Candidemia in a Brazilian tertiary hospital: microbiological and clinical features over a six-year period

Yeasts are becoming a common cause of nosocomial fungal infections in immunocompromised patients. Such infections often develop into sepsis with high mortality rates. The aim of this study was to evaluate some of the numerous factors associated with the development of candidemia. Medical records were retrospectively analyzed of 98 Candida spp. patients. Results showed that the most prevalent risk factors for developing candidemia were: antibiotics and antifungal agents (93.9% and 79.6%, respectively); the use of central venous catheter (93.9%); mechanical ventilation (73.5%); and parenteral nutrition (60.2%). The main species of Candida found were: C. parapsilosis (37.76%), C. albicans (33.67%); and others (28.57%). C. glabrata showed the highest mortality rate (75%), followed by C. tropicalis (57.1%) and C. albicans (54.5%). The elevated mortality rate found in this study indicates that preventive measures against candidemia must be emphasized in hospitals.

Regulation of Social Hierarchy Over Time in Colonies of the Primitive Eusocial Wasp Mischocyttarus (Monocyttarus) cassununga. Von Ihering, 1903 (Hymenoptera, Vespidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Search for the pair production of scalar top quarks in the acoplanar charm jet final state in p(p)over-bar collisions at root s=1.96 TeV

A search for the pair production of scalar top quarks, (t) over tilde, has been performed in 360 pb(-1) of data from pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV, collected by the D phi detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The (t) over tilde decay mode considered is (t) over tilde -> c (chi) over tilde (0)(1), where (chi) over tilde (0)(1) is the lightest supersymmetric particle. The topology analyzed therefore consists of a pair of acoplanar heavy-flavor jets with missing transverse energy. The data and standard model expectation are in agreement, anda 95% C.L. exclusion domain in the (m((t) over tilde), m((chi) over tilde1)(0)) plane has been determined, extending the domain excluded by previous experiments. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

Measurement of the shape of the boson rapidity distribution for p(p)over-bar -> Z/gamma(*)-> e(+)e(-)+X events produced at root s of 1.96 TeV

We present a measurement of the shape of the boson rapidity distribution for p (p) over bar -> Z/gamma(*)-> e(+)e(-)+X events at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV. The measurement is made for events with electron-positron mass 71 < M-ee < 111 GeV and uses 0.4 fb(-1) of data collected at the Fermilab Tevatron collider with the D0 detector. This measurement significantly reduces the uncertainties on the rapidity distribution in the forward region compared with previous measurements. Predictions of next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) QCD are found to agree well with the data over the full rapidity range.

PM2.5 and PM10: The influence of sugarcane burning on potential cancer risk

In Brazil, sugarcane fields are often burned to facilitate manual harvesting, and this burning causes environmental pollution from the large amounts of soot released into the atmosphere. This material contains numerous organic compounds such as PAHs. In this study, the concentrations of PAHs in two particulate-matter fractions (PM2.5 and PM10) in the city of Araraquara (SE Brazil, with around 200,000 inhabitants and surrounded by sugarcane plantations) were determined during the sugarcane harvest (HV) and non-harvest (NHV) seasons in 2008 and 2009. The sampling strategy included four campaigns, with 60 samples in the NHV season and 220 samples in the HV season. The PM2.5 and PM10 fractions were collected using a dichotomous sampler (10 L min(-1), 24 h) with Teflon (TM) filters. The filter sets were extracted (ultrasonic bath with hexane/acetone (1:1 v/v)) and analyzed by HPLC/Fluorescence. The median concentration for total PAHs (PM2.5 in 2009) was 0.99 ng m(-3) (NHV) and 3.3 ng m(-3) (HV). In the HV season, the total concentration of carcinogenic PAHs (benz(a)anthracene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, and benzo(a)pyrene) was 5 times higher than in the NHV season. B(a)P median concentrations were 0.017 ng m(-3) and 0.12 ng m(-3) for the NHV and HV seasons, respectively. The potential cancer risk associated with exposure through inhalation of these compounds was estimated based on the benzo[a]pyrene toxic equivalence (BaPeq), where the overall toxicity of a PAR mixture is defined by the concentration of each compound multiplied by its relative toxic equivalence factor (TEF). BaPeq median (2008 and 2009 years) ranged between 0.65 and 1.0 ng m(-3) and 1.2-1.4 ng m(-3) for the NHV and HV seasons, respectively. Considering that the maximum permissible BaPeq in ambient air is 1 ng m(-3), related to the increased carcinogenic risk, our data suggest that the level of human exposure to PAHs in cities surrounded by sugarcane crops where the burning process is used is cause for concern. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

ETHOPHARMACOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF RAT BEHAVIOR ON THE ELEVATED PLUS-MAZE

Behavioral categories were measured in rats left on an elevated plus-maze for 5 min, in addition to the traditional measures. Four independent factors emerged from a factor analysis. The variables that loaded highly and positively on Factor 1, seemingly related with anxiety, were: number of entries onto open arms, time spent on open arms, percentage of open/total arm entries, percentage of time on open arms, scanning over the edge of an open arm, and open arm end-exploring. The time spent on enclosed arms loaded highly, but negatively on the same factor. Risk-assessment from an enclosed arm also loaded negatively on Factor 1. Number of enclosed arm entries, total number of arm entries and rearing loaded highly on Factor 2, probably related to motor activity. However, the total number of entries also loaded on Factor 1, being thus a mixed index. Similarly, the number of open arm entries loaded on both Factors 1 and 2. As expected, the variables having high loads on Factor 1 were changed to one direction by administration of two anxiolytics (nitrazepam and midazolam) and to the opposite direction by two anxiogenic drugs (pentylenetetrazol and FG 7142). Such pattern of drug effects was not observed with the remaining variables.

Economic design of two-stage (X)over-bar charts: the Markov chain approach

When the (X) over bar chart is in use, samples are regularly taken from the process, and their means are plotted on the chart. In some cases, it is too expensive to obtain the X values, but not the values of a correlated variable Y. This paper presents a model for the economic design of a two-stage control chart, that is. a control chart based on both performance (X) and surrogate (Y) variables. The process is monitored by the surrogate variable until it signals an out-of-control behavior, and then a switch is made to the (X) over bar chart. The (X) over bar chart is built with central, warning. and action regions. If an X sample mean falls in the central region, the process surveillance returns to the (Y) over bar chart. Otherwise. The process remains under the (X) over bar chart's surveillance until an (X) over bar sample mean falls outside the control limits. The search for an assignable cause is undertaken when the performance variable signals an out-of-control behavior. In this way, the two variables, are used in an alternating fashion. The assumption of an exponential distribution to describe the length of time the process remains in control allows the application of the Markov chain approach for developing the cost function. A study is performed to examine the economic advantages of using performance and surrogate variables. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Economic design of (X)over-bar charts with variable parameters: the Markov chain approach

This paper presents an economic design of (X) over bar control charts with variable sample sizes, variable sampling intervals, and variable control limits. The sample size n, the sampling interval h, and the control limit coefficient k vary between minimum and maximum values, tightening or relaxing the control. The control is relaxed when an (X) over bar value falls close to the target and is tightened when an (X) over bar value falls far from the target. A cost model is constructed that involves the cost of false alarms, the cost of finding and eliminating the assignable cause, the cost associated with production in an out-of-control state, and the cost of sampling and testing. The assumption of an exponential distribution to describe the length of time the process remains in control allows the application of the Markov chain approach for developing the cost function. A comprehensive study is performed to examine the economic advantages of varying the (X) over bar chart parameters.

Bezafibrate for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia in HIV1-infected patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy

The use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-infected patients has been associated with the development of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CD) including dyslipidemia and insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia being the most frequent metabolic disturbance in these patients. Fibrates are indicated when hypertriglyceridemia is accentuated and persists for over six months. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of bezafibrate for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia in HIV-infected individuals on HAART. All patients received 400mg/day of bezafibrate and were evaluated three times: Mo (pre-treatment), M1 (one month after treatment), and M2 (six months after treatment). Fifteen adult individuals, eight males and seven females with mean age = 41.2 ± 7.97 years and triglyceride serum levels ≥400mg/dL were included in the study. Smoking, alcohol ingestion and sedentarism rates were 50%, 6.66% and 60%, respectively. Family history of CD, hypertension and diabetes mellitus was reported in 33.3%, 40% and 46.7% of the cases, respectively, while dyslipidemia was reported by only 13.3%. More than half of the patients were using a protease inhibitor plus a nucleotide analog transcriptase inhibitor. Eutrophy and tendency toward overweight were observed at all three study time points. There were significant reductions in triglyceride serum levels from Mo to M1 and from Mo to M2. No significant changes were observed in the serum levels of creatine phosphokinase, hepatic enzymes, CD4 +, CD8 + and viral load. Therefore, bezafibrate seems to be safe and effective for the reduction of hypertriglyceridemia in HIV-infected patients on HAART. © 2006 by The Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Contexto Publishing. All rights reserved.

Risk factors for vascular dementia in elderly psychiatric outpatients with preserved cognitive functions

The aim of the study was to assess risk factors for vascular dementia (VaD) in elderly psychiatric outpatients without dementia, and to determine to what extent clinical interventions targeted such risk factors. Out of 250 clinical charts, 78 were selected of patients over 60 years old, who showed no signs of dementia. Information was obtained regarding demographics, clinical conditions (diagnosis according to ICD-10), complementary investigation, cognitive functions (via CAMCOG), neuroimaging, and the presence of risk factors for VaD. Depression was the most prevalent psychiatric disorder (74%). A great majority of the patients (86%) had at least one risk factor for VaD. One-third of the sample showed three or more risk factors for VaD. The clinical conditions related to risk factors for VaD were hypertension (48.7%), heart disease (30.8%), hypercholesterolemia (25.6%), diabetes mellitus (23.1%), stroke (12.8%), tryglyceride (12.8%), and obesity (5.1%). In terms of lifestyle, smoking (19.2%), alcohol abuse (16.7%), and sedentarism (14.1%) were other risk factors found. Definite risk factors for VaD were found in 83.3% of the patients. Previous interventions targeting risk factors were found in only 20% of the cases. The high rates of risk factors for VaD identified in this sample suggest that psychiatrists should be more attentive to these factors for the prevention of VaD. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electromyographic validation of the deltoideus (anterior portion) and pectoralis major (clavicular portion) muscles in pull-over exercises

The electromyographic activity of the deltoideus (anterior portion) and pectoralis major (clavicular portion) muscles was analyzed in 24 male volunteers in two different modalities of pull-over exercises. The PMC activity varied from weak to moderate in both modalities, while the DA activity was moderate in the pull-over and strong in the pull-over with bent arms exercises.

Profile of cardiovascular risk factors and mortality in patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease

Introduction: The present study examines cardiovascular risk factor profiles and 24-month mortality in patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease. Design Study: Prospective observational study including 75 consecutive patients with PAD (67 ± 9.7 years of age; 52 men and 23 women) hospitalized for planned peripheral vascular reconstruction. Doppler echocardiograms were performed before surgery in 54 cases. Univariate analyses were performed using Student's t-test or Fisher's exact test. Survival analysis at 24-month follow-up was performed using the Cox regression model and Kaplan-Meier method including age and chronic use of aspirin as covariates. Survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. Results: Hypertension and smoking were the most frequent risk factors (52 cases and 51 cases, respectively), followed by diabetes (32 cases). Undertreated dyslipidemia was found in 26 cases. Fasting glycine levels (131 ± 69.1 mg/dl) were elevated in 29 cases. Myocardial hypertrophy was found in 18 out of 54 patients. Thirty-four patients had been treated with aspirin. Overall mortality over 24 months was 24% and was associated with age (HR: 0.064; CI95: 0.014-0.115; p=0.013) and lack of use of aspirin, as no deaths occurred among those using this drug (p<0.001). No association was found between cardiovascular death (11 cases) and the other risk factors. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of uncontrolled (treated or untreated) cardiovascular risk factors in patients undergoing planned peripheral vascular reconstruction, and chronic use of aspirin is associated with reduced all-cause mortality in these patients.

The Role of Tax Policy in the Context of the Global Crisis: consequences and prospects

Includes bibliography

Risk-adjusted poverty in Argentina: measurement and determinants

Includes bibliography

Evolution of the link between selective anti-poverty policies and social sectors policies

Includes bibliography