Sandfly fauna in an area endemic for visceral leishmaniasis in Aracaju, State of Sergipe, Northeast Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

First Identification of Culex flavivirus (Flaviviridae) in Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Maus ares e malária: entre os pântanos de Natal e o feroz mosquito africano (1892-1932)

The development of epidemiological practices in the last years of the nineteenth and early twentieth century was characterized by both an influence of medical geography and the emergence of microbes and vectors of diseases. Both theories were used to explain outbreaks in Rio Grande do Norte specially in Natal. In this process were organized new institutions linked to public health, unhealthy spaces and prescribed hygiene measures. The redefinitions of the spaces were linked to updated elements of Hippocratic medicine such as aerism and emphasis on medical topography. How the physicians of the town were organized in the face of new meanings and fields of expertise in the demarcation of diseases and regulation of their own practices against the illegal medical practitioners? Likewise, the very occurrence of epidemics mobilized people, urban institutions and apparatuses. But how the Hippocratic legacy that leads to the idea of bad air originated by swamps from the eighteenth and nineteenth century has been linked to new microbial assumptions and disease vectors in the early twentieth century? How an invader from Africa, (the mosquito A. gambiae) mobilized transnational efforts to combat malaria and redefined the epidemiological practices? The aim of this work is to understand how epidemiological practices redefine the way we define spaces, practices and disease from both an approach influenced by a relational history of spaces and a theoretical synergy which includes topics in Science Studies, Post Structuralist Geography and some elements of Feminist Studies. Documentary research were surveyed in the reports of the provincial presidents, government posts to the Provincial Assembly, specialized medical articles and theses, and documents from the Rockefeller Foundation and national and international journals. In this regard shall be given to both material and discursive aspects of space-related practical epidemiological that Natal as much (in general) Rio Grande do Norte between bad air and malaria.

The definition of potential infiltration areas in Guaratingueta watershed, Paraiba do Sul Basin, Southeastern Brazil: an integrated approach using physical and land-use elements

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

The benefits of ethanol use for hydrogen production in urban transportation

The purpose of this paper is to describe the benefits of sugar cane ethanol in Brazil, appointing the productivity of this type of fuel based on hectares of plantation, its carbon dioxide cycle and the contribution to reduce the greenhouse effect. In the following step the uses of ethanol for hydrogen production by steam reforming is analyzed and some comparison with natural gas steam reforming is performed. The sugar cane industry in Brazil, in a near future, in the hydrogen era, could be modified according to our purpose, since besides the production of sugar, and ethylic and anhydric alcohol, Brazilian sugar cane industry will also be able to produce biohydrogen.Fuel cells appear like a promising technology for energy generation. Among several technologies in the present, the PEMFC (proton exchange membrane fuel cell) is the most appropriate for vehicles application, because it combines durability, high power density, high efficiency, good response and it works at relatively low temperatures. Besides that it is easy to turn it on and off and it is able to support present vibration in vehicles. A PEMFC's problem is the need of noble catalysts like platinum. Another problem is that CO needs to be in low concentration, requiring a more clean hydrogen to avoid fuel cell deterioration.One part of this paper was developed in Stockholm, where there are some buses within the CUTE (clean urban transport for Europe) project that has been in operation with FC since January 2004. Another part was developed in Guaratingueta, Brazil. Brazil intends to start up a program of FC buses. As conclusion, this paper shows the economical analysis comparing buses moved by fuel cells using hydrogen by different kinds of production. Electrolyze with wind turbine, natural gas steam reforming and ethanol steam reforming. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Incidence and prevalence rates of inflammatory bowel diseases, in midwestern of São Paulo State, Brazil

CONTEXTO: No Brasil, a incidência e prevalência populacionais das doenças inflamatórias intestinais são desconhecidas. OBJETIVO: Neste trabalho, estimou-se esses parâmetros na área que abrange a antiga região de saúde DIR 11, no centro-oeste do Estado de São Paulo. MÉTODOS: Usou-se um registro sequencial de 115 pacientes (>15 anos de idade) com doenças inflamatórias intestinais, residindo na área de estudo, atendidos durante período de 20 anos (1986-2005) em hospital de referência. Estimou-se, para quatro períodos consecutivos de 5 anos, as incidências e prevalências de acordo com os tipos de doença e do sexo de doentes. As suas inter-relações foram analisadas utilizando o modelo de regressão linear de Poisson. RESULTADOS: Na região, as doenças inflamatórias intestinais foram predominantes em mulheres jovens, da raça branca, residindo na zona urbana.A incidência da retocolite foi maior que a da doença de Crohn e das colites não classificadas, e diferentemente dessas duas ultimas, mostrou decréscimo no último período (2001-2005). Neste mesmo período, a taxa da incidência para a retocolite foi de 4,48 casos/100.000 habitantes, para a doença de Crohn atingiu 3,50 casos/100.000 habitantes e a das colites não classificadas foi de 1,75 casos/100.000 habitantes. As prevalências atingiram os valores de 14,81 casos/100.000 habitantes para a retocolite, 5,65 casos/100.000 habitantes para a doenças de Crohn e 2,14 casos/100.000 habitantes. Considerando todas as doenças inflamatórias a prevalência atingiu o valor de 22,61 casos/100.000 habitantes. CONCLUSÃO:A incidência dessas doenças inflamatórias intestinais nessa região é baixa, igualando-se aos países da América Latina e do sul da Europa e sua crescente prevalência justifica políticas de saúde para as suas abordagens.

Subchronic Toxicity Evaluation of a Treated Urban Sewage Sludge

Disposal of tons of sludge produced daily by sewage treatment plants in large cities is a serious problem. Because recycling and application in agriculture have been proposed, the Brazilian National Environmental Council (CONAMA, 2006) issued a legal norm that regulates the use of the sewage sludge (SS) in crops. Due to the complex chemical nature of such products, characterization by analytical methods for health and environmental risk assessment has severe limitations. To overcome such limitations, it is necessary to (1) assess the toxicological potential of SS and (2) identify possible adverse effects in vivo in order to provide critical information for future environmental regulations. The present study was conducted to determine the potential toxicity of SS obtained from a representative urban treatment plant located in the São Paulo State, Brazil. Male and female Wistar rats were fed ad libitum a pelleted diet containing varying amounts of SS. No relevant clinical, hematological, urinary, or gross organ morphological alterations were observed in both genders of rats orally exposed to SS at up to 3.8 g/kg/d for 90 d. Sewage slude produced increased incidence of centrilobular hepatocyte hyperplasia at the high dose and significantly increased aspartate aminotransferease (AST) activities at all doses in both genders. Although the present data indicate some liver involvement, these alterations were considered adaptative and not toxicologically relevant, as the responses were relatively mild, not dose dependent, and no other parameters were markedly affected. The present results may contribute to the establishment of protocols for potential usage in SS agricultural soil application.

Retrospective analysis of post-exposure to human anti-rabies treatment in Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil

This analysis aimed to identify characteristics of accidents that would, probably, provoke rabies infection. A total of 14,409 survey questionnaires for surveillance of human rabies from the Brazilian Information System for Disease Notification (SINAN), from 2000 to 2005, were analyzed. Regarding demographics, it was observed that 7,377 (51.5%) of the victims were white, 4,458 (30.93%) were children and 8,008 (55.58%) were males. Urban cases were prevalent (88.10%) while dogs were the animals most frequently involved in accidents, in 11,700 cases (81.19%). Bites (84.35%) and scratches (19.15%) were the most prevalent exposure types, and occurred predominantly on victims' extremities (38.79%). The prophylactic measure taken in 6,179 cases comprised anti-rabies vaccine; of these victims, 421 (2.92%) showed systemic reactions while 693 (4.80%) reported no response. The importance of developing awareness in professionals that should correctly report post-exposure immunoprophylaxis cases is emphasized given the high number of individuals who receive this type of treatment annually.

A reafirmação do bairro:um estudo geo-histórico do bairro do Alecrim na cidade de Natal-RN

By the end of the 21st Century, economy globalization trends to show a velocity process through which market being expanded characterized by an intense going on of the internationalization of finance, after that marginalizing the periphery of the social spaces. It is clear to see that this process occurred in those less developed countries happens in an accentuated way just because income distribution that is so regressive and also because the insufficient enclosing of the social programs, we find this situation in a big part of Brazilian cities. The marginalizing social economical process observed in Natal, a city located in the east coast part of Northeast region in Brazil and that owns a population upper to 778 thousand in habitants is nearly linked to the extension of goods and services commerce. The installation of new urban activities in the city pointed out tourist activity as the greater impulsive thing in the phenomenon promotion, most of them aiming to promote Natal to the national and international scenery. It privilege strongly in the South zone with economical implementations such as shopping s centers, supermarkets, and home buildings condominiums leading to a loss of functionality of some traditional district located in central areas of the city. Notwithstanding, some spaces, for instance Alecrim district officially created in 1911, has notably resisted to the expansion of the urban process pointed out in Natal in the last years. So that this put Alecrim District as a district with originally characteristics reaffirmed along the historical process form old times. The predominance of some residential characteristics such as the incidence of some villages and a concentration of a big and confuse popular commerce distributed along streets puts Alecrim District as a resistant space in Natal. The same way analyze Alecrim District under the prism of Historic Geography because we understand this way it accomplishes a fundamental role in the theoretical methodological development of our work, just when we analyze the time as a variant in our object of study. It is still inside this theoretical field that we carry out a brief reviewing about quarter/district definition, under the optic from several registered and scientific resources taken into account along this work, because we understand that it was necessary to think this important spatial unit especially to know exactly what we are referring to as a district and so we can reaffirm Alecrim as an important and traditional district to Natal and it has been resisting to spatial transformation verified in the last years in Natal city. To give support to our reflection we used methodological tools related to inhabitants lifestyles knowledge and also the study of Alecrim District as a space that promote a certain centrality in Natal as some indicators to keep original characteristics in the district in Natal

Toxic and essential elements in blood from delivering women in selected areas of São Paulo State, Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Levels of selected persistent organic pollutants in blood from delivering women in seven selected areas of São Paulo State, Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Relations between Depression, Alcohol and Gender in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, Brazil

Como parte do projeto GENACIS, este artigo visou estimar a prevalência de depressão em amostra urbana de São Paulo, Brasil, assim como a associação entre depressão e padrão de uso de álcool segundo gênero. Para tanto, foi realizado inquérito epidemiológico com amostra probabilística e por conglomerados, com um total de 2083 adultos. Utilizou-se o CIDI SF para identificação de depressão. A análise estatística utilizou o teste de Rao Scott e regressão logística multivariada. A taxa de resposta foi de 74,9%. Predominaram mulheres (58,8%), menores de 40 anos de idade (52%). A prevalência de depressão foi de 28,3% para as mulheres e 12,7% para os homens. Entre os homens, 61,1% são de bebedores no último ano e a depressão esteve associada ao padrão de consumo de álcool, à maior frequência de binge drinking e à presença de problemas decorrentes do álcool. Entre as mulheres, 69,5% são abstinentes e a depressão se associou à convivência com cônjuge com problemas devidos ao álcool. Os resultados ressaltam que a associação entre depressão e consumo de álcool é distinta entre os gêneros.

Genetic biomonitoring of an urban population exposed to mutagenic airborne pollutants

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Molecular characterization of Giardia duodenalis in dogs from Brazil

The intestinal protozoan parasite Giardia duodenalis (syn. Giardia intestinalis and Giardia lamblia) is a widespread enteric pathogen in human and domestic animals. This organism is one of the most common parasites in domestic dogs in Brazil. In this study, we determined the occurrence and genetic characterization of G. duodenalis isolated from dogs from south-central São Paulo state, Brazil. A total of 300 fecal samples were collected. Fecal specimens were screened for the presence of G. duodenalis using microscopy (zinc sulfate solution flotation technique) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the small subunit ribosomal (SSU-rDNA) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) genes. Genetic characterization was performed using restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) and sequencing analysis of the GDH gene. In addition, selected samples were further characterized by RFLP and sequencing of the beta-giardin gene. The overall occurrence of G. duodenalis was 17.3% (52/300). The occurrence was higher in stray dogs (28%) than in household dogs (6.25%). of the 36 PCR-positive samples that were selected for genotyping, only dog-specific genotype C (20 isolates), D (11 isolates) and mixed C+D (five isolates) isolates were detected in the study. This study provides current information on the infection rates of G. duodenalis genotypes in canine populations and describes for the first time the presence of mixed infections within host-specific C and D genotypes in dogs in Brazil. These genotypes were widespread and commonly found in domestic dogs living in urban and suburban environments of the studied area and confirmed the endemic status of Giardia in this region.

Chlamydophila psittaci and Toxoplasma gondii infection in pigeons (Columba livia) from São Paulo State, Brazil

Pigeons (Columba livia) cohabit with humans in urban and rural areas, representing a public health problem since microorganisms are transmitted through the inhalation of dust from their dry feces (chlamydiosis) and through ingestion of their undercooked or poorly refrigerated meat (toxoplasmosis). This study aimed to evaluate the presence of Chlamydophila psittaci and Toxoplasma gondii in pigeons from four cities in São Paulo State, Brazil. C psittaci was evaluated through hemi-nested polymerase chain reaction (hnPCR) using cloacal and tracheal swabs, whereas T. gondii specific antibodies were assessed by means of modified agglutination test (MAT), mouse brain and muscle bioassay, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). To confirm the infection in mice, T. gondii antibodies were assayed by using indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Considering C. psittaci, 40/238 (16.8%; 95%CI 12.6-22.1%) samples were positive according to hnPCR, especially for the cities of São Paulo (42.5%) and Bauru (35%). As regards T. gondii, 12/238 (5%; 95%CI 2.9-8.6%) serum samples were positive according to MAT. of these, five samples had titer equal to 1:8; six samples, 1:16; and one sample, 1:32. Bioassay, IFAT and PCR were negative for mouse toxoplasmosis. The absence of T. gondii antibodies suggests that pigeons may be infected with a low concentration of the agent, not detected by the antigen test. Thus, C. psittaci represents an actual problem concerning bird health. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.