Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “BRAZIL”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 631 records · Page 35Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Evaluation of 210Pb and 210Po in cigarette tobacco produced in Brazil.

Cigarette smoking is one of the pathways that might contribute significantly to the increase in the radiation dose reaching man, due to the relatively large concentrations of 210Pb and 210Po found in tobacco leaves. In the present study, the concentrations of these two radionuclides were determined in eight of the most frequently sold cigarette brands produced in Brazil. 210Pb was determined by counting the beta activity of 210Bi with a gas flow proportional detector after radiochemical separation and precipitation of PbCrO4. 210Po was determined by alpha spectrometry using a surface barrier detector after radiochemical separation and spontaneous deposition of Po on a copper disk. The results showed concentrations ranging from 11.9 to 30.2 mBq per gram of dry tobacco for 210Pb and from 10.9 to 27.4 mBq per gram of dry tobacco for 210Po. The collective committed effective dose resulting from the use of cigarettes produced in Brazil per year is estimated to be 1.5 x 10(4) man-Sv.

Brazil↗
PubMed2003

Radon-222 in Brazil: an outline of indoor and outdoor measurements.

This study discusses the methodology for measuring and assessing the radon concentration in indoor and outdoor environments. A research study was developed to investigate the long-term behavior of the diurnal and seasonal fluctuations of radon (222)Rn EEC (Equilibrium-Equivalent Concentration) and the influence of temperature and other climatic aspects on this behavior. The study was performed by means of both integrated and instantaneous measurements of radon and its short-lived daughter products for a period of 1 year in an indoor environment in Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil (reference environment), with continuous measurement, using a radon monitor with an alpha spectrometry detector. For a single day, a variability of about 50% could be observed in the (222)Rn EEC values measured on a hourly basis, with a maximum occurring early in the morning and a minimum in the afternoon. For the long-term period, seasonality is responsible for a two order of magnitude variability, with a maximum of 50 Bq.m(-3) in winter (dry season) and a minimum of 0.5 Bq.m(-3) in the summer months (wet season), outdoors. A negative correlation with temperature was observed. The conclusions of this experiment led to a survey of radon gas concentration in dwellings in Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil, in urban area with nearly 7 million inhabitants, through integrated sampling methods, using a Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors Technique (SSNTD). The study was conducted in different geomorphological locations in town. The radon gas concentration in Rio de Janeiro dwellings ranged from 5 Bq.m(-3) to 200 Bq.m(-3). A good correlation between indoor radon gas concentration and location of dwellings was observed. The seashore areas presented the lowest levels of indoor radon concentration, whereas the highest levels were found close to the mountains.

Air Pollutants, Radioactive↗
PubMed2002

"Tooth worms", poverty tattoos and dental care conflicts in Northeast Brazil.

While medical anthropologists have studied doctor-patient clinical conflicts during the last 25-30 years, dentist-patient communication clashes have received scant attention to date. Besides structural barriers and power inequities, such conceptual differences further dehumanize dental care and lower service quality. Potential for dentist-patient discordance is greater in developing regions--such as Northeast Brazil--where there exists a wider socio-economic gap between professionals and laypersons. A critical anthropological evaluation of oral health services quality is undertaken in two rural communities in Ceará, Brazil where the PAHO-inspired Local Oral Health Inversion of Attention Program was implemented in 1994. This 6-month qualitative field study utilized ethnographic interviews with key informants, participant-observation and projective techniques to probe professionals' and patients' explanatory models (EMs) of oral health. Despite the recent expansion of services into rural regions, the authors conclude that the quality of dental care remains problematic. Patients' culturally constructed EMs of teeth rotted (estraga) by "tooth worms" (lagartas) differ substantively from dentists' model of dental decay by Streptococcus mutans. "Exploding chins" (queixo estourado), "spoiled, rotting teeth" (dente pĵdi) and "false plates" or teeth (chapas) tattoo and stigmatize the poor, reinforcing gross class inequities. Dentists' dominant discourse largely ignores lay logic, ridicules popular practices and de-legitimates, even castigates, popular healers despite their pivotal role in primary oral health care. Poor parents are not only barred from clinics but are blamed for children's rotten teeth. In sum, universal access to dental care is more a myth (even nightmare) than a reality. Dentists all too often "avert"--not "invert"--attention from poor Brazilian patients. In order to improve oral health in this setting, both "societal decay" and bacteria-laden plaque deposits must be removed.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1997

Women's hidden transcripts about abortion in Brazil.

Two folk medical conditions, "delayed" (atrasada) and "suspended" (suspendida) menstruation, are described as perceived by poor Brazilian women in Northeast Brazil. Culturally prescribed methods to "regulate" these conditions and provoke menstrual bleeding are also described, including ingesting herbal remedies, patent drugs, and modern pharmaceuticals. The ingestion of such self-administered remedies is facilitated by the cognitive ambiguity, euphemisms, folklore, etc., which surround conception and gestation. The authors argue that the ethnomedical conditions of "delayed" and "suspended" menstruation and subsequent menstrual regulation are part of the "hidden reproductive transcript" of poor and powerless Brazilian women. Through popular culture, they voice their collective dissent to the official, public opinion about the illegality and immorality of induced abortion and the chronic lack of family planning services in Northeast Brazil. While many health professionals consider women's explanations of menstrual regulation as a "cover-up" for self-induced abortions, such popular justifications may represent either an unconscious or artful manipulation of hegemonic, anti-abortion ideology expressed in prudent, unobtrusive and veiled ways. The development of safer abortion alternatives should consider women's hidden reproductive transcripts.

Abortion, Illegal↗
PubMed2001

Hepatozoon canis infection associated with dog ticks of rural areas of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.

Hepatozoon canis is a tick-borne protozoan that infects dogs and has been reported throughout the world. Manifestation of H. canis infection varies from being sub-clinical in apparently healthy dogs to severe illness. The main vector of the infection is the dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus although other species may also transmit this agent. H. canis has been reported previously in Brazil, but mostly as an occasional finding during laboratory exams and always associated with other diseases. The prevalence of H. canis in dogs of rural areas of Brazil has been little studied. For this study, 250 dogs from seven counties of Rio de Janeiro state were examined. All the dogs were from rural areas, near forest. Of the dogs examined, 26 dogs were from Seropédica, 82 from Itaguaí, 41 from Paracambi, 26 from Mangaratiba, 32 from Barra do Piraí, 32 from Piraí and 11 from Miguel Pereira. Blood smears from the peripheral blood of the ear were taken and ticks found on the dogs were collected for identification in the laboratory. Using blood smear evaluation, H. canis was identified in 39.2% of the animals examined. Other hemoparasites identified were Babesia canis (5.2%) and Ehrlichia canis (4.8%). Four tick species were found parasitizing the dogs: Amblyomma cajennense (23.6%), R. sanguineus (12.4%), Amblyomma aureolatum (2.8%) and Amblyomma ovale (2.0%). There was a positive correlation between the presence of A. cajennense and H. canis infection.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

First isolation of Sarcocystis neurona from the South American opossum, Didelphis albiventris, from Brazil.

Sarcocystis neurona was isolated from sporocysts from two of eight South American opossums, Didelphis albiventris, from Brazil. Interferon gamma gene knock out (KO) mice fed sporocysts from two opossums developed neurologic sarcocystosis. S. neurona was demonstrated in the brains of infected KO mice by immunohistochemical staining with anti-S. neurona antibody. The parasite was cultivated in cell culture and S. neurona DNA was isolated from cultured merozoites. This is the first report of isolation of S. neurona from Brazil and the first report from its new host, D. albiventris.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Seroprevalence of Neospora caninum in female water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) from the southeastern region of Brazil.

Antibodies to Neospora caninum were assayed in sera of 222 female water buffaloes from Ribeira Valley of São Paulo State, Brazil, using an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and Neospora agglutination test (NAT). IFAT antibodies were found in 64% of buffaloes with titers of 1:25 (42 buffaloes), 1:50 (53 buffaloes), 1:100 (31 buffaloes), 1:200 (10 buffaloes), 1:400 (3 buffaloes), or > or =1:800 (3 buffaloes). NAT antibodies were found in 53% of buffaloes; in titers of 1:40 in 52 buffaloes, 1:80 in 27 buffaloes, 1:160 in 21 buffaloes, and > or =1:320 in 17 buffaloes. Results indicate a high prevalence of N. caninum exposure in water buffaloes in Brazil and warrant an investigation of the role of N. caninum as an abortifacient in water buffaloes.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in captive neotropical felids from Brazil.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii was determined in 865 captive neotropical felids from 20 states from Brazil, sampled from September 1995 to April 1997. Sera were tested by the modified agglutination test (MAT) using formalin-fixed whole tachyzoites and mercaptoethanol. Antibodies (MAT> or =1:20) to T. gondii were found in 472 of 865 (54.6%) cats: in 45 of 99 (45.9%) jaguarundis (Herpailurus yagouaroundi), in 97 of 168 (57.7%) ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), in 68 of 131 (51.9%) oncillas (L. tigrinus), in 35 of 63 (55.5%) margays (L. wiedii), in 1 of 8 (12.5%) Pampas-cat (Oncifelis colocolo), in 9 of 12 (75.0%) Geoffroys-cat (O. geoffroyi), in 134 of 212 (63.2%) jaguars (Panthera onca), and in 83 of 172 (48.2%) pumas (Puma concolor). Antibody titers were: 1:20 in 27 felids, 1:25 in 142 felids, 1:40 in 6 felids, 1:50 in 292 felids, and > or =1:500 in 5 felids. The high seroprevalence of T. gondii antibodies found in the present study suggested a widespread exposure of neotropical cats to T. gondii in zoos in Brazil. The results warrant an investigation on the mode of exposure and oocyst shedding by neotropical cats.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed2003

Epidemiology of canine visceral leishmaniosis in the endemic area of Montes Claros Municipality, Minas Gerais State, Brazil.

The Montes Claros City is located in an endemic area for visceral leishmaniosis in the Minas Gerais State, Brazil. With the implementation of a program for the control of visceral leishmaniosis in 1994, a sectional study was carried out to evaluate the infection by viscerotropic Leishmania in the population of dogs from Montes Claros, basically using indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT). Blood samples were collected on filter paper from 33,937 dogs, representing 96.1% of the canine local population. The prevalence for visceral leishmaniosis was found to be 9.7% in the municipality, being 9.9% in the urban area and 8.8% in the rural area. The annual incidence showed to be 64.3/1000 dogs. Prevalence of infection was not correlated with dogs age. The most affected breeds were: Boxer (24.6%) and Cocker (26.9%); Mongrel dogs had a prevalence of 7.8%. Short-hair animals had a prevalence of 11.9%, while long-furred animals had a prevalence of 8.9%. The isoenzymatic profile indicated that Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi was the visceral leishmaniosis etiological agent in Montes Claros City, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The main geographical areas for the parasite transmission were identified, and control measures were immediately started. The role of the dog as a reservoir for L. chagasi was confirmed. It was demonstrated that short-furred animals are at a higher risk of acquiring visceral leishmaniosis than the long-furred dogs.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Host specificity of sheep and cattle nematodes in São Paulo state, Brazil.

The trial was carried out to investigate parasite host specificity and to analyse the dynamics of infection with nematodes parasitizing sheep and cattle raised together or separately in São Paulo state, Brazil, and, also to clarify doubts about the systematics of species of the genus Haemonchus on the basis of cytological and morphological studies. Ten steers and 32 ewes were randomly assigned to three paddocks (P), as follows: P1, 5 steers; P2, 5 steers and 16 ewes; and P3, 16 ewes. The animals remained on these paddocks in continuous grazing throughout the trial (1-yr period). Faecal exams and larvae counting on pasture were performed fortnightly. Once a month two tracer lambs were placed in each paddock, while two tracer calves were also placed, but only in the eighth month of the trial. All these animals were slaughtered for worm identification and counting. At the end of the trial, one steer and one ewe from P2, which showed high faecal egg counts, were also slaughtered for the same purpose. Nematodes identified cytogenetically as H. placei presented spicule hooks longer than those identified as H. contortus. The following distribution of parasites in cattle and sheep was observed: Bunostomum phlebotomum, H. similis, Mammomonogamus laryngeus strongly adapted to cattle, H. placei and Cooperia punctata more adapted to cattle than to sheep, Trichostrongylus axei and C. spatulata apparently more adapted to cattle, T. colubriformis strongly adapted to sheep, H. contortus more adapted to sheep than to cattle and C. curticei apparently more adapted to sheep. Cross-infection was shown to occur involving some species, however, with time the animals apparently eliminate the species that are not well adapted to them. Therefore, grazing management systems using cattle and sheep appear to be promising for worm control in southeastern Brazil.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Acceptability of audio computer-assisted self-interview (ACASI) among substance abusers seeking treatment in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

This study aimed to determine the acceptability of the ACASI approach to risk assessment and the impact of personal preference regarding mode of interview on reporting risk behaviors among drug users entering treatment in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We assessed 268 substance users who completed the ACASI arm in a randomized trial comparing the ACASI with the Interviewer-Administered Questionnaire (IAQ). The vast majority of interviewees (90.7%) reported no problem using the computer, and 37.3% felt that their privacy was best protected by the ACASI (vs. 16.4% who preferred the IAQ). Nearly half (45.5%) reported that the computer interview would produce more "honest" answers, whereas 30.6% selected the IAQ. In the adjusted regression analysis, problems using the computer were associated only with lower educational level (p<0.05). We found no evidence that preference had an impact on reporting risk behaviors or drug use. Our study showed both good feasibility and acceptability of the ACASI for interviewing drug users in Brazil. The findings extend our understanding of the role of the ACASI method by suggesting the utility of this approach in assessing HIV risk among low-to middle-income drug users in a cultural setting quite different from previous studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

HIV seroprevalence among drug users: an analysis of selected variables based on 10 years of data collection in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Data from five studies were pooled to describe associations between drug use and HIV. The Risk Assessment. Battery in Porto Alegre, Brazil, was used to collect data from 1449 subjects in 5 separate studies conducted between 1995 and 2004. The subjects were divided into categories based on their pattern of drug use: (1) injection drug users (IDUs), (2) crack smokers, (3) frequent drug users, and (4) infrequent cocaine/alcohol/marijuana users. The sample consisted primarily of young males with low education and income levels. Half of the subjects reported frequent condom use, and exchanges involving drugs, sex, and money were infrequent (although more common in groups 1 and 2). The overall seroprevalence was 20.6%, and the prevalence was different across the four groups, showing a linear decrease from group 1 (57.1%) to group 4 (11.7%). The IDU and crack-smoking groups showed similarities in their risk levels when compared with the other two groups, and individuals in group 1, 2, and 3 were more likely to report having had four or more sex partners. After controlling for all other risk factors, IDU, males having sex with males, and crack use were highly associated with HIV (OR 7.30, 95% CI: 5.10.10.40; OR 3.04, 95%CI: 1.89,4.80; OR 2.03, 95%CI: 1.40, 2.92, respectively). The findings confirm that poverty, low education, and IDU remain risk factors for HIV in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and the study identities crack smoking as a new risk factor.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Molecular characterization of canine parvovirus in Brazil by polymerase chain reaction assay.

Canine parvovirus (CPV) was first isolated in 1978 in the USA. Analysis of CPV isolates by monoclonal antibodies and restriction enzymes have shown that after the first emergence of CPV (CPV-2) it evolved to give rise to new antigenic types, which were designated CPV type 2a and type 2b. These new types have replaced the original CPV type 2, although the proportions of each of the new antigenic types vary in different countries. In Brazil, CPV-like infections were first observed in 1979, however, there has been no information concerning the antigenic types of CPV prevailing in South America. In this study, we designed a PCR assay to type canine parvovirus strains in fecal samples collected from symptomatic dogs during 1980 through 1986 and 1990 through 1995. Our data showed that the CPV epizootic in Brazil followed the same pattern observed in the USA of emergence of CPV-2 followed by replacement by the variants CPV-2a and 2b. The predominant strain found during 1980 was CPV-2a, which was substantially replaced by CPV-2b from 1990 to 1995.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Pathogenic characteristics of Escherichia coli strains isolated from newborn piglets with diarrhea in Brazil.

Ninety-one Escherichia coli isolates obtained from diarrheic and normal feces of newborn piglets (0-11 days of age) from three states of Brazil were assessed for phenotypic and genotypic characteristics associated with pathogenic processes. These isolates expressed fimbriae F18ac and type 1, but not fimbriae K88, K99, 987P or F41. Genes for toxins (LT-I, STa, SLT-I, SLT-II, SLT-IIv) either individually or combined were found to be present in most of the diarrheic strains (65.7%) and in 42.8% of the non-diarrheic ones. The eaeA gene was present in 25.7% of the diarrheic isolates and in 9.5% of the non-diarrheic ones. Colicin, hemolysin and aerobactin were also found to be produced by some strains from both sources. Because of the great variety of biological characteristics associated with different illness processes, we suggest that, in Brazil, pigs may act as a reservoir for transmission of Escherichia coli strains to other animals.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Serobiotypes and virulence genes of Escherichia coli strains isolated from diarrheic and healthy rabbits in Brazil.

A total of 178 Escherichia coli isolates from diarrheic and healthy rabbits in the São Paulo State (Brazil) were serobiotyped and investigated by PCR for the presence of virulence genes. Among the 90 (50.6%) isolates which possessed the eae gene, 74 were from diarrheic animals and all but one encoded intimin beta. Sixty five (72.2%) of the eae+ isolates had insertion of the locus of enterocyte effacement locus in the pheU locus, 11 (12.2%) in the selC and 14 (15.6%) did not insert in either of these loci. All isolates were negative for genes of the E. coli enterotoxins, Stx1, Stx2, CNF1, CNF2 and EHEC hemolysin. The O132:H2 serotype was dominant, being present in 63 isolates (70%) of the 90 eae+ isolates, and 57 of the 63 isolates of this serotype belonged to biotype 30. PCR detected the gene for AF/R2 fimbriae in 75 (83.3%) of the 90 eae+ isolates. Adherence to HeLa cells was best detected following 6h incubation and a positive fluorescence actin staining (FAS) test was given by 52 isolates. These data show that isolates of E. coli associated with diarrhea in rabbits in Brazil possess the genotype and phenotype typically associated with rabbit enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC). We conclude that EPEC that possess the eae gene are a common cause of diarrhea in Brazilian rabbit farms and that the pathogenic eae+ AF/R2+ isolates of O132:H2:B30 serobiotype are especially predominant.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Brucellosis in Brazil.

This paper reviews the epidemiology of bovine, swine, ovine, caprine, and canine brucellosis in Brazil. The zoonotic aspects of Brucella infection in Brazil is also discussed. Emphasis is given to the new program for the control of brucellosis in cattle and buffaloes that is likely to provide important insights into the prospects and strategies for controlling brucellosis in developing countries.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

High occurrence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in healthy cattle in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil.

In order to evaluate the prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains, 197 fecal samples of healthy cattle from 10 dairy farms, four beef farms and one slaughterhouse at Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, were examined for Shiga toxin (Stx) gene sequences by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). For presumptive isolation of O157:H7 E. coli, the Cefixime-potassium tellurite-sorbitol MacConkey Agar (CT-SMAC) was used. A high occurrence (71%) of Stx was detected, and was more frequently found among dairy cattle (82% vs. 53% in beef cattle), in which no differences were observed regarding the age of the animals. Dot blot hybridization with stx1 and stx2 probes revealed that the predominant STEC type was one that had the genes for both stx1 and stx2 in dairy cattle and one that had only the stx1 gene for beef cattle. Three (1.5%) O157:H7 E. coli strains were isolated from one beef and two dairy animals by the use of CT-SMAC. To our knowledge, this is the first report of O157:H7 isolation in Brazil. A PCR-based STEC detection protocol led to the isolation of STEC in 12 of 16 randomly selected PCR-positive stool samples. A total of 15 STEC strains belonging to 11 serotypes were isolated, and most of them (60%) had both stx1 and stx2 gene sequences. Cytotoxicity assays with HeLa and Vero cells revealed that all strains except two of serotype O157:H7 expressed Stx. The data point to the high prevalence of STEC in our environment and suggest the need for good control strategies for the prevention of contamination of animal products.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Cytotoxic, hepatoprotective and free radical scavenging effects of propolis from Brazil, Peru, the Netherlands and China.

Propolis is a resinous hive product collected by honeybees from various plant sources. The composition of the propolis depends upon the time, vegetation and the area of collection. Thus, quality evaluation of the propolis is important, before use in food and beverages. For this propose three different biological activities were carried out, i.e. 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, cytotoxicity and hepatoprotective activity, of MeOH and water extracts of nine different propolis from Brazil, Peru, the Netherlands and China. The results showed that water extracts of six Brazilian and a Chinese propolis possessed stronger DPPH free radical scavenging activity than the corresponding MeOH extract, whereas in the case of Netherlands and Peruvian propolis MeOH extract exhibited stronger DPPH free radical scavenging activity. The MeOH extracts of all propolis possessed stronger cytotoxicity than the corresponding water extract towards murine colon 26-L5 carcinoma and human HT-1080 fibrosarcoma cells. The result of hepatoprotective activity of Brazilian propolis on D-galactosamine (D-GalN)/tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)-induced cell death in primary cultured mouse hepatocytes were found in accordance with the grade set up by beekeepers in Brazil.

Animals↗