Estudo fitoquímico e propriedades biológicas da Dipteryx alata Vogel (baru)

Pós-graduação em Ciência dos Materiais - FEIS

Implicações da disponibilidade de espaço no confinamento de bovinos de corte

Pós-graduação em Zootecnia - FCAV

Relação entre poluição do ar e internações hospitalares por doenças respiratórias e cardiovascular em uma cidade do interior do Estado de São Paulo

Pós-graduação em Fisioterapia - FCT

Doenças respiratórias e fatores associados: estudo de base populacional em São Paulo, 2008-2009

OBJETIVO: Estimar a prevalência de bronquite aguda, rinite e sinusite em crianças e adolescentes e identificar fatores associados. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal, de base populacional. Foi realizado inquérito domiciliar com 1.185 crianças e adolescentes de São Paulo, SP, de 2008 a 2009. Os participantes foram selecionados a partir de amostragem probabilística, estratificada por sexo e idade e por conglomerados em dois estágios. Para análise ajustada foi realizada regressão múltipla de Poisson. RESULTADOS: Dos entrevistados, 7,3% referiram bronquite aguda, 22,6% rinite e 15,3% sinusite. Após análise ajustada, associaram-se à bronquite aguda auto-referida: idade de zero a quatro anos (RP = 17,86; IC95%: 3,65;90,91), cinco a nove anos (RP = 37,04; IC95%: 8,13;166,67), dez a 14 anos (RP = 20,83; IC95%: 4,93;90,91), referir ter alergia (RP = 3,12; IC95%: 1,70;5,73), cor da pele preta/parda (RP = 2,29; IC95%: 1,21;4,35) e morar em domicílio com um a três cômodos (RP = 1,85; IC95%: 1,17;2,94); à rinite auto-referida: idade dez a 14 anos (RP = 2,77; IC95%: 1,60;4,78), 15 a 19 anos (RP = 2,58; IC95%: 1,52;4,39), referir ter alergia (RP = 4,32; IC95%: 2,79;6,70), referir ter asma (RP = 2,30; IC95%: 1,30;4,10) e morar em apartamento (RP = 1,70; IC95%: 1,06;2,73); à sinusite auto-referida: idade cinco a nove anos (RP = 2,44; IC95%: 1,09;5,43), dez a 14 anos (RP = 2,99; IC95%: 1,36;6,58), 15 a 19 anos (RP = 3,62; IC95%: 1,68;7,81), referir ter alergia (RP = 2,23; IC95%: 1,41;3,52) e apresentar obesidade (RP = 4,42; IC95%: 1,56;12,50). CONCLUSÕES: As doenças respiratórias foram mais prevalentes em grupos populacionais com características definidas, como grupo etário, doenças auto-referidas, tipo de moradia e obesidade.

Modelagem fuzzy de dados climáticos estimados por modelo matemático - CCATT-BRAMS

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEG

Yellowstone Super-Volcano: Evalutaion, Potential Threats, and Possible effects on Nebraska Citizens Health and Prosperity

Abstract Yellowstone National Park is located over a hot spot under the North American tectonic plate and holds a potentially explosive super-volcano that has the ability to cause deadly consequences on the North American continent. After an eruption the surrounding region would see the greatest devastation, covered by pyroclastic deposits and thick ash fall exterminating most all life and destroying all structures in its path. In landscapes of greater distance from the event the consequences will be less dramatic yet still substantial. Records of previous eruption data from the Yellowstone super-volcano show that the ash fall out from the eruption can cover areas as large as one million square kilometers and could leave Nebraska covered in ash up to 10 centimeters thick. This would cause destruction of agriculture, extensive damage to structures, decreased temperatures, and potential respiratory hazards. The effects of volcanic ash on the human respiratory system have been shown to cause acute symptoms from heavy exposure. Symptoms include nasal irritation, throat irritation, coughing, and if preexisting conditions are present some can develop bronchial symptoms, which can last for a few days. People with bronchitis and asthma are shown to experience airway irritation and uncomfortable breathing. In most occurrences, exposure of volcanic ash is too short to cause long-term health hazards. Wearing facial protection can alleviate much of the symptoms. Most of the long-term ramifications of the eruption will be from the atmospheric changes caused from disruption of solar radiation, which will affect much of the global population. The most pertinent concerns for Nebraska citizens are from the accumulation of ash deposits over the landscape and the climatic perturbations. Potential mitigation procedures are essential to prepare our essentially unaware population of the threat that they may soon face if the volcano continues on its eruption cycle.

Modelagem fuzzy de dados climáticos estimados por modelo matemático - CCATT-BRAMS

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Mecânica - FEG

Respiratory diseases and associated factors: population-based study in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2008-2009

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of acute bronchitis, rhinitis, and sinusitis among children and adolescents and identify associated factors. METHODS: This is a population-based, cross-sectional study. A household survey was conducted with 1,185 children and adolescents from the city of Sao Paulo (Southeastern Brazil), from 2008 to 2009. The participants were selected by means of probability sampling, stratified by sex and age, and by two-stage cluster sampling. For the adjusted analysis, multiple Poisson regression was used. RESULTS: Of the respondents, 7.3% reported acute bronchitis, 22.6% rhinitis and 15.3% sinusitis. After the adjusted analysis, the following characteristics were associated with self;reported acute bronchitis: age 0 to 4 years (PR=17.86; 95%Cl: 3.65;90.91), 5 to 9 years (PR=37.04; 95%CI: 8.13;166.67), 10 to 14 years (PR.=20,83; 95%Cl: 4.93;90.91), allergy (PR=3.12; 95%Cl: 1.70;5.73), black and mixed-ethnicity (black and white) skin color (PR=2.29; 95%Cl: 1.21;4.35), and living in a household with 1 to 3 rooms (PR=1.85; 95%Cl: 1.17;2.94). As to self-reported rhinitis, the following characteristics were associated: age 10 to 14 years (PR=2.77; 95%Cl: 1.60;4.78), 15 to 19 years (P.R=2.58; 95%Cl: 1.52;4.39), allergy (PR=4.32; 95%Cl: 2.79;6.70), asthma (PR=2.30; 95%CI: 1.30;4.10) and living in flats (PR=1.70; 95%Cl: 1.06;2.73). Concerning self-reported sinusitis, the following characteristics were associated: age 5 to 9 years (PR=2.44; 95%Cl: 1.09;5.43), 10 to 14 years (PR=2.99; 95%CI: 1.36;6.58), 15 to 19 years (PR=3.62; 95%Cl: 1.68;7.81), allergy (PR=2.23 (95%CI: 1.41;3.52) and obesity (PR=4.42; 95%Cl: 1.56;12.50). CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory diseases were more prevalent in population groups with defined characteristics, such as age group, self-reported diseases, type of household and obesity.

Occurrence of asthma symptoms and of airflow obstruction in amateur swimmers between 8 and 17 years of age

Objective: To determine the prevalence of asthma symptoms and of airflow obstruction in amateur swimmers between 8 and 17 years of age, as well as to assess the awareness of asthma and asthma management among these swimmers, their parents, and their coaches. Methods: Our sample comprised 1,116 amateur swimmers who completed a modified version of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood written questionnaire, to which questions regarding the reasons to initiate swimming and regarding asthma management had been added. In addition, the participants underwent spirometry prior to a swimming competition. Results: The prevalence of asthma symptoms in the last 12 months was 11.5%, and 327 (29.4%) of the participants reported "wheezing or whistling" in the past. Of the 223 swimmers who reported "asthma ever" or "bronchitis ever", only 102 (45.7%) reported having ever been treated: the most common "treatment" was swimming (in 37.3%), and only 12.7% used inhaled corticosteroids. Of the 254 participants (22.7%) with airflow obstruction, only 52 (20.5%) reported having asthma symptoms. Conclusions: Asthma symptoms are present in amateur swimmers, and a considerable number of such swimmers have airflow obstruction without symptoms. It is therefore likely that the prevalence of asthma is underestimated in this population. It is worrisome that, in our study sample, the swimmers previously diagnosed with asthma were not using the recommended treatments for asthma. The clinical implications of these findings underscore the importance of implementing educational measures for amateur swimmers, as well as for their parents and coaches, to help them recognize asthma symptoms and the consequent risks in the sports environment, in order to allow prompt diagnosis and early clinical intervention.

Avian coronavirus Spike Glycoprotein Ectodomain Shows a Low Codon Adaptation to Gallus gallus with Virus-Exclusive Codons in Strategic Amino Acids Positions

This is a study on the Avian coronavirus IBV and chicken host-relationship from the codon usage point of view based on fifty-nine non-redundant IBV S1 sequences (nt 1-507) from strains detected worldwide and chicken tissue-specific protein genes sequences from IBV-replicating sites. The effective number of codons (ENC) values ranged from 36 to 47.8, indicating a high-to-moderate codon usage bias. The highest IBV codon adaptation index (CAI) value was 0.7, indicating a distant virus versus host synonymous codons usage. The ENC x GC3 % curve indicates that both mutational pressure and natural selection are the driving forces on codon usage pattern in S1. The low CAI values agree with a low S protein expression and considering that S protein is a determinant for attachment and neutralization, this could be a further mechanism besides mRNA transcription attenuation for a low expression of this protein leading to an immune camouflage.

Nuts and seed: A natural yet dangerous foreign body

Rationale and aim: This paper has the object to present the impact of nuts' and seeds' injuries withdrawing data from the Susy Safe registry, highlighting that as for other foreign bodies the main item efficiently and substantially susceptible to changes to decrease the accidents' rates is the education of adults and children, that can be shared with parents both from pediatricians and general practitioners. Indeed labeling and age related warnings have also a fundamental relevance in prevention. Methods: The present study draws its data from the Susy Safe registry. Details on injuries are entered in the Susy Safe Web-registry through a standardized case report form, that includes information regarding: children age and gender, features of the object, circumstances of injury (presence of parents and activity) and hospitalization's details (lasting, complications and removal details). Cases are prospectively collected using the Susy Safe system from 06/2005; moreover, also information regarding past consecutive cases available in each centre adhering to the project have been entered in the Susy Safe registry. Results: Nuts and seeds are one of the most common food item retrieved in foreign bodies injuries in children. In Susy Safe registry they represent the 38% in food group, and almost the 10% in general cases. Trachea, bronchi and lungs were the main location of FB's retrieval, showing an incidence of 68%. Hospitalization occurred in 83% of cases, showing the major frequency for foreign bodies located in trachea. This location was also the principal site of complications, with a frequency of 68%. There were no significant associations between these outcomes and the age class of the children. The most common complications seen (22.4%) was bronchitis, followed by pneumonia (19.7%). Adult presence was recorded as positive in 71.2% of cases, showing an association (p value 0.009) between the adult supervision and the hospitalization outcome. On the contrary there was a non significant association between adult presence and the occurrence of complications. In 80.7% of cases, the incident happened while the child was eating. Among those cases, 88.6% interested trachea, lungs and bronchi. Conclusions: Food-related aspiration injuries are common events for young children, particularly under 4 years of age, and may lead to severe complication. There is a need to study in more depth specific characteristics of foreign bodies associated with increased hazard, such as size, shape, hardness or firmness, lubricity, pliability and elasticity, in order to better identify risky foods, and more precisely described the pathogenetic pathway. Parents are not adequately conscious and aware toward this risk; therefore, the number and severity of the injuries could be reduced by educating parents and children. Information about food safety should be included in all visits to pediatricians in order to make parents able to understand, select, and identify key characteristics of hazardous foods and better control the hazard level of various foods. Finally, preventive measures including warning labels on high-risk foods could be implemented. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Crowding: risk factor or protective factor for lower respiratory disease in young children?

Abstract Background To study the effects of household crowding upon the respiratory health of young children living in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Methods Case-control study with children aged from 2 to 59 months living within the boundaries of the city of São Paulo. Cases were children recruited from 5 public hospitals in central São Paulo with an acute episode of lower respiratory disease. Children were classified into the following diagnostic categories: acute bronchitis, acute bronchiolitis, pneumonia, asthma, post-bronchiolitis wheezing and wheezing of uncertain aetiology. One control, crudely matched to each case with regard to age (<2, 2 years old or more), was selected among healthy children living in the neighborhood of the case. All buildings were surveyed for the presence of environmental contaminants, type of construction and building material. Plans of all homes, including measurements of floor area, height of walls, windows and solar orientation, was performed. Data were analysed using conditional logistic regression. Results A total of 313 pairs of children were studied. Over 70% of the cases had a primary or an associated diagnosis of a wheezing illness. Compared with controls, cases tended to live in smaller houses with less adequate sewage disposal. Cases and controls were similar with respect to the number of people and the number of children under five living in the household, as well the number of people sharing the child's bedroom. After controlling for potential confounders, no evidence of an association between number of persons sharing the child's bedroom and lower respiratory disease was identified when all cases were compared with their controls. However, when two categories of cases were distinguished (infections, asthma) and each category compared separately with their controls, crowding appeared to be associated with a 60% reduction in the incidence of asthma but with 2 1/2-fold increase in the incidence of lower respiratory tract infections (p = 0.001). Conclusion Our findings suggest that household crowding places young children at risk of acute lower respiratory infection but may protect against asthma. This result is consistent with the hygiene hypothesis.

Emergence of enteric viruses in production chickens is a concern for avian health

Several viruses have been identified in recent years in the intestinal contents of chickens and turkeys with enteric problems, which have been observed in commercial farms worldwide, including Brazil. Molecular detection of these viruses in Brazil can transform to a big threat for poultry production due to risk for intestinal integrity. This disease is characterized by severely delayed growth, low uniformity, lethargy, watery diarrhea, delayed feed consumption, and a decreased conversion rate. Chicken astrovirus (CAstV), rotavirus, reovirus, chicken parvovirus (ChPV), fowl adenovirus of subgroup I (FAdV-1), and avian nephritis virus (ANV) were investigated using the conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In addition, the infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), which may play a role in enteric disease, was included. The viruses most frequently detected, either alone or in concomitance with other viruses, were IBV, ANV, rotavirus, and CAstV followed by parvovirus, reovirus, and adenovirus. This study demonstrates the diversity of viruses in Brazilian chicken flocks presenting enteric problems characterized by diarrhea, growth retard, loss weight, and mortality, which reflects the multicausal etiology of this disease

Über das Vermessen tubulärer Strukturen in der Computertomographie

Die chronisch obstruktive Lungenerkrankung (engl. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD) ist ein Überbegriff für Erkrankungen, die zu Husten, Auswurf und Dyspnoe (Atemnot) in Ruhe oder Belastung führen - zu diesen werden die chronische Bronchitis und das Lungenemphysem gezählt. Das Fortschreiten der COPD ist eng verknüpft mit der Zunahme des Volumens der Wände kleiner Luftwege (Bronchien). Die hochauflösende Computertomographie (CT) gilt bei der Untersuchung der Morphologie der Lunge als Goldstandard (beste und zuverlässigste Methode in der Diagnostik). Möchte man Bronchien, eine in Annäherung tubuläre Struktur, in CT-Bildern vermessen, so stellt die geringe Größe der Bronchien im Vergleich zum Auflösungsvermögen eines klinischen Computertomographen ein großes Problem dar. In dieser Arbeit wird gezeigt wie aus konventionellen Röntgenaufnahmen CT-Bilder berechnet werden, wo die mathematischen und physikalischen Fehlerquellen im Bildentstehungsprozess liegen und wie man ein CT-System mittels Interpretation als lineares verschiebungsinvariantes System (engl. linear shift invariant systems, LSI System) mathematisch greifbar macht. Basierend auf der linearen Systemtheorie werden Möglichkeiten zur Beschreibung des Auflösungsvermögens bildgebender Verfahren hergeleitet. Es wird gezeigt wie man den Tracheobronchialbaum aus einem CT-Datensatz stabil segmentiert und mittels eines topologieerhaltenden 3-dimensionalen Skelettierungsalgorithmus in eine Skelettdarstellung und anschließend in einen kreisfreien Graphen überführt. Basierend auf der linearen System Theorie wird eine neue, vielversprechende, integral-basierte Methodik (IBM) zum Vermessen kleiner Strukturen in CT-Bildern vorgestellt. Zum Validieren der IBM-Resultate wurden verschiedene Messungen an einem Phantom, bestehend aus 10 unterschiedlichen Silikon Schläuchen, durchgeführt. Mit Hilfe der Skelett- und Graphendarstellung ist ein Vermessen des kompletten segmentierten Tracheobronchialbaums im 3-dimensionalen Raum möglich. Für 8 zweifach gescannte Schweine konnte eine gute Reproduzierbarkeit der IBM-Resultate nachgewiesen werden. In einer weiteren, mit IBM durchgeführten Studie konnte gezeigt werden, dass die durchschnittliche prozentuale Bronchialwandstärke in CT-Datensätzen von 16 Rauchern signifikant höher ist, als in Datensätzen von 15 Nichtrauchern. IBM läßt sich möglicherweise auch für Wanddickenbestimmungen bei Problemstellungen aus anderen Arbeitsgebieten benutzen - kann zumindest als Ideengeber dienen. Ein Artikel mit der Beschreibung der entwickelten Methodik und der damit erzielten Studienergebnisse wurde zur Publikation im Journal IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging angenommen.

Immunofluorescence versus xTAG multiplex PCR for the detection of respiratory picornavirus infections in children

BACKGROUND: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a sensitive tool for detection of respiratory picornaviruses. However, the clinical relevance of picornavirus detection by PCR is unclear. Immunofluorescence (IF), widely used to detect other respiratory viruses, has recently been introduced as a promising detection method for respiratory picornaviruses. OBJECTIVES: To compare the clinical manifestations of respiratory picornavirus infections detected by IF with those of respiratory picornavirus infections detected by xTAG multiplex PCR in hospitalized children. STUDY DESIGN: During a 1-year period, nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA) from all children hospitalized due to an acute respiratory infection were prospectively analyzed by IF. All respiratory picornavirus positive IF samples and 100 IF negative samples were further tested with xTAG multiplex PCR. After exclusion of children with co-morbidities and viral co-infections, monoinfections with respiratory picornaviruses were detected in 108 NPA of 108 otherwise healthy children by IF and/or PCR. We compared group 1 children (IF and PCR positive, n=84) with group 2 children (IF negative and PCR positive, n=24) with regard to clinical manifestations of the infection. RESULTS: Wheezy bronchitis was diagnosed more often in group 1 than in group 2 (71% vs. 46%, p=0.028). In contrast, group 2 patients were diagnosed more frequently with pneumonia (17% vs. 6%, p=0.014) accompanied by higher levels of C-reactive protein (46mg/l vs. 11mg/l, p=0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Picornavirus detection by IF in children with acute respiratory infection is associated with the clinical presentation of wheezy bronchitis. The finding of a more frequent diagnosis of pneumonia in picornavirus PCR positive but IF negative children warrants further investigation.