Risk indicators for increased probing depth in an isolated population in Brazil

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, extent, and severity of probing depth (PD) and to investigate the associations between demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral risk indicators and PD in a periodontally untreated and isolated population in Brazil. Methods: The target population consisted of all individuals aged >= 12 years as identified by a census. Consenting participants were submitted to a full-mouth clinical examination of six sites per tooth and were interviewed using a structured written questionnaire. Results: Among the 214 subjects who were interviewed and clinically examined, PD >= 4 mm was observed in 54% to 83% of the subjects, depending on age, whereas the age-dependent prevalence of PD :6 mm ranged from 5% among 12- to 19-year-olds to 50% among 40- to 49-year-olds, decreasing to 40% among subjects >= 50 years of age. Multivariate analyses identified supragingival calculus (odds ratio [OR] = 5.4 to 10.3; 95% confidence intervals [CIs]: 2.5 to 11.6 and 4.0 to 26.2 for 20% to 50% and > 50% of the sites, respectively) as a risk indicator for PD A mm, whereas age :40 years (OR = 9.0; 95% CI: 1.7 to 48.5), being a moderate/heavy smoker (OR = 3.7; 95% CI: 1.4 to 10. 1), and having supragingival calculus in 20% to 50% of sites (OR = 6.8; 95% CI: 1.4 to 32.4) or in >50% of sites (OR = 15.3; 95% CI: 3.2 to 73.6) were risk indicators for PD >= 6 mm. Having undergone urgency dental treatment was a protective factor for PD A and >= 6 mm (OR = 0.4; 95% CI: 0.2 to 0.8). Conclusions: Increased PD is highly prevalent in this isolated population. Behavioral factors played a significant role as risk indicators for increased PD in this isolated population.

Conjoined twins with mirror-image cleft lip and palate: Case report in Brazil

The observation of mirror-image clefts in conjoined twins may suggest an influence from environmental factors (e.g., poor blood supply) on the appearance of clefts. The present paper reports on a pair of male thoracopagus twins born to a 20-year-old woman. The twins were stillborn. Both twins exhibited complete unilateral cleft lip and palate with mirror-image configuration, affecting the left side for twin A and the right side for twin B. The twins also shared some organs. The case is discussed with similar information in the literature, with reference to possible related etiologic factors. Reporting on such occurrences throughout the world is important to shed light on important aspects underlying the formation of clefts.

Audiology in Brazil

The profession of audiology took root in Brazil nearly a half a century ago and has since blossomed into a flourishing, well-developed field. Currently, audiologists in Brazil work at private institutions, including private medical practices and dedicated speech and hearing clinics. They are also employed in a wide array of public institutions, including community clinics, elementary schools, colleges, and universities. In both the private sector and health clinics, audiologists perform diagnostic evaluations of auditory and vestibular disorders, select and fit hearing aids, and provide aural rehabilitation. At the public level, they assist with workers` health programs, dispense hearing aids, and aural rehabilitation. There is always room to grow, however, and the future of audiology in Brazil holds both challenges and opportunity. The following article will sketch the development of audiology training and practice in Brazil, provide a picture of how the field stands today, and summarize the unique challenges which the profession faces in this large and diverse nation.

Beef Carcass Contamination by Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Strains in an Abattoir in Brazil: Characterization and Resistance to Antimicrobial Drugs

A survey was performed to estimate the frequency of Escherichia coli and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) in carcasses obtained from an abattoir in Brazil between February 2006 and June 2007. A total of 216 beef carcasses were sampled at three stages of the slaughter process-preevisceration, postevisceration, and postprocessing-during the rain and dry seasons, respectively. Of the carcasses sampled, 58%, were preevisceration E. coli positive, 38% were postevisceration positive, and 32% postprocessing positive. At the postprocessing stage, the isolation of E. coli was twice as high in the rain season. E. coli was isolated from 85 carcasses of which only 3 (1.4%) were positive for stx-encoding genes. No E. coli O157 serogroup isolates were detected. No antimicrobial resistance was found in nine of the isolates (10% of the total). The most frequent resistances were seen against cephalothin (78%), streptomycin (38%), nalidixic acid (36%), and tetracycline (30%). Multidrug resistance (MDR) to three or more antimicrobial agents was determined in 28 (33%) E. coli isolates. The presence of STEC and MDR strains among the isolates in the beef carcasses emphasizes the importance of proper handling to prevent carcass contamination.

Role of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus) in the epidemiology of urban visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil

Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL) is a serious public health problem in several Brazilian cities. Although the proximity of chicken houses is often cited as a risk factor in studies of urban ZVL, the role chickens play in the epidemiology of the disease has not been defined. Chickens attract both male and female sand flies (Lutzomyia longripalpis) but are unable to sustain Leishmania infections, and their presence may exert a zooprophylactic effect. We discuss environmental, physiologic, socioeconomic, and cultural factors related to chicken raising that could influence Le. infantum transmission in Brazilian cities and evaluate whether this practice significantly affects the risk of acquiring ZVL.

An evaluation of a family psychoeducation program in community mental health

The aim of the research project was to identify the efficacy of the family psychoeducation program as a strategy for reducing the hospital admissions of young people. It also aimed to determine if the family psychoeducation program had an impact on the experience of caregiving and knowledge and satisfaction of services provided by the mental health service. A retrospective chart audit compared readmission history of 27 clients whose families attended a psychoeducation program with readmission history of a matched group of young people whose families did not attend the program. A telephone survey was conducted for both groups of families to investigate knowledge and understanding of services and burden of care. The results indicated that family participation in a brief multiple family psychoeducation program did not reduce the number or duration of admissions of the young people. There was no impact on the level of care for families who attended the psychoeducation program, however, this group showed some evidence of increased knowledge and understanding of services as compared to the control group.

Never before seen in Brazil: Luis Inácio Lula da Silva's grand diplomacy

Critical assessment of Luis Inácio Lula da Silva's diplomacy, which departed from the previous patterns of the Brazilian Foreign Service, to align itself with the political conceptions of the Workers' Party. This diplomacy has neither consolidated the position of Brazil as a regional leader, nor attained its declared goal of inserting Brazil into the United Nations Security Council, although it has reinforced Brazil's image in the international scenarios; but this was achieved much more through the personal activism of the President himself, than through normal diplomatic work.

Chinese multinational corporations in Brazil: strategies and implications in energy and telecom sectors

This study aims to understand how Chinese enterprises acted in Brazilian energy and telecommunication sectors in the past ten years and whether they would be leading to an increase in the asymmetries between Brazil and China. It argues that the asymmetries presented in the relations are due in large part to successful Chinese enterprises' strategies.