Angiostrongylus costaricensis: first record of its occurrence in the State of Espirito Santo, Brazil, and a review of its geographic distribution

Abdominal angiostrongyliasis is a parasitic disease caused by Angiostrongylus costaricensis, a metastrongylid nematode with wide geographic distribution, occurring from the United States to Argentina. In Brazil, the disease has been reported from the States of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Federal District of Brasilia and Minas Gerais. We report here a case of abdominal angiostrongyliasis in a 9-year-old girl, from Itatiba, State of Espirito Santo, Brazil, submitted to exploratory laparotomy for acute abdomen. Extensive inflammatory lesions of terminal ileum and cecum, with perforations of the first, were present, and ileocecal resection was performed. The pathological picture was characterized by transmural inflammatory granulomatous reaction, extensive eosinophilic infiltration, eosinophilic vasculitis and the presence of worms within a mesenteric artery branch, with histological features of metastrongylid nematodes. This case report contributes to a better knowledge of the geographic distribution of this parasite in Brazil, suggesting that abdominal angiostrongyliasis may represent a disease of medical importance, more than a rarity of academic interest.

Occurence of Giardia lamblia in children of municipal day-care centers from Botucatu, São Paulo State, Brazil

Considering that the number of day-care centers for pre-school-age children has expanded rapidly in developing countries, and that these institutions presenting conditions that facilitate the transmission of many enteric agents, a parasitological survey was carried out in three municipal day-cares from Botucatu: two in the urban area (one in downtown area and the other one in the city periphery area) and the third in the rural area. Three separate stool specimens were collected from 147 children ranging from 0 to 72 months old and 20 staff members. Each stool specimen was processed by Lutz and zinc sulfate flotation methods. The frequency of giardiasis observed among children of downtown, periphery and rural day-cares was 69.6%, 52.7% and 69.6%, respectively. Only one employee was positive for G. lamblia. The examination of three stool specimens increased the positivity for G. lamblia: from the ninety three final positive examinations, 24 (25.5%) and 8 (8.5%) were positives only after examination of the second and third samples, respectively. Others intestinal organisms like Ascaris lumbricoides (20.4%), Trichuris trichiura (19.0%). Hymenolepis nana (8.8%), Entamoeba coli (22.4%) and Blastocystis hominis (32.0%) were frequently found in the children. There was no significant association among localization of the day-cares, sex of the children and the levels of G. lamblia infection. According to the age, G. lamblia was found mainly in children between 12 to 47 months old.

Dengue type 2 outbreak in the south of the State of Bahia, Brazil: laboratorial and epidemiological studies

During March 1994 cases of a exanthematic acute disease were reported in the municipalities of Itagemirim, Eunápolis and Belmonte, state of Bahia. Dengue fever was confirmed by serology (MAC-ELISA) and by dengue virus type 2 isolation, genotype Jamaica. Signs and symptoms of classic dengue fever were observed with a high percentual of rash (73.8%) and pruritus (50.5%). Major haemorrhagic manifestations were unfrequent and only bleeding gum was reported. Dengue virus activity spreaded rapidly to important tourism counties like Porto Seguro, Ilhéus, Santa Cruz de Cabrália, Prado, Alcobaça and others, representing a risk for the spreading of dengue virus into the country and abroad.

Secondary dengue infection in schoolchildren in a dengue endemic area in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

A seroepidemiologic survey was carried out in schoolchildren from public schools of the Niterói municipality, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after a period of sequential epidemics by dengue virus type 1 and 2 (DEN-1 and DEN-2). 450 blood samples were obtained by fingertip puncture and collected on filter paper discs. The hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) test was carried out using DEN-1 and DEN-2 antigens. HAI titres were demonstrated in 66% (297/450) of the sera and the geometric means of the titres were 1/182 and 1/71 for DEN-1 and DEN-2, respectively. Secondary infections were observed in 61% (181/297) of positive cases. Among these, 75% (135/181) were under fifteen years old. No dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) was reported in these children. Asymptomatic or oligosymptomatic infections were detected in 56% of the studied population. The absolute and relative frequencies of positive tests by age group and sex did not evidence statistically significant difference. The number of individuals infected probably produced a immunologic barrier responsible for the non occurrence of dengue epidemic in the latter years.

Scorpion sting epidemiology in Montes municipality of the State of Sucre, Venezuela: geographic distribution

Scorpion stings were surveyed in the Montes Municipality of the State of Sucre, Venezuela, aiming to extend the information on these poisonous accidents by characterizing their geographic distribution. From 1980 to 1990, 184 cases of scorpion stings were recorded with an incidence rate of 38.6 cases per 10,000 inhabitants. The locality of San Fernando presented the highest incidence (68.3(0)/000) of poisonous accidents. The highest percentages of severe cases were recorded in the towns of Arenas (27%), San Lorenzo (21%), and Cocollar (19%), which are located at the foot of the Turimiquire Mountains. This region is a dispersion area of scorpions of the Tityus genus. Our results show that this region of the State of Sucre is endemic for scorpion stings which are an important public health problem.

Progression of Salmonella Enteritidis phage type 4 strains in São Paulo State, Brazil

A total of 574 S. Enteritidis strains (383 from human sources and 191 from non-human sources) isolated between 1975-95, in São Paulo State, Brazil, were phagetyped. Among the strains isolated during the period of 1975-92, 80.9% of them belonged to phage type 8 (PT-8), but in 1993 strains of PT-4 accounted for 65.2% of all the S. Enteritidis isolates. In the following years, PT-4 strains accounted for 99.7% and 98.4% of phagetyped S. Enteritidis strains. The results obtained suggested that the current epidemic of S. Enteritidis in São Paulo State is clearly associated with the progression of PT-4 strains.

Presentations for some monoids of injective partial transformations on a finite chain.

Communications in Algebra, 33 (2005), p. 587-604

The cardinal and the idempotent number of various monoids of transformations on a finite chain

Bulletin of the Malaysian Mathematical Sciences Society, 2, 34 (1),(2011), p. 79–85

The state of environmental performance evaluation in the public sector: the case of the Portuguese defence sector

Journal of Cleaner Production, nº 17, p. 36-52

Strategic Bidding for Electricity Markets Negotiation Using Support Vector Machines

Energy systems worldwide are complex and challenging environments. Multi-agent based simulation platforms are increasing at a high rate, as they show to be a good option to study many issues related to these systems, as well as the involved players at act in this domain. In this scope the authors’ research group has developed a multi-agent system: MASCEM (Multi- Agent System for Competitive Electricity Markets), which simulates the electricity markets environment. MASCEM is integrated with ALBidS (Adaptive Learning Strategic Bidding System) that works as a decision support system for market players. The ALBidS system allows MASCEM market negotiating players to take the best possible advantages from the market context. This paper presents the application of a Support Vector Machines (SVM) based approach to provide decision support to electricity market players. This strategy is tested and validated by being included in ALBidS and then compared with the application of an Artificial Neural Network, originating promising results. The proposed approach is tested and validated using real electricity markets data from MIBEL - Iberian market operator.

Measles antibody prevalence after mass immunization campaign in Niterói, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Three months after a mass vaccination campaign (coverage: 100%) against measles a random seroepidemiological survey was carried out in students aged 1 to 19 years old in the Municipality of Niterói, State of Rio de Janeiro. Blood samples were tested for measles antibodies by enzyme immunosorbent assay (EIA) and negative cases were tested again using hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and plaque reduction neutralization (PRN). Of the 798 samples tested by EIA, 718 (90.2%) were positive for measles antibodies. PRN test was more sensitive than EIA and HI in detecting measles specific antibodies. The total antibody prevalence increased from 90.2% to 93.2% when HI was employed in EIA negative specimens and to 98.9% when PRN was used. After the mass vaccination campaign a marked decrease in measles incidence was observed in the municipality studied, showing the effectiveness of the strategy used for measles control in developing countries.

Epidemiological aspects of the Brazilian spotted fever: serological survey of dogs and horses in an endemic area in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

In order to obtain information on Brazilian spotted fever, a study in domestic animals was performed in the County of Pedreira, State of São Paulo, Brazil, where 17 human cases had been notified. Serum samples obtained from animals were tested by indirect immunofluorescence for detectable antibodies to spotted fever-group rickettsiae. Seropositivity was revealed in 12 (36.4%) of 33 dogs and seven (77.8%) of nine horses from the endemic area. For comparison, blood samples from dogs and horses from non endemic area were tested and four (12.9%) of 31 dogs and three (27.3%) of 11 horses were positive. The highest titers of antibodies by IFA (IgG > 1:1024) were found only in three dogs and six horses from endemic area. The results suggest that dogs as horses may serve as environmental sentinels for estabilishing the prevalence of foci of spotted fever in Brazil.

Autochthonous acute Chagas’ disease in São Paulo State, Brazil: Epidemiological aspects

Since the beginning of the seventies the natural transmission of Chagas’ infection has been considered to be under control in the State of São Paulo and not even a case of American Trypanosomiasis, transmitted by triatomine bugs, has been detected by the epidemiological surveillance system. This situation justifies the report of a case of acute Chagas’ disease that occurred in a forest area considered free of domiciliary triatomines along the Southern seacoast of São Paulo State. In May, 1995 the presence of trypomastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi had been diagnosed in a retired 57 year-old male patient, born and living in Santos (São Paulo State), complaining of fever, fatigue and malaise. The patient reported that 40 days before he had participated with 17 friends in a 7-day excursion in a forest area of the municipalities of Itanhaém and Peruíbe. During this period the group had been lodged in three houses located within the forest. Eight days after the end of the excursion the patient began to have fever, malaise and fatigue. During the next 31 days he had received medical care both as an inpatient and an outpatient, without any significant improvement. After the detection of T. cruzi trypomastigotes in his blood stream the patient began to be treated with benzonidazole in a hospital but died 8 days after the beginning of treatment. The epidemiological investigation carried out showed no signs of the presence of triatomine bugs in the three houses where the group had been lodged, or any indication of Chagas' infection in other excursionists

Solar Intensity Forecasting using Artificial Neural Networks and Support Vector Machines

This paper presents several forecasting methodologies based on the application of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and Support Vector Machines (SVM), directed to the prediction of the solar radiance intensity. The methodologies differ from each other by using different information in the training of the methods, i.e, different environmental complementary fields such as the wind speed, temperature, and humidity. Additionally, different ways of considering the data series information have been considered. Sensitivity testing has been performed on all methodologies in order to achieve the best parameterizations for the proposed approaches. Results show that the SVM approach using the exponential Radial Basis Function (eRBF) is capable of achieving the best forecasting results, and in half execution time of the ANN based approaches.