Objective: Arterial stiffness, measured by pulse wave velocity, is an independent predictor of cardiovascular events and mortality in adults. Recent studies have demonstrated an association between higher levels of blood pressure in youth and adverse changes in measures of vascular structure and function, including pulse wave velocity. The aim of this study was to determine factors that influence pulse wave velocity in children. Design and method: We used a convenience sample of 285 children attending a Portuguese school. Subjects were submitted to clinical parameters measurement (weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure) and 24-hour urinary sodium excretion evaluation. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity was captured using the Sphygmocor© device (Atcor Medical Pty Ltd, West Ryde, NSW, Australia). Results: Pulse wave velocity correlated positively with age, height, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate. We also found a positive correlation between pulse wave velocity and weight in males. Major predictors for pulse wave velocity in a multivariate regression analysis were gender, height, weight, body mass index, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate. Overall, the final model accounted for 23% of the variation in the data (adjusted R square 0.230). Conclusions: We found several determinants of pulse wave velocity in children, some of them modifiable and influencing cardiovascular outcomes. Blood pressure, weight and body mass index were predictors of pulse wave velocity, stressing the need to control these well-known cardiovascular risk factors at an early stage of life. Long follow-up studies may provide clarity about the association between pulse wave velocity in childhood and hypertension and cardiovascular events in adulthood.

Objective: Pulse wave velocity is a measure of arterial stiffness and vascular aging and an important parameter for cardiovascular risk stratification. A previous study showed high prevalence rates of early vascular aging in an adult population from the North of Portugal. The aim of this study was to characterize children from the same region regarding pulse wave velocity and its relationship with central adiposity indices and blood pressure. Design and method: A convenience sample of 285 children aged 10–14 years old attending a Northern Portuguese school was used. Subjects were submitted to measurement of weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, heart rate and blood pressure. Collected data was distributed by gender, age and height specific percentiles. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity was measured using the Sphygmocor© device (Atcor Medical Pty Ltd, West Ryde, NSW, Australia) and the values were classified by percentile curves according to age. Results: Mean pulse wave velocity values were 5.4 ± 1.0 m/s for males and 5.1 ± 0.7 m/s for females. 27.4% of the subjects (N = 78) had pulse wave velocity above 90th percentile, 64.1% of which were males (N = 50) and 15.3% (N = 12) were overweight/obese. Pulse wave velocity was significantly higher in subjects with systolic blood pressure > = 90th percentile. No differences were found in pulse wave velocity between overweight/obese and healthy weight subjects. Conclusions: Our study found a high prevalence rate of elevated pulse wave velocity in children. This is a concerning aspect, taking into account the highly recognized relationship between pulse wave velocity and cardiovascular outcomes, indicating that healthy policy measures need to be implemented early in life. Future research is needed to establish pulse wave velocity reference percentile curves specific for Portuguese children.

A 4‐year (2005–2008) norovirus (NoV) surveillance study was conducted in the state of Rio Janeiro, Brazil, to demonstrate the role of these viruses in outbreaks and sporadic cases of acute gastroenteritis. A cohort of 1,687 fecal samples was obtained from patients with gastroenteritis; 324 were rotavirus‐positive. Of the remainder 1,363 rotavirus‐negative samples, 1,087 samples were tested for NoV RNA in this study. The study enrolled 267 outpatients from Municipal Public Health Centers and 820 inpatients, whose samples were obtained by active surveillance in Public Hospitals. Fecal samples were tested by reverse transcription (RT) followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the MON 431–434 set of degenerate primers for NoV GI and GII detection, and there were 35.1% (381/1,087) positive samples for NoV, consisting of 30.2% (248/820) and 49.8% (133/267) from inpatient and outpatient, respectively. Children infected by NoV had significantly more frequent mucus in feces, vomiting and fever. No seasonal pattern in NoV infections was observed in patients admitted to hospital; however, two peaks of NoV infections were observed from ambulatory cases, suggesting that there was an occurrence of outbreaks in those time periods. Molecular characterization revealed GII to be the most prevalent genogroup, totaling 96.3% (104/108) of all sequences analyzed, and GII.4 was the genotype detected most frequently (80.7%), followed by GII.6, 3, 14, 7, and 8. Two GI strains, GI.2 and GI.3, were also observed. The number of outbreaks and sporadic cases described in this study highlights the need to implement diagnosis of NoV in surveillance laboratories. J. Med. Virol. 82:1442–1448, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Rotavirus strains from 91 patients treated at a children's hospital from 1996 to 1998 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were characterized by electropherotyping, reverse transcription-PCR amplification for P and G genotypes, and Southern hybridization. Results obtained showed that following predominant [P],G type combination: P[4], G2 (21 per cent), P[8], G1 (17 per cent), P[8], G3 (13 per cent), which are prevalent throughout the world. However, an unexpected number of cases were associated with uncommon genotypes: P[8], G2 (13 per cent), P[8], G5 (11 per cent), P[8], G9 (7 per cent), P[8], G10 (4 per cent), P[6], G4 (3 per cent), P[6], G3 (1 per cent), P[4], G9 (1 per cent), and P[6], G9 (1 per cent). Mixed infections with more than one type were identified in only two cases and 16 per cent of the samples were not G and/or P typeable. A subset of G types was confirmed by Southern hybridization and chemiluminescent detection. Rotavirus seasonal distribution was observed between April and July. The contribution of the results obtained in the present investigation corroborates the required epidemiological surveillance for rotavirus infection in Brazil.

Fifty-three rotavirus-positive fecal specimens from children with diarrhea admitted to a Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, children's hospital between January 1997 and December 1998 were characterized for P and G types by using reverse transcription-PCR. Genotype P[4] G2 accounted for 21% Of isolates, while uncommon genotypes P[8]G9, P[6]G9, and P[4]G9 accounted for 13% of the isolates.