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The objectives of the present study were to measure the ideal salt concentration in French-type bread among Argentine consumers in a home-usage-test (HUT) considering income status and salt content of daily bread consumption as covariables, and to compare the ideal salt concentrations measured in a HUT and a central-location test (CLT). For the HUT, 420 consumers each received a sample of bread with a single salt concentration, and for the CLT, 100 consumers each received 7 samples with different salt concentrations. For each sample, consumers responded if they found the bread “not-salty-enough,”“okay,” or “too-salty.” Neither income level nor salt content of daily bread influenced probability of rejection. The optimum sodium concentrations (milligrams per 100 g of bread dry basis) ± 95% confidence limits for the HUT and CLT were 980 ± 74 and 1157 ± 87, respectively. These values are substantially higher than 628, the mean sodium content of the bread sampled from the bakery shops where consumers bought their daily bread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Data on US caregiver perceptions on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and COVID-19 vaccination are limited. We identified trends in and associations with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in caregivers of hospitalized children., Methods: Cross-sectional surveys on pediatric COVID-19 disease and vaccine attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs were administered across study years (December 8, 2020-April 5, 2021, November 30, 2021-March 15, 2022, and October 26, 2022-March 15, 2023). English and Spanish-speaking caregivers of hospitalized children ages 6 months to 11 years were included. General vaccine hesitancy was assessed using the Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines survey., Results: Of 1268 caregivers from diverse backgrounds, one-third vaccinated or intended to vaccinate their child. Half endorsed fear of their child receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and were concerned the vaccine was new. Over time, more believed "the COVID-19 vaccine does not work" and fewer agreed "children who are otherwise healthy can die from COVID-19." Study season (2022-2023), older child age, higher income, child receipt of influenza vaccine, caregiver receipt of COVID-19 vaccine, and not being worried about vaccine novelty were positively associated with child vaccination. Intent to vaccinate was negatively associated with study season (2022-2023), Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines score ≥50, lack of child influenza and caregiver COVID-19 vaccination, lack of fear of their child "getting COVID-19" and being "worried that the COVID-19 vaccine is new." The majority who intended to vaccinate were willing to immunize before discharge., Conclusions: Vaccine novelty and perceived lack of need were associated with refusal. Caregiver COVID-19 and child influenza vaccine acceptance were positively associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance. The inpatient setting offers the opportunity to improve vaccine uptake., (Copyright © 2024 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. pasteurianus is an unusual pathogen in infants, which causes sepsis and meningitis. We describe the clinical course and treatment of 15 infants with bacteremia and/or meningitis due to S. gallolyticus. Outcomes were favorable with limited neuroimaging findings. One-third of isolates displayed reduced susceptibility to penicillin highlighting the importance of performing antimicrobial susceptibility testing in infants with meningitis., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the age at menopause (AM) in Latin America urban areas., Design: A total of 17,150 healthy women, aged 40 to 59 years, accompanying patients to healthcare centers in 47 cities of 15 Latin American countries, were surveyed regarding their age, educational level, healthcare coverage, history of gynecological surgery, smoking habit, presence of menses, and the use of contraception or hormone therapy at menopause. The AM was calculated using logit analysis., Results: The mean age of the entire sample was 49.4 +/- 5.5 years. Mean educational level was 9.9 +/- 4.5 years, and the use of hormone therapy and oral contraception was 22.1% and 7.9%, respectively. The median AM of women in all centers was 48.6 years, ranging from 43.8 years in Asuncion (Paraguay) to 53 years in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia). Logistic regression analysis determined that women aged 49 living in cities at 2,000 meters or more above sea level (OR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.4-2.9, P < 0.001) and those with lower educational level (OR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.3-2.8, P < 0.001) or living in countries with low gross national product (OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.5-2.9, P < 0.001) were more prone to an earlier onset of menopause., Conclusions: The AM varies widely in Latin America. Lower income and related poverty conditions influence the onset of menopause.

Two different thaw embryo classifications were evaluated, the morphologic classic evaluation (Veeck, 1990) and all blastomeres intact at the time of embryo transfer. We also discuss the clinic parameters and the physiopathological causes implicated in the successful of this treatment. 176 ovarian stimulation cycles and 513 cryopreserved embryos were reviewed. We found better pregnancy rate and delivery rate in embryo transfers were at least one embryo had all blastomeres intact compare with the transfers with good quality embryos (1+, 2+) of the morphologic classic evaluation without statistic significance (p > 0.05). Pregnancy and delivery rate were higher in cases with embryo in pronuclear stage compare with cleavage stage (p < 0.05). The blastomeric harm disturbs the embryo implantation phase and the future is oriented to the microsurgical remove of the damaged blastomeres and the use of assisted hatching.

Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were sampled in March 1996 from five stations along the Western Mediterranean coast (Barcelona, Ebro Delta, Alboraya, Cullera, Denia) corresponding to urban, industrial and agricultural areas. Different biochemical and cellular markers were determined in the mussels in order to assess the effects and/or exposure to pollutants. The cytochrome P450 system, acetylcholinesterase and metallothioneins were among the biochemical markers selected for the study. Histochemical analysis of ß-glucuronidase and catalase activity were performed as marker enzymes for lysosomes and peroxisomes. Chemical analyses indicated that mussels from Barcelona and Denia as highly exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)(1.8-2.7 µg g(-1) w.w. against 0.02-0.10 µg g(-1) w.w.), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)(132-260 ng g(-1) w.w. against 8-24 ng g(-1) w.w.). This was in agreement with changes in lysosome structure and higher number of peroxisomes in those organisms. High levels of metals (particularly Cr and Cu) were recorded in the digestive gland of Alboraya mussels, which also had elevated metallothionein content (28 nmol g(-1) w.w.) in comparison with the other stations (15-20 nmol g(-1) w.w.). Benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylase (BPH) activity indicated Cullera and Barcelona as possibly polluted sites. The results support the usefulness of the biomarker approach to assess and diagnose environmental pollution. The use of a battery of biomarkers at different levels of biological organization coupled with chemical analysis is highlighted.