The growth of 79 healthy, well-nourished lowland (400 M) and highland (3600 M) Bolivian infants was analyzed in a longitudinal study through the first postnatal year. Compared to low altitude infants, the high altitude infants were found, by analysis of covariance controlling for size at the previous exam, to be significantly shorter at birth, 1 and 6 months, while they were significantly lighter only at birth and 1 year. Recumbent length gain was slower in the high altitude infants in the early months of life, while weight gain did not differ between altitudes. The observed lower weights at high altitude throughout the first year appear to be due to a persistence of lower weights seen at birth and not to postnatal growth retardation. Significantly greater triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness measurements were found in the highland group, despite their smaller length and weight. The possible causes and implications of the greater fat accumulation in the highland infants are discussed.

Background Childhood obesity is a systemic and complex multilevel public health problem. Research approaches are needed that effectively engage communities in reversing environmental determinants of child obesity. Objectives This article discusses the Communities and Schools Together Project (CAST) and lessons learned about the project’s community-based participatory research (CBPR) model. Methods A partnership of schools, community organizations, and researchers used multiple methods to examine environmental health risks for childhood obesity and conduct school–community health programs. Action work groups structured partner involvement for designing and implementing study phases. Lessons Learned CBPR in child obesity prevention involves engaging multiple communities with overlapping yet divergent goals. Schools are naturally situated to participate in child obesity projects, but engagement of key personnel is essential for functional partnerships. Complex societal problems require CBPR approaches that can align diverse communities and necessitate significant coordination by researchers. CBPR can provide simultaneous health promotion across multiple communities in childhood obesity prevention initiatives. Support for emergent partner activities is an essential practice for maintaining community interest and involvement in multi-year CBPR projects. Conclusion Investigator-initiated CBPR partnerships can effectively organize and facilitate large health-promoting partnerships involving multiple, diverse stakeholder communities. Lessons learned from CAST illustrate the synergy that can propel projects that are holistically linked to the agents of a community.

Selenium therapy may be a beneficial treatment to decrease anxiety in HIV+ drug users who exhibit a high prevalence of psychological burden.

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The presence of Papio cynocephalus, Cercopithecus mitis, Cercopithecus aethiops and Colobus angolensis in a small coastal forest is attributed to their differential habitat utilization. Data on diet, space-use patterns and polyspecific associations are given. Habitat partitioning is found to be resource-related and is accomplished through differential reliance on resources as well as different means of exploiting overlapping resources. The implications of the data for understanding the relationship between ecology and social structure are discussed.