Occupational accidents among middle and high school students of the state of São Paulo, Brazil

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence of occupational injuries and identify their risk factors among students in two municipalities. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in public schools of the municipalities of Santo Antonio do Pinhal and Monteiro Lobato, Brazil. A stratified probabilistic sample was drawn from public middle and high schools of the study municipalities. A total of 781 students aged 11 to 19 years participated in the study. Students attending middle and high school answered a comprehensive questionnaire on living and working conditions, as well as aspects of work injuries, and health conditions. Multiple logistic regression models were fitted to estimate risk factors of previous and present occupational injuries. RESULTS: Of 781 students, 604 previously had or currently have jobs and 47% reported previous injuries. Among current workers (n=555), 38% reported injuries on their current job. Risk factors for work injuries with statistically significant odds ratio >2.0 included attending evening school, working as a housekeeper, waiter or brickmaker, and with potentially dangerous machines. CONCLUSIONS: The study results reinforce the need of restricting adolescent work and support communities to implement social promotion programs.

Typhoid fever in children of low and high socieconomic strata: comparison of hygiene habits

The relationship between the hygienic habits of children who had typhoid fever (TF) who had recently begun attending school and their family group, is assessed. It is supposed that children, independently of their SES, acquired TF because of inadequate habits which facilitated the oral-fecal cycle. The sample was formed of 40 child-mother dyads: 20 of low SES (group A) and 20 of high SES (group B), the child of each of which had had TF. Results showed that the hygienic habits of children with respect to the oral-fecal cycle, their perception of school toilet cleanliness as well as the mothers' explanation of their children's hygienic habits is very similar in the two groups. The importance of these results is that the SES is seem to be irrelevant in the case of TF but that the hygienic habits of the children are of importance. Public health policy should be modified to include the teaching of proper hygienic habits (oral-fecal cycle).

Shiftworking families: parents' working schedule and sleep patterns of adolescents attending school in two shifts

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether parents' engagement in shift work affects the sleep habits of their adolescent children who attend school in two shifts. METHODS: The data were drawn from an extensive survey of sleep and daytime functioning of adolescents attending school one week in the morning and the other in the afternoon. The participants were 1,386 elementary and high school students (11-18 years old) whose parents were both employed. The data were analyzed using MANOVA, with parents' work schedule, adolescents' gender and type of school as between-subject factors. RESULTS: Parents' working schedule significantly affected the sleep patterns of high school adolescents. When attending school in the morning, adolescents whose parents were both day workers woke up somewhat later than adolescents with one shiftworking parent. In addition, they slept longer than adolescents whose parents were both shift workers. On weekends, adolescents whose parents both worked during the day went to bed earlier than adolescents whose parents were both shiftworkers. They also had smaller bedtime delay on weekends with respect to both morning and afternoon shifts than adolescents for whom one or both parents worked shifts. A significant interaction between parents' working schedule, adolescents' gender and type of school was found for sleep extension on weekends after afternoon shift school. CONCLUSIONS: Parental involvement in shift work has negative effects on the sleep of high school adolescents. It contributes to earlier wake-up time and shorter sleep in a week when adolescents attend school in the morning, as well as to greater bedtime irregularity.

Factors associated with depression symptoms in high school students in São Paulo, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To assess factors associated with depression symptoms in high school students. METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving high school students was conducted in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, 2001. A total of 724 students aged 14-18 years answered questionnaires on life and health conditions. Another questionnaire was applied to working (44.8%) and unemployed (22.9%) students to collect information on working conditions. Factors associated to depressive disorders were analyzed using multiple logistic regression controlled for occupational status. RESULTS: Overall prevalence rate of depression was 7.5%. Rates according to gender were 39 (10.3%) in females and 15 (4.3%) in males. The multiple logistic regression analysis showed that factors associated with depressive disorders were: poor self-perception of health (OR=5.78), being female (OR = 2.45), and alcohol consumption (OR=2.35). CONCLUSIONS: The study results showed that sociodemographic, lifestyle and health variables were associated with symptoms of depression in this population. These ndings suggest that it is important to have mental health professionals available in high schools for early detection of mental conditions and student counseling.

Pictorial health warnings on cigarette packs and the impact on women

OBJECTIVE : To analyze the association between the pictorial graphic health warnings on cigarette packs and their impact on intention to quit smoking among women. METHODS : Population-based cross-sectional study among 265 women daily smokers in the State of Paraná in 2010. The sample size was calculated using cluster sampling. Participants were asked whether they had seen any pictorial graphic health warnings in the past 30 days, whether these warnings made them think about quitting, and intensity of these thoughts. The data was analyzed using logistic regression and the independent variables included age, educational attainment, whether they had children, whether they had attempted to quit smoking in the past 12 months, age of smoking initiation, number of cigarettes smoked per day, their town of residence, and how soon after waking do they smoke their first cigarette. RESULTS : Participants (91.7%) reported seeing the pictorial graphic health warnings in the past 30 days. Women with elementary education or below and women with some/complete high school education were more likely to think about quitting smoking after seeing the pictorial graphic health warningsthan women with higher education (OR = 4.85; p = 0.0028 and OR = 2.91; p = 0.05), respectively). Women who attempted to quit smoking in the past 12 months were more likely to think about quitting than women who had not (OR = 2.49; p = 0.001). Quit attempts within the last 12 months were associated with intensity of these thoughts (OR = 2.2; p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS : Results show an association between pictorial graphic health warnings and intent to quit smoking among women with warnings having a greater impact among women with less education and who had attempted to quit smoking within the past year. Tobacco control strategies should be implemented across all groups of women regardless of their educational attainment.

Seroepidemiology of hepatitis B virus infection and high rate of response to hepatitis B virus Butang®vaccine in adolescents from low income families in Central Brazil

In order to evaluate the seroepidemiology and response to Butang® vaccine in adolescents from low income families in Central Brazil, blood samples of 664 adolescents were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc), and hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) markers, and multiple logistical regression analysis was carried out to determine variables associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection markers. further, three 20 µg butang® vaccine doses were offered to all susceptible individuals (n = 304). Among those who accepted them (n = 182), the seroresponse was evaluated in 170 individuals by quantitative anti-HBs. an overall hbv prevalence of 5.9% was found: four adolescents were HBsAg positive, 24 were anti-HBc, anti-HBs-reactive, and 11 were anti-HBc only. The analyse of risk factors showed that age 16-19 years, place of birth outside Goiás, school B and body piercing were statistically associated with HBV infection markers (p < 0.05). All 170 adolescents responded to butang®, and a geometric mean titer (gmt) of 4344 mui/ml was obtained. these results reinforce the importance of hepatitis b vaccine in adolescents despite of the hbv regional endemicity, and suggest that three doses of 20 µg of the butang® should guarantee protective anti-hbs levels to individuals at a critical time for hepatitis b acquiring such as latter adolescence and adulthood.

Use of alcohol before and after bariatric surgery

OBJECTIVE: to assess alcohol intake in the bariatric surgery pre and postoperative periods. METHODS: Patients were interviewed atSurgery Clinic of the Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco - HC/UFPE (Brazil) from July 2011 to March 2012. We analyzed socioeconomic, anthropometric and clinical variables. We used the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT C). RESULTS: One hundred nineteen patients were enrolled (mean age: 41.23+11.30 years), with a predominance of the female gender (83.2%), non-Caucasian race (55%), married individuals or in a stable union (65.5%), with a high school education (40.3%)and active in the job market (37%). Weight and body mass index (BMI) were 128.77+25.28Kg and 49.09+9.26Kg/m2,respectively in the preoperative period (class II obesity) and 87.19+19.16Kg and 33.04+6.21Kg/m2, respectively in the postoperative period (class I obesity) (p<0.001). Hypertension was the most frequent disease in the pre (66.6%) and postoperative (36.5%) periods. The prevalence of alcohol use was 26.6% in the preoperative period, of which 2.2% of high risk, and 35.1% in the postoperative period, of which 1.4% of probable dependence; this difference did not achieve statistical significance (p=0.337). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of abusive alcohol intake and/or probable dependence was low in both the pre and postoperative periods, with little evidence of risky consumption among the patients submitted to bariatric surgery.

Low occurrence of occult hepatitis B virus infection and high frequency of hepatitis C virus genotype 3 in hepatocellular carcinoma in Brazil

Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been reported among patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our aim was to evaluate the presence of occult HBV infection in patients with HCV-related liver cirrhosis (LC) with or without HCC in São Paulo, Brazil. Serum and liver tissue samples from 50 hepatitis B surface antigen-negative patients with HCV-related LC who underwent liver transplantation at the University of São Paulo School of Medicine Hospital from 1993 to 2004 were divided into groups with LC only (N = 33) and with LC plus HCC (N = 17). HBV DNA was assayed for serum and paraffin-embedded liver tissue (tumoral and non-tumoral) using real time PCR and only 1 case with HCC had HBV DNA-positive serum. All liver samples were negative. HCV genotype 3 was detected in 17/39 (43.7%) cases. In conclusion, using a sensitive real time PCR directed to detect HBV variants circulating in Brazil, occult hepatitis B infection was not found among HCV-positive cirrhotic patients and was rarely found among HCV-positive HCC patients. These results are probably related to the low prevalence of HBV infection in our population. Furthermore, we have also shown that HCV genotype 3 is frequently found in Brazilian cirrhotic patients, particularly when they also have HCC. More studies involving a large number of cases should be carried out to confirm these data and to further characterize Brazilian HCV genotype isolates to elucidate genetic features that might be related to its carcinogenic potential.

Selection of common bean lines with high grain yield and high grain calcium and iron concentrations

Genetic improvement of common bean nutritional quality has advantages in marketing and can contribute to society as a food source. The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic variability for grain yield, calcium and iron concentrations in grains of inbred common bean lines obtained by different breeding methods. For this, 136 F7 inbred lines were obtained using the Pedigree method and 136 F7 inbred lines were obtained using the Single-Seed Descent (SSD) method. The lines showed genetic variability for grain yield, and concentrations of calcium and iron independently of the method of advancing segregating populations. The Pedigree method allows obtaining a greater number of lines with high grain yield. Selection using the SSD method allows the identification of a larger number of lines with high concentrations of calcium and iron in grains. Weak negative correlations were found between grain yield and calcium concentration (r = -0.0994) and grain yield and iron concentration (r = -0.3926). Several lines show genetic superiority for grain yield and concentrations of calcium and iron in grains and their selection can result in new common bean cultivars with high nutritional quality.

Student stress and quality of education

Today, managers are increasingly interested in knowing how the work in organizations aftects employees' health. Less common is the interest in stress erupting in the academic community - among students, faculty and administrators. The authors present a reflection paper focused on student stress. In this paper, they first examine McLean 's model of context, vulnerability and stressors. This model provides the framework for the student surveys and for the entire paper. Based on the students surveys, an assessment is made of how asma" group of students are coping with stress. The paper fina"y suggests what can be done by students, faculty, and administrators to insta" and/or improve social support systems that might reduce the harmful eftects of stress on students and thus impact the quality of education.

Public school teachers’ perceptions about mental health

OBJECTIVE To examine public school teachers’ perceptions about general health and mental health, and the way in which they obtained this information. METHODS Qualitative research was conducted with 31 primary and secondary school teachers at a state school in the municipality of Sao Paulo, SP, Southeastern Brazil, in 2010. The teachers responded to a questionnaire containing open-ended questions about mental health and general health. The following aspects were evaluated: Teachers’ understanding of the terms “health and “mental health,” the relevance of the need for information on the subject, the method preferred for obtaining information, their experience with different media regarding such matters, and perceptions about the extent to which this available information is sufficient to support their practice. The data were processed using the Qualiquantisoft software and analyzed according to the Discourse of the Collective Subject technique. RESULTS From the teachers’ perspective, general health is defined as the proper physiological functioning of the body and mental health is related to the balance between mind and body, as a requirement for happiness. Most of the teachers (80.6%) showed great interest in acquiring knowledge about mental health and receiving educational materials on the subject. For these teachers, the lack of information creates insecurity and complicates the management of everyday situations involving mental disorders. For 61.3% of the teachers, television is the medium that provides the most information on the topic. CONCLUSIONS The data indicate that there is little information available on mental health for teachers, showing that strategies need to be developed to promote mental health in schools.

New prevalence estimate of TT virus (TTV) infection in low- and high-risk population from São Paulo, Brazil

The prevalence of TT virus (TTV) infection was investigated by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) in low- (blood donors and healthy children/adolescents) and high-risk (hemophiliacs) groups from São Paulo, Brazil. Primers based on the untranslated region (UTR) of the viral genome proved to be much more ubiquitous, leading to much higher frequencies for both groups ( > or = 81%) than the earlier N22-PCR directed to the open reading frame 1 (blood donors, 5.5%, and hemophiliacs, 42.3%). The UTR-PCR also revealed an interesting profile for healthy children/adolescents: very high prevalence at the early years and significant decrease in male teenagers. The N22-PCR, in turn, demonstrated higher frequency in hemophiliacs treated with fresh blood products (58%), than in those treated with virus-inactivated clotting factors (9.4%) and blood donors (5.5%).

AN UPWARD TREND IN DNA P16INK4A METHYLATION PATTERN AND HIGH RISK HPV INFECTION ACCORDING TO THE SEVERITY OF THE CERVICAL LESION

SUMMARY High-risk human papillomavirus (hr-HPV) infection is necessary but not sufficient for cervical cancer development. Recently, P16INK4A gene silencing through hypermethylation has been proposed as an important cofactor in cervical carcinogenesis due to its tumor suppressor function. We aimed to investigate P16INK4A methylation status in normal and neoplastic epithelia and evaluate an association with HPV infection and genotype. This cross-sectional study was performed with 141 cervical samples from patients attending Hospital Moncorvo Filho, Rio de Janeiro. HPV detection and genotyping were performed through PCR and P16INK4A methylation by nested-methylation specific PCR (MSP). HPV frequency was 62.4% (88/141). The most common HPV were HPV16 (37%), HPV18 (16.3%) and HPV33/45(15.2%). An upward trend was observed concerning P16INK4A methylation and lesion degree: normal epithelia (10.7%), low grade lesions (22.9%), high grade (57.1%) and carcinoma (93.1%) (p < 0.0001). A multivariate analysis was performed to evaluate an association between methylation, age, tobacco exposure, HPV infection and genotyping. A correlation was found concerning methylation with HPV infection (p < 0.0001), hr-HPV (p = 0.01), HSIL (p < 0.0007) and malignant lesions (p < 0.0001). Since viral infection and epigenetic alterations are related to cervical carcinoma, we suggest that P16INK4A methylation profile maybe thoroughly investigated as a biomarker to identify patients at risk of cancer.

Enteroparasites prevalence among daycare and elementary school children of municipal schools, Rolândia, PR, Brazil

Coproparasitological analyses were performed on 191 daycare children and 434 elementary school children from urban and rural areas in Rolândia, Parana State, Brazil. The overall prevalence of enteroparasites was 15.2 % for daycare children and 52.5% for elementary school children. Risk factors are discussed.

Communal egg laying by Gonatodes humeralis (Sauria, Gekkonidae) in Manaus primary and secondary forest areas

Communal nesting has been registered for a number of lizard species at different sites. Here it is described communal egg laying of Gonatodes humeralis at different sites near and in human buildings in the period between 1990 and 1998. All these communal nests have been found in the dry season, between April and July, suggesting that the nests of are more common in this season, when the activity of their predators is less intense and the reduction of humidity diminish the decomposition action of the fungi that may kill the eggs.