Prevalence of hepatitis E virus antibodies in individuals exposed to swine in Mato Grosso, Brazil

This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis E antibodies (anti-HEV) among individuals exposed to swine in the rural areas of the state of Mato Grosso (MT) in Brazil. The study included 310 participants who had an average age of 39 years. Fifty-one per cent of the participants were female and 26 (8.4%) were anti-HEV-positive. Concomitantly, we studied 101 blood donors from the urban area of the state capital who had never lived in a rural area or handled swine. Four per cent (4%) of these individuals were anti-HEV-positive (p = 0.206). When we compared the anti-HEV-positive participants who had been exposed to swine with the anti-HEV-negative participants, we noticed associations between the presence of anti-HEV and increased age, a history of blood transfusions and contact with other farm animals. However, after a multivariate analysis was performed, this association was not confirmed. Finally, the ratio of anti-HEV-positive individuals who had been exposed to swine in rural MT was similar to that found in previous studies in Brazil. This prevalence did not characterise this type of exposure as a risk factor for HEV infection in this region.

Toxicological and biochemical analysis of the susceptibility of sylvatic Triatoma infestans from the Andean Valley of Bolivia to organophosphate insecticide

To increase our knowledge of the natural susceptibility of Triatoma infestans to an organophosphate insecticide, we performed toxicological and biochemical studies on three sylvatic populations from Bolivia and two populations from domestic dwellings from Bolivia and Argentina. Fifty-per-cent lethal doses (LD50) were determined based on the topical application of fenitrothion on first instar nymphs and mortality was assessed at 24 h. Both type of populations exhibited LD50ratios significantly higher than 1 with a range of the values (1.42-2.47); the maximum value were found in a sylvatic (-S) population, Veinte de Octubre-S. Samples were biochemically analysed using a glutathione S-transferase activity assay. The highest significant activity was obtained for Veinte de Octubre-S and the lowest activity was obtained for the reference population (102.69 and 54.23 pmol per minute per mg of protein respectively). Two out of the three sylvatic populations (Veinte de Octubre-S and Kirus Mayu-S) exhibited significantly higher glutathione S-transferase activity than that of the reference population. Based on this analysis of the natural susceptibility of this organism to organophosphate insecticides, continental and focal surveys of organophosphate susceptibility should be conducted to evaluate the evolution and distribution of this phenomenon.

Vector competence of Culex quinquefasciatus Say, 1823 exposed to different densities of microfilariae of Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy, 1856)

The metropolitan region of Recife, Brazil is endemic for Dirofilaria immitis and has an environment favorable to the development of Culex quinquefasciatus. The goal of this study was to evaluate the vector competence of the Cx. quinquefasciatus RECIFE population for D. immitis transmission. A total of 2,104 females of Cx. quinquefasciatus RECIFE population were exposed to different densities of D. immitis microfilariae blood meals, ranging from 1,820 to 2,900 mf/ml of blood, in a natural membrane apparatus. The results showed a variation between 92.3% and 98.8% of females fed. The exposure of the Cx. quinquefasciatus RECIFE population to different densities of microfilariae did not influence the mortality of the mosquitoes. Infective larvae from D. immitis were observed in the Malpighian tubules beginning on the 12th day, whereas larvae were observed in the head and proboscis beginning on the 13th day following infection. The vector efficiency index (VEI) presented by the mosquitoes ranged from 7.8 to 56.5. The data demonstrates that the Cx. quinquefasciatus RECIFE population has great potential for the transmission of D. immitis, as it allowed the development of the filarid until the infectious stage at the different densities of microfilariae to which it was exposed.

Rice straw incorporated just before soil flooding increases acetic acid formation and decreases available nitrogen

Incorporation of rice straw into the soil just before flooding for water-seeded rice can immobilize mineral nitrogen (N) and lead to the production of acetic acid harmful to the rice seedlings, which negatively affects grain yield. This study aimed to evaluate the formation of organic acids and variation in pH and to quantify the mineral N concentration in the soil as a function of different times of incorporation of rice straw or of ashes from burning the straw before flooding. The experiment was carried out in a greenhouse using an Inceptisol (Typic Haplaquept) soil. The treatments were as follows: control (no straw or ash); incorporation of ashes from previous straw burning; rice straw incorporated to drained soil 60 days before flooding; straw incorporated 30 days before flooding; straw incorporated 15 days before flooding and straw incorporated on the day of flooding. Experimental units were plastic buckets with 6.0 kg of soil. The buckets remained flooded throughout the trial period without rice plants. Soil samples were collected every seven days, beginning one day before flooding until the 13th week of flooding for determination of mineral N- ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-). Soil solution pH and concentration of organic acids (acetic, propionic and butyric) were determined. All NO3- there was before flooding was lost in approximately two weeks of flooding, in all treatments. There was sigmoidal behavior for NH4+ formation in all treatments, i.e., ammonium ion concentration began to rise shortly after soil flooding, slightly decreased and then went up again. On the 91st day of flooding, the NH4+ concentrations in soil was 56 mg kg-1 in the control treatment, 72 mg kg-1 for the 60-day treatment, 73 mg kg-1 for the 30-day treatment and 53 mg kg-1 for the ash incorporation treatment. These ammonium concentrations correspond to 84, 108, 110 and 80 kg ha-1 of N-NH4+, respectively. When the straw was incorporated on the day of flooding or 15 days before, the concentration of N-NH4+ in the soil was 28 and 54 mg kg-1, equivalent to an accumulation of 42 and 81 kg ha-1 of N-NH4+, respectively. There was formation of acetic acid in which toxic concentrations were reached (7.2 mmol L-1) on the 15th day of flooding only for the treatment with straw incorporated on the day of flooding. The pH of the soil solution of all the treatments increased after flooding and this increase was faster in the treatments with incorporation of straw, followed by the ash treatment and then the control. After 60 days of flooding, however, the pH values were around 6.5 for all treatments, except for the control, which reached a pH of 6.3. Rice straw should be incorporated into the soil at least 30 days before flooding; otherwise, it may immobilize part of the mineral N and produce acetic acid in concentrations toxic to rice seedlings.

Yellow and purple nutsedges survey in the southeastern Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

A survey of 79 fields was conducted between December 1993 and January 1994, to determine the distribution and relative importance of species of the genus Cyperus, to justify developing management strategies in the southeastern of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Yellow and purple nutsedge were found in 43% and 9% respectively of the surveyed fields. Thirty eight per cent of the surveyed area showed a heavy infestation of yellow nutsedge, and in 90% of cases yellow nutsedge was invading fields cultivated with summer crops and associated with one or more of other seven perennial weeds, mainly bermudagrass.

A presença de mercúrio em casa constitui um risco de contaminação humana e / ou ambiental? Relato de um caso

Mercury kept in a garage of a residencial building in Rio de Janeiro was accidentally released and caused local (environmental and human) contamination. The concentration of mercury in indoor air of the most critical site reached 15.5 mg/m³. Outdoor air samples showed concentrations ranging from 0.37 to 6.6 mg/m³ . Seventy five per cent of the urine samples collected from 22 residents in the contaminated building showed levels of mercury higher than those observed in non exposed individuals (>6.9 mg/L); in 30% of these samples, the concentration was higher than 20 mg/L. These values show a high level of human contamination and the final consequences were not so serious owing to the quick action taken by one of the residents.

Identificação de resíduos de disparos de armas de fogo por meio da técnica de espectrometria de massas de alta resolução com fonte de plasma indutivo

The violence derived from crimes involving firearms represents one of the main concerns of society. For this reason modern techniques have emerged in forensic science to identify suspects at crime scenes. This work describes a methodology to identify residues present in the hands of suspect by using a high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and collection procedure based on ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) solution as a complexing agent in moistened swabs. In order to distinguish real gunshot residues from others types of residues present in the hand of suspect, ternary ratio per cent diagrams were developed for antimony (Sb), barium (Ba) and lead (Pb) detected on the hands of volunteers, before and immediately after shooting tests, revealing a remarkable difference in both situations.

Estudo de aerossóis atmosféricos e aplicação de modelos numéricos

The main purpose of the present work is to study the concentration of atmospheric particles (PM10 and PM2.5) in the Candiota (RS) region using HV PM10 and dichotomous samplers. Four sampling sites at a distance of 50 km from the emission source were selected: Aceguá, Aeroporto, 8 de Agosto and Pedras Altas. Samples were collected from December 2000 to December 2001. The values obtained with the ISCST (Industrial Source Complex Term) model and with the samplers were compared on January 21st, April 5th, July 14th, August 1st, and October 13th 2001, and are representative of frontal systems occurring in the study area.

Effect of temperature, leaf wetness, and rainfall on the production of Guignardia citricarpa ascospores and on back spot severity on sweet orange

The black spot of citrus (Citrus sp.) is caused by Guignardia citricarpa with ascospore production depending on temperature, leaf wetness, and rainfall. The number of ascospores produced was monitored using a spore trap and climatic factors were recorded using an automated meteorological station of 'Natal' and 'Valencia' sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) orchards in Mogi Guaçu in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, from November 2000 to March 2001. The fruits were bagged to prevent infection and the bags removed from different sets of fruit for one week during each of the 18 weeks of the season in both orchards. Ascospores were produced during the entire experimental period, from spring through summer, primarily after rain events. In both orchards, ascospore production reached a peak in January and February. Ascospore production was related to leaf wetness only in the Natal orange orchard but was not related to total rainfall or temperature in either orchard. Disease was most severe on fruit exposed the 7th, 8th, and 13th weeks after beginning the experiment in both cultivars as well as after the 16th week for 'Natal'. There was a strong relationship between disease severity and total rainfall for both orchards and a weak correlation between temperature and severity in the 'Natal' block only. There was no relationship between severity and leaf wetness or ascospore numbers.

Corpo estranho no ceco retirado por colonoscopia

The foreign body ingestion ocurrs often with children, olds, psychiatrics patients, prisoners or after excessive alcoholic ingestion. Most of foreign bodies (80-90%) passes spontaneously, 10 a 20% have to be removed by endoscopy and only one per cent (1%) needs to be removed by surgery. The authors report a case of a 49-year-old woman who swallowed a needle which impacted in cecum. The patient had psychosis maniac-depressive and swallowed the foreign body aiming self-damage. The presence of foreign body in cecum is rare because of physiologic straitments in the gastrointestinal tract. The ingestion of needle corresponds six percent (6%) of swallowed objects aiming self-damage. Colonoscopy served for localization the foreign body and its withdrawal with success. Colonoscopy for removing foreign bodies is a safe and cheap procedure.

Tumor carcinóide do reto

The rectum is the second most common location of the carcinoid tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. It represents approximately one or two per cent of the rectal neoplasms. Metastases are less frequent and it presents a better prognosis than carcinoid tumors found in the digestive tract. Treatment is surgical and the technique to be used depends fundamentally on the size of the tumor and the degree of in the intestinal wall penetration. Lesions which are greater than one centimeter have been treated with local excision, while the ones greater than two centimeters have been submitted to a radical resection. This article presents a case of rectal carcinoid diagnosed and treated initially as adenocarcinoma by abdominal rectossigmoidectomy. There were no signs of recurrence after a period of five years and six months of post-surgical follow-up. Nowadays the validity of radical resection in the treatment of rectal carcinoids has been much questioned due to the fact that it has not shown a significant raise in survival rate when compared with patients who were submitted to a local resection.

Cisto de colédoco em adulto: anomalia da junção do colédoco com o ducto pancreático submetido à ressecção do cisto e à derivação biliar e pancreática

Common bile duct cysts are rare congenital anomalies which have been diagnosed only in twenty per cent of adults. The etiology is uncertain, but many patients have an anomalous pancreatobiliary junction anatomy. We present a case of a young man with a type I Alonso-Lej/ Todani common bile duct cyst and an anomalous common bile duct-pancreatic junction anatomy. Because the common bile duct did not have a segment of normal caliber, to avoid compromising with the pancreatic channel after the excision of the cyst, we performed a Roux-en-Y anastomosis by anastomosing the biliary duct to the proximal excluded jejunal loop and the common duct-pancreatic junction to the same more distally loop.

Avaliação da aptidão funcional através do conjunto de testes da AAHPERD em mulheres na pós-menopausa: existe declínio entre a quinta e sexta década de vida?

OBJETIVO: analisar o nível de aptidão funcional de um grupo de mulheres na pós-menopausa da cidade de Presidente Prudente por meio do conjunto de testes de aptidão funcional da American Aliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance e verificar se existe diferença entre grupos de mulheres na quinta e sexta década de vida. MÉTODOS: estudo de característica transversal, com 175 mulheres na pós-menopausa (dosagem de hormônio folículo estimulante>26,72 mIU/L) desenvolvido na cidade de Presidente Prudente no ano de 2013. Os critérios de inclusão foram não ter feito parte de nenhum tipo de intervenção motora sistematizada durante, pelo menos, seis meses do período que antecedeu a coleta de dados da investigação; não apresentar comprometimentos motores ou cognitivos que inviabilizassem a realização dos protocolos de avaliação, não apresentar doença crônica ou degenerativa, lesão musculo-esquelética ou comorbidade que pudessem impedir ou limitar a realização das avaliações. As avaliações foram conduzidas pelos mesmos avaliadores treinados. O grupo 50 a 59 anos apresentou valores médios para idade de 55,3±4,5 anos, FSH de 53,5±21,1 mUI/mL, coordenação 11,4±2,2 segundos, força 20,1±3,9 repetições, flexibilidade 51,7±11,8 centímetros, agilidade 23,2±2,8 segundos e Resistência aeróbia 500±43 segundos e o grupo 60 a 69 anos apresentou idade média de 65,1±4,1 anos com FSH de 54,9±15,9, coordenação 11,6±2,6 segundos, força 20,3±4,7 repetições, flexibilidade 54,6±11,2 centímetros, agilidade 24,7±4,3 segundos e Resistência aeróbia 508±51 segundos. CONCLUSÃO: foi possível analisar a aptidão funcional de mulheres na pós-menopausa por meio do conjunto de testes da American Aliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance não havendo diferenças significativas para as variáveis força, flexibilidade, capacidade aeróbia e coordenação, sendo que apenas a variável agilidade demonstrou diferenças significativas. Recomenda-se outros estudos, buscando formular valores normativos para a população em questão.

Co-infection by porcine circovirus type 2 and porcine parvovirus in aborted fetuses and stillborn piglets in southern Brazil

Porcine circovirus types 1 and 2 (PCV1, PCV2) and porcine parvovirus (PPV) are widespread in pig populations around the world. Nevertheless, only PCV2 has been associated with different clinical syndromes, thus representing a major problem to the pig industry. The association of cases of swine abortions and stillborns with PCV1 and PCV2 and PPV was studied retrospectively (2005-2007). Additional pathogens were also investigated in lesioned fetuses. The studied litters included stillborn piglets and several mummified fetuses of varied sizes. Ventricular dilatation, myocardial pale areas, and mesocolic edema were the gross lesions. Escherichia coli was detected as co-infecting with PCV2 the cases in which mesocolic edema was seen. Microscopic lesions included non-suppurative myocarditis, myocardial necrosis and fibrosis, mineralization foci and intranuclear inclusion bodies in cardiomyocytes, and interstitial mononuclear pneumonia. Samples from 7 (5.78 per cent) of 121 aborted fetuses and stillborn piglets had lesions consistent with a viral cause and showed both positive anti-PCV2 immunostaining as well as PCV2-PCR. In samples from 3 (2.47 per cent) of these 7 fetuses, co-infection with PPV was confirmed by Nested-PCR. Both viruses were detected in fetuses at different stages of gestation. Viral antigens of PCV2 were detected by immunohistochemistry mainly in macrophages and myocytes. PCV1 individually was not detected in any of these affected fetuses, but it was associated with PCV2 and/or PPV in some of them. These findings indicate that PCV2 alone or in association with PPV should be kept in mind when investigating causes of infectious abortion in pigs in Brazil.

Celiac artery in New Zealand rabbit: anatomical study of its origin and arrangement for experimental research and surgical practice

Rabbits have been used as an experimental model in many diseases and for the study of toxicology, pharmacology and surgery in many universities. However, some aspects of their macro anatomy need a more detailed description, especially the abdominal and pelvic arterial vascular system, which has a huge variability in distribution and trajectory. Thirty cadaveric adult New Zealand rabbits, 13 male and 17 female, with an average weight and rostrum-sacral length of 2.5 kg and 40cm, respectively, were used. The thoracic aorta was cannulated and the vascular system was filled with stained latex S-65. The celiac artery and its proximal branches were dissected and lengthened in order to evidence origin and proximal ramifications. The celiac artery emerged between the 12th and 13th thoracic vertebra in 11 (36.7%) rabbits; at the level of the 13th thoracic vertebra in 6 (20%) rabbits; between the 13th thoracic vertebra and the 1st lumbar vertebra in 12 (40%) rabbits; and at the level of the 1st lumbar vertebra in only one (3.3%) rabbit. The mean length of the celiac artery was 0.5cm. The celiac artery first branch was the lienal artery, the second branch was the left gastric artery and the hepatic artery arose from the left gastric artery in all the dissected rabbits. No relation was observed between the celiac artery length and the rostrum-sacral length in rabbits. The number of left gastric and lienal artery branches and the distribution of celiac artery origin are not gender dependent.