Occurrence of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in patients with chronic periodontitis, aggressive periodontitis, healthy subjects and children with gingivitis in two cities of the state of São Paulo, Brazil

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of isolation of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) in 100 patients with chronic periodontitis, 14 patients with aggressive periodontitis, 142 pre-school children with gingivitis and 134 periodontally healthy subjects. Samples of subgingival plaque were taken using sterilized paper points introduced into periodontal pockets or gingival crevice for 60 seconds and inoculated on TSBV agar, which was incubated under anaerobiosis at 37°C, for 4 days. Microbial identification was performed through biochemical methods and morphocellular and morphocolonial analysis. Aa was detected in 40.3% of healthy subjects, 68% of patients with chronic periodontitis, 92.86% of patients with aggressive periodontitis and 40.14% of children with gingivitis. The rate of recovery of Aa in the tested human groups proved to be higher than previously reported and in agreement with participation of this facultative anaerobe as a member of native microbiota of the periodontium and its relation with aggressive and chronic periodontitis in Brazil.

Consumption of bottled water by children in the city of Bauru, State of São Paulo, Brazil - A brief communication

Objectives: To determine the consumption of bottled water by children in the city of Bauru, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods: A stratified sample of the 17 areas established by the city plan was used to identify a total of 1,000 homes for visitation. Information was collected using a questionnaire concerning the type of water consumed and population demographics. Results: Overall, around 30 percent of all residences used bottled water. Among all households where bottled water was consumed, about 26 percent had children residing. For those with children and bottled water, 81 percent reported to use bottled water for the preparation of the children's foods and beverages. Conclusions: An important percentage of children consume bottled water in the city of Bauru, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Considering previous studies showing that fluoride concentrations vary in bottled water, public health measures should be implemented in order to guarantee adequate levels of fluoride in commercialized water. © 2007, American Association of Public Health Dentistry.

Distribution and habitat use of Sordellina punctata (Serpentes, Colubridae), with a new record from State of São Paulo, Brazil

Sordellina punctata occurs throughout south and southeastern Brazil in the Atlantic Forest domain (states of São Paulo, Paraná and Santa Catarina). Records from the states of Rio de Janeiro and Mato Grosso do Sul are questionable. A new record from southwestern São Paulo extends its distribution west and northward, probably indicating a wider range in the past. Habitat use in S. punctata implies that it may be more associated with wetlands and other saturated areas than truly aquatics ones.

Bathymetric distribution and recruitment of the spider crab Libinia spinosa H. Milne Edwards 1834 in the Ubatuba and Caraguatatuba regions, northern coast of São Paulo, Brazil (Crustacea, Brachyura, Majoidea, Pisidae)

The objective of this study was to investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of Libinia spinosa H. MILNE EDWARDS 1834 on unconsolidated sublittoral bottoms in two regions off the northern coast of the state of São Paulo, and to analyze the influence of environmental factors on the occurrence of this species and observe the recruitment pattern of its young. Crabs were collected monthly (July 2001 through June 2003) at depths of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 In, from a fishing boat equipped with two double-rig nets. Samples of water and sediment were collected for analysis of environmental factors. A total of 2112 spider crabs was obtained (701 juveniles and 1411 adults). The highest abundance was observed at depths of 20 and 25 m, in both regions. These localities were characterized by substrate composed of very fine sand and silt-clay. In regard to the temporal distribution, juveniles and adults predominated in the summer and winter months respectively. From these results, one can infer that the distribution of L. spinosa is related to environmental factors favorable for its life cycle; sediment type is the factor which most strongly determines its presence. © E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung (Nägele u. Obermiller), 2007.

Functional feeding habits of Chironomidae larvae (Insecta, Diptera) in a lotic system from Midwestern region of São Paulo State, Brazil

Functional feeding habits of Chironomidae larvae (Insecta, Diptera) in a lotic system from Mid-western region of São Paulo State, Brazil were analyzed. Collectors were the dominant organisms, repre-sented by genera Chironomus, Fissimentum and Cryptochironomus, following by shredders and predators.

TroCCiBras and its partner projects HIBISCUS and TROCCINOX: The 2004 field campaign in the state of São Paulo

This overview paper summarizes the objectives of the Tropical Convection and Cirrus Brasil project, as well as those of the European Commission sponsored HIBISCUS and TROCCINOX projects, which conducted a joint field campaign in the State of São Paulo from January to March 2004. Emphasis is given on the description of different types of lidars and their deployment for obtaining meteorological data during the joint field campaign in 2004. © Sociedad Española de Óptica.

Citizen awareness and air pollution: the case of São Paulo Metropolitan Region

Includes bibliography

Hemoglobin polymorphism and hematological profile of Geoffroy's side-necked turtle (Phrynops geoffroanus, Testudines) in the northwestern region of São Paulo State, Brazil

Complete blood counts and hemoglobin isoform data were gathered from 36 specimens of the turtle species Phrynops geoffroanus from the northwestern region of São Paulo State, Brazil. They were collected in an urban area. The hemoglobin profiles were obtained after red blood cell lysis and by electrophoretic migration in alkaline pH, acid pH, and neutral pH buffer. The hemoglobin components were confirmed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Erythrogram analysis included hematocrit, total hemoglobin concentration, total red blood cell count, and red blood cell indices. The leukogram included a total white blood cell count and a calculation of the percent values of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, basophils, eosinophils, heterophils, and azurophils. HPLC analysis revealed three hemoglobin components; the first with a concentration of 5.5%, the second was a major component with an average concentration of 67.1%, and the third with a concentration of 28.5%. The hematological profile obtained for these specimens allowed us to establish a pattern for P. geoffroanus in São Paulo State Northwestern region. The average hematocrit values were 22.5% for females and 24.0% for males. For total hemoglobin, we found average values of 6.66 g/dL in females and 7.22 g/dL in males. The number of white blood cells was 2725 x 103/μL for females and 2775 x 103/μL for males. There was a predominance of heterophils, eosinophils, and monocytes in both sexes. No significant differences were found between males and females for hematological profile. The hematological results were compared to literature data for other Chelonia. They were similar to what is known for fresh water turtles. © FUNPEC-RP.

Lidar observation campaign of sugar cane fires and industrial emissions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

Brazil has an important role in the biomass burning, with the detection of approximately 100,000 burning spots in a single year (2007). Most of these spots occur in the southern part of the Amazon basin during the dry season (from August to november) and these emissions reach the southeast of the country, a highly populated region and with serious urban air pollution problems. With the growing demand on biofuels, sugarcane is considerably expanding in the state of São Paulo, being a strong contributor to the bad air quality in this region. In the state of São Paulo, the main land use are pasture and sugarcane crop, that covers around 50% and 10% of the total area, respectively. Despite the aerosol from sugarcane burning having reduced atmospheric residence time, from a few days to some weeks, they might get together with those aerosol which spread over long distances (hundreds to thousands of kilometers). In the period of June through February 2010 a LIDAR observation campaign was carried in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in order to observe and characterize optically the aerosols from two distinct sources, namely, sugar cane biomass burning and industrial emissions. For this purpose 2 LIDAR systems were available, one mobile and the other placed in a laboratory, both working in the visible (532 nm) and additionally the mobile system had a Raman channel available (607 nm). Also this campaign counted with a SODAR, a meteorological RADAR specially set up to detect aerosol echoes and gas-particle analyzers. To guarantee a good regional coverage 4 distinct sites were available to deploy the instruments, 2 in the near field of biomass burning activities (Rio Claro and Bauru), one for industrial emissions (Cubatão) and others from urban sources (São Paulo). The whole campaign provide the equivalent of 30 days of measurements which allowed us to get aerosol optical properties such as backscattering/extinction coefficients, scatter and LIDAR ratios, those were used to correlate with air quality and meteorological indicators and quantities. In this paper we should focus on the preliminary results of the Raman LIDAR system and its derived aerosol optical quantities. © 2010 Copyright SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering.

Vascular flora of a cerrado sensu stricto remnant in pratânia, state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil

The Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) has suffered massive destruction in recent years, mainly due to the expansion of agricultural areas. Many remnants of this vegetation are still poorly studied. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to carry out a floristic survey in a remnant of Cerrado in the municipality of Pratânia, central-west region of state of São Paulo, southeastern Brazil. In total, 120 species (38 families, 88 genera) were registered. The families with greater richness were: Fabaceae (23 species), Asteraceae (15), Myrtaceae (10), Malpighiaceae and Rubiaceae (seven each) and Bignoniaceae (five). The shrub component was predominant in the study area representing 37.5% of the recorded species. A comparison among eight Cerrado areas showed greater similarity between areas with similar altitude. © 2010 Check List and Authors.

Emissions from sugar cane fires in the Central & Western State of São Paulo and aerosol layers over metropolitan São Paulo observed by IPEN's lidar: Is there a connection?

The central and western parts of the State of São Paulo are well-known for vast sugar cane plantations, which during the harvest time are traditionally burnt about 12 hours before manual cutting. This procedure causes the release of large quantities of aerosols and a variety of gases, which can be observed by IPMet's radars, located in Bauru and Presidente Prudente, on days with no or little rain. Depending on the distance of these plumes from the radar, they can be detected up to 5 km amsl or more, and are subsequently being transported by winds to other regions. During the dry winter season of 2008, such plumes, attributed to cane fires, were frequently observed by IPMet's radars and documented in terms of radar reflectivity, time and location during the period 10 th - 21 st July 2008. At the same time, IPEN's Elastic Backscatter Lidar in São Paulo observed layers of aerosols of variable strength and heights above the city. The most significant days, viz. 14 and 15 July 2008 had been selected for calculating backward, as well as forward trajectories, deploying the European Flextra 3.3 Trajectory Model, which was initiated with ECMWF historic data with a 0,25 o×0,25 o grid spacing. The results presented here show an excellent match between the radar-detected sources of the plumes on 11 th July 2008 in the central parts of the State and the observations by IPEN's Lidar over Metropolitan São Paulo on 14 th July 2008, both in terms of forward and backward trajectories, as well as their heights, with a transport duration of approximately 70 hours under the prevailing meteorological conditions. © Sociedad Española de Óptica.

Bovine abortion associated with Neospora caninum: Diagnosis and epidemiological aspects of a dairy cattle herd in the northeast region of São Paulo state, Brazil

The objective of this study was to report the presence of Neospora caninum-associated abortion in bovines at a farm in the northeast region of São Paulo State. In January 2010, it was sent to the Department of Pathology, UNESP-Jaboticabal, a bovine fetus with an estimated age of seven months, which was natural of a dairy farm with 300 animals and an average daily production of 3,000 liters of milk, nearly 20 liters per cow. The animals were vaccinated against rabies, foot and mouth disease, carbuncle, brucellosis, leptospirosis, bovine herpes virus type I and bovine viral diarrhea virus. The herd consisted of purebred Holstein animals, Jersey, and mostly by crossbred animals 7-8 (gir x holstein). During necropsy, samples of the serosanguineous liquid present at the thoracic cavity and the heart of the fetus were collected for the detection of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies through Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA). Fragments of brain, cerebellum, tongue, liver, heart and kidneys were collected for the execution of histopathology (HP), immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Polymerase Chain Reaction. In order that IFA could be performed, the owner was requested blood samples without anticoagulants of the mother and other cows in the farm, with or without a history of abortion. At necropsy, it was verified a severe autolysis of the fetus. The serology of the fetus was 1:25, while the serology of the mother was 1:3,200. At HP, it was observed discrete multifocal non-suppurative encephalomyelitis characterized by gliosis and mononuclear inflammatory infiltration associated with cellular debris. DNA amplification of N. caninum was positive in fragments of brain, tongue, cerebellum, heart and kidneys. At IHC, it has been observed immunoreactivity to a cyst located in the tongue. The owner reported that his herd showed endemic episodes of abortion, while 27.69% (18/65) of the 65 animals sampled were seropositive. Although it has not been a significant difference (p>0.05), a higher seropositivity was observed in animals with a history of abortion (10/26) 38.46%, in comparison with animals without previous abortion (8/39) 20.51%. These findings show that the abortion under study was provoked by the protozoan N. caninum, while this is the first report concerning cattle in the northeast region of São Paulo State.

First record in midwestern region of the state of são paulo, brazil of typhlops brongersmianus vanzolini, 1976 (squamata: Typhlopidae)

In this study we report on two new records of the blindsnake Typhlops brongersmianus for the municipality of Bauru, midwestern region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. These records expand the geographic distribution currently known for this species in the state and contribute to the knowledge of snakes in southeastern Brazil. © 2011 Check List and Authors.

Richness and similarity of the Cerrado vascular flora in the central west region of São Paulo state, Brazil

This study aims to characterize and compare three Cerrado areas (one cerradão and two cerrado sensu stricto areas) in Patrânia, São Paulo state, southeastern Brazil, concerning the floristic composition. In total, 250 taxa were found belonging to four species of pteridophytes, one species of an exotic gymnosperm and 243 species of angiosperms. Differences in species number and proportion of the woody and herbaceous components were observed among the three Cerrado areas. The similarity analysis revealed that the cerradão seems quite peculiar, showing low similarity level with the cerrado sensu stricto areas contiguous to it, being more similar to other cerradão areas located in nearby municipalities. © 2012 Check List and Authors.

Study of thermal comfort in the city of são paulo using ENVI-met model

This study is aimed to analyze the thermal comfort in different areas in the city of São Paulo. Two different areas were selected, a densely built (Consolação district) and the other was Fontes do Ipiranga State Park (FISP), an area with only a few buildings and reduced impermeability. A micro-climatic ENVImet was used to simulate the interaction surface-atmosphere in the urban environment. The model resolution is between 0.5 and 10m. This model was developed by Bruse and Fleer (1998) and Bruse (2004). Through the thermal comfort index PMV (predicted mean vote) and MRT (mean radiant temperature) provided by the model, it revealed that the State Park displays PMV values close to comfortable compared to the other studied area. The analysis of thermal comfort index and the Wind flow showed the influence of high buildings in the local climatic environment.