Impact of hepatitis C virus eradication with direct-acting antivirals on glycidic metabolism

Objective

To compare the glucose metabolism of patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection treated with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) in pretreatment and sustained viral response (SVR) periods.

Materials and methods

This was an intervention pre-post study of 273 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection treated with DAAs from March 2018 to December 2019. Glycidic metabolism was evaluated through homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) - insulin resistance (IR) and HOMA-β indices and assessments of insulinemia and HbA1c levels. These parameters were analyzed with a T test by paired comparison of the means of the variables and Wilcoxon's test paired for the median; in the variables with an abnormal distribution, the Z score was generated for the mean in both the pretreatment and SVR periods. Statistical significance was considered at p ≤ 0.05.

Results

Among 273 participants, 125 (45.8%) had prediabetes, and 50 (18.3%) had diabetes. In SVR, there was a significant increase in platelets, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, cholesterol and triglycerides and a significant decrease in aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma GT and bilirubin. The HOMA-IR and HOMA-β indices increased in SVR from 1.95 to 2.29 (p = 0.087) and 71.20 to 82.60 (p = 0.001), respectively. Insulinemia increased from 7.60 μU/mL to 8.90 μU/mL (p = 0.011). HbA1c decreased from 5.6 to 5.4 (p < 0.001). Among patients with prediabetes and those with diabetes, the reduction in HbA1c values was significant (p = 0.006 and p = 0.026, respectively).

Conclusion

SVR significantly impacts and leads to improvement in glucose metabolism in patients with chronic liver disease induced by hepatitis C virus.

What factors explain the increase in obesity in Brazil? An ecological analysis of contextual and behavioural components

OBJECTIVES

It has been suggested that contextual factors may be related to obesity; however, they have not yet been widely investigated. The main objective of this ecological time-series study was to analyse factors associated with the increase in obesity in the adult and elderly population in Brazil from 2006 to 2020.

STUDY DESIGN

This is an ecological time-series study. Data were collected by the Surveillance System for Risk and Protection Factors for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (VIGITEL), the main health survey in Brazil.

METHODS

The outcome was the annual obesity growth rate (in percentage points). Independent variables were behavioural and contextual factors. Data analysis was performed using Prais-Winsten regression for temporal analyses, and Spearman correlation and crude and adjusted linear regression (beta and 95% confidence intervals [CIs]).

RESULTS

The annual obesity growth rate was 0.58 percentage points (p.p.) (95% CI: 0.54; 0.63) per year. Demographic density and the percentage of the population employed showed an inverse association with the growth of obesity. Variables such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, Gini coefficient, urbanisation rate, percentage of the population with low level of education and percentage of the population without an income were directly associated with the increase in obesity rates. The variables maintained in the final model explained 81% of the growth in obesity in Brazil over the last 15 years (2006-2020).

CONCLUSIONS

The growth of obesity in Brazil was mostly explained by contextual factors, especially those of a socio-economic nature. Therefore, interventions to mitigate the increase in obesity must go beyond behavioural factors.

Regular dental care in preschoolers in rural Southern Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if factors related to the mother’s previous guidance on her children’s dental health and the school attendance of children influence the regular dental care of preschoolers living in the rural area of a municipality in Southern Brazil. METHODS: A population-based study was conducted with 264 children under five years of age and their mothers. Socioeconomic and behavioral data were collected using a questionnaire, and the children were subjected to dental health tests. The outcome was the regular use of dental services. The main exposure variables were children’s care in daycare centers or schools and maternal guidance on the child’s dental health. Poisson regression analysis with robust variance adjustment was used to estimate prevalence ratios, considering a 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: The prevalence of regular use was 11.4% (95%CI 7.5–15.2). In the adjusted analysis, the regular use of services was associated with the child attending day care center/school (PR = 2.44; 95%CI 1.38–4.34), and the mother received dental health guidance (PR = 4.13; 95%CI 1.77–9.61), even with control for socioeconomic, maternal and child variables. CONCLUSION: When mothers receive previous information on child dental health care and children attend schools or daycare centers, the likelihood of regular dental appointments in preschoolers living in rural locations increases.

[Temporal trend and spatial distribution of congenital syphilis in the state of Rio Grande do Sul between 2001 and 2012]

The scope of the study was to evaluate the temporal trend and spatial distribution of congenital syphilis (CS) in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. All cases reported by the SINASC/DATASUS between 2001 and 2012 were included. The number of live births was obtained from DATASUS. Incidence rates of CS were grouped according to micro-regions of IBGE and analyzed for the entire period and for triennia. The spatial correlation was analyzed by the global Moran index (I) and the local index. 3,613 cases were reported. Between 2007 and 2012 89 neonates (3.6%) died. Rates varied from to 1.03 in 2001 to 5.1 cases per 1000 live births in 2012, with an annual increase of 0.84 cases per 1000 live births (p < 0.01) and 93.88% of explained variance. The micro-regions were spatially independent (I = 0.06; p = 0.25), with Porto Alegre having the highest incidence (4.19 cases / 1000 live births) and Jaguarão the lowest (0.23 cases / 1000 live births). Micro-regions with significant local spatial dependence were observed. The increase in cases of CS highlights poor prenatal quality care. Identification of the micro-regions with the highest incidence is essential to focus public policy on this health problem.