Microbiological quality of hamburgers sold in the streets of Cuiabá - MT, Brazil and vendor hygiene-awareness

This study evaluated the microbiological quality of hamburgers and the microbe community on the hands of vendors in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil, in relation to vendors´ awareness as to what constitute acceptable food-handling practices as part of a broad-spectrum research programme on street foods in Brazil . Sale of the hamburger known as the 'baguncinha' is common and widespread in urban Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Food inspectors encounter various difficulties in carrying out inspections. One hundred and five hamburgers samples were evaluated using conventional methods including tests for facultative aerobic and/or anaerobic mesophytic bacteria, coliform counts at 45 °C, the coagulase test for Staphylococcus, Gram-staining for the presence of Bacillus cereus, Clostridium sulphite reductase and Salmonella spp. The hamburgers were categorized as unsuitable for human consumption in 31.4% of samples, with those testing positive for coliforms and Staphylococcus at unacceptably high levels by Brazilian standards. High levels of microbiological contamination were detected on the hands of the food handlers and mesophytic bacterial counts reached 1.8 × 10(4) CFU/hand. Interviews were carried out by means of questionnaires to evaluate levels of awareness as to acceptable food handling practices and it was found that 80,1% of vendors had never participated in any kind of training.

Quality of water sources used as drinking water in a Brazilian peri-urban area

The objective of this paper was to assess bacteriological quality of drinking water in a peri-urban area located in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, Brazil. A total of 89 water samples were collected from community plastic tanks and 177 water samples from wells were collected bimonthly, from September 2007 to November 2008, for evaluating bacteriological parameters including: Escherichia coli, Enterococcus and heterotrophic plate count (HPC). Clostridium perfringens was investigated in a subsample (40 samples from community plastic tank and 40 from wells). E. coli was present in 5 (5.6%) samples from community plastic tanks (2.0 - 5.1x10(4) MPN/100mL) and in 70 (39.5%) well samples (2.0 - 8.6x10(4) MPN/100mL). Thus, these samples were not in accordance with the Brazilian Regulation. Enterococcus was detected in 20 (22.5%) samples of the community plastic tanks (1 to 79 NC/100mL) and in 142 (80.2%) well samples (1 to >200 NC/100mL). C. perfringens was detected in 5 (12.5%) community plastic tanks samples and in 35 (87.5%) wells samples (2.2 to >16 MPN/100mL). HPC were above 500 CFU/mL in 5 (5.6%) waters from community plastic tanks. In wells samples, the HPC ranged from <1 to 1.6x10(4) CFU/mL. The residual chlorine did not attend the standard established in the drinking water legislation (0.2 mg/L), except in 20 (22.5%) samples. These results confirm the vulnerability of the water supply systems in this peri-urban area what is clearly a public health concern.

Impact of chronic disease on quality of life among the elderly in the state of São Paulo, Brazil: a population-based study

Determinar el impacto de las enfermedades crónicas y el número de enfermedades en los diversos aspectos de la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (HRQOL) en adultos mayores de São Paulo, Brasil. MÉTODOS: Se empleó la encuesta de salud SF-36® para evaluar el impacto de las enfermedades crónicas de mayor prevalencia sobre la HRQOL. Se realizó un estudio poblacional transversal con un muestreo por conglomerados estratificado en dos etapas. Se obtuvieron los datos de una encuesta multicéntrica sobre la salud aplicada mediante entrevistas en hogares de varios municipios del estado de São Paulo. Se evaluaron siete enfermedades -artritis, dolor de espalda, depresión/ansiedad, diabetes, hipertensión arterial, osteoporosis y accidentes cerebrovasculares- y sus efectos sobre la calidad de vida. RESULTADOS: De los 1 958 adultos mayores de 60 años o más, 13,6% informaron no padecer ninguna de las enfermedades, mientras 45,7% presentaron tres enfermedades crónicas o más. La presencia de cualquiera de las siete enfermedades crónicas estudiadas influyó significativamente en la puntuación de casi todas las escalas de la SF-36®. La HRQOL alcanzó valores inferiores cuando la persona tenía depresión/ansiedad, osteoporosis o había sufrido un accidente cerebrovascular. A mayor número de enfermedades, mayores eran los efectos negativos en las dimensiones de la SF-36®. La presencia de tres enfermedades o más afectó significativamente la HRQOL en todas las áreas. Las escalas más afectadas por las enfermedades fueron dolor físico, salud general y vitalidad. CONCLUSIONES: Se encontró una alta prevalencia de enfermedades crónicas en la población de adultos mayores; la magnitud del efecto sobre la HRQOL dependió del tipo de enfermedad. Estos resultados destacan la importancia de prevenir y controlar las enfermedades crónicas para reducir la comorbilidad y disminuir su impacto sobre la HRQOL en los adultos mayores

The bubbles or the boiling pot?: an ecosystemic approach to culture, environment and quality of life

For the diagnosis and prognosis of the problems of quality of life, a multidisciplinary ecosystemic approach encompasses four dimensions of being-in-the-world, as donors and recipients: intimate, interactive, social and biophysical. Social, cultural and environmental vulnerabilities are understood and dealt with, in different circumstances of space and time, as the conjugated effect of all dimensions of being-in-the-world, as they induce the events (deficits and assets), cope with consequences (desired or undesired) and contribute for change. Instead of fragmented and reduced representations of reality, diagnosis and prognosis of cultural, educational, environmental and health problems considers the connections (assets) and ruptures (deficits) between the different dimensions, providing a planning model to develop and evaluate research, teaching programmes, public policies and field projects. The methodology is participatory, experiential and reflexive; heuristic-hermeneutic processes unveil cultural and epistemic paradigms that orient subject-object relationships; giving people the opportunity to reflect on their own realities, engage in new experiences and find new ways to live better in a better world. The proposal is a creative model for thought and practice, providing many opportunities for discussion, debate and development of holistic projects integrating different scientific domains (social sciences, psychology, education, philosophy, etc.)

Análise técnica e econômica de prestadores de serviços na colheita florestal

The objective of this Study was to describe the financial conditions of forestry contractors, concerning life quality aspects, condition of work and equipments, operational costs, and economic credit to invest in new technologies. Five companies had been analyzed, with an annual income between US$ 400,000.00 and US$ 1,720,000.00, with an average of US$ 950,000.00. The number of employees varied between 33 and 181, and the companies were classified in terms of size as: one small, two average, and two big. The main difficulties to invest in new machines were high financial taxes, more than 12% an year, and a lack of long term contracts to guarantee the payment capability. It was observed that the contractors did not consider the capital remuneration and a correct depreciation of machines, resulting in an average machine life higher than 10 years. The final conclusions were that the costs were above the paid values for the services, when computed the depreciation and capital remuneration, with negative results In the financial analyzes of three companies. Finally, the mechanization process increased the workers life quality, however, the annual income was around US$ 2,112.00 per worker, approximately 39% lower than the average Brazilian population.

Genetic trend estimates of meat quality traits in a male broiler line

The present research was conducted to estimate the genetic trends for meat quality traits in a male broiler line. The traits analyzed were initial pH, pH at 6 h after slaughter, final pH, initial range of falling pH, final range of falling pH, lightness, redness, yellowness, weep loss, drip loss, shrink loss, and shear force. The number of observations varied between 618 and 2125 for each trait. Genetic values were obtained by restricted maximum likelihood, and the numerator relationship matrix had 107,154 animals. The genetic trends were estimated by regression of the broiler average genetic values with respect to unit of time (generations), and the average genetic trend was estimated by regression coefficients. Generally, for the traits analyzed, small genetic trends were obtained, except for drip loss and shear force, which were higher. The small magnitude of the trends found could be a consequence of the absence of selection for meat quality traits in the line analyzed. The estimates of genetic trends obtained were an indication of an improvement in the meat quality traits in the line analyzed, except for drip loss.

Motor Nerve-Conduction Studies in Obstetric Brachial Plexopathy for a Selection of Patients with a Poor Outcome

Background: The criteria and timing for nerve surgery in infants with obstetric brachial plexopathy remain controversial. Our aim was to develop a new method for early prognostic assessment to assist this decision process. Methods: Fifty-four patients with unilateral obstetric brachial plexopathy who were ten to sixty days old underwent bilateral motor-nerve-conduction studies of the axillary, musculocutaneous, proximal radial, distal radial, median, and ulnar nerves. The ratio between the amplitude of the compound muscle action potential of the affected limb and that of the healthy side was called the axonal viability index. The patients were followed and classified in three groups according to the clinical outcome. We analyzed the receiver operating characteristic curve of each index to define the best cutoff point to detect patients with a poor recovery. Results: The best cutoff points on the axonal viability index for each nerve (and its sensitivity and specificity) were <10% (88% and 89%, respectively) for the axillary nerve, 0% (88% and 73%) for the musculocutaneous nerve, <20% (82% and 97%) for the proximal radial nerve, <50% (82% and 97%) for the distal radial nerve, and <50% (59% and 97%) for the ulnar nerve. The indices from the proximal radial, distal radial, and ulnar nerves had better specificities compared with the most frequently used clinical criterion: absence of biceps function at three months of age. Conclusions: The axonal viability index yields an earlier and more specific prognostic estimation of obstetric brachial plexopathy than does the clinical criterion of biceps function, and we believe it may be useful in determining surgical indications in these patients.

Differences between the quality of strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa) pollinated by the stingless bees Scaptotrigona aff. depilis and Nannotrigona testaceicornis

We investigated the success of two stingless bee species in pollinating strawberries in greenhouses. Three greenhouses and one open field area were used; one greenhouse had only strawberry plants (control), another (G1) had three colonies of Scaptotrigona aff. depilis and another (G2) had three colonies of Nannotrigona testaceicornis. In the open field area, the flowers could be visited by any bee. The total production of fruits was counted and a random sample (N = 100) from each area was used to measure weight, length, circumference, and achenes number (N = 5). The percentages of deformed strawberries were: 23% (no bees); 2% (greenhouses with bees) and 13% (open field). The strawberries from the greenhouse with N. testaceicornis and the open field were heavier than those from the greenhouses with no bees and with S. depilis. The fruit circumference was largest in the greenhouses with bees. The achenes number did not differ among the experimental areas. The strawberries produced in the greenhouses with stingless bees had more quality and greater commercial value than the fruits produced in the open field area and the greenhouse without bees. We conclude that stingless bees are efficient pollinators of strawberry flowers cultivated in greenhouses.

Breast phantom with silicone implant for evaluation in conventional mammography

With the increased incidence of cancer and a similarly increased number of surgeries for insertion of silicone breast implants, it is necessary to assess the effect of such material within the breast tissue, particularly in mammography, because of the reduction in the power of breast cancer diagnosis. In this work, we introduce a breast phantom with silicone implants in order to evaluate the influence of the implant on the visibility of the main mammographic findings: fibers, microcalcifications and tumor masses. In this proposed phantom, the breast tissue was simulated using gel paraffin. In the optical density of phantom mammograms with implants, a reduction in breast tissue visibility was seen corresponding to 23% when compared to a phantom without silicone implants. This poor visibility was due to the X-ray beam scattering on silicone material; this effect produced a loss of visibility in the areas adjacent to the implant. It is expected that the proposed phantom model may be used as a device for the establishment of a technical standard for these types of procedures.

Decision theory applied to image quality control in radiology

Background: The present work aims at the application of the decision theory to radiological image quality control ( QC) in diagnostic routine. The main problem addressed in the framework of decision theory is to accept or reject a film lot of a radiology service. The probability of each decision of a determined set of variables was obtained from the selected films. Methods: Based on a radiology service routine a decision probability function was determined for each considered group of combination characteristics. These characteristics were related to the film quality control. These parameters were also framed in a set of 8 possibilities, resulting in 256 possible decision rules. In order to determine a general utility application function to access the decision risk, we have used a simple unique parameter called r. The payoffs chosen were: diagnostic's result (correct/incorrect), cost (high/low), and patient satisfaction (yes/no) resulting in eight possible combinations. Results: Depending on the value of r, more or less risk will occur related to the decision-making. The utility function was evaluated in order to determine the probability of a decision. The decision was made with patients or administrators' opinions from a radiology service center. Conclusion: The model is a formal quantitative approach to make a decision related to the medical imaging quality, providing an instrument to discriminate what is really necessary to accept or reject a film or a film lot. The method presented herein can help to access the risk level of an incorrect radiological diagnosis decision.

Long-acting injectable risperidone in partially adherent and nonadherent patients with schizophrenia

Background: Long-acting injectable antipsychotics may improve medication adherence, thereby improving overall treatment effectiveness. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of risperidone long-acting injection in schizophrenic patients switched from oral antipsychotic medication. Methods: In a 12-month, multicenter, open-label, noncomparative study, symptomatically stable patients on oral antipsychotic medication with poor treatment adherence during the previous 12 months received intramuscular injections of risperidone long-acting injection (25 mg starting dose) every 2 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score. Results: Of the 60 patients who were screened, 53 received at least one injection (safety population), and 51 provided at least one postbaseline assessment. Mean PANSS total scores improved significantly throughout the study and at endpoint. Significant improvements were also observed in Clinical Global Impression of Severity, Personal and Social Performance, and Drug Attitude Inventory scales. Risperidone long-acting injection was safe and well-tolerated. Severity of movement disorders on the Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale was reduced significantly. The most frequently reported adverse events were insomnia (22.6%), increased prolactin (17.0%), and weight gain (13.2%). Conclusion: Risperidone long-acting injection was associated with significant symptomatic improvements in stable patients with schizophrenia following a switch from previous antipsychotic medications.

A score system for quality evaluation of RNA sequence tags: an improvement for gene expression profiling

Background: High-throughput molecular approaches for gene expression profiling, such as Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE), Massively Parallel Signature Sequencing (MPSS) or Sequencing-by-Synthesis (SBS) represent powerful techniques that provide global transcription profiles of different cell types through sequencing of short fragments of transcripts, denominated sequence tags. These techniques have improved our understanding about the relationships between these expression profiles and cellular phenotypes. Despite this, more reliable datasets are still necessary. In this work, we present a web-based tool named S3T: Score System for Sequence Tags, to index sequenced tags in accordance with their reliability. This is made through a series of evaluations based on a defined rule set. S3T allows the identification/selection of tags, considered more reliable for further gene expression analysis. Results: This methodology was applied to a public SAGE dataset. In order to compare data before and after filtering, a hierarchical clustering analysis was performed in samples from the same type of tissue, in distinct biological conditions, using these two datasets. Our results provide evidences suggesting that it is possible to find more congruous clusters after using S3T scoring system. Conclusion: These results substantiate the proposed application to generate more reliable data. This is a significant contribution for determination of global gene expression profiles. The library analysis with S3T is freely available at http://gdm.fmrp.usp.br/s3t/.S3T source code and datasets can also be downloaded from the aforementioned website.

Gastroenterology training in Latin America

Latin America is characterized by ethnic, geographical, cultural, and economic diversity; therefore, training in gastroenterology in the region must be considered in this context. The continent's medical education is characterized by a lack of standards and the volume of research continues to be relatively small. There is a multiplicity of events in general gastroenterology and in sub-disciplines, both at regional and local levels, which ensure that many colleagues have access to information. Medical education programs must be based on a clinical vision and be considered in close contact with the patients. The programs should be properly supervised, appropriately defined, and evaluated on a regular basis. The disparity between the patients' needs, the scarce resources available, and the pressures exerted by the health systems on doctors are frequent cited by those complaining of poor professionalism. Teaching development can play a critical role in ensuring the quality of teaching and learning in universities. Continuing professional development programs activities must be planned on the basis of the doctors' needs, with clearly defined objectives and using proper learning methodologies designed for adults. They must be evaluated and accredited by a competent body, so that they may become the basis of a professional regulatory system. The specialty has made progress in the last decades, offering doctors various possibilities for professional development. The world gastroenterology organization has contributed to the speciality through three distinctive, but closely inter-related, programs: Training Centers, Train-the-Trainers, and Global Guidelines, in which Latin America is deeply involved. (C) 2011 Baishideng. All rights reserved.