Quality of life and its association with cardiovascular risk factors in a community health care program population

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate quality of life in a population that attended a specific community event on health care education, and to investigate the association of their quality of life with the presence of cardiovascular risk factors INTRODUCTION: Interest in health-related quality of life is growing worldwide as a consequence of increasing rates of chronic disease. However, little is known about the association between quality of life and cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: This study included 332 individuals. Demographics, blood pressure, body mass index, and casual glycemia were evaluated. The brief version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire on quality of life was given to them. The medians of the scores obtained for the physical, psychological, emotional, and environmental domains were used as cutoffs to define higher and lower scores. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to define the parameters associated with lower scores. RESULTS: Diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and obesity were associated with lower scores in the physical domain. Dyslipidemia was also associeted with lower scores in the psychological domain. Male gender and regular physical activity had protective effects on quality of life. Aging was inversely associated with decreased quality of life in the environmental domain. CONCLUSION: The presence of cardiovascular risk factors is related to a decreased quality of life. Conversely, male gender and regular physical activity had protective effects on quality of life. These findings suggest that exercising should be further promoted by health-related public programs, with a special focus on women.

Antibiotic treatment schemes for very severe community-acquired pneumonia in children: a randomized clinical study

Objective. To compare clinical response to initial empiric treatment with oxacillin plus ceftriaxone and amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid in hospitalized children diagnosed with very severe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).Methods. A prospective randomized clinical study was conducted among children 2 months to 5 years old with a diagnosis of very severe CAP in the pediatric ward of São Paulo State University Hospital in Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil, from April 2007 to May 2008. Patients were randomly divided into two groups by type of treatment: an oxacillin/ceftriaxone group (OCG, n = 48) and an amoxicillin/clavulanic acid group (ACG, n = 56). Analyzed outcomes were: time to clinical improvement (fever and tachypnea), time on oxygen therapy, length of stay in hospital, need to widen antimicrobial spectrum, and complications (including pleural effusion).Results. The two groups did not differ statistically for age, sex, symptom duration before admission, or previous antibiotic treatment. Time to improve tachypnea was less among ACG patients than OCG patients (4.8 +/- 2.2 versus 5.8 +/- 2.4 days respectively; P = 0.028), as was length of hospital stay (11.0 +/- 6.2 versus 14.4 +/- 4.5 days respectively; P = 0.002). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups for fever improvement time, time on oxygen therapy, need to widen antimicrobial spectrum, or frequency of pleural effusion.Conclusions. Both treatment plans are effective in treating very severe CAP in 2-monthto 5-year-old hospitalized children. The only analyzed outcome that favored amoxicillin/clavulanic acid treatment was time required to improve tachypnea.

Diet and trophic groups of an aquatic insect community in a tropical stream

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

Environmental factors predicting fish community structure in two neotropical rivers in Brazil

Com o objetivo de identificar os padrões de organização das comunidades de peixes dos rios Jogui e Iguatemi nós amostramos peixes através de redes de espera trimestralmente entre Novembro/1999 e Agosto/2000. Hypostomus ancistroides e Parauchenipterus galeatus foram as espécies de peixes mais abundantes nos rios Jogui e Iguatemi, respectivamente. A variação longitudinal foi mais importante que a sazonal na determinação da composição de espécies em ambos os rios e a diferença entre estações não foi significativa. A altitude foi o fator mais importante na determinação da distribuição das espécies.

Foraging, diet and community structure in an epigaeic ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) assemblage: the role of recruitment

The significance of recruitment systems for community structure of epigaeic ants in a tropical upland forest in southern Brazil was evaluated by examining patterns of spatial occurrence at fixed points. Normal exploratory activity was evaluated with pitfall traps, while the effect of recruitment and diet was evaluated by using honey and sardine baits at the same points. Through techniques developed for environmental impact assessment, the significance of recruitment was evaluated following perturbation, or the placement of bait. Of the 46 species encountered, 15 were sufficiently frequent to study. Of these, only 6 showed significant spatial frequency changes at baits when compared with pitfall trap collections. In one analysis, monthly differences were important for a few smaller species, suggesting thermic limitations, while bait types either increased or decreased spatial point usage. The magnitude of spatial point variation is an index for the strength of recruitment in community organization. Bait types suggest nutritional possibilities of each species. Both recruitment and diet are probably functions of the species composition of the ant community.

Coordinated, network-based research as a strategic component of science in Brazil

Scientific research plays a fundamental role in the health and development of any society, since all technological advances depend ultimately on scientific discovery and the generation of wealth is intricately dependent on technological advance. Due to their importance, science and technology generally occupy important places in the hierarchical structure of developed societies, and they receive considerable public and private investment. Publicly funded science is almost entirely devoted to discovery, and it is administered and structured in a very similar way throughout the world. Particularly in the biological sciences, this structure, which is very much centered on the individual scientist and his own hypothesis-based investigations, may not be the best suited for either discovery in the context of complex biological systems, or for the efficient advancement of fundamental knowledge into practical utility. The adoption of other organizational paradigms, which permit a more coordinated and interactive research structure, may provide important opportunities to accelerate the scientific process and further enhance its relevance and contribution to society. The key alternative is a structure that incorporates larger organizational units to tackle larger and more complex problems. One example of such a unit is the research network. Brazil has utilized such networks to great effect in genome sequencing projects, demonstrating their relevance to the Brazilian research community and opening the possibility of their wider utility in the future.

Sustainable development 20 years on from the earth summit: progress, gaps and strategic guidelines for Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

Sustainable development: changing production patterns, social equity and the environment

Includes bibliography

Modeling regional macroeconomic interactions: situation and perspectives for macroeconomic coordination in Latin America. Background paper prepared for the REDIMA workshop on Modeling Macroeconomic Coordination in the Andean Community, (Santiago, Chile 22 October 2003)""

Includes bibliography

Inter-American programme to promote the human rights of migrants within the framework of the Organization of American States

Includes bibliography

The State, the community and society in social development

President Cardoso delivered this address at the First Regional Conference in Follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development, held in Sao Paulo from 6 to 9 April 1997. On that occasion President Cardoso reviewed the issues examined at the World Summit, with special emphasis on poverty and the search for an environmentally sound, democratic form of development that will lead to a greater degree of social equity. Within this context, he discussed the relationship between economic and social factors, devoting particular attention to State reform, education, competitiveness and job creation. He also outlined the situation in Brazil with regard to economic development, education and health services, the neeed for agrarian reform based on the principle of equity, and respect for human rights. In concluding his statement, he stressed the need to overcome the traditional division between community and society and between the public and private spheres. To that end, he called for a re-examination of ethical considerations, not as an empty discussion of morality but rather as an effective means of motivating action for change.

Draft biennial programme of regional and international cooperation activities of the Statistical Conference of the Americas of ECLAC, 2007-2009

Includes bibliography

Renewable energy sources in Latin America and the Caribbean: situation and policy proposals

Includes bibliography

Ninth inter-American port conference

The ninth Inter-American Port and Harbour Conference of the Organization of American States (OAS) was held in Asuncion, Paraguay, from 23 to 27 September 1996, and was declared open by His Excellency Mr. Juan Carlos Wasmosy Monti, President of the Republic of Paraguay. Representatives from 24 countries of the Americas, four European countries and one Middle Eastern country participated. The Conference was also attended by observers from six regional or international organizations and by special guests from business and academic circles.

Community structure of mites (Arachnida: Acari) in six rubber tree clones

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)