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Potential of carbon accumulation in no-till soils with intensive use and cover crops in southern Brazil.

The area under no-till (NT) in Brazil reached 22 million ha in 2004-2005, of which approximately 45% was located in the southern states. From the 1970s to the mid-1980s, this region was a source of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere due to decrease of soil carbon (C) stocks and high consumption of fuel by intensive tillage. Since then, NT has partially restored the soil C lost and reduced the consumption of fossil fuels. To assess the potential of C accumulation in NT soils, four long-term experiments (7-19 yr) in subtropical soils (Paleudult, Paleudalf, and Hapludox) varying in soil texture (87-760 g kg(-1) of clay) in agroecologic southern Brazil zones (central region, northwest basaltic plateau in Rio Grande Sul, and west basaltic plateau in Santa Catarina) and with different cropping systems (soybean and maize) were investigated. The lability of soil organic matter (SOM) was calculated as the ratio of total organic carbon (TOC) to particulate organic carbon (POC), and the role of physical protection on stability of SOM was evaluated. In general, TOC and POC stocks in native grass correlated closely with clay content. Conversely, there was no clear effect of soil texture on C accumulation rates in NT soils, which ranged from 0.12 to 0.59 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1). The C accumulation was higher in NT than in conventional-till (CT) soils. The legume cover crops pigeon pea [Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp] and velvet beans (Stizolobium cinereum Piper & Tracy) in NT maize cropping systems had the highest C accumulation rates (0.38-0.59 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1)). The intensive cropping systems also were effective in increasing the C accumulation rates in NT soils (0.25-0.34 Mg ha(-1) yr(-1)) when compared to the double-crop system used by farmers. These results stress the role of N fixation in improving the tropical and subtropical cropping systems. The physical protection of SOM within soil aggregates was an important mechanism of C accumulation in the sandy clay loam Paleudult under NT. The cropping system and NT effects on C stocks were attributed to an increase in the lability of SOM, as evidenced by the higher POC to TOC ratio, which is very important to C and energy flux through the soil.

Agriculture↗

Hypertension. A major public health problem in Brazil.

Data collected from various geographical areas show that hypertension is a major public health problem in Brazil. Hypertension is estimated to occur in over 8 million Brazilians and cardiovascular disease-related mortality figures, to which hypertension is a major contributor, increased from 11.8% of the total mortality rate in 1930 to 30.8% in 1980. Costs involved in the treatment of hypertensive patients are very high since hypertension was among the 3 most frequent clinical diagnoses in outpatient visits in 1985. Hypertension is also a major cause of temporary or permanent work incapacitation among Brazilians and data from São Paulo show that hypertension is very common among workers. Finally, demographic tendencies in São Paulo indicate that older age groups have increased in the general population during the past 2 decades. These data, when taken altogether, indicate that hypertension is a major public health problem in Brazil.

Adolescent↗

Asbestos and health in the Third World: the case of Brazil.

Almost all of the asbestos used in Brazil is mined by an enterprise wholly owned by two European multinational companies, which also produce and market over two-thirds (by weight of asbestos) of the products made from asbestos. About 80 percent of the asbestos used in Brazil is finally consumed in the form of asbestos cement: for roof tiles and roofing panels, wall-board, and domestic and industrial water tanks. A survey of consumer literature and advertising printed by Eternit, S.A., and Brasilit, S.A., disclosed no mention of a potential danger from exposure to asbestos dust, and no recommendations for cutting down exposure to that dust. The situation at smaller, Brazilian-owned firms is reputed to be disastrous from the standpoint of workers' exposure to asbestos dust at the point of production. At a large asbestos-cement manufacturing plant owned by Eternit, however, exposure to asbestos dust (according to company records) seemed to be kept under 2.0 fibers per cc., the present standard for the United States.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗

Agricultural research and human nutrition: a comparative analysis of Brazil, Cuba, Israel, and the United States.

A tentative theoretical explanation of modern nutritional vulnerability is derived from an original study of agricultural science as part of the social process in societies distinguished by the extent to which their form of production (specifically reproduction of labor) falls within or outside the world of commodities. The selected case studies--the United States, Israel, Brazil, and Cuba--are characterized also by advanced agricultural research, remarkable agricultural productivity, and, with the exception of Brazil, a satisfactory state of public nutrition. This particular selection thus lays the basis for a holistic investigation of malnutrition which considers the mode of production as the appropriate unit of analysis. As a theoretical, not statistical, account of nutritional status variations in a variety of social environments, the study employs a two-dimensional comparison of agricultural research orientation and impact, on the one side, and of predominant modes of reproduction of labor, on the other. It is proposed that, independently of agricultural productivity effects of research, structural nutritional vulnerability prevails where the strictly capitalist commodity--labor power--is sold below its value, and because, in the framework of capitalist production, science is biased against subsistence food crops that are used restrictively in reproduction of labor. This bias is rooted not in the nature of such crops, but in their role in determining the value of labor power, which as expressed by wage, stands in inverse proportion to profit.

Agriculture↗

Population-based incidence of IDDM in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To study the incidence of IDDM among children, infants to 14 yr of age, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, 1987-1991. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A prospective population-based register was established, using physician reports of newly diagnosed IDDM patients < 15 yr of age as the primary source of case identification and school surveys as the main secondary source. Data were collected according to the methods recommended by the Diabetes Epidemiology Research International group. RESULTS: Case ascertainment was estimated at 95.0, 92.8, and 98.8% complete for each of the three cities studied. The average annual IDDM incidence was 7.6/100,000 inhabitants (95% confidence interval, 5.6-9.7). We found a higher incidence rate in girls than boys. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of childhood IDDM in a tropical region in South America (São Paulo, Brazil) is in the middle incidence range observed in developed countries throughout the world. Increased incidence of IDDM in girls compared with boys will be tested by the ongoing Brazilian incidence study being developed in 18 other centers across the country.

Adolescent↗

Are health interventions implemented where they are most needed? District uptake of the integrated management of childhood illness strategy in Brazil, Peru and the United Republic of Tanzania.

OBJECTIVE: To describe geographical patterns of implementation of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy in three countries and to assess whether the strategy was implemented in areas with the most pressing child health needs. METHODS: We conducted interviews with key informants at the national and district levels in Brazil, Peru and the United Republic of Tanzania, and an ecological study of factors associated with health worker training in IMCI. Explanatory factors included district population, distance from the capital, human development index, other socioeconomic indicators and baseline mortality rates in children younger than five years. FINDINGS: In line with recommendations by WHO, early implementation districts were characterized by proximity to the capital and suitable training sites, presence of motivated health managers and a functioning health system. In the expansion phase, IMCI tended to be adopted by other districts with similar characteristics. In Brazil, uptake by poor and small municipalities and those further away from the state capital was significantly lower. In Peru, there was no association with distance from Lima, and a non-significant trend for IMCI adoption by small and poor departments. In the United Republic of Tanzania, the only statistically significant finding was a lower uptake by remote districts. Implementation was not associated with baseline mortality levels in any country studied. CONCLUSION: Whereas clear and reasonable guidelines are provided for selection of early use districts, no criteria for promoting IMCI expansion had been issued, and areas of greatest need were not prioritized. Equity analyses based on the geographical deployment of new programmes and strategies can contribute to assessing whether they are reaching those who need them most.

Brazil↗

HTLV-I infection among relatives of patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma in Brazil: analysis of infection transmission.

We examined the presence of HTLV-I infection among 66 family members of 13 patients with well documented ATL to investigate the routes of HLTV-I transmission in a Southeast region of Brazil. HTLV-I infection was screened by an enzyme immunossay (ELISA) test and all repeatedly positive or indeterminate ELISA samples were further tested by a Western-Blot (WB) technique. Indeterminate and inconclusive WB samples were confirmed by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). ELISA results showed that 40 (60.6%) individuals were not infected; 16 (24.2%) were positive; and 10 (15.2%) were undetermined. Among 16 ELISA positive subjects, 14 (87.5%) were confirmed to be positive by WB while 2 (12.5%) showed inconclusive results. Based on the laboratory data, questionnaire analysis, and family/epidemiological studies, we concluded that HTLV-I vertical transmission occurred in 6 of the 13 families. In 3 of these 6 families, the horizontal transmission also could be demonstrated. An isolated horizontal transmission was detected in one family, and in 6 families we did not find any infected family member. All HTLV-I-infected persons were clinically asymptomatic. The occurrence of an effective HTLV-I vertical transmission detected by the present study suggest that HTLV-I infection is endemic in the Southeast region of Brazil. Consistent with the modes of transmission, the HTLV-I antibody seroprevalence was greater in relatives of ATL patients than in the general blood donor Brazilian population (0.4%). In addition, the present data suggest that HTLV-I carries a high infectivity rate but a low virulence.

Adolescent↗

Is there an epidemic of drug misuse in Brazil? A review of the epidemiologic evidence (1977-1988).

A critical review is presented of methods and findings of epidemiological studies on drug use carried out in Brazil. Studies of the first phase (1977-1986) suffered from serious flaws but tended to produce inflated rates, as compared to studies conducted after 1987, which used better case definition criteria and sampling strategies. Prevalence of consumption of legal substances was comparable to industrialized countries but lifetime use of illicit drugs in the country tended to be much lower. In conclusion, there is no support from epidemiologic studies for the hypothesis of an epidemic of drug addiction in Brazil nowadays.

Brazil↗

Dual and recombinant infections: an integral part of the HIV-1 epidemic in Brazil.

We systematically evaluated multiple and recombinant infections in an HIV-infected population selected for vaccine trials. Seventy-nine HIV-1 infected persons in a clinical cohort study in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, were evaluated for 1 year. A combination of molecular screening assays and DNA sequencing showed 3 dual infections (3.8%), 6 recombinant infections (7.6%), and 70 (88.6%) infections involving single viral subtypes. In the three dual infections, we identified HIV-1 subtypes F and B, F and D, and B and D; in contrast, the single and recombinant infections involved only HIV-1 subtypes B and F. The recombinants had five distinct B/F mosaic patterns: Bgag-p17/Bgag-p24/Fpol/Benv, Fgag-p17/Bgag-p24/Fpol/Fenv, Bgag-p17/B-Fgag-p24/Fpol/Fenv, Bgag-p17/B-Fgag-p24/Fpol/Benv, and Fgag-p17/B-Fgag-p24/Fpol/Fenv. No association was found between dual or recombinant infections and demographic or clinical variables. These findings indicate that dual and recombinant infections are emerging as an integral part of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Brazil and emphasize the heterogenous character of epidemics emerging in countries where multiple viral subtypes coexist.

Adult↗

Rickettsia felis in Ctenocephalides spp. fleas, Brazil.

In June 2000, suspected cases of Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) occurred in Coronel Fabriciano Municipality, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Pooled fleas collected near two fatal cases contained rickettsial DNA. The nucleotide sequence alignment of the 391-bp segment of the 17-kDa protein gene showed that the products were identical to each other and to the R. felis 17-kDa gene, confirming circulation of R. felis in Brazil.

Animals↗

Genetic homogeneity of measles viruses associated with a measles outbreak, São Paulo, Brazil, 1997.

During a resurgence of measles in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1997, >40,000 cases (peak incidence rate of 246/100,000 inhabitants) and 42 measles-related deaths were reported. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and nucleotide sequencing were used to analyze specimens from patients who had typical clinical measles infection during this outbreak and from six patients who had had measles in 1995 and 1996. Although wild-type measles viruses (genotypes D5 and D6) were present in São Paulo before this resurgence, we detected only D6 viruses. The genotype D6 viruses isolated during this outbreak had identical sequences to genotype D6 viruses isolated in other parts of Brazil and South America in 1997 and 1998, suggesting that a single chain of transmission was responsible. We also identified genotype A viruses in two vaccine-associated cases from 1995 and 1996. Our findings extend the knowledge of the circulation patterns of measles virus in South America, contributing to measles control efforts in the Americas.

Brazil↗

Impact of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation on visceral leishmaniasis, Brazil.

We used time-series analysis and linear regression to investigate the relationship between the annual Niño-3 index from 1980 to 1998 and the annual incidence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the State of Bahia, Brazil, during 1985-1999. An increase in VL incidence was observed in the post-El Niño years 1989 (+38.7%) and 1995 (+33.5%). The regression model demonstrates that the previous year's mean Niño-3 index and the temporal trend account for approximately 50% of the variance in the annual incidence of VL in Bahia. The model shows a robust agreement with the real data, as only the influence of El Niño on the cycle of VL was analyzed. The results suggest that this relationship could be used to predict high-risk years for VL and thus help reduce health impact in susceptible regions in Brazil.

Brazil↗

Melioidosis, northeastern Brazil.

Melioidosis was first recognized in northeastern Brazil in 2003. Confirmation of additional cases from the 2003 cluster in Ceará, more recent cases in other districts, environmental isolation of Burkholderia pseudomallei, molecular confirmation and typing results, and positive serosurveillance specimens indicate that melioidosis is more widespread in northeastern Brazil than previously thought.

Adolescent↗

Human rotavirus serotype G9, São Paulo, Brazil, 1996-2003.

A total of 3,101 fecal specimens were collected during an 8-year survey for rotavirus infection in São Paulo, Brazil. Group A rotavirus was detected in 774 (25.0%) specimens. Of these, 431 strains (55.7%) were analyzed for G and P types by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction; G1 was the predominant serotype (68.2%), followed by G9 (17.2%), G4 (6.3%), G2 (1.2%), G3 (0.7%), mixed infection (1.8%), and untypeable (4.6%). Both rotavirus G and P types could be established in 332 strains (77.0%). We identified the 4 most common strains worldwide: P[8]G1 (66.6%), P[4]G2 (1.0%), P[8]G3 (0.6%), and P[8]G4 (7.2%). Among the single G9 strains detected, VP4 genotyping showed that P[8]G9 was the most prevalent, followed by P[4]G9 and P[6]G9. The emergence and high frequency of rotavirus G9 in São Paulo, Brazil, and other parts of the world will affect the development and evaluation of future vaccines.

Adolescent↗

Genetic diversity of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) and 5.8S rRNA genes among the clinical isolates of Candida parapsilosis in Brazil and Japan.

The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region including 5.8S rDNA sequences of 58 isolates of Candida parapsilosis in Brazil and Japan was analyzed. Although most of the C. parapsilosis strains tested were confirmed to belong to three already reported genetically distinct groups (I, II and III) based on their ITS region sequences, 5 strains of the Brazilian isolates showed different sequences from those heretofore reported and suggested a presence of new genotype. For these strains of C. parapsilosis, we proposed a new genetic group (IV). The sequence similarities of this new group of IV to I, II and III were 87.4%, 94.7% and 87.3% in the ITS1 region, respectively. Genetic diversity in ITS regions of the remaining C. parapsilosis strains in Brazil and Japan was also discussed.

Base Sequence↗

Potential vectors of malaria and their different susceptibility to Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax in northern Brazil identified by immunoassay.

During the period from May 1983 to July 1985 we conducted an epidemiological study to determine potential vectors of malaria in 6 districts in the state of Pará in northern Brazil. The examination of random human blood smears, prepared at the time of mosquito capture, indicated overall human infection rates of 16.7% and 10.9% for Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax, respectively. Two immunoassays, the immunoradiometric assay (IRMA) and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), based on the use of species-specific antisporozoite monoclonal antibodies, were used to analyze a total of 9,040 field-collected Anopheles mosquitoes for plasmodial infection. P. falciparum sporozoite antigen was detected in A. darlingi at rates varying from 2.7% to 4.2%, and in small numbers of A. oswaldoi collected in 1 of the districts. In contrast, sporozoite antigen of P. vivax was found in A. darlingi, A. triannulatus, A. nuneztovari, and A. albitarsis at rates ranging from 0.9% to 12.0%. By dissection, sporozoites were found in the salivary glands of these same 4 species at rates ranging from 0.8% to 2.2%. The latter 3 species had not previously been implicated as malaria vectors of any significance in northern Brazil.

Animals↗

Genomic variability in field populations of Schistosoma mansoni in Brazil as detected with a ribosomal gene probe.

A cloned fragment of the ribosomal gene of Schistosoma mansoni, pSM 389, which contains part of the small rRNA gene plus a portion of the nontranscribed intergenic spacer, was used in Southern hybridization analyses to investigate genomic variation in natural populations of S. mansoni in Brazil. Genomic DNAs were isolated from schistosomes from infected patients (some of whom did not respond to antischistosomal chemotherapy), and from snails from disparate geographic locations in Brazil. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) were evident in Southern blot hybridizations of these schistosome DNAs, and the RFLPs indicated that the genomic profiles of a number of Brazilian strains were more similar to each other than they were to parasites from two laboratory reference strains of Puerto Rican origin. In addition, the Brazilian isolates could generally be separated from each other based on these RFLPs. Isolates from the southeastern state of Minas Gerais were more similar to each other than they were to parasites isolated in the northeastern states of Alagoas and Pernambuco. Variation was evident among individual worms from some of the isolates, and these individual variations contributed to the complex RFLP patterns that were characteristic for particular isolates. The variation within a natural population isolated directly from snails at Ressaca, Belo Horizonte, may be more marked than that exhibited by more established strains maintained in the laboratory for numerous generations.

Animals↗

Comparative susceptibility of anopheline mosquitoes in Rondonia, Brazil to infection by Plasmodium vivax.

Seven anopheline species from Costa Marques, Rondonia, Brazil were compared with Anopheles darlingi for susceptibility to infection by Plasmodium vivax. Laboratory-reared F1 progeny of field-collected An. darlingi and the test anopheline species were fed at the same time on the same patients, all of whom had gametocytes in peripheral blood before treatment. Mosquitoes were dissected on day 8 after infection for oocysts and on days 14-16 after infection for sporozoites. The mean numbers of P. vivax oocysts and the percent of salivary gland infections for An. darlingi and An. deaneorum were similar and far exceeded those found in the other anopheline species tested. Anopheles albitarsis and An. mediopunctatus were less susceptible to infection by oocyst measurements than An. darlingi. However, for oocyst-infected An. albitarsis and An. mediopunctatus, the percent of mosquitoes with salivary gland infections and the numbers of sporozoites in the salivary glands were similar to An. darlingi. Anopheles triannulatus and An. oswaldoi were both susceptible to P. vivax infection, but the sporozoite infection rates and the numbers of sporozoites observed in the salivary glands were very low. Anopheles braziliensis and An. benarrochi both developed oocysts, but were never observed to have sporozoites in the salivary glands. These studies implicate some anopheline species as potential malaria vectors, but also show that species previously incriminated by ELISA techniques are not vectors of malaria parasites in Costa Marques, Rondonia, Brazil.

Animals↗