VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS IN PETROLINA, STATE OF PERNAMBUCO, BRAZIL, 2007-2013

Visceral leishmaniasis is a life-threatening disease of great public health relevance in Brazil. The municipality of Petrolina is an endemic area in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil. This study was designed to assess the recent expansion of VL in the municipality ofPetrolina, Pernambuco. Patients data were obtained from the Brazilian National Information System for Notifiable Diseases (SINAN). A total of 111 records from 2007 to 2013 were investigated, of which 69 were residents in Petrolina. The disease has predominantly affected 1-4 year old children (34.8%). Most of the patients were males (59.4%). Co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus occurred in 14.5% of the cases. The criterion most frequently used was the clinical and epidemiological confirmation (59.4%), with clinical cure in 78.3% of cases and one fatal outcome. Visceral leishmaniasis is endemic in Petrolina with transmission levels varying from moderate to high. The present study has shown the precariousness of the use of diagnostic tests in primary healthcare units, and this misuse has interfered with the diagnosis and treatment of cases

Use of the microalga Scenedesmus obliquus to remove cadmium cations from aqueous solutions

The ability of a wild strain of Scenedesmus obliquus, isolated from a heavy metal-contaminated environment, to remove Cd2+ from aqueous solutions was studied at several initial concentrations. Viable biomass removed metal to a maximum extent of 11.4 mgCd/g at 1 mgCd/l, with most Cd2+ being adsorbed onto the cell surface. A commercially available strain (ACOI 598) of the same microalga species was also exposed to the same Cd concentrations, and similar results were obtained for the maximum extent of metal removal. Heat-inactivated cells removed a maximum of 6.04 mgCd/g at 0.5 mgCd/l. The highest extent of metal removal, analyzed at various pH values, was 0.09 mgCd/g at pH 7.0. Both strains of the microalga tested have proven effective in removing a toxic heavy metal from aqueous solutions, hence supporting their choice for bioremediation strategies of industrial effluents.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Comportamento visual e desenvolvimento motor de recém-nascidos prematuros no primeiro mês de vida

OBJETIVO: Caracterizar o comportamento visual e o desenvolvimento motor de RNPT com um mês de idade corrigida, nascidos na maternidade de um hospital escola. MÉTODO: Estudo descritivo, seccional no primeiro mês de idade corrigida em uma coorte de recém-nascidos prematuros, utilizando-se como instrumentos de avaliação o Método de Avaliação da Conduta Visual de Lactentes e o Alberta Infant Movement Scale (AIMS). RESULTADOS: Observou-se que os recém-nascidos prematuros apresentaram respostas esperadas para as provas que avaliam o comportamento oculomotor e com frequências inferiores para a prova do sorriso, conforme o método de avaliação utilizado no estudo. Na avaliação motora, 25% apresentaram percentil abaixo de 5; 8,3% com percentil 5; 8,3% com percentil 10; 25% com percentil 25; 8,3% com percentil 50 e 25% com percentil 75. CONCLUSÕES: Os resultados deste estudo demonstraram que mesmo em pequena amostra é possível observar atraso típico no desenvolvimento motor de lactentes prematuros quando se utiliza instrumento de avaliação adequado. Evidenciou-se que a idade gestacional pode ter influenciado o desempenho dos lactentes e que os recém-nascidos prematuros, mesmo com a idade corrigida, ainda estão aquém dos bebês a termo no que se refere às aquisições do desenvolvimento motor, indicando a necessidade de alerta ao desenvolvimento no percentil 10 ou abaixo, mesmo apresentando desempenho satisfatório no comportamento visual. A correção da idade foi um importante fator que norteou a compreensão das aquisições visuais e motoras de lactentes prematuros.OBJECTIVE: To characterize the visual behavior and the motor development of premature newborns (RNPT) with one month of age corrected, born in the maternity of a school hospital. METHOD: Descriptive study, sectional in the first month of age corrected in a cohort of a premature newborn, by using as instruments the Evaluation Method of the Visual behavior in newborns and the Alberta Infant Movement Scale (AIMS). RESULTS: It was observed that the premature newborns presented expected answers for the tests that evaluate the oculomotor behavior and with lower frequencies for the test of smile, in agreement with the method of evaluation utilized in the study. In the motor evaluation (AIMS), 25% presented below the percentage 5; 8.3% had percentage 5; 8.3% had percentage 10; 25% had percentage 25; 8.3% had percentage 50 and 25% had percentage 75. CONCLUSION: The results obtained in this study showed that in despite of the small sample it was possible to observe a typical delay in the motor development in RNPT through an adequate instrument of evaluation. It was evident that the gestational age influenced the performance of the newborns and that the premature newborns even with the corrected age are still behind the full term babies regarding the acquisition of motor development, indicating the need of alert to the development at the percentile 10 or below, even presenting satisfactory performance in the visual behavior. Age correction was a significant factor facilitating in the understanding of the visual and motor acquisitions in RNPT

Search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at √ s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

Results of a search for new phenomena in final states with an energetic jet and large missing transverse momentum are reported. The search uses 20.3 fb−1 of √ s = 8 TeV data collected in 2012 with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events are required to have at least one jet with pT > 120 GeV and no leptons. Nine signal regions are considered with increasing missing transverse momentum requirements between Emiss T > 150 GeV and Emiss T > 700 GeV. Good agreement is observed between the number of events in data and Standard Model expectations. The results are translated into exclusion limits on models with either large extra spatial dimensions, pair production of weakly interacting dark matter candidates, or production of very light gravitinos in a gauge-mediated supersymmetric model. In addition, limits on the production of an invisibly decaying Higgs-like boson leading to similar topologies in the final state are presente

Cryptic species in a well-known habitat: applying taxonomics to the amphipod genus Epimeria (Crustacea, Peracarida)

Taxonomy plays a central role in biological sciences. It provides a communication system for scientists as it aims to enable correct identification of the studied organisms. As a consequence, species descriptions should seek to include as much available information as possible at species level to follow an integrative concept of ‘taxonomics’. Here, we describe the cryptic species Epimeria frankei sp. nov. from the North Sea, and also redescribe its sister species, Epimeria cornigera. The morphological information obtained is substantiated by DNA barcodes and complete nuclear 18S rRNA gene sequences. In addition, we provide, for the first time, full mitochondrial genome data as part of a metazoan species description for a holotype, as well as the neotype. This study represents the first successful implementation of the recently proposed concept of taxonomics, using data from highthroughput technologies for integrative taxonomic studies, allowing the highest level of confidence for both biodiversity and ecological research