A avaliação da efetividade de um modelo de intervenção breve (método BASICS) para o uso de risco de álcool em estudantes do ensino médio

Pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva - FMB

Fatores de risco relacionados à perda de produtividade laboral e aumento dos custos ambulatoriais de pacientes atendidos por unidades básicas de saúde

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

Association between bruxism, alcohol and tobaco use among brazilian students

The etiology of bruxism is not well defined. Different factors affecting the central nervous system are considered as risk factors for bruxism. Dental students are not immune to the bruxism, alcohol consumption and tobacco use, despite their training, knowledge of its effects and social responsibility. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between bruxism, alcohol consumption and tobacco use among Brazilian dental students. Participants were chosen among 180, 17-29 year-old students at the UNESP’s Dentistry School – Araçatuba Campus. They were divided into those with and without bruxism on the basis at validated clinical criteria. The clinical examinations were carried out by four standardized examiners (Intraexaminer and Interexaminer Unweighted kappa= 0.82, Weighted kappa= 0.89, respectively), in the clinic, with daylight and a tongue depressor. Bruxism was registered with the following categories: no wear facets, wear facets in enamel, dentine wear facets, facets wear half of the crown and wear facets more than 2/3 of the tooth crown. A self report validated questionnaire for alcohol consumption and tobacco use with 29 questions was completed by both groups. Fischer exact test and T-test were used and Odds Ratio and Confidence Interval was estimated. Bruxism was more frequent among cigarette smokers both in men (68.4%) and in women (56.8%). Among all respondents in this group, 82.6% reported that they would like to quit smoking and those who have tried previously to quit (76.4%) found it made them more stressed. Drinker was more frequent in the group with bruxism also (66.5% of the female and 73.5% of the male). 88.4% reported drinking alcohol because it “allows dealing with stress in an adequate way”. Results suggest a positive association between bruxism and alcohol consumption and tobacco use.

Potential and costs for the production of electrolytic hydrogen in alcohol and sugar cane plants in the central and south regions of Brazil

This project verified the potential for the production of hydrogen via water electrolysis by using the exceeding electrical energy resultant from alcohol and sugar plants that use sugar cane bagasse as fuel. The studies were carried out in cogeneration plants authorized by the Electrical Energy National Agency (ANEEL). The processing history of sugar cane considered was based on the 2006/2007 harvests. The total bagasse produced, electrical energy generated and exceeding electrical energy in a year were calculated. It was obtained an average energy consumption value of 5.2 kWh Nm(-3) and the hydrogen production costs regarding the amount of sugar cane processed that ranged from US$ 0.50 to US$ 0.75 Nm(-3). The results pointed that the costs for the production of hydrogen via the bagasse exceeding energy are close to the production costs that use other sources of energy. As the energy generated from the bagasse is a renewable one, this alternative for the production of hydrogen is economical and environmentally viable. (C) 2008 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of ecological efficiency in internal combustion engines: The use of biodiesel

This paper evaluates and quantifies the environmental impact from the use of some renewable fuels and fossils fuels in internal combustion engines. The following fuels are evaluated: gasoline blended with anhydrous ethyl alcohol (anhydrous ethanol), conventional diesel fuel, biodiesel in pure form and blended with diesel fuel, and natural gas. For the case of biodiesel, its complete life cycle and the closed carbon cycle (photosynthesis) were considered. The ecological efficiency concept depends on the environmental impact caused by CO(2), SO(2), NO(x) and particulate material (PM) emissions. The exhaust gases from internal combustion engines, in the case of the gasoline (blended with alcohol), biodiesel and biodiesel blended with conventional diesel, are the less polluting; on the other hand, the most polluting are those related to conventional diesel. They can cause serious problems to the environment because of their dangerous components for the human, animal and vegetable life. The resultant pollution of each one of the mentioned fuels are analyzed, considering separately CO(2), SO(2), NO(x) and particulate material (PM) emissions. As conclusion, it is possible to calculate an environmental factor that represents, qualitatively and quantitative, the emissions in internal combustion engines that are mostly used in urban transport. Biodiesel in pure form (B100) and blended with conventional diesel as fuel for engines pollute less than conventional diesel fuel. The ecological efficiency for pure biodiesel (B100) is 86.75%: for biodiesel blended with conventional diesel fuel (B20, 20% biodiesel and 80% diesel), it is 78.79%. Finally, the ecological efficiency for conventional diesel, when used in engines, is 77.34%; for gasoline, it is 82.52%, and for natural gas, it is 91.95%. All these figures considered a thermal efficiency of 30% for the internal combustion engine. Crown Copyright (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The benefits of ethanol use for hydrogen production in urban transportation

The purpose of this paper is to describe the benefits of sugar cane ethanol in Brazil, appointing the productivity of this type of fuel based on hectares of plantation, its carbon dioxide cycle and the contribution to reduce the greenhouse effect. In the following step the uses of ethanol for hydrogen production by steam reforming is analyzed and some comparison with natural gas steam reforming is performed. The sugar cane industry in Brazil, in a near future, in the hydrogen era, could be modified according to our purpose, since besides the production of sugar, and ethylic and anhydric alcohol, Brazilian sugar cane industry will also be able to produce biohydrogen.Fuel cells appear like a promising technology for energy generation. Among several technologies in the present, the PEMFC (proton exchange membrane fuel cell) is the most appropriate for vehicles application, because it combines durability, high power density, high efficiency, good response and it works at relatively low temperatures. Besides that it is easy to turn it on and off and it is able to support present vibration in vehicles. A PEMFC's problem is the need of noble catalysts like platinum. Another problem is that CO needs to be in low concentration, requiring a more clean hydrogen to avoid fuel cell deterioration.One part of this paper was developed in Stockholm, where there are some buses within the CUTE (clean urban transport for Europe) project that has been in operation with FC since January 2004. Another part was developed in Guaratingueta, Brazil. Brazil intends to start up a program of FC buses. As conclusion, this paper shows the economical analysis comparing buses moved by fuel cells using hydrogen by different kinds of production. Electrolyze with wind turbine, natural gas steam reforming and ethanol steam reforming. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the performance of an extraction-condensation steam turbine on a cogeneration system of a Brazilian sugar-alcohol factory

In this work a detailed thermodynamic analysis for an extraction-condensation steam turbine capable to drive a 40 MVA electricity generator in a sugar-alcohol factory was carried out. The use of this turbine in the cogeneration system showed that its efficiency contributed to increase the power generation, although the condensation reduces the overall efficiency of the plant. Sensibility analyses were performed to evaluate the behavior of the overall energy efficiency of a plant with the extraction-condensation turbine in function of the boiler efficiency, the specific consumption of steam in the processes and the condensation rate in the turbine. It was observed that the plant efficiency is very sensible to the condensation rate variation and it increases when there is an increase in the demand of steam for processes.

Alcohol dehydrogenase 3 genotype as a risk factor for upper aerodigestive tract cancers

Objective: To assess alcohol dehydrogenase 3 (ADH3) polymorphism at position Ile349Val as indicator of risk factor for upper aerodigestive tract (UADT) cancer to verify its association with UADT cancer in nonalcoholic or nonsmoking individuals.Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting: Primary care or referral center.Patients: the study group consisted of 141 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx admitted for surgical treatment. The comparison group consisted of 94 inpatients without cancer from the A. C. Camargo or other São Paulo (Brazil) hospital and 40 healthy individuals.Intervention: All participants were interviewed and data were collected using a structured questionnaire. After written informed consent was obtained, 20 mL of blood was collected in heparinized tubes.Main Outcome Measures: Odds ratio for ADH3 genotypes using logistic regression models.Results: After adjustment for sex, age, tobacco use, and history of cancer in first-degree family relatives, a significantly higher odds ratio for UADT cancer was observed among individuals with AA genotype and low cumulative alcohol consumption (:5 100 kg of ethanol) (odds ratio=3.8 [95% confidence interval, 1.5-9.7]). A 4-fold increase in odds ratio for UADT cancer among individuals with AA genotype and low tobacco consumption (:525 pack-years) was also found in the adjusted model.Conclusions: These results suggest that genotype AA may be a risk factor for UADT cancer, especially in individuals with low alcohol or tobacco consumption. However, further epidemiological case-control or cohort studies, preferably prospective, are needed to establish the exact role of ADH3 polymorphism and its association with the development of UADT cancers.

Colorimetric assay of ethanol using alcohol dehydrogenase from dry baker's yeast

Alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) are oxidoreductases present in animal tissues, plants, and microorganisms. These enzymes attract major scientific interest for the evolutionary perspectives, afforded by their wide occurrence in nature, and for their use in synthesis, thanks to their broad substrate specificity and stereoselectivity. In the present study, the standardization of the activity of the alcohol dehydrogenase from baker's yeast was accomplished, and the pH and temperature stability showed, that the enzyme presented a high stability to pH 6.0-7.0 and the thermal stability were completely maintained up to 50 degrees C during 1 h. The assays of ethanol (detection range 1-5 mM or 4.6 x 10(-2) to 23.0 x 10(-2) g/L) in different samples in alcoholic beverages, presented a maximum deviation of only 7.2%. The standard curve and the analytic curve of this method meet the conditions of precision, sensitivity, simplicity, and low cost, required for a useable analytical method. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Alternative uses for vinasse, an alcohol industry residue. A review

Recent studies on the recycling of vinasse, its potential use in agriculture and possible environmental problems resulting from the use and disposal of this residue are reviewed.

Cytologic analysis of alterations induced by smoking and by alcohol consumption

Objective: To analyze cytologically the buccal mucosa of smoking and nonsmoking volunteers to determine what cellular changes are induced by cigarettes and alcohol consumption. Study Design: In order to evaluate cellular changes induced by smoking and alcohol consumption, exfoliative cytology was used for the analysis of mucosal smears obtained from the buccal mucosa of 25 smokers and 25 nonsmokers. The number of cigarettes consumed, duration of smoking, presence or absence of alcohol ingestion, ingested alcohol dose and frequency of consumption, and most frequently used type of alcoholic beverage were determined using a questionnaire. Three smears from each individual stained by the Papanicolaou method were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively under a light microscope by 2 experienced examiners in terms of inflammatory and dysplastic alterations and of the degree of epithelial maturation. Results: Although numerous alterations were observed in smokers they corresponded up to only Papanicolaou class II and were not significantly different from nonsmokers (Mann-Whitney and χ 2 tests, p < 0.05). A higher proportion of inflammatory cells (polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cells) were obtained from smokers as compared to nonsmokers, while the proportion of bacteria was similar in the 2 groups. Conclusion: The findings indicate that even after a short period of cigarette use and alcohol consumption, inflammatory alterations were detectable on exfoliative cytology of the buccal mucosa in a young group, demonstrating the usefulness of cytology for early detection in smokers. © The International Academy of Cytology.

Childhood trauma in substance use disorder and depression: An analysis by gender among a Brazilian clinical sample

Objective: In this study, we compared the frequency and intensity of childhood traumas in alcohol- or other drug-dependent patients, in patients with depression, and in a control group without psychiatric diagnoses. Methods: The study had a retrospective design of a clinical sample of men and women from the groups listed above. They were evaluated by the same standardized instrument: the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.. Results: A higher frequency and intensity of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse were found in alcohol- and other drug-dependent patients than in patients with depression, who, in turn, presented significantly higher proportions than the control group. In all of the cases, the frequency was higher among women than men. Conclusion: Because of the high frequency and intensity of childhood traumas among alcohol- or other drug-dependent patients and depressed patients, the assessment of problems due to childhood traumas among these patients is essential to a better understanding of the etiology of those disorders and to their treatment. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Viscosity, pH, and moisture effect in the porosity of poly(furfuryl alcohol)

The poly(furfuryl alcohol) is highly indicated to obtain advanced carbonaceous materials due mainly to its good carbon yield (around 50%) and a controllable cure reaction. In the processing of some carbonaceous materials, such as monolithic vitreous carbon, it is necessary to make sure that the material has the smallest porosity to be used in nobler applications such as heart valves and aerospace integrated systems. In this manuscript, a design of experiments was used to study the influence of viscosity, pH, and moisture in the porosity of the cured material. This study shows that the moisture exerts a significant influence on the porosity and the trend of the results lead to conclude that lower viscosity and moisture, and the use of non-neutralized poly(furfuryl alcohol) resins lead to obtain materials with better quality. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Use of different carbon sources in cultivation of baker's yeast for production of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

The physiological state of yeast cells changes during culture growth as a consequence of environmental changes (nutrient limitations, pH and metabolic products). Cultures that grow exponentially are heterogeneous cell populations made up of cells regulated by different metabolic and/or genetic control systems. The strain of baker's yeast selected by plating commercial compressed yeast was used for the production of glycerol-3- phosphate dehydrogenase. Glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) has been widely used in the enzyme assays with diverse compounds of industrial interest, such as glycerol or glycerol phosphate, as well as a number of important bioanalytical applications. Each cell state determines the level of key enzymes (genetic control), fluxes through metabolic pathways (metabolic control), cell morphology and size. The present study was carried out to determine the effects of environmental conditions and carbon source on GPD production from baker's yeast. Glucose, glycerol, galactose and ethanol were used as carbon sources. Glycerol and ethanol assimilations required agitation, which was dependent on the medium volume in the fermentation flask for the greatest accumulation of intracellular GPD. Enzyme synthesis was also affected by the initial pH of the medium and inoculum size. The fermentation time required for a high level of enzyme formation decreased with the inoculum size. The greatest amount of enzyme (0.45 U/ml) was obtained with an initial pH of 4.5 in the medium containing ethanol or glycerol. The final pH was maintained in YP-ethanol, but in the YP-glycerol the final pH increased to 6.9 during growth.

Use of psychoactive substances in students at a public university

Introduction: The use of psychoactive substances by the student population has been the object of various studies in Brazil. Objective: To determine the prevalence of substance use among students. Methods: Quantitative study with a closed questionnaire based on standardized assessment instruments was developed. It consists of questions related to types of psychoactive substance use, abuse, frequency and duration of use, self-criticism regarding the use, consequences of use in relation to health, and misdemeanors committed under the influence of psychoactive substances. The sample included the participation of 268 students. A total of 183 (68.3%) questionnaires were analyzed, and only those with positive result for substance abuse at some point in life, the remainder, 85 (31%) questionnaires, had negative responses to psychoactive substances. Results: Students’ responses to the two years surveyed indicated that the first psychoactive substance used was alcohol (77.9%), followed by tobacco use (10.9%), and marijuana (7.6%). Of the students surveyed, 145 (79.2%) answered that still make use of psychoactive substances, and the current frequency of use varies from one or more times per week. When asked about the possibility of being or becoming drug addicts, 169 (92.3%) responded that they are not or will not become dependent. Conclusion: The results indicate the high rate of substance use among college students surveyed, and point to their contradiction to consider such psychoactive substances harmful to their health.