Association of Socio-Economic Factors with the Nutritional Status of the Children Aged 2-8 Years from Slums of Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Pages 33-38
Enakshi Bose, Gopal Chandra Mandal and Subha Ray

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-5634.2015.04.01.7

Published: 30 April 2015

Abstract: Background:Undernutrition appears to be a plaguing factor for physical and cognitive development of a large proportion of Indian children living in impoverished conditions. The city of Kolkata, located in the eastern part of India has demonstrated a conspicuous rise in its slum growth profile in the past few decades. Hitherto, studies on physical growth and nutritional status of slum children are lacking.

Objectives: To Investigate the nutritional status (stunting, wasting, and underweight) among 2- 8 year old children and to observe the association of socio-economic factors with undernutrition of the studied children.

Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 185 children aged 2 to 8 years residing at slums of Tangra, Behala, and Dum Dum regions of Kolkata. Anthropometric measurements (height and weight) were take following standard protocol (Lohman et al., 1988), Socio-economic information were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Stunting, Underweight and Wasting were derived to evaluate the nutritional status of the studied population. Pearson correlation (r) coefficient test was undertaken to measure the association of some socio-economic variables on undernutrition.

Results: The prevalence of stunting, underweight, and wasting were 38.91% (boys 32.14% and girls 45.45%), 50.27% (boys 51.16%, girls 49.49%), 31.35% (boys 30.23%, girls 32.32%) respectively. The present study showed the positive correlation (r) between educational levels of the parents and stunting, underweight and wasting independently. But household size has a negative correlation with all the three measures of nutritional status.

Conclusion: We conclude that the slum children were facing a nutritional health risk and parental education and household size appeared to be the primary reasons.

Keywords: Undernutrition, parental education, household size, slum children, Kolkata.

Clinical Test of Pyrroles in Psychiatric Disorders: Association with Nutritional, Immunological and Metabolic Markers
Pages 4-11
Nina Mikirova

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-5634.2015.04.01.2

Published: 13 April 2015

Abstract: Background: Psychiatrists started using urine pyrroles (hydroxyhemopyrrolin-2-one, HPL) to diagnose psychiatric disorders many years ago. The biological origins of HPL are not known, nor are the causes of elevated urinary pyrrole excretion well understood.

Methods: In the present study we analyzed the level of pyrroles in 148 patients with schizophrenia, 135 patients with bipolar disorder, 97 patients with depression, 119 patients with ADHD and compared these data with the results of pyrrole tests for patients with non-psychiatric conditions and healthy volunteers.

Results: According to our data, urinary pyrrole concentrations tended to be high in patients with psychiatric disorders, but elevated level of pyrroles was not specific for only these patients. We found evidence of an allergy related component in the fact that elevated pyrrole levels were significantly more prevalent in subjects with elevated histamine values. A role of intestinal bacteria, or imbalances in intestinal bacterial metabolism, was also suggested based on the found relationship between elevated pyrrole levels and elevations in indicans and urobilinogens. In addition, our data demonstrated that subjects with severely elevated pyrrole levels were deficient in nutrients such as zinc, vitamin B3, and vitamin C.

Conclusion: Thus, pyrrole excretion seems to be a component of illness in general and not strictly psychiatric disorders.

Plant Sterols/Stanols: Do they have a Role in Current Cardiovascular Disease Prevention?
Pages 1-3
Theodosios D. Filippatos and Moses S. Elisaf

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-5634.2015.04.01.1

Published: 13 April 2015

Abstract: Plant sterols/stanols inhibit cholesterol absorption in the gastrointestinal tract. The daily consumption of2 g/day of plant sterols/stanols decreaseslow-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels by approximately 10%. Plant sterols/stanols also reduce LDL-C levels when co-administered with statins, a fact useful for patients intolerable to high-dose statins. However, no randomized, controlled clinical trials have examined the clinical benefit of daily consumption of plant sterols/stanols. Furthermore, concerns regarding a possible atherogenic effect of plant sterols have been expressed. The use of plant sterols/stanols-enriched foods is a useful adjunct for hypercholesterolemic patients to achieve their LDL-C target, but we need more data to establish if this hypolipidemic effect results to reduced cardiovascular risk.

Nutritional Status of Pregnant Mothers Influence the Health in Adult Life of their Children
Pages 12-19
E.M. Echarte, Abalo Rocío and A.N. Chisari

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1929-5634.2015.04.01.3

Published: 13 April 2015

Abstract: Pregnancy and fetal development are periods of rapid growth and cell differentiation when mother and offspring are vulnerable to changes. Adverse events during development can be linked to an increased risk in developing metabolic diseases. Growth restriction in utero is associated with the development of obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. In these processes, the liver plays a fundamental role.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of a low protein diet in pregnant and lactating mothers on the antioxidant status of the offspring liver. To reproduce real conditions, we used an experimental rat model.

Both ROS and the protective antioxidant systems have to work in coordination to reach a state of redox homeostasis. Excess generation of ROS may result in cell death or different pathological processes. The study also highlights the complex nature of malnutrition injury in which ROS correlates with the hepatic injury in a cause-and-effect manner.

The male offspring with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) caused by the isocaloric low-protein diet (8%) showed decreased liver and body weight at birth. Hepatic cholesterol levels and serum transaminase increase, at weaning (24 day of age).

We observed excess generation of ROS, carbonyl group and lipoperoxidation with that may result in cell death or different pathological processes in the liver.

Conclusion: This study would suggests that liver injury due to accelerated release of toxic oxygen species and impaired antioxidant status may contribute to the high susceptibility to suffer metabolic diseases, that are related to diet in early life and that manifest in adulthood.