Suicide rates and income in Sao Paulo and Brazil: a temporal and spatial epidemiologic analysis from 1996 to 2008

Background: In a classical study, Durkheim noted a direct relation between suicide rates and wealth in the XIX century France. Since that time, several studies have verified this relationship. It is known that suicide rates are associated with income, although the direction of this association varies worldwide. Brazil presents a heterogeneous distribution of income and suicide across its territory; however, evaluation for an association between these variables has shown mixed results. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between suicide rates and income in Brazil, State of Sao Paulo (SP), and City of SP, considering geographical area and temporal trends. Methods: Data were extracted from the National and State official statistics departments. Three socioeconomic areas were considered according to income, from the wealthiest (area 1) to the poorest (area 3). We also considered three regions: country-wide (27 Brazilian States and 558 Brazilian micro-regions), state-wide (645 counties of SP State), and city-wide (96 districts of SP city). Relative risks (RR) were calculated among areas 1, 2, and 3 for all regions, in a cross-sectional approach. Then, we used Joinpoint analysis to explore the temporal trends of suicide rates and SaTScan to investigate geographical clusters of high/low suicide rates across the territory. Results: Suicide rates in Brazil, the State of SP, and the city of SP were 6.2, 6.6, and 5.4 per 100,000, respectively. Taking suicide rates of the poorest area (3) as reference, the RR for the wealthiest area was 1.64, 0.88, and 1.65 for Brazil, State of SP, and city of SP, respectively (p for trend <0.05 for all analyses). Spatial cluster of high suicide rates were identified at Brazilian southern (RR = 2.37), state of SP western (RR = 1.32), and city of SP central (RR = 1.65) regions. A direct association between income and suicide were found for Brazil (OR = 2.59) and the city of SP (OR = 1.07), and an inverse association for the state of SP (OR = 0.49). Conclusions: Temporospatial analyses revealed higher suicide rates in wealthier areas in Brazil and the city of SP and in poorer areas in the State of SP. We further discuss the role of socioeconomic characteristics for explaining these discrepancies and the importance of our findings in public health policies. Similar studies in other Brazilian States and developing countries are warranted.

Sudden Cardiac Death in Brazil: Study Based on Physicians' Perceptions of the Public Health Care System

Background: There are no available statistical data about sudden cardiac death in Brazil. Therefore, this study has been conducted to evaluate the incidence of sudden cardiac death in our population and its implications. Methods: The research methodology was based on Thurstone's Law of Comparative Judgment, whose premise is that the more an A stimulus differs from a B stimulus, the greater will be the number of people who will perceive this difference. This technique allows an estimation of actual occurrences from subjective perceptions, when compared to official statistics. Data were collected through telephone interviews conducted with Primary and Secondary Care physicians of the Public Health Service in the Metropolitan Area of Sao Paulo (MASP). Results: In the period from October 19, 2009, to October 28, 2009, 196 interviews were conducted. The incidence of 21,270 cases of sudden cardiac death per year was estimated by linear regression analysis of the physicians responses and data from the Mortality Information System of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, with the following correlation and determination coefficients: r = 0.98 and r2= 0.95 (95% confidence interval 0.81.0, P < 0.05). The lack of waiting list for specialized care and socioadministrative problems were considered the main barriers to tertiary care access. Conclusions: The incidence of sudden cardiac death in the MASP is high, and it was estimated as being higher than all other causes of deaths; the extrapolation technique based on the physicians perceptions was validated; and the most important bureaucratic barriers to patient referral to tertiary care have been identified. (PACE 2012; 35:13261331)

Suicide rates and income in São Paulo and Brazil: a temporal and spatial epidemiologic analysis from 1996 to 2008

Abstract Background In a classical study, Durkheim noted a direct relation between suicide rates and wealth in the XIX century France. Since that time, several studies have verified this relationship. It is known that suicide rates are associated with income, although the direction of this association varies worldwide. Brazil presents a heterogeneous distribution of income and suicide across its territory; however, evaluation for an association between these variables has shown mixed results. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between suicide rates and income in Brazil, State of São Paulo (SP), and City of SP, considering geographical area and temporal trends. Methods Data were extracted from the National and State official statistics departments. Three socioeconomic areas were considered according to income, from the wealthiest (area 1) to the poorest (area 3). We also considered three regions: country-wide (27 Brazilian States and 558 Brazilian micro-regions), state-wide (645 counties of SP State), and city-wide (96 districts of SP city). Relative risks (RR) were calculated among areas 1, 2, and 3 for all regions, in a cross-sectional approach. Then, we used Joinpoint analysis to explore the temporal trends of suicide rates and SaTScan to investigate geographical clusters of high/low suicide rates across the territory. Results Suicide rates in Brazil, the State of SP, and the city of SP were 6.2, 6.6, and 5.4 per 100,000, respectively. Taking suicide rates of the poorest area (3) as reference, the RR for the wealthiest area was 1.64, 0.88, and 1.65 for Brazil, State of SP, and city of SP, respectively (p for trend <0.05 for all analyses). Spatial cluster of high suicide rates were identified at Brazilian southern (RR = 2.37), state of SP western (RR = 1.32), and city of SP central (RR = 1.65) regions. A direct association between income and suicide were found for Brazil (OR = 2.59) and the city of SP (OR = 1.07), and an inverse association for the state of SP (OR = 0.49). Conclusions Temporospatial analyses revealed higher suicide rates in wealthier areas in Brazil and the city of SP and in poorer areas in the State of SP. We further discuss the role of socioeconomic characteristics for explaining these discrepancies and the importance of our findings in public health policies. Similar studies in other Brazilian States and developing countries are warranted.

Monitoring internal load parameters during simulated and official basketball matches

Moreira, A, McGuigan, MR, Arruda, AFS, Freitas, CG, and Aoki, MS. Monitoring internal load parameters during simulated and official basketball matches. J Strength Cond Res 26(3): 861-866, 2012-The purpose of this study was to compare the internal load responses (session rating of perceived exertion [RPE] and salivary cortisol) between simulated and official matches (SM and OM). Ten professional basketball players participated in 2 OMs and 2 SMs during the competition season. Subjects provided saliva samples 30 minutes before the prematch warm-up (PRE) and 10 minutes after the end of the match. Session RPE (CR-10 scale) was assessed 30 minutes after each match. The results from the 2-way analysis of variance showed significant differences for post-OM salivary cortisol as compared with pre-OM values (p < 0.05). No changes were observed for cortisol during the SM. Before the OM, a significant difference in salivary cortisol was observed as compared with pre-SM values (p < 0.05). Moreover, the OM session RPE was significantly greater than that of SM. There was a significant correlation between session RPE and cortisol changes (r = 0.75). In summary, the results of this study showed a greater magnitude of cortisol and session RPE responses after OM as compared with that after SM confirming the hypothesis that a real competition generates a greater stress response than a simulated condition does. The anticipatory effect was also observed in the OM. In addition, the results indicate that session RPE seems to be a viable tool in monitoring internal loads, and the results are useful in providing a better understanding of internal loads imposed by basketball training and competitions. The precise monitoring of these responses might help the coaches to plan appropriate loads maximizing recovery and performance.

SALIVARY CORTISOL AND IMMUNOGLOBULIN A RESPONSES TO SIMULATED AND OFFICIAL JIU-JITSU MATCHES

Moreira, A, Franchini, E, Freitas, CG, Arruda, AFS, Moura, NR, Costa, EC, and Aoki, MS. Salivary cortisol and immunoglobulin A responses to simulated and official Jiu-Jitsu matches. J Strength Cond Res 26(8): 2185-2191, 2012-The aim of this study was to compare the salivary cortisol (sC) and the salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) responses to simulated and official Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) matches. Saliva samples were collected from 9 male BJJ athletes before (pre) and after (post) 2 simulated matches (SMs) and 2 official matches (OMs) performed during 2 different competitions. Salivary cortisol and sIgA concentrations (absolute concentration of sIgA [sIgA(abs)] and the secretion rate of sIgA [sIgA(rate)]) were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. For sC, there was an effect of condition (SM vs. OM) (p < 0.05) and a time effect (pre and post) (p < 0.05). The sC was lower during SMs as compared with that during OMs and lower at premeasurement when compared with postmeasurement. No changes were observed for sIgA measurements. In summary, both SMs and official BJJ matches can increase sC levels. Moreover, the higher sC resting levels, observed before OMs, suggest that psychological factors associated with high physical-physiological demands from official BJJ competitions maximize stress hormone responses. In addition, the present findings suggest that the acute effect of BJJ matches on mucosal immunity is minimal, and it seems unlikely that changes in cortisol play a major role in the alterations in sIgA levels in response to BJJ matches. The findings of this study suggest that the use of sC can provide valuable information for coaches regarding athletes' responses to competition. In addition, psychological strategies should be implemented before events, to improve the manner in which BJJ athletes cope with the stress inherent to official matches.

Spectral fluctuation and 1/f(alpha) noise in the energy level statistics of interacting trapped bosons

It has been recently shown numerically that the transition from integrability to chaos in quantum systems and the corresponding spectral fluctuations are characterized by 1/f(alpha) noise with 1 <= alpha <= 2. The system of interacting trapped bosons is inhomogeneous and complex. The presence of an external harmonic trap makes it more interesting as, in the atomic trap, the bosons occupy partly degenerate single-particle states. Earlier theoretical and experimental results show that at zero temperature the low-lying levels are of a collective nature and high-lying excitations are of a single-particle nature. We observe that for few bosons, the P(s) distribution shows the Shnirelman peak, which exhibits a large number of quasidegenerate states. For a large number of bosons the low-lying levels are strongly affected by the interatomic interaction, and the corresponding level fluctuation shows a transition to a Wigner distribution with an increase in particle number. It does not follow Gaussian orthogonal ensemble random matrix predictions. For high-lying levels we observe the uncorrelated Poisson distribution. Thus it may be a very realistic system to prove that 1/f(alpha) noise is ubiquitous in nature.

Describing some of the Dimensions that comprise the Profile of the Faculty Staff of Statistics Departments in Brazil

Statistics is a required course in virtually all undergraduate programs in Brazilian universities. In addition, undergraduate programs in Statistics are offered in many public universities. However, despite the importance of this science, there are no systematic studies in the national literature regarding the characterization of the faculty staff, which is responsible for the teaching of statistics in the country. In this context, this paper presents a description of the faculty members of undergraduate courses in Statistics. This description was based on a descriptive sample, related to aspects of their education and scientific production. A prediction of future demand for PhDs in Statistics to fill the vacancies is also provided based on the retirement of faculty members in undergraduate courses in Statistics in the country.

Energy-level statistics of interacting trapped bosons

It is a well-established fact that statistical properties of energy-level spectra are the most efficient tool to characterize nonintegrable quantum systems. The statistical behavior of different systems such as complex atoms, atomic nuclei, two-dimensional Hamiltonians, quantum billiards, and noninteracting many bosons has been studied. The study of statistical properties and spectral fluctuations in interacting many-boson systems has developed interest in this direction. We are especially interested in weakly interacting trapped bosons in the context of Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC) as the energy spectrum shows a transition from a collective nature to a single-particle nature with an increase in the number of levels. However this has received less attention as it is believed that the system may exhibit Poisson-like fluctuations due to the existence of an external harmonic trap. Here we compute numerically the energy levels of the zero-temperature many-boson systems which are weakly interacting through the van der Waals potential and are confined in the three-dimensional harmonic potential. We study the nearest-neighbor spacing distribution and the spectral rigidity by unfolding the spectrum. It is found that an increase in the number of energy levels for repulsive BEC induces a transition from a Wigner-like form displaying level repulsion to the Poisson distribution for P(s). It does not follow the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble prediction. For repulsive interaction, the lower levels are correlated and manifest level-repulsion. For intermediate levels P(s) shows mixed statistics, which clearly signifies the existence of two energy scales: external trap and interatomic interaction, whereas for very high levels the trapping potential dominates, generating a Poisson distribution. Comparison with mean-field results for lower levels are also presented. For attractive BEC near the critical point we observe the Shnirelman-like peak near s = 0, which signifies the presence of a large number of quasidegenerate states.

PXRF and multivariate statistics analysis of pre-colonial pottery from northeast of Brazil

Portable system of energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence was used to determine the elemental composition of 68 pottery fragments from Sambaqui do Bacanga, an archeological site in Sao Luis, Maranhao, Brazil. This site was occupied from 6600 BP until 900 BP. By determining the element chemical composition of those fragments, it was possible to verify the existence of engobe in 43 pottery fragments. Obtained from two-dimensional graphs and hierarchical cluster analysis performed in fragments of stratigraphies from surface and 113-cm level, and 10 to 20, 132 and 144-cm level, it was possible to group these fragments in five distinct groups, according to their stratigraphies. The results of data grouping (two-dimensional graphics) are in agreement with hierarchical cluster analysis by Ward method. Copyright (C) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.