "competitive" food and beverage (CF&B) laws and overweight/obesity (OV/OB) among high school youth by gender, school-neighborhood income, and race/ethnicity, and to examine racial/ethnic OV/OB disparities before and after CF&B policies.

Methods: Using an interrupted time series design paired with retrospective cross-sectional Fitnessgram data from 3,565,260 youth-level records on ninth-grade students in California public schools, we estimated gender, school-neighborhood income, and racial/ethnic OV/OB prevalence trends before (2002-2007) and after the CF&B policies were in effect (2008-2012).

Results: In the period before the CF&B policies, OV/OB prevalence increased annually among the majority of subgroups regardless of gender, school-neighborhood income and race/ethnicity.

Characterization of Dengue Virus 4 Cases in Paraguay, 2019-2020.

In 2019-2020, dengue virus (DENV) type 4 emerged to cause the largest DENV outbreak in Paraguay's history. This study sought to characterize dengue relative to other acute illness cases and use phylogenetic analysis to understand the outbreak's origin. Individuals with an acute illness (≤7 days) were enrolled and tested for DENV nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) and viral RNA by real-time RT-PCR.

Temporal Patterns in Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Children and Adolescents in California.

Introduction: Childhood dietary behaviors, including fruit and vegetable intake, are associated with adult health. Most children do not meet daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. Less is known about temporal patterns in fruit and vegetable consumption or if they vary by race and ethnicity.

"Competitive" food and beverage policies and weight status: A systematic review of the evidence among sociodemographic subgroups.

Prior studies identified variable associations between competitive food and beverage policies (CF&B) and youth obesity, potentially due to differences across population subgroups. This review summarizes the evidence on associations between CF&B policies and childhood obesity within gender, grade level/ age, race/ethnicity, and/or socioeconomic levels. PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and ERIC database searches identified studies published in English in Canada and the United States between January 1, 2000, and February 28, 2022.

Synthesis, Antimalarial, Antileishmanial, and Cytotoxicity Activities and Preliminary In Silico ADMET Studies of 2-(7-Chloroquinolin-4-ylamino)ethyl Benzoate Derivatives.

A series of heterocyclic chloroquine hybrids, containing a chain of two carbon atoms at position four of the quinolinic chain and acting as a link between quinoline and several benzoyl groups, is synthesized and screened in vitro as an inhibitor of β-hematin formation and in vivo for its antimalarial activity against chloroquine-sensitive strains of ANKA in this study. The compounds significantly reduced haeme crystallization, with IC values < 10 µM. The values were comparable to chloroquine's, with an IC of 1.

Association of class II HLA alleles with susceptibility to develop immune-mediated diseases in Paraguayan patients.

Genetic and nongenetic factors are involved in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). The best-known genetic factor for susceptibility to IMIDs is the human leukocyte antigen (HLA). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association of HLA class II genes with the risk of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and systemic sclerosis (SSc) in the Paraguayan population.

Trends in school-neighbourhood inequalities and youth obesity: Repeated cross-sectional analyses of the public schools in the state of California.

Background: It is currently unknown whether the relationship between affluence of school neighbourhoods and prevalence of youth overweight/obesity is uniform across demographic subgroups and areal context in the United States.

Methods: We examined association between school-neighbourhood income tertiles and school-level overweight/obesity (OVOB) prevalence, using data on body mass index of fifth, seventh, and nineth graders who attended public schools in California in 2001 and 2010 (n = 1 584 768), using multiple logistic regression models.

Results: Overall, OVOB prevalence was higher in lower-income school neighbourhoods, with a steeper income-OVOB gradient for girls.

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In 2020, the COVID-19 health crisis affected all regions of the world, not sparing people already vulnerable to other viral epidemics such as HIV or HCV and/or those in precarious or socially marginalized situations. This is particularly the case for drug users or sex workers.Coalition PLUS, a network of associations fighting against HIV and viral hepatitis which defends and promotes the community-based approach, and its partners, have set up a multi-country community-based research project aimed at documenting the impact of the health crisis on the fight against HIV and viral hepatitis (key populations and community workers/activists), as well as the community responses put in place (EPIC survey).

Antimalarial Activity of Highly Coordinative Fused Heterocycles Targeting βHematin Crystallization.

The βhematin formation is a unique process adopted by sp. to detoxify free heme and represents a validated target to design new effective antimalarials. Most of the βhematin inhibitors are mainly based on 4-aminoquinolines, but the parasite has developed diverse defense mechanisms against this type of chemical system.

Revisiting the dengue epidemic of 2011 in Paraguay: molecular epidemiology of dengue virus in the Asuncion metropolitan area.

Background: Dengue is one of the most important re-emerging viral diseases and the most common human arthropod-borne viral infection worldwide. Any of the four Dengue virus serotypes (DENV-1 to 4) can cause asymptomatic infections or clinical manifestations that range in severity from a mild, self-limited illness, to a severe disease characterized by a shock syndrome that can lead to death. Paraguay suffers periodic epidemic outbreaks of dengue since 1988 when the DENV-1 was introduced in the country.

Competitive Food and Beverage Policies and Obesity among Middle School Students: Variability by Urbanicity in California.

This study examined the association between California school nutrition policies and population-level trends in childhood overweight/obesity by levels of urbanicity. We used interrupted time series with Fitnessgram data on overweight/obesity from the period 2002 to 2010 pertaining to African American, Latino, Asian, and White students in seventh grades who attended California public schools. We used multilevel logistic regression models to examine the impact of the introduction of successive California school nutrition policies on overweight/obesity prevalence, stratified by gender and adjusted for school district-, school-, and student-level characteristics.

School nutrition laws in the US: do they influence obesity among youth in a racially/ethnically diverse state?

Background/objectives: Little is known about the separate or combined effects of state and national nutrition policies regulating food and beverages in schools on child overweight/obesity (OV/OB) and related racial/ethnic disparities. We investigated the influence of school nutrition policies enacted in California, independently and in combination with the United States' national policy "Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act" (HHFKA) on childhood OV/OB and racial/ethnic disparities.

Subjects/methods: An interrupted time series design was used with data from 12,363,089 child-level records on 5th- and 7th-graders in California public schools to estimate sex- and racial/ethnic-specific time trends in OV/OB prevalence during three periods: before the California nutrition policies (2002-2004); when only California policies were in effect (2005-2012); and when they were in effect simultaneously with HHFKA (2013-2016).

Physical activity strategies in low-resource elementary schools: Why and how are they prioritized?

Most US children do not achieve the recommended daily 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (PA). Schools are ideal settings to promote PA given their reach to large child populations, including students with less resources and limited access to PA opportunities. Although limited in numbers, schools that offer enough PA strategies can provide insights to increase PA in these settings.

Food environment near schools and body weight-A systematic review of associations by race/ethnicity, gender, grade, and socio-economic factors.

Previous research reported modest associations between food environments near schools and adiposity among children overall. The associations within sociodemographic subgroups have not been synthesized. This review assessed the evidence on the associations between food environments near schools and childhood obesity within different demographic and socio-economic subgroups.

Implementation of a Multiplex rRT-PCR for Zika, Chikungunya, and Dengue Viruses: Improving Arboviral Detection in an Endemic Region.

Arboviral diagnosis has been complicated throughout the tropical and subtropical Americas by the recent co-circulation of Zika virus (ZIKV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV), and dengue virus (DENV). The aim of this study was to implement a multiplex real-time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR) for ZIKV, CHIKV, and DENV in Paraguay to test patients who were clinically suspected of having dengue. We tested 110 sera from patients who presented to the Hospital de Clínicas in 2016 and had testing for DENV nonstructural protein 1 (NS1; 40 positive and 70 negative).

[(7-chloroquinolin-4-yl)amino]acetophenones and their copper(II) derivatives: Synthesis, characterization, computational studies and antimalarial activity.

The synthesis of the compounds [(7-chloroquinolin-4-yl)amino]acetophenones (, ) and their copper(II) complexes (, ) is reported. The compounds were characterized using a wide range of spectroscopic and spectrometric techniques, such as FTIR, UV-vis, NMR, EPR, ESI-CID-MS. The spectral results suggested that the ligand acted as chelating species coordinating the metal through the endocyclic nitrogen of the quinoline ring in both complexes, with general formulae expressed in two ways, according to the phase in which they are: [Cu(L)Cl] for solid phase and [Cu(L)][2Cl] for liquid phase.

Optimization of antimalarial, and anticancer activities of (E)-methyl 2-(7-chloroquinolin-4-ylthio)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acrylate.

Chemically modified versions of bioactive substances, are particularly useful in overcoming barriers associated with drug formulation, drug delivery and poor pharmacokinetic properties. In this study, a series of fourteen (E)-methyl 2-(7-chloroquinolin-4-ylthio)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acrylate (2-15) were prepared by using a one step synthesis from 1 previously described by us as potential antimalarial and antitumor agent. Molecules were evaluated as inhibitors of β-hematin formation, where most of them showed a significant inhibition value (% > 70).

Synthesis, β-hematin inhibition studies and antimalarial evaluation of new dehydroxy isoquine derivatives against Plasmodium berghei: A promising antimalarial agent.

Many people are affected by Malaria around the world, and the parasite is developing resistance against available drugs. Currently, isoquine and N-tert-butyl isoquine are some of the most promising antimalarial candidates that have already reached Phase I and II clinical trials, respectively. Nevertheless, pharmacodynamic studies have demonstrated that isoquine is highly sensitive to form O-glucuronide metabolite, which may affect its accumulation in tissues.

Antimalarial Activity of some Kaurenes.

The antirnalarial activity of sixteen ent-kaurenes was assayed on male albino mice infected with Plasmodium berghei. Ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (kaurenic acid), l5iα-hydroxy- ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid, 15α-acetoxy- ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid, and ent-kaur-9(11)16-en-19-oic acid, natural kaurenes isolated from two species of Espelletiinae, were modified by semisynthesis to obtain methyl esters, glucopyranosyl esters, epoxides, 17-hydroxy, and isokaurenes (compounds with a 15,16-double bond). The kaurenes were first submitted to an in vitro test to measure their capacity to inhibit the formation of β-hematin.

[Factors associated with contacting HIV/AIDS associations in Ecuador: results of a community study].

Objective: To describe the profile of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) who contact HIV/AIDS associations in Ecuador and to identify the factors related to that contact.

Methods: In 2011, a cross-sectional community study was conducted in two hospitals in Guayaquil. Based on a 125-question survey administered to 300 adult PLHA, a weighted multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify the factors related to contact with an association

Results: Of the 300 participants, 34 (11.

Synthesis, β-hematin inhibition studies and antimalarial evaluation of dehydroxy isotebuquine derivatives against Plasmodium berghei.

Diverse dehydroxy-isotebuquine derivatives were prepared by using a five step synthetic sequence in good yields. All these new 4-aminoquinolines were evaluated as inhibitors of haemozoin formation, where most of them showed a significant inhibition value (% IHF >97). The best inhibitors were tested in vivo as potential antimalarials in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA chloroquine susceptible strain, three of them (11b, 11d and 11h) displayed an antimalarial activity comparable to that of chloroquine.

[Clinical and epidemiological study of intestinal coccidioses in a rural population of a semiarid region from Falcon state, Venezuela].

Although intestinal coccidioses caused by Cryptosporidium sp., Cystoisospora belli and Cyclospora cayetanensis are parasitic diseases of major clinical importance in Public Health, several clinical and epidemiological aspects of these diseases still remain unknown in Falcon state, Venezuela. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between June and October 2011, to investigate clinical and epidemiological data in 157 people (X +/- S.

Synthesis and antimalarial activity of urenyl Bis-chalcone in vitro and in vivo.

Some novel derivatives of Bis-chalcone were synthesized and characterized by their physical and spectral data. All the synthesized compounds were subsequently screened for in vitro globin hydrolysis, β-hematin formation, and murine Plasmodium berghei, using chloroquine as the reference drug. Most of the synthesized compounds exhibited mild to moderate susceptibilities toward the parasite in comparison with the standard.