University of Costa Rica

About: University of Costa Rica is a education organization based out in San José, Costa Rica. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Venom. The organization has 9817 authors who have published 16781 publications receiving 238208 citations. The organization is also known as: UCR & Universidad de Costa Rica.

Breast-feeding, weaning and the diarrhoeal syndrome in a Guatemalan Indian village.

Abstract: Prospective studies in Mayan Indian children living in their natural setting were carried out from 1964 through 1974; observations began at birth and extended at least throughout the first three years of life Adequate growth and survival were characteristic of exclusively breast-fed infants in the first months of life Despite the high rate of infection, children exhibited a considerable resistance to intestinal protozoa, enterobacteriaceae and enteric viruses Resistance against colonic invaders is attributed to the bifidus flora, and that against agents acting in the small bowel, to specific antibodies present in colostrum and milk Diarrhoeal disease was least in this period and increased with weaning to reach maximum peaks at the time of weaning The protracted weaning consisted of progressive administration of foods of low biological value given under deficient sanitary conditions The nutrient value of the diet as a function of the child's weight was adequate in protein but in most cases it was markedly deficient in calories Infectious diseases, particularly diarrhoea, were found associated with pronounced reductions in the already deficient calorie intake Infection and infectious disease were common particularly during the first 6 to 18 months of life Weight loss was a frequent finding during and after episodes of disease The consequence of the malnutrition-infection interaction is a marked stunting of growth, clearly evident from examination of the growth curves of village children Nutrient intake did not correlate with growth velocity By contrast, the duration of breast-feeding was strongly associated with growth in the linear segment of the curve, while in the period of faster growth the correlation was inverse On the other hand, morbidity was inversely correlated with calorie and protein intake and this was more obvious in the second than in the first year of life The data indicate that infection is one of the leading factors associated with reduced calorie (and protein) intakes during the critical period of onset of malnutrition and mortality in childhood By preventing infection, particularly diarrhoea, the food intake, nutrition and growth of children could be significantly improved

Impact of the extraction procedure on the kinetics of anthocyanin and colour degradation of roselle extracts during storage.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The stability of anthocyanins and colour of aqueous extracts from roselle (Hibiscussabdariffa L.) was investigated during storage at 4 – 45 ◦ C. The effect of the extraction procedure (cold or hot extraction with or without pasteurisation) on the kinetic behaviour was determined. RESULTS: Data analysis showed first-order kinetics for the evolution of anthocyanin content, colour density, colour strength and browning index. Three models (Arrhenius, Eyring and Ball) were used to represent the temperature dependence of the reaction rates. The three models allowed the prediction of colour modifications according to the storage temperature over 6 months. Activation energies ranged from 22 to 26 kJ mol −1 for anthocyanin degradation and from 18 to 34 kJ mol −1 for colour parameter modification. The degradation rate during storage depended on the extraction procedure. When heated, the extracts were clearly less stable. Their colour changed faster during storage especially when hot water and pasteurisation were used. CONCLUSION: Although the anthocyanin content and initial colour were not modified, the extraction conditions, especially temperature, greatly affected the stability of the extracts during storage. Further studies are needed to understand the mechanisms involved. c � 2011 Society of Chemical Industry