Brazilian mothers` socialization goals: Intracultural differences in seven Brazilian cities

The present study aimed to investigate Brazilian mothers` socialization goals. The participants in the study were 349 primiparous mothers, whose ages ranged from 17 to 47 years (mean = 26.6 years), who had children aged between 1 and 48 months (mean = 16.4 months). The families were living in seven different cities representing each of the five geographical regions of the country. A scale to evaluate the families` socio-economic status and an interview about socialization goals were used. The answers were coded in five categories defined in previous studies: self-maximization, self-control, lovingness, proper demeanor, and decency. Comparison of the means showed that Brazilian mothers gave more emphasis to self-maximization and proper demeanor than to the other categories, presenting a pattern that fosters the development of children`s autonomous-relational selves. The intracultural variation found was related to the different cities studied. GLM results showed main effects of both city size and mothers` educational level on their socialization goals. These findings contribute to the understanding of characteristics of socialization goals related with autonomy and sociocentrism.

Cloning and expression of embryogenesis-regulating genes in Araucaria angustifolia (Bert.) O. Kuntze (Brazilian Pine)

Angiosperm and gymnosperm plants evolved from a common ancestor about 300 million years ago. Apart from morphological and structural differences in embryogenesis and seed origin, a set of embryogenesis-regulating genes and the molecular mechanisms involved in embryo development seem to have been conserved alike in both taxa. Few studies have covered molecular aspects of embryogenesis in the Brazilian pine, the only economically important native conifer in Brazil. Thus eight embryogenesis-regulating genes, viz.,ARGONAUTE 1, CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON 1, WUSCHEL-related WOX, S-LOCUS LECTIN PROTEIN KINASE, SCARECROW-like, VICILIN 7S, LEAFY COTYLEDON 1, and REVERSIBLE GLYCOSYLATED POLYPEPTIDE 1, were analyzed through semi-quantitative RT-PCR during embryo development and germination. All the eight were found to be differentially expressed in the various developmental stages of zygotic embryos, seeds and seedling tissues. To our knowledge, this is the first report on embryogenesis-regulating gene expression in members of the Araucariaceae family, as well as in plants with recalcitrant seeds.

Saccharification of Brazilian sisal pulp: evaluating the impact of mercerization on non-hydrolyzed pulp and hydrolysis products

Cultivation of sisal, a plant with a short growth cycle, is highly productive in Brazil. This work is part of extensive research in which sisal is valued. In these studies, sisal fibers are used in the preparation of bio-based composites and in the derivatization of the pulp, including posterior preparation of films. This study aimed to examine the use of sisal pulp in the production of bioethanol, which can potentially be a high efficiency process because of the cellulose content of this fiber. A previous paper addressed the hydrolysis of sisal pulp using sulfuric acid as a catalyst. In the present study, the influence of the mercerization process on the acid hydrolysis of sisal pulp was evaluated. Mercerization was achieved in a 20% wt NaOH solution, and the cellulosic pulp was suspended and vigorously mixed for 1, 2 and 3 h, at 50 A degrees C. The previously characterized mercerized pulps were hydrolyzed (100 A degrees C, 30% H2SO4, v/v), and the results are compared with those obtained for unmercerized pulp (described in a companion paper). The starting sample was characterized by viscometry, alpha-cellulose content, crystallinity index and scanning electron microscopy. During the reactions, aliquots were withdrawn, and the liquor was analyzed by HPLC. The residual pulps (non-hydrolyzed) were also characterized by the techniques described for the initial sample. The results revealed that pretreatment decreases the polyoses content as well as causes a decrease of up to 23% in the crystallinity and up to 21% in the average molar mass of cellulose after 3 h of mercerization. The mercerization process proved to be very important to achieve the final target. Under the same reaction conditions (30% and 100 A degrees C, 6 h), the hydrolysis of mercerized pulp generated yields of up to 50% more glucose. The results of this paper will be compared with the results of subsequent studies obtained using other acids, and enzymes, as catalysts.

Detection of dengue virus in sera of Brazilian blood donors

BACKGROUND: Dengue is the most important arboviral disease in the world. Dengue viruses (DENVs) have produced huge outbreaks in Brazil in the past 25 years with more than 5 million reported cases. During these epidemics, asymptomatic individuals infected with DENV could donate blood and serve as a source of virus dissemination in the community. Here, we studied the circulation of DENV in healthy individuals during an epidemic outbreak. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The study included 500 serum samples from healthy blood donors collected at the Hemotherapy Center of Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, during a dengue outbreak. The presence of DENV RNA in the serum samples was screened by real-time reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (PCR). The virus serotype was determined by a heminested PCR procedure. A partial fragment of the NS5 gene sequence was used for phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: DENV RNA was detected in the serum sample of 2 of 500 (0.4%) individuals. Both of them were infected with DENV-3 Genotype III, a virus that has been circulating in Brazil in the past decade. CONCLUSION: Individuals with asymptomatic DENV infection can be blood donors and serve as a source of virus dissemination in the community. Further studies are needed to determine the risk of recipient infection by DENV as a result of transfusion in Brazil, especially during epidemic periods.

Instrumental activities of daily living performance in healthy and cognitively intact seniors from a Brazilian sample and its relation to age and other socio-demographic variables

Background: Studies on functional capacity in community-dwelling older people have shown associations between declines in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and several factors. Among these, age has been the most consistently related to functional capacity independent of other variables. We aimed at evaluating the performance of a sample of healthy and cognitively intact Brazilian older people on activities of daily living and to analyze its relation to social-demographic variables. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected for previous epidemiological studies with community-dwelling subjects aged 60 years or more. We selected subjects who did not have dementia or depression, and with no history of neurological diseases, heart attack, HIV, hepatitis or arthritis (n = 1,111). Functional capacity was assessed using the Brazilian version of the Older American Resources and Services Questionnaire (BOMFAQ). ADL performance was analyzed according to age, gender, education, and marital status (Pearson's chi(2), logistic regression). Results: IADL difficulties were present in our sample, especially in subjects aged 80 years or more, with lower levels of education, or widowed. The logistic regression analysis results indicated that "higher age" and "lower education" (p <= 0.001) remained significantly associated with IADL difficulty. Conclusions: Functional decline was present in older subjects even in the absence of medical conditions and cognitive impairment. Clinicians and researchers could benefit from knowing what to expect from older people regarding IADL performance in the absence of medical conditions.

Field and laboratory studies to assess the effects of Vertimec (R) 18EC on Daphnia similis

The present study aimed to evaluate the interactions of the pesticide Vertimec (R) 18EC in aquatic ecosystems. In this respect, soil plots were contaminated with Vertimec (R) 18EC at the concentration indicated for strawberry crops (0.125 L of solution m(-2)). After the contamination, torrential rainfall was simulated and the surface runoff was collected and transferred to mesocosm tanks in five treatments, run in triplicate: (1) control-C; (2) runoff from an uncontaminated plot-UR; (3) runoff from the plot contaminated with Vertimec (R) 18EC-CR; (4) direct application of Vertimec (R) 18EC in the water-V and (5) water samples gathered randomly to verify whether there was contamination between the mesocosms-RS. Water samples from these tanks were also submitted to ecotoxicological tests with Daphnia similis and analyses to evaluate the limnological characteristics, in five collection periods over 10 days (240 h). Physical and chemical differences were observed in the water samples, mainly related to increased turbidity, suspended solids and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphate forms). Acute toxicity was observed for the direct application treatment for the entire experimental period, and in some periods for the CR treatment (from 48 h to 168 h). The results obtained suggest that the pesticide did not fully degrade during the study period (10 days) in the direct application treatment, demonstrating that the presence of other substances in the commercial formulation contribute to the maintenance of toxicity. This represents a potential risk for aquatic ecosystems in areas adjacent to where the chemical is applied. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cross-cultural adaptation and assessment of the reliability and validity of the Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) for the Brazilian-Portuguese language

The use of patient-orientated questionnaires is of utmost importance in assessing the outcome of spine surgery. Standardisation, using a common set of outcome measures, is essential to aid comparisons across studies/in registries. The Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) is a short, multidimensional outcome instrument validated for patients with spinal disorders. This study aimed to produce a Brazilian-Portuguese version of the COMI. A cross-cultural adaptation of the COMI into Brazilian-Portuguese was carried out using established guidelines. 104 outpatients with chronic LBP (> 3 months) were recruited from a Public Health Spine Medical Care Centre. They completed a questionnaire booklet containing the newly translated COMI, and other validated symptom-specific questionnaires: Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Roland Morris disability scale (RM), and a pain visual analogue scale. All patients completed a second questionnaire within 7-10 days to assess reproducibility. The COMI summary score displayed minimal floor and ceiling effects. On re-test, the responses for each individual domain of the COMI were within 1 category in 98% patients for the domain 'function', 96% for 'symptom-specific well-being', 97% for 'general quality of life', 99% for 'social disability' and 100% for 'work disability'. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC2,1) for COMI pain and COMI summary scores were 0.91-0.96, which compared favourably with the corresponding values for the RM (ICC, 0.99) and ODI (ICC, 0.98). The standard error of measurement for the COMI was 0.6, giving a "minimum detectable change" (MDC95%) of approximately 1.7 points i.e., the minimum change to be considered "real change" beyond measurement error. The COMI scores correlated as hypothesised (Rho, 0.4-0.8) with the other symptom-specific questionnaires. The reproducibility of the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the COMI was comparable to that of other language versions. The COMI scores correlated in the expected manner with existing but longer symptom-specific questionnaires suggesting good convergent validity for the COMI. The Brazilian-Portuguese COMI represents a valuable tool for Brazilian study-centres in future multicentre clinical studies and surgical registries.

Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil): Objectives and Design

Although low- and middle-income countries still bear the burden of major infectious diseases, chronic noncommunicable diseases are becoming increasingly common due to rapid demographic, epidemiologic, and nutritional transitions. However, information is generally scant in these countries regarding chronic disease incidence, social determinants, and risk factors. The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) aims to contribute relevant information with respect to the development and progression of clinical and subclinical chronic diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. In this report, the authors delineate the study's objectives, principal methodological features, and timeline. At baseline, ELSA-Brasil enrolled 15,105 civil servants from 5 universities and 1 research institute. The baseline examination (2008-2010) included detailed interviews, clinical and anthropometric examinations, an oral glucose tolerance test, overnight urine collection, a 12-lead resting electrocardiogram, measurement of carotid intima-media thickness, echocardiography, measurement of pulse wave velocity, hepatic ultrasonography, retinal fundus photography, and an analysis of heart rate variability. Long-term biologic sample storage will allow investigation of biomarkers that may predict cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Annual telephone surveillance, initiated in 2009, will continue for the duration of the study. A follow-up examination is scheduled for 2012-2013.

Prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection and carriage after nineteen years of vaccination program in the Western Brazilian Amazon

Introduction: Reductions in the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and carriage, decreases in liver cancer incidence, and changes in patterns of liver dysfunctions are described after hepatitis B vaccination. Methods: We conducted a population-based seroprevalence study aimed at estimating the HBV prevalence and risk of infection in the rural area of Labrea following nineteen years of HBV vaccination. Results: Half of the subjects showed total anti-HBc of 52.1% (95% CI 49.6-54.7). The HBsAg prevalence was 6.2% (95% CI 5.1-7.6). Multivariate analysis showed an inverse association between HBV infection and vaccination (OR 0.62; 95% CI 0.44-0.87). HBsAg remained independently associated with past hepatitis (OR 2.44; 95% CI 1.52-3.89) and inversely to vaccination (OR 0.43; 95% CI 0.27-0.69). The prevalence of HBeAg among HBsAg-positive individuals was 20.4% (95% CI 12.8-30.1), with the positive subjects having a median age of 11 years (1-46) p=0.0003. Conclusions: We demonstrate that HBV infection is still an important public health issue and that HBV vaccination could have had better impact on HBV epidemiology. If we extrapolate these findings to other rural areas in the Brazilian Amazon, we can predict that the sources of chronic infected patients remain a challenge. Future studies are needed regarding clinical aspects, molecular epidemiology, surveillance of acute cases, and risk groups.

The impact of mortality from external causes on human development in the Brazilian borderland

This article estimates the impact of mortality from external causes on the human development index (HDI) along the Brazilian borderland from 2000 to 2005. Data obtained from Brazilian government agencies were combined using the methodology defined by the United Nations Development Program, revealing the HDI according to actual conditions. Subsequently, deaths from external causes were excluded in order to estimate their impact on the index, recalculating life expectancy using the technique of competing causes. HDI showed a gradual increase from North to South, with the most developed regions concentrated in the South, consistent with studies using other sets of economic indicators. By excluding mortality from external causes, the highest gains appeared in regions where the HDI (under actual conditions) were lower, and the magnitude of gains declined towards the South.

Characterization of Haemophilus parasuis isolated from Brazilian swine through serotyping, AFLP and PFGE

Haemophilus parasuis infection in pigs is characterized by fibrinous polyserositis, arthritis and meningitis. Despite the fact that traditional diagnosis is based on herd history, clinical signs, bacterial isolation and serotyping, molecular-based methods are alternatives for species-specific tests and epidemiological studies. The aim of this study was to characterize H. parasuis field strains from different states of Brazil, employing serotyping and genotyping methods. Serotyping revealed that serovar 4 was the most prevalent (26.1%), followed by serovars 5(17.4%), 14(8.7%), 13 (4.4%) and 2 (4.4%), whereas 39% of the strains were considered as untypeable. AFLP with a single enzyme and PFGE were able to type all isolates tested, generating 34 and 20 different profiles, respectively, including untypeable strains. Besides the slightly higher discrimination index presented by AFLP, PFGE with Not I restriction enzyme showed a better correlation with epidemiological data, grouping strains of the same serovar, animal or farm origin. The results indicated AFLP and PFGE as valuable tools for typing H. parasuis isolates collected in Brazil. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Frequency of subtype B and F1 dual infection in HIV-1 positive, Brazilian men who have sex with men

Background: Because various HIV vaccination studies are in progress, it is important to understand how often inter- and intra-subtype co/superinfection occurs in different HIV-infected high-risk groups. This knowledge would aid in the development of future prevention programs. In this cross-sectional study, we report the frequency of subtype B and F1 co-infection in a clinical group of 41 recently HIV-1 infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Methodology: Proviral HIV-1 DNA was isolated from subject's peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes that were obtained at the time of enrollment. Each subject was known to be infected with a subtype B virus as determined in a previous study. A small fragment of the integrase gene (nucleotide 4255-4478 of HXB2) was amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using subclade F1 specific primers. The PCR results were further confirmed by phylogenetic analysis. Viral load (VL) data were extrapolated from the medical records of each patient. Results: For the 41 samples from MSM who were recently infected with subtype B virus, it was possible to detect subclade F1 proviral DNA in five patients, which represents a co-infection rate of 12.2%. In subjects with dual infection, the median VL was 5.3 x 10(4) copies/ML, whereas in MSM that were infected with only subtype B virus the median VL was 3.8 x 10(4) copies/ML (p > 0.8). Conclusions: This study indicated that subtype B and F1 co-infection occurs frequently within the HIV-positive MSM population as suggested by large number of BF1 recombinant viruses reported in Brazil. This finding will help us track the epidemic and provide support for the development of immunization strategies against the HIV.

Co-occurrence of microcystin and microginin congeners in Brazilian strains of Microcystis sp.

Species of Microcystis are the most common bloom-forming cyanobacteria in several countries. Despite extensive studies regarding the production of bioactive cyanopeptides in this genus, there are limited data on isolated strains from Brazil. Three Microcystis sp. strains were isolated from the Salto Grande Reservoir (LTPNA01, 08 and 09) and investigated for the presence of mcy genes, microcystins and other cyanopeptides. Microcystin and microginin production was confirmed in two isolates using high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry after electrospray ionization (ESI-Q-TOF), and the structures of two new microginin congeners were proposed (MG756 Ahda-Val-Leu-Hty-Tyr and MG770 MeAhda-Val-Leu-Hty-Tyr). The biosynthesis profile of the identified cyanopeptides was evaluated at different growth phases via a newly developed HPLC-UV method. Results demonstrated no substantial differences in the production of microcystins and microginins after data normalization to cell quota, suggesting a constitutive biosynthesis. This study represents the first confirmed co-production of microginins and microcystins in Brazilian strains of Microcystis sp. and highlights the potential of Brazilian cyanobacteria as a source of natural compounds with pharmaceutical interest.

THE INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING PRACTICES - CIPESC (R): A PEDAGOGICAL TOOL FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES

The CIPESC (R) is a tool that informs the work of nurses in Public Health and assists in prioritizing their care in practice, management and research. It is also a powerful pedagogical instrument for the qualification of nurses within the Brazilian healthcare system. In the teaching of infectious diseases, using the CIPESC (R) assists in analyzing the interventions by encouraging clinical and epidemiological thinking regarding the health-illness process. With the purpose in mind of developing resources for teaching undergraduate nursing students and encouraging reflection regarding the process of nursing work, this article presents an experimental application of CIPESC (R), using meningococcal meningitis as an example.

In Vitro Schistosomicidal Activity of Some Brazilian Cerrado Species and Their Isolated Compounds

Miconia langsdorffii Cogn. (Melastomataceae), Roupala montana Aubl. (Proteaceae), Struthanthus syringifolius (Mart.) (Loranthaceae), and Schefflera vinosa (Cham. & Schltdl.) Frodin (Araliaceae) are plant species from the Brazilian Cerrado whose schistosomicidal potential has not yet been described. The crude extracts, fractions, the triterpenes betulin, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid and the flavonoids quercetin 3-O-beta-D-rhamnoside, quercetin 3-O-beta-D-glucoside, quercetin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-2)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside and isorhamnetin 3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1-2)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside were evaluated in vitro against Schistosoma mansoni adult worms and the bioactive n-hexane fractions of the mentioned species were also analyzed by GC-MS. Betulin was able to cause worm death percentage values of 25% after 120 h (at 100 mu M), and 25% and 50% after 24 and 120 h (at 200 mu M), respectively; besides the flavonoid quercetin 3-O-beta-D-rhamnoside promoted 25% of death of the parasites at 100 mu M. Farther the flavonoids quercetin 3-O-beta-D-glucoside and quercetin 3-O-beta-D-rhamnoside at 100 mu M exhibited significantly reduction in motor activity, 75% and 87.5%, respectively. Biological results indicated that crude extracts of R. montana, S. vinosa, and M. langsdorffii and some n-hexane and EtOAc fractions of this species were able to induce worm death to some extent. The results suggest that lupane-type triterpenes and flavonoid monoglycosides should be considered for further antiparasites studies.