Genetic diversity, virulence genes and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella Enteritidis isolated from food and humans over a 24-year period in Brazil

Salmonellosis is a major health problem worldwide. Serovar Enteritidis has been a primary cause of Salmonella outbreaks in many countries. In Brazil, few molecular typing studies have been performed. The aims of this study were to molecularly type Salmonella Enteritidis strains isolated in Brazil in order to determine the genetic relationship between strains of food and human origin, as well as, to assess their pathogenic potential and antimicrobial resistance. A total of 128 S. Enteritidis strains isolated from human feces (67) and food (61) between 1986 and 2010 were studied. The genotypic diversity was assessed by ERIC-PCR and PFGE using Xbal, the antimicrobial resistance by the disc-diffusion assay and the presence of the SPI-1, SPI-2 and pSTV virulence genes assessed by PCR. The ERIC-PCR results revealed that 112 strains exhibited a similarity of >85.4% and the PFGE that 96 strains exhibited a similarity of >80.0%. Almost all strains (97.6%) harbored all 13 virulence genes investigated. Thirty-six strains (28.12%) were resistant to nalidixic acid. In conclusion, the nalidixic acid resistance observed after 1996 is indicative of an increase in the use of this drug. It may be suggested that these 128 strains might have descended from a common ancestor that differed little over 24 years and has been both contaminating food and humans and causing disease for more than two decades in Brazil. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of tropical water sources and mollusks in southern Brazil using microbiological, biochemical, and chemical parameters

Florianopolis, a city located in the Santa Catarina State in southern Brazil, is the national leading producer of bivalve mollusks. The quality of bivalve mollusks is closely related to the sanitary conditions of surrounding waters where they are cultivated. Presently, cultivation areas receive large amounts of effluents derived mainly from treated and non-treated domestic, rural, and urban sewage. This contributes to the contamination of mollusks with trace metals, pesticides, other organic compounds, and human pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, and protozoan. The aim of this study was to perform a thorough diagnosis of the shellfish growing areas in Florianopolis, on the coast of Santa Catarina. The contamination levels of seawater, sediments, and oysters were evaluated for their microbiological, biochemical, and chemical parameters at five sea sites in Florianopolis, namely three regular oyster cultivation areas (Sites 1, 2, and oyster supplier), a polluted site (Site 3), and a heavily polluted site (Site 4). Samples were evaluated at day zero and after 14 days. Seawater and sediment samples were collected just once, at the end of the experiment. Antioxidant defenses, which may occur in contaminated environments in response to the increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by organisms, were analyzed in oysters, as well as organic compounds (in oysters and sediment samples) and microbiological contamination (in oysters and seawater samples). The results showed the presence of the following contaminants: fecal coliforms in seawater samples (four sites), human adenovirus (all sites), human noroviruses GI and GII (two sites), Hepatitis A viruses (one site), JC Polyomavirus in an oyster sample from the oyster supplier, Giardia duodenalis cysts, and Cryptosporidium sp oocysts (one site). Among organochlorine pesticides, only DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and HCH (hexachlorocyclohexane) were detected in some sediment and oysters samples in very low levels; site 4 had the highest concentrations of total aliphatic hydrocarbons. PAHs, and linear alkylbenzenes (LABs) found either in oysters or in sediment samples. The major concentration of fecal sterol coprostanol was found at site 4, followed by site 3. After 14 days of allocation in the four selected sites, there was a significant difference in the enzymes analyzed at the monitored spots. The detection of different contaminants in oysters, seawater, and sediment samples in the present study shows the impact untreated or inadequately treated effluents have on coastal areas. These results highlight the need for public investment in adequate wastewater treatment and adequate treatment of oysters, ensuring safe areas for shellfish production as well as healthier bivalve mollusks for consumption.

Electroconvulsive Therapy in Brazil After the "Psychiatric Reform" A Public Health Problem-Example From a University Service

Objectives: The Brazilian public health system does not provide electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), which is limited to a few academic services. National mental health policies are against ECT. Our objectives were to analyze critically the public policies toward ECT and present the current situation using statistics from the Institute of Psychiatry of the University of Sao Paulo (IPq-HCFMUSP) and summary data from the other 13 ECT services identified in the country. Methods: Data regarding ECT treatment at the IPq-HCFMUSP were collected from January 2009 to June 2010 (demographical, number of sessions, and diagnoses). All the data were analyzed using SPSS 19, Epic Info 2000, and Excel. Results: During this period, 331 patients were treated at IPq-HCFMUSP: 221 (67%) were from Sao Paulo city, 50 (15.2%) from Sao Paulo's metropolitan area, 39 (11.8%) from Sao Paulo's countryside, and 20 (6.1%) from other states; 7352 ECT treatments were delivered-63.0% (4629) devoted entirely via the public health system (although not funded by the federal government); the main diagnoses were a mood disorder in 86.4% and schizophrenia in 7.3% of the cases. Conclusions: There is an important lack of public assistance for ECT, affecting mainly the poor and severely ill patients. The university services are overcrowded and cannot handle all the referrals. The authors press for changes in the mental health policies.

Anthropometric, physiological, performance, and nutritional profile of the Brazil National Canoe Polo Team

The purpose of this study was to determine the physiological, anthropometric, performance, and nutritional characteristics of the Brazil Canoe Polo National Team. Ten male canoe polo athletes (age 26.7 +/- 4.1 years) performed a battery of tests including assessments of anthropometric parameters, upper-body anaerobic power (Wingate), muscular strength, aerobic power, and nutritional profile. In addition, we characterized heart rate and plasma lactate responses and the temporal pattern of the effort/recovery during a simulated canoe polo match. The main results are as follows: body fat, 12.3 +/- 4.0%; upper-body peak and mean power, 6.8 +/- 0.5 and 4.7 +/- 0.4 W . kg(-1), respectively; 1-RM bench press, 99.1 +/- 11.7 kg; peak oxygen uptake, 44.3 +/- 5.8 mL . kg(-1) . min(-1); total energy intake, 42.8 +/- 8.6 kcal . kg(-1); protein, carbohydrate, and fat intakes, 1.9 +/- 0.1, 5.0 +/- 1.5, and 1.7 +/- 0.4 g . kg(-1), respectively; mean heart rate, 146 +/- 11 beats . min(-1); plasma lactate, 5.7 +/- 3.8 mmol . L-1 at half-time and 4.6 +/- 2.2 mmol . L-1 at the end of the match; effort time (relative to total match time), 93.1 +/- 3.0%; number of sprints, 9.6 +/- 4.4. The results of this study will assist coaches, trainers, and nutritionists in developing more adequate training programmes and dietary interventions for canoe polo athletes.

Production and carbon allocation in monocultures and mixed-species plantations of Eucalyptus grandis and Acacia mangium in Brazil

Introducing nitrogen-fixing tree species in fast-growing eucalypt plantations has the potential to improve soil nitrogen availability compared with eucalypt monocultures. Whether or not the changes in soil nutrient status and stand structure will lead to mixtures that out-yield monocultures depends on the balance between positive interactions and the negative effects of interspecific competition, and on their effect on carbon (C) uptake and partitioning. We used a C budget approach to quantify growth, C uptake and C partitioning in monocultures of Eucalyptus grandis (W. Hill ex Maiden) and Acacia mangium (Willd.) (treatments E100 and A100, respectively), and in a mixture at the same stocking density with the two species at a proportion of 1 : 1 (treatment MS). Allometric relationships established over the whole rotation, and measurements of soil CO2 efflux and aboveground litterfall for ages 4-6 years after planting were used to estimate aboveground net primary production (ANPP), total belowground carbon flux (TBCF) and gross primary production (GPP). We tested the hypotheses that (i) species differences for wood production between E. grandis and A. mangium monocultures were partly explained by different C partitioning strategies, and (ii) the observed lower wood production in the mixture compared with eucalypt monoculture was mostly explained by a lower partitioning aboveground. At the end of the rotation, total aboveground biomass was lowest in A100 (10.5 kg DM m(-2)), intermediate in MS (12.2 kg DM m(-2)) and highest in E100 (13.9 kg DM m(-2)). The results did not support our first hypothesis of contrasting C partitioning strategies between E. grandis and A. mangium monocultures: the 21% lower growth (delta B-w) in A100 compared with E100 was almost entirely explained by a 23% lower GPP, with little or no species difference in ratios such as TBCF/GPP, ANPP/TBCF, delta B-w/ANPP and delta B-w/GPP. In contrast, the 28% lower delta B-w in MS than in E100 was explained both by a 15% lower GPP and by a 15% lower fraction of GPP allocated to wood growth, thus partially supporting our second hypothesis: mixing the two species led to shifts in C allocations from above- to belowground, and from growth to litter production, for both species.

High Prevalence of Dementia in a Community-Based Survey of Older People from Brazil: Association with Intellectual Activity Rather than Education

Although several surveys have been conducted around the world, few surveys have investigated the prevalence of dementia in Latin America. The aim of this study was to estimate dementia prevalence in a community sample in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, and to evaluate its distribution across several socio-demographic and clinical characteristics and habits. The population was aged 60 years and older and a representative sample from three different social regions. The screening instruments used in the first phase were the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Fuld Object-Memory Evaluation, the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly, and the Bayer Activities of Daily Living Scale. In the second phase, the Cambridge Examination was employed to diagnose dementia according to the DSM-IV criteria. The estimate of dementia prevalence was adjusted for screening instrument performance, using the positive and negative predictive values. The data were weighted to compare frequencies, considering the sampling and the non-response effect, and subjected to multivariate analysis. In all, 1.145 elderly subjects were evaluated (mean age: 70.9 years), of whom 63.4% were female and 52.8% had up to 4 years of schooling (participation rates at the first and the second phases were 62.6 and 60%, respectively). The observed and estimated prevalences of dementia were 5.9% and 12.5%, respectively (n = 68). Alzheimer's disease was the main cause (60.3%). Dementia was associated with old age, low education, stroke, absence of arthritis, and not reading books. The estimated prevalence of dementia was higher than the prevalence previously found. Associated factors confirmed the importance of intellectual activities in prevention.

Illustrated key for the identification of the known zoeal stages of brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda) from tropical and subtropical Brazil, southwestern Atlantic

Approximately 370 brachyuran species have so far been recorded from the Brazilian coast, 123 of which have had their larval stages fully or partially described. The pictorial guide allows the identification of the first zoea of 110 species. The remaining 13 species with known larval stages are treated to the genus level because of difficulties in the morphological differentiation of closely related species.

Postactivation potentiation: effect of various recovery intervals on bench press power performance

Ferreira, SLA, Panissa, VLG, Miarka, B, and Franchini, E. Postactivation potentiation: effect of various recovery intervals on bench press power performance. J Strength Cond Res 26(3): 739-744, 2012-Postactivation potentiation (PAP) is a strategy used to improve performance in power activities. The aim of this study was to determine if power during bench press exercise was increased when preceded by 1 repetition maximum (1RM) in the same exercise and to determine which time interval could optimize PAP response. For this, 11 healthy male subjects (age, 25 +/- 4 years; height, 178 +/- 6 cm; body mass, 74 +/- 8 kg; bench press 1RM, 76 +/- 19 kg) underwent 6 sessions. Two control sessions were conducted to determine both bench press 1RM and power (6 repetitions at 50% 1RM). The 4 experimental sessions were composed of a 1RM exercise followed by power sets with different recovery intervals (1, 3, 5, and 7 minutes), performed on different days, and determined randomly. Power values were measured via Peak Power equipment (Cefise, Nova Odessa, Sao Paulo, Brazil). The conditions were compared using an analysis of variance with repeated measures, followed by a Tukey test. The significance level was set at p < 0.05. There was a significant increase in PAP in concentric contractions after 7 minutes of recovery compared with the control and 1-minute recovery conditions (p < 0.05). Our results indicated that 7 minutes of recovery has generated an increase in PAP in bench press and that such a strategy could be applied as an interesting alternative to enhance the performance in tasks aimed at increasing upper-body power performance.

Impact of Land Degradation on Soil Microbial Biomass and Activity in Northeast Brazil

Land degradation causes great changes in the soil biological properties. The process of degradation may decrease soil microbial biomass and consequently decrease soil microbial activity. The study was conducted out during 2009 and 2010 at the four sites of land under native vegetation (NV), moderately degraded land (LDL), highly degraded land (HDL) and land under restoration for four years (RL) to evaluate changes in soil microbial biomass and activity in lands with different degradation levels in comparison with both land under native vegetation and land under restoration in Northeast Brazil. Soil samples were collected at 0-10 cm depth. Soil organic carbon (SOC), soil microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN), soil respiration (SR), and hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and dehydrogenase (DHA) activities were analyzed. After two years of evaluation, soil MBC, MBN, FDA and DHA had higher values in the NV, followed by the RL. The decreases of soil microbial biomass and enzyme activities in the degraded lands were approximately 8-10 times as large as those found in the NV. However, after land restoration, the MBC and MBN increased approximately 5-fold and 2-fold, respectively, compared with the HDL. The results showed that land degradation produced a strong decrease in soil microbial biomass. However, land restoration may promote short- and long-term increases in soil microbial biomass.

Astrobiology in Brazil: early history and perspectives

This review reports the Brazilian history in astrobiology, as well as the first delineation of a vision of the future development of the field in the country, exploring its abundant biodiversity, highly capable human resources and state-of-the-art facilities, reflecting the last few years of stable governmental investments in science, technology and education, all conditions providing good perspectives on continued and steadily growing funding for astrobiology-related research. Brazil is growing steadily and fast in terms of its worldwide economic power, an effect being reflected in different areas of the Brazilian society, including industry, technology, education, social care and scientific production. In the field of astrobiology, the country has had some important landmarks, more intensely after the First Brazilian Workshop on Astrobiology in 2006. The history of astrobiology in Brazil, however, is not so recent and had its first occurrence in 1958. Since then, researchers carried out many individual initiatives across the country in astrobiology-related fields, resulting in an ever growing and expressive scientific production. The number of publications, including articles and theses, has particularly increased in the last decade, but still counting with the effort of researchers working individually. That scenario started to change in 2009, when a formal group of Brazilian researchers working with astrobiology was organized, aiming at congregating the scientific community interested in the subject and to promote the necessary interactions to achieve a multidisciplinary work, receiving facilities and funding from the University de Sao Paulo and other funding agencies. Received 29 February 2012, accepted 17 May 2012, first published online 18 July 2012

Risk factors for computer visual syndrome (CVS) among operators of two call centers in Sao Paulo, Brazil

The aims of this study were to investigate work conditions, to estimate the prevalence and to describe risk factors associated with Computer Vision Syndrome among two call centers' operators in Sao Paulo (n = 476). The methods include a quantitative cross-sectional observational study and an ergonomic work analysis, using work observation, interviews and questionnaires. The case definition was the presence of one or more specific ocular symptoms answered as always, often or sometimes. The multiple logistic regression model, were created using the stepwise forward likelihood method and remained the variables with levels below 5% (p < 0.05). The operators were mainly female and young (from 15 to 24 years old). The call center was opened 24 hours and the operators weekly hours were 36 hours with break time from 21 to 35 minutes per day. The symptoms reported were eye fatigue (73.9%), "weight" in the eyes (68.2%), "burning" eyes (54.6%), tearing (43.9%) and weakening of vision (43.5%). The prevalence of Computer Vision Syndrome was 54.6%. Associations verified were: being female (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.6 to 4.1), lack of recognition at work (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.8), organization of work in call center (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.7) and high demand at work (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.3). The organization and psychosocial factors at work should be included in prevention programs of visual syndrome among call centers' operators.

A relict new species of Oreobates (Anura, Strabomantidae) from the Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and its implication to the biogeography of the genus and that of South American Dry Forests

A new species of Oreobates is described from Cavernas do Peruacu National Park, Januaria, Minas Gerais state, in the Atlantic Dry Forests of Brazil. The new species is distinguished from all other Oreobates by having the following combination of characters: large tympanum, discs broadly enlarged and truncate on Fingers III and IV, smooth dorsal skin, nuptial pads absent, snout subacuminate, and a very short pulsatile (2-3 pulses) single-noted advertisement call with dominant frequency of about 3150 Hz, and no harmonic structure. Molecular phylogenetic analyses using partial sequences of the mitochondrial genes cytochrome b (cyt b) and 16S using multiple outgroups recovered the new species within Oreobates and sister to O. heterodactylus. The latter species inhabits the Dry Forests of Mato Grosso (Cerrado) and Bolivia (Chiquitano forests), and is strictly associated to these habitats, which suggests a preterit connection between Chiquitano and Atlantic Dry Forests. The discovery of a new Oreobates in the Atlantic Dry Forest is of great importance for the conservation of these dry forests, as it is known only from this type of habitat.

Factors associated with overweight in children living in the neighbourhoods of an urban area of Brazil

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the individual and family determinants of being overweight among children younger than 10 years of age. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Direct data on children's age, food intake, physical activity, type of transportation used and anthropometric measurements, as well as the education level of the mothers, were collected by trained interviewers. Setting: Population-based study in the city of Santos, Brazil. Subjects: A total of 531 children under 10 years of age (302 aged <6 years, >= 6 aged years), living in the city of Santos. Results: The overall prevalence of overweight and obesity (BMI-for-age Z-score >1) was 35.4% for children under 6 years and 38.9% for children aged 6-10 years. The socio-economic status of the family was associated with being overweight for both age groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that the lower the socio-economic status, the higher the likelihood of being overweight, among both younger children (OR = 7.73; P = 0.02) and older children (OR = 1.98; P = 0.04). The use of active transportation was associated with a lower likelihood of being overweight, but only among younger children (OR = 1.70; P = 0.05). Conclusions: Socio-economic status seems to be an important individual-level determinant of overweight in children. Public policies should consider promoting the use of active transportation, as the results showed it to have a positive effect on reducing overweight issues. The high prevalence of overweight in younger children suggests that this age group should be a priority in health-promoting interventions.

Catanduba, a new Theraphosinae spider genus from Central Brazil (Araneae, Theraphosidae)

A new genus, Catanduba, is proposed and supported on the cladistic analysis with the following synapomorphies: embolus tapering abruptly from half of the length, embolus tooth associated with PIK and a triangular basal nodule on male metatarsus I. Homoeomma simoni and Plesiopelma flavohirtum are transferred to Catanduba and five new species are described: C. tuskae, C. araguaia, C. piauiensis, C. canabrava and C. peruacu. The species occur mainly in central Brazil, in Cerrado areas, with some species also occurring in Atlantic forest (C. tuskae sp. n.) and Caatinga (C. piauiensis sp. n. and C. peruacu sp. n.).

Stand-level patterns of carbon fluxes and partitioning in a Eucalyptus grandis plantation across a gradient of productivity, in Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Wood production represents a large but variable fraction of gross primary production (GPP) in highly productive Eucalyptus plantations. Assessing patterns of carbon (C) partitioning (C flux as a fraction of GPP) between above- and belowground components is essential to understand mechanisms driving the C budget of these plantations. Better knowledge of fluxes and partitioning to woody and non-woody tissues in response to site characteristics and resource availability could provide opportunities to increase forest productivity. Our study aimed at investigating how C allocation varied within one apparently homogeneous 90 ha stand of Eucalyptus grandis (W. Hill ex Maiden) in Southeastern Brazil. We assessed annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP: stem, leaf, and branch production) and total belowground C flux (TBCF: the sum of root production and respiration and mycorrhizal production and respiration), GPP (computed as the sum of ANPP, TBCF and estimated aboveground respiration) on 12 plots representing the gradient of productivity found within the stand. The spatial heterogeneity of topography and associated soil attributes across the stand likely explained this fertility gradient. Component fluxes of GPP and C partitioning were found to vary among plots. Stem NPP ranged from 554 g C m(-2) year(-1) on the plot with lowest GPP to 923 g C m(-2) year(-1) on the plot with highest GPP. Total belowground carbon flux ranged from 497 to 1235 g C m(-2) year(-1) and showed no relationship with ANPP or GPP. Carbon partitioning to stem NPP increased from 0.19 to 0.23, showing a positive trend of increase with GPP (R-2 = 0.29, P = 0.07). Variations in stem wood production across the gradient of productivity observed at our experimental site were a result of the variability in C partitioning to different forest system components.