Detection of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts in environmental samples from public schools

The number of Toxoplasma gondii oocysts that can be found in random environmental samples is probably low; in addition, these cysts may be confused with Hammondia spp. and Neospora spp. oocysts. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the presence of T. gondii oocysts in the soil of public elementary schools in the northwest area of the state of São Paulo, Brazil using mouse bioassays. A comparison was made between the different available bioassay techniques, such as squash, histopathology, immunohistochemistry and indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). T. gondii was isolated by bioassay in mice (squash brain samples) from 22.58%(7/31) of the school playgrounds. Immunohistochemistry and IFAT showed positive results in 32.26% (10/31) and 25.80% (8/31) of samples, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the immunohistochemistry method were 85.71% and 83.33%, respectively. The IFAT results showed 100% sensitivity and 95.83% specificity. The presence of T. gondii was not detected in histopathological examinations. The results of the present study strongly suggest that T. gondii oocysts are widely distributed in elementary public schools in the region that was evaluated, likely constituting the main contamination source for these children. Educational programs directed at reducing environmental contamination with T. gondii would eventually lower the cost of treating humans for clinical toxoplasmosis. It is also possible to conclude that the use of IFAT in mouse bioassays can be recommended without the need for brain cysts research, which is extremely difficult and laborious. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Literatura, leitor e mass media: um estudo sobre a recepção de A Metamorfose, de Franz Kafka

Pós-graduação em Letras - IBILCE

Construct validity of a figure rating scale for Brazilian adolescents

Background: Figure rating scales were developed as a tool to determine body dissatisfaction in women, men, and children. However, it lacks in the literature the validation of the scale for body silhouettes previously adapted. We aimed to obtain evidence for construct validity of a figure rating scale for Brazilian adolescents.Methods: The study was carried out with adolescent students attending three public schools in an urban region of the municipality of Florianopolis in the State of Santa Catarina (SC). The sample comprised 232 10-19-year-old students, 106 of whom are boys and 126 girls, from the 5th series (i.e. year) of Primary School to the 3rd year of Secondary School. Data-gathering involved the application of an instrument containing 8 body figure drawings representing a range of children's and adolescents' body shapes, ranging from very slim (contour 1) to obese (contour 8). Weights and heights were also collected, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated later. BMI was analyzed as a continuous variable, using z-scores, and as a dichotomous categorical variable, representing a diagnosis of nutritional status (normal and overweight including obesity).Results: Results showed that both males and females with larger BMI z-scores chose larger body contours. Girls with higher BMI z-scores also show higher values of body image dissatisfaction.Conclusion: We provided the first evidence of validity for a figure rating scale for Brazilian adolescents.

Pressão arterial elevada e obesidade abdominal em adolescentes

OBJETIVO: Analisar a associação entre obesidade abdominal e pressão arterial elevada em adolescentes da rede pública de ensino da região metropolitana da cidade de Londrina (PR). MÉTODOS: Constituiu-se uma amostra de 656 adolescentes com idades entre dez e 13 anos. Foram realizadas análises antropométricas de massa corporal, estatura e circunferência de cintura, além da aferição da pressão arterial de repouso. Para análise e comparação dos dados, foram aplicados Mann-Whitney e o teste t de Student. Também foram analisadas as possíveis associações entre pressão arterial e circunferência de cintura por meio do teste do qui-quadrado. RESULTADOS: Foram identificadas associações entre obesidade abdominal e pressão arterial elevada em ambos os sexos (RP 2,7; IC95% 1,8-4,2). Além disso, verificou-se que, independentemente do grupo etário, a obesidade abdominal associa-se com valores mais elevados de pressão arterial. CONCLUSÕES: A obesidade abdominal está associada à ocorrência de aumento da pressão arterial em adolescentes.

Dental caries and the nutritional status of preschool children: a spatial analysis

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

THE IMAGINARY ABOUT THE SCHOOL and THE POSSIBILITIES of AN EQUALITARIAN SCHOOL: A STUDY on THE BRAZILIAN STATE SCHOOLS

The main objective of the article is to reflect on the imaginary that the teachers of two public schools have of their students and the school they work in and the ideal of an inclusive and democratic school. In this article, we reflect on the image that the teachers of two public schools in the city of Rio Claro, São Paulo State, Brazil, have of their students and their school as an institution. We use the studies of imaginary sociology as a theoretic reference base. Castoriadis (1986); Taylor (2006); Legros et al (2007) and Baczo (1984) are the referenced authors of this article. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of The Association of Science, Education and Technology

Prevalência de sobrepeso/obesidade e nível econômico de escolares

Objective: To associate the nutritional status of elementary schoolchildren with their gender, age group, and economic status based on a cross-sectional study carried out at public schools in the municipality of Cruzeiro do Oeste, Southern Brazil. Methods: The study was performed in 2010 including 939 schoolchildren aged six to ten years-old. The economical status of the families was classified based on a socioeconomic ranking questionnaire (Brazilian Association of Survey Companies), and the body mass index was calculated. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, and differences between independent groups were verified by Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests, while possible associations were verified by the chi-square test, being significant p<0.05. Results: The prevalence of obesity in the sample was 8.0%, and overweight, 16.4%. No association was found between the socioeconomic and nutritional status or between the nutritional status and gender. Conclusions: A high prevalence of overweight and obesity was found in this study, indicating that children of both genders are affected regardless of their economical status and age.

A prevalência de sobrepeso e obesidade em escolares e a influência nas alterações posturais do aparelho locomotor

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A formação do professor da educação básica e a semicultura

Pós-graduação em Educação - FFC

Escolas públicas no campo: retrospectiva e perspectivas em um contexto de projetos políticos em disputa

In present article, we present reflections on the process of closing public schools in the countryside in Brazil. Through bibliographical survey, as well as documental research, we carried out a retrospective analysis of the historical moment in which the implementation of policies of mass education directed to people living in rural areas occurs. We have also sought to raise socio-political-economic aspects of the moment in which the process of closing these schools is intensified. The results obtained suggest possible implications of this closure policy, in addition to indicating some of the challenges posed to the public policy of education in the country; for example, the Brazilian federal context and the budget limitations imposed to subnational governments with regard to the funding of school education, particularly in relation to small municipalities and/or municipalities with low tax revenues. This situation quite often occurs because these municipalities present reduced budgets, depending largely on transfers of financial resources from other spheres of the Government, either federal or state, the so-called intergovernmental budgetary transfers; namely, the Municipalities Participation Fund. Such issues demand the resumption of debates about the federative pact, in particular with regard to fiscal federalism, given that the financial capacity of each subnational government is crucial to the implementation of educational policies.

Indicadores antropométricos do estado nutricional de pré-escolares em Araraquara, SP

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

Correlates of blood pressure according to early, on time, and late maturation in adolescents

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Prevalência de hipertensão arterial em adolescentes escolares em Ibitinga: importância do histórico familiar

Hypertension (H) affects approximately 1,2 billion of people in the world. Among the main risk factors are weight excess, sedentary lifestyle, socio economic condition and family history of H. The main aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of hypertension in teenager scholars in Ibitinga, finding the role of family history of H and to correlates these results with nutritional condition, anthropometric variables and socio economic condition. This research analyzed 150 participants (50 teenager students and their parents) in public and private schools. All the volunteers had their weight (kg) and height (m) measured to calculate the body mass index (BMI). The students were classifieds from table of percentile of obesity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC). The blood pressure (BP) was evaluated according to V Arterial Hypertension Brazilian Guidelines (VAHBG, 2006). The high values considered of BP were: ≥140x90 mmHg for adults and percentile >95 for teenagers. The socio economic condition was categorized from IBGE. Among the students, 36% had high BP and 20% borderline. The percentage of high BP were bigger in the public (44%) than private schools (28%), showing a negative correlation between socio economic condition and systolic BP (SBP, r=0.2857) and diastolic BP (DBP, r=0,0165). The prevalence of elevated BP was higher in the girls of public schools (47% vs 40% boys) and in the boys at the private schools (33% v s23%). Weight excess was present in 42% of children (12% obesity and 30% overweight). Again, public schools had prevalence of obesity (52% vs 3% in the private) which was not correlated with socio economic condition. Percentage of overweight and obesity were bigger in the girls of both public (54% vs 50% boys) and private (38% vs 25%) schools. Among the students with H, 67% were overweight. Elevated BP was found in 54% of the fathers and 32% of the mothers. With respect to nutritional condition, 56% of the...

Avaliação de hábitos de vida e proposta de fluxograma de encaminhamento de escolares com necessidades de cuidado nutricional

Pós-graduação em Enfermagem (mestrado profissional) - FMB

Postura sentada: a eficácia de um programa de educação para escolares

Avaliação da eficácia de um programa de educação sobre o conhecimento relacionado à postura sentada de estudantes da 1ª série do ensino fundamental, na esfera estadual, particular e municipal, em Bauru. Foram avaliados (pré-teste) 71 alunos e depois aplicado um programa de educação sobre o tema, composto de aulas expositivas, técnicas de demonstração e feedback, associado a um programa de reforço ministrado por professoras treinadas e, finalmente, a reavaliação (pós-teste) dos conhecimentos dos participantes. Foi observado que: 1) no pré-teste ocorreu diferença significativa entre as escolas, sendo que a municipal apresentou menor número de erros do que a particular e a estadual; 2) o pós-teste mostrou que houve diferença significativa sendo que as escolas municipal e particular tiveram um menor número de erros em relação a estadual; 3) em todas as escolas houve predominância da situação de erro pré-teste maior que pós-teste. A escola estadual tem resposta mais freqüente que a particular quando há aumento de erro. Conclui-se que o programa se mostrou eficaz para aumentar os conhecimentos dos escolares a respeito da postura sentada.