Delimitação, intensidade e especialização de áreas comerciais: uma proposição para o estudo das áreas centrais em cidades médias a partir da análise dos Índices de Densidade Informacional para os casos de Presidente Prudente - SP e Ribeirão Preto - SP

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

Delimitação, intensidade e especialização de áreas comerciais: uma proposição para o estudo das áreas centrais em cidades médias a partir da análise dos Índices de Densidade Informacional para os casos de Presidente Prudente - SP e Ribeirão Preto - SP

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

Redescription of Parotocinclus bahiensis (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1918) (Pisces, Ostariophysi, Loricariidae)

Microlepidogaster bahiensis Miranda-Ribeiro (1918), assigned to Parotocinclus Eigenmann & Eigenmann, 1889, by Garavello (1977), was described in a short and uninformative way which does not allow for its distinction from other species of Parotocinclus; besides, the two syntypes of the species are regarded as lost. For these reasons a neotype is herein designated and a detailed description of the species is presented based on topotypes. The species is characterized by the combination of the following features: scapular bridge almost completely exposed ventrally, arrector fossae, when present, small or very reduced; abdomen covered by 5-7 wide lateral plates on each side and very small platelets in between, leaving abundant naked areas surrounding them; a small group of larger plates in front of anus; caudal peduncle ellipsoid in cross section; total plates in median series 21-23; longitudinal series with 23-26 plates; 18-29 teeth on premaxillary and 12-24 on dentary; it can also be distinguished by its characteristic caudal-fin color pattern. Features that allow us to assign the species to Parotocinclus and a hypothesis about its relationships with other species of the genus are also presented.

A new dwarf species of Proceratophrys Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920 (Anura, Cycloramphidae) from the highlands of Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil

A new species of Proceratophrys is described from the highlands of northeastern Brazil. Molecular and morphological data suggests that Proceratophrys redacta sp. nov. is sister to P. minuta, and related to P. schirchi and P. cristiceps. The new species is diagnosed by its small size, absence of rostral and palpebral appendages, sagittal ridges interrupted, absence of postocular swellings, snout vertical in profile and dorsal coloration lacking distinct ocelli. The new species represents another example of endemism for the genus Proceratophrys in Chapada Diamantina region, and of another appendageless small-sized species associated with highlands. The phylogenetic results indicate that current morphological groupings in Proceratophrys may not represent natural groups.

Metals and semi-metals in street soils of So Paulo city, Brazil

So Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and South America with about 20 million inhabitants in the metropolitan area, more than nine million motor vehicles and intense industrial activity, which are responsible for increasing pollution in the region. Nevertheless, little is known concerning metal and semi-metal content in the soils of this metropolitan region. This type of information could be extremely useful as a fingerprint of environmental pollution. The present study determined the elements As, Ba, Co, Cr, Sb, and Zn concentrations in soils adjacent to avenues of highly dense traffic in So Paulo city to assess their levels and possible sources. The analytical technique employed was Instrumental neutron activation analysis. The results showed, except for Co, concentration levels higher than the reference values for soils of So Paulo, according to the Environmental Protection Agency of the State of So Paulo guidelines. When compared to similar studies in other cities around the world, So Paulo soils presented higher levels, probably due to its high density traffic and industrial activity. The concentrations obtained for As and Cr indicate anthropogenic origin. The high levels of the traffic-related elements Ba, Sb, and Zn in soils nearby high density traffic avenues indicate they may originate from vehicular exhausts.

A new species of Pseudopaludicola Miranda-Ribeiro (Leiuperinae: Leptodactylidae: Anura) from the Cerrado of southeastern Brazil with a distinctive advertisement call pattern

A new species of Pseudopaludicola is described from the Cerrado of southeastern Brazil. The new taxon is diagnosed from the P. pusilla species group by the absence of either T-shaped terminal phalanges or toe tips expanded, and promptly distinguished from all (13) recognized taxa currently assigned to Pseudopaludicola by possessing isolated (instead of regular call series), long (117-187 ms) and non-pulsed advertisement calls.

Delay in the search for health services for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo

The scope of this paper is to analyze delays in locating health services for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in Ribeirao Preto in 2009. An epidemiological and cross-sectional study was conducted with 94 TB patients undergoing treatment. A structured questionnaire, based on the Primary Care Assessment Tool adapted for TB care was used. A median (15 days or more) was established to characterize delay in health attendance. Using the Prevalence Ratio, the variables associated with longer delay were identified. The first healthcare services sought were the Emergency Services (ES) (57.5%). The longest period between seeking assistance occurred among males, aged between 50 and 59, who earned less than five minimum wages, had pulmonary TB, were new cases, were not co-infected with TB/HIV, did not consume alcohol, had satisfactory knowledge about TB before diagnosis (with a statistically significant association with delay) and who did not seek healthcare close to home before developing TB. There is a perceived need for training healthcare professionals about the signs and symptoms of the disease, reducing barriers of access to timely diagnosis of TB and widely disseminating it to the community in general.

SPATIAL PATTERN OF FOUR FOREST COMMUNITIES BY RIPLEY'S K FUNCTION IN SAO PAULO STATE

Investigating tree's spatial patterns according to their size classes and according to their more abundant species can provide evidences about the structure of the vegetal community, since the spatial pattern is a key question for forestry ecology studies. The tree spatial organization patterns on the environment depend on several ecological processes and on the specific characteristics of each environment, so that the best understanding of this frame provides important elements for the knowledge on forestry formation. This paper aimed to study tree spatial patterns, according to the diameter classes and from four most abundant species in different forests, in order to provide evidences regarding to the ecology of each vegetal community. The spatial pattern description in each forestry formation was developed using Ripley's K function. The studied forestry formations were: Ombrophilous Forest, Cerradao, Seasonal Forest and Restinga Forest. In this work, a 10.24 ha plot was installed in each forestry formation, and every tree, with a circumference at breast height (CBH) larger than 15 cm were measured, georeferenced and identified. The obtained data highlights the aggregated character in tropical forests, as observed in every studied forest. The 'Cerraddo' and 'Restinga' forest trees showed close aggregate patterns. In the Ombrophilous forest, for all distance scales, the aggregate pattern was meaningful. In the seasonal forest, a random tendency was observed, although a meaningful aggregation was observed in all short distances. The spatial pattern by diameter classes was generally aggregated for trees smaller than 10 cm of diameter and between 10 and 20 cm and random for the others, proving the existence of a tendency which in young trees is more aggregated than in old ones. The spatial pattern of the dominant species is always strongly similar to the general pattern of each forestry formation. The differences between the spatial patterns of two or three coincident species, among the forestry formations, indicate that its pattern is influenced by each different environment. This stands out the importance of its self-ecology and of its ecological processes, intrinsic of each community that can explain the observed patterns.

Evidence of contamination by oil and oil products in the Santos-São Vicente estuary, São Paulo, Brazil

Different components of the mixed function oxidase (MFO) system and the levels of fluorescent aromatic compounds in bile (FACs) were measured in Cathorops spixii in order to assess the impact of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Fish were sampled in an estuary (Santos/Sao Vicente) with a history of contamination by PAHs, mainly due to the presence of the industrial complex of Cubatao city and of another of low anthropogenic influence (Cananeia) on the Brazilian coast. FACs were higher in fish from the polluted site, and the PAH 5 and 6-ring metabolites were the most frequent - with 14% and 15%, respectively. Levels of the different components of the MFO system showed the same variation profile as the FACs for both estuaries. Therefore, the values found for somatic indexes and biomarkers with data of bile PAH metabolites indicate the presence of organic contaminants, especially in the area subject to the influence of the industrial complex on the Santos/Sao Vicente estuary.

Prevalence of chronic rhinosinusitis in Sao Paulo

Introduction: Studies designed to investigate chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) epidemiology play an important role to assess population's distribution and risk factors to result in the development and promotion of public health policies. Method: This study design is a survey carried out with a complex two-stage cluster sampling plan. Personal interviews were carried out with 2,003 individuals. The questionnaire included the epidemiological criteria for CRS. Demographic data, history of physician-diagnosed respiratory diseases (asthma, sinusitis, rhinitis), smoking, family income, educational attainment, and household characteristics were also evaluated. Results: The overall response rate was 93.9% of the households. Mean age was 39.8 +/- 21 years; 45.33% were male. The overall prevalence of CRS in the city of Sao Paulo was 5.51%. We found a significant association between diagnosis of CRS and diagnosis of asthma and CRS and diagnosis of rhinitis and a significant association between presence of CRS and belonging to the low-income subgroup. Conclusion: The municipality of Sao Paulo has an urban population of 11 million. According to the present study, the prevalence of CRS is 5.51%, which represents more than 500,000 individuals affected by this condition in the city.

Molecular typing of Clostridium perfringens isolated from swine in slaughterhouses from Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Clostridium perfringens is an anaerobic Gram-positive bacterium known as common pathogen for humans, for domestic and wildlife animals. Although infections caused by C. perfringens type C and A in swine are well studied, just a few reports describe the genetic relationship among strains in the epidemiological chain of swine clostridioses, as well as the presence of the microorganism in the slaughterhouses. The aim of the present study was to isolate C. perfringens from feces and carcasses from swine slaughterhouses, characterize the strains in relation to the presence of enterotoxin, alpha, beta, epsilon, iota and beta-2 toxins genes. using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and comparing strains by means of Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Clostridium perfringens isolation frequencies in carcasses and finishing pig intestines were of 58.8% in both types of samples. According to the polymerase chain reaction assay, only, alfa toxin was detected, being all isolates also negative to enterotoxin and beta2 toxin. Through PFGE technique, the strains were characterized in 35 pulsotypes. In only one pulsotype, the isolate from carcass sample was grouped with fecal isolate of the same animal, suggesting that the risk of cross-contamination was low. Despite the high prevalence of C. perfringens in swine carcasses from the slaughterhouses assessed, the risk of food poisoning to Brazilian pork consumers is low, since all strains were negative to cpe-gene, codifying enterotoxin.

Association between particulate matter air pollution and monthly inhalation and nebulization procedures in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo State, Brazil

The study was designed to investigate the impact of air pollution on monthly inhalation/nebulization procedures in Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, from 2004 to 2010. To assess the relationship between the procedures and particulate matter (PM10) a Bayesian Poisson regression model was used, including a random factor that captured extra-Poisson variability between counts. Particulate matter was associated with the monthly number of inhalation/nebulization procedures, but the inclusion of covariates (temperature, precipitation, and season of the year) suggests a possible confounding effect. Although other studies have linked particulate matter to an increasing number of visits due to respiratory morbidity, the results of this study suggest that such associations should be interpreted with caution.

HELMINTH PARASITES OF HYPSIBOAS PRASINUS (ANURA: HYLIDAE) FROM TWO ATLANTIC FOREST FRAGMENTS, SAO PAULO STATE, BRAZIL

Seventy-seven males of Hypsiboas prasinus from 2 Atlantic forest fragments in the municipalities of Botucatu and Jundiai, sao Paulo State, Brazil, were examined for endoparasites. The frogs were captured in summer (January until March) and winter (July/August) of 2008 and 2009. Thirty-three males (75%) from Botucatu were infected with Rhabdias cf. fuelleborni, cosmocerciid nematodes, and Cylindrotaenia americana. Twenty-five tree frogs (78.5%) from Jundiai were infected by Rhabdias cf. fuelleborni, Physaloptera sp., and cosmocerciid nematodes. Only cosmocerciid nematodes presented a statistically significance difference in prevalence (z = 4.345; P < 0.001) and mean abundance (t = 562.0; P < 0.001) between Botucatu and Jundiai during the winter. Also, the cosmocerciids exhibited higher mean abundance (t = 196.0; P = 0.034) in winter when compared with summer at the Jundiai site. Moreover, to our knowledge, this is the first report of C. americana in the Brazilian Hylidae. This study presents 4 new records of nematodes in H. prasinus.

Mosquitoes in degraded and preserved areas of the Atlantic Forest and potential for vector-borne disease risk in the municipality of Sao Paulo, Brazil

In order to assess the epidemiological potential of the Culicidae species in remaining areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, specimens of this family were collected in wild and anthropic environments. A total of 9,403 adult mosquitoes was collected from May, 2009 to June, 2010. The most prevalent among species collected in the wild environment were Anopheles (Kerteszia) cruzii, the Melanoconion section of Culex (Melanoconion), and Aedes serratus, while the most common in the anthropic site were Coquillettidia chrysonotum/albifera, Culex (Culex) Coronator group, and An. (Ker.) cruzii. Mosquito richness was similar between environments, although the abundance of individuals from different species varied. When comparing diversity patterns between environments, anthropic sites exhibited higher richness and evenness, suggesting that environmental stress increased the number of favorable niches for culicids, promoting diversity. Increased abundance of opportunistic species in the anthropic environment enhances contact with culicids that transmit vector-borne diseases.

Doença isquêmica do coração e fatores associados em adultos de Ribeirão Preto, SP

OBJETIVO: Identificar a prevalência da doença isquêmica do coração em adultos e fatores associados. MÉTODOS: Estudo epidemiológico transversal de base populacional, conduzido em amostra ponderada de 2.471 adultos de ambos os sexos e com 30 anos ou mais residentes em Ribeirão Preto, SP, em 2007. A prevalência da doença foi estimada por pontos e por intervalos com 95% de confiança (IC95%), após a aplicação do Questionário Rose. Para a identificação de fatores associados (fatores sociodemográficos, de riscos cardiovasculares e relacionados ao acesso a serviços e ao padrão de atividade física), razões de prevalências brutas e ajustadas foram estimadas por meio da regressão de Poisson. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de doença isquêmica do coração foi maior no sexo feminino que no masculino, em todas as faixas etárias. No modelo final permaneceram independentemente associadas ao desfecho as seguintes variáveis: ter trabalho (RP = 0,54 [0,37;0,78]); antecedentes familiares de doença isquêmica do coração (RP = 1,55 [1,12;2,13]); hipertensão arterial (RP = 1,70 [1,18;2,46]); saúde autorreferida (RP = 2,15 [1,40;3,31]); duração do hábito de fumar (3° terço) (RP = 1,73 [1,08;2,76]); circunferência da cintura alterada (RP = 1,79 [1,21;2,65]) e hipertrigliceridemia (RP = 1,48 [1,05;2,10]). Teste de tendência linear para as RP nas categorias da variável saúde autorreferida apresentou significância estatística (p < 0,05). CONCLUSÕES: Além da elevada prevalência de doença isquêmica do coração, os fatores associados ao desfecho são quase todos modificáveis e passíveis de intervenção por meio de políticas públicas.