Spatial epidemiology of American cutaneous leishmaniasis in a municipality of west Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Comportamento espacial da cultura canavieira no Estado de Sao Paulo, 1980

Data from the agricultural and Cattle Raising Census for 1980 show that most of the sugar cane producing counties lie in the administrative regions of Campinas, Ribeirao Preto and Sao Jose do Rio Preto. A comparison with the 1975 data shows two important facts; 1) an increase of the cultivated area in 118 counties and 2) an increase in the number of counties with area under sugar cane. There was also an expansion in the sub-regions of Catanduva, Assis and Ourinhos. Nevertheless, Piracicaba, Araraquara, Ribeirao Preto, Jaboticabal and Jau, have continued to be important sugar cane producing nuclei in the State since 1960. -from English summary

Distribution of stream macroalgae in the eastern Atlantic Rainforest of São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil

Fifty-two stream segments were sampled from 16 August to 13 September in 1993 in the eastern Atlantic Rainforest of São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil (22°55′-25°00′S, 44°48′-48°03′W). Forty-two macroalgal subgeneric taxa were found and the most widespread species were Audouinella pygmaea (21% of sites), Compsopogon leptoclados and Microcoleus subtorulosus (19%). Macroalgal species number per sampling site ranged from 0 to six (2.6 ± 1.7) and was positively correlated to species abundance, whereas species cover ranged from 0 to 70% of the stream bed (15.5 ± 20.8%). No significant correlation was found among macroalgal species number and abundance with any physical or chemical variable analyzed. Most sites were dominated by one or few macroalgal species, mainly, Audouinella macrospora, C. leptoclados and M. subtorulosus. No significant difference was found between the frequency distribution of variables measured for streams and for total macroalgae but the most widespread species (A. pygmaea) differed significantly for current velocity, specific conductance, turbidity and pH. Overall means for macroalgal occurrence include the following values: temperature (X̄ = 19.9°C), current velocity (X̄ = 45 cm s-1), oxygen saturation (X̄ = 66%), specific conductance (X̄ = 59.6 μS cm-1), turbidity (X̄ = 5 NTU) and pH (X̄ = 7.1). This pattern of patchy distribution and dominance by few species has been suggested as typical of stream macroalgal communities and has been ascribed to the rapid fluctuation of physical and chemical conditions. Total macroalgal species richness as well as mean species number per sampling site were considerably lower than found in similar studies of other regions. The Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis was applied to explain these results: the same factor (high precipitation) responsible for the maintainance of the high species diversity in the surrounding forest can be, paradoxically, a constraint to the development of a more diverse macroalgal flora in streams. © 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Phytochemical evidence for the plant origin of Brazilian propolis from Sao Paulo state

Propolis and plant secretions from three species, most frequently mentioned as botanical sources of the bee glue in Brazil (Baccharis dracunculifolia, Araucaria angustifolia and Eucalyptus citriodora) have been investigated using GC-MS. Based on chemical evidence, B. dracunculifolia was shown to be the main propolis source in Sao Paulo state. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of all four materials were also tested, the most active being propolis and Baccharis leaf exudate.

Agricultural production and sustainable development in a Brazilian region (Southwest, Sao Paulo State): motivations and barriers to adopting sustainable and ecologically friendly practices

The objective of this study is to identify the adoption level of practices associated with more sustainable agriculture and environmentally friendly practices. Additionally, the motivations for and barriers to the adoption of these practices by farmers are investigated. Data were collected through closed questionnaires taken by a random sample of farmers in the Southwest, Sao Paulo, Brazil, during the second half of 2013. Overall, sustainable agricultural practices recommended in the literature and analysed in this study are being not fully adopted by farmers of the studied area. The results showed that financial motivation is associated with farmers adopting new, more sustainable technology, whereas the lack of information on and lack of technical support for these technologies are significant barriers. Other results, research implications, limitations and suggestions for future research are presented.

Costs estimates and rentability of the guava culture {psidium guajava l. patuma cv.) in monte alto county, Sao Paulo state

This work intended to calculate the rentability of the guava culture Paluma cv. in Monte Alto region-SP, estimating the costs of the implantation, maintenance, production and the gross income of this culture in the first three years of cultivation. The production system utilized refers to the cultural treatments usually used in this culture in the region. The costs estimates were based on the total operational costs methodology used by the Agricultural Economics Institute (I.E.A.). The results obtained showed that the implantation and maintenance costs of the culture, in the two first years was Rs7.402,31/alqueire. Considering the possibility that in guava orchard, on irrigated conditions, reach in the fourthy year a productivity of 80t/alqueire and that the current price is Rs0,20/kg, it is possible to estimate the gross income around of Rs16.000,00/alqueire, resulting in a net income of Rs9.497,06/alqueire.

Hospitalizations for Conditions Sensitive to Primary Care: A Geo-Epidemiological Profile Analysis of in a Hospital in the Sao Paulo State, From July 2010 to June 2011

The primary health care has been recognized as one of the key components of an effective health system. In its most developed form, the primary health care is the first contact with the health system and the site responsible for the organization of health care over time: individuals, their families and the general population; seeks to provide balance between the two goals of a national health system, which are improving the health of the population and provide equitable distribution of resources. Hospitalizations for primary care sensitive conditions (HPCSC) may be associated with deficiencies of service coverage primary health care or its effectiveness. Hospitalization rates can and should represent a warning sign, triggering mechanisms for analysis and search for explanations for these problems. The use of hospitalization data for HPCSC can serve as indicators of inequality in the health system, contributing to the evaluation of the deployment and implementation of health policies.

Antibodies to Neospora caninum in sheep from slaughterhouses in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Neosporosis is an emergent disease responsible for considerable economic impact due to reproductive losses. Its zoonotic potential remains unknown. This study involved a survey of antibodies to Neospora caninum in slaughtered sheep and their association with epidemiological variables. Serum samples from 596 sheep from the states of Sao Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were collected in two slaughterhouses located in Sao Paulo and evaluated by indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT), using cut-off titers of 25. Among these samples, 353/596 (59.23%; 95%CI 55.23-63.10) were positive and 263/353 (74.50%; 95%CI 69.71-78.77%) were from Rio Grande do Sul. Statistical associations were determined in the univariate analysis between the serological results and sex, breed and municipality of origin. Sheep that came from extensive breeding system showed higher chance (OR=2.09) of presenting antibodies to N. caninum in relation to those from semi-intensive system. Higher chance was also observed for the different studied breeds, except Bergamacia, in relation to Hampshire Down. The results revealed the presence of infection by N. caninum in sheep from slaughterhouses.

Entomological surveillance, spatial distribution, and diversity of culicidae (diptera) immatures in a rural area of the atlantic forest biome, state of sao paulo, brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Rn-222, Ra-226 and hydrochemistry in the Bauru Aquifer System, Sao Jose do Rio Preto (SP), Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Non-volant mammals from Nucleo Santa Virginia, Serra do Mar State Park, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Geothermal investigations in an area of induced seismic activity, northern São Paulo State, Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Control of parasitic infections among school children in the peri-urban area of Botucatu, Sao Paulo, Brazil

The prevalence of intestinal parasitosis was investigated in a primary school located in Rubiao Junior, a peri-urban district of Botucatu, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, in order to assess the effect of treatment and practical measures of prophylaxis in the control of parasitic infections among 7-to-18-year-old school children of a low socio-economic status. The first series of parasitological examinations included 219 school children, of which 123 (56.1%) were found to be infected with one or more parasite species. Eighty-four children carrying pathogenic parasites were submitted to various anti-parasitic treatment schedules. We re-evaluated 75 (89%) students after 4 to 6 months postchemotherapy. The results indicate that the combination of treatment with prophylactic measures has been successful in the control of parasitic infections, since reinfection rates were generally low (≤5.3%), except for Giardia lamblia infections (18.6%), and a marked reduction on the prevalence rates was observed with a significant percentage of cure (≤73.1%) in children infected with most parasite species. The reasons for the apparent failure in the control of infections caused by Hymenolepsis nana and Strongyloides stercoralis are discussed.