Intestinal parasites in paper money circulating in the city of Diamantina (Minas Gerais, Brazil)

Marina A Costa,1 Layane M Teodoro,1 Gustavo H Bahia-de-Oliveira,2 Ana Paula N Nunes,3 Ricardo A Barata1 1Laboratório de Parasitologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal dos Vales dos Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, Brazil; 2Laboratório de Doenças Parasitárias, Departamento de Farmácia, Universidade Federal dos Vales dos Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, Brazil; 3Laboratório de Bioestatística e Epidemiologia, Departamento de Ciências Básicas, Universidade Federal dos Vales dos Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, Brazil Background: Banknotes are objects of great turnover and diffusion among the population, and can be efficient mechanisms in the dissemination of several intestinal parasites. This study investigated the presence of biological forms of intestinal parasites present in circulating cash banknotes in the city of Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil, aiming to propose interventions aimed at improving local public health. Materials and methods: Between February and April 2017, samples of banknotes collected in five commercial establishments of the city were analyzed, namely: 1) gas station, 2) supermarket, 3) butchery, 4) pharmacy and 5) free fair. Ten circulating banknotes of each value (R$2.00, R$5.00, R$10.00, R$20.00, R$50.00 and R$100.00) were exchanged for new banknotes, washed with Tween 80 and, after spontaneous sedimentation, analyzed under an optical microscope with a magnification of 10× and 40×. Results: Cysts of Entamoeba coli (74.60%), cysts of Endolimax nana (16.94%), Giardia lamblia cysts (4.44%), unidentified nematode larvae (2.02%), Hymenolepis sp. (0.81%), Taenia sp. (0.81%) and Ancylostomidae larvae (0.40%) were found. Conclusions: The results revealed the need for improvements in basic sanitation, health and education activities that emphasized the importance of proper hand hygiene. Keywords: intestinal parasites, banknotes, Diamantin

Properties of glasses belonging to the Li2O-ZrO2-SiO2 system

The behaviour and some physical, chemical and thermal properties of Li2O-SiO2 glasses with ZrO2 additions (in the form of ZrSiO4) of up to 13.00 mol% in the as-quenched state were investigated with the aid of x-ray diffraction (XRD), FT-IR spectroscopy, thermal expansion, microhardness and density measurements as well as chemical durability measurements. Transparent glasses prepared by the addition of ZrO2 up to about 11.00 mol% were obtained. For successive addition of ZrO2 and decreasing Li2O/SiO2 ratio, the expansion coefficients revealed decreasing values from 12.60x10(-6) to 8.69x10(-6)degrees C-1. The glass transition and softening point temperatures of the glasses showed a reverse behaviour. By increasing the ZrO2 content in the base glasses the hardness and density values increased. However, while hardness increases even with the decrease of the Li2O/SiO2 ratio the density showed a contrary behaviour, i.e. it increased with the ZrO2 content but decreased when the Li2O/SiO2 ratio decreased, with the highest values of 6.73 GPa and 2.71 g/cm(3), respectively. On the other hand, the chemical durability, in the case of 30Li(2)O.70SiO(2) base glass, decreased with time in water solution and increased with ZrO2 content tending to be almost constant for ZrO2 contents higher than 4.76 mol% at 60 min and 6.98 mol% in the time range from 5 to 30 min, respectively

Study of the adherence between polymer-modified mortars and porcelain stoneware tiles

Despite the excellent characteristics of porcelain tiles, their application on building facades requires special attention, since this material differs from conventional ceramics and because facades are exposed to weathering that can damage ceramic revetments. The combination of polymer and silica fume to produce mortars results in excellent properties, which are ideal for repairs and revetments requiring high performance. Such improvements justify its study for the installation of porcelain tiles. This article presents bond strength results for mortars containing different amounts of polymer and silica indicating the applicability of these mortars as a construction material. To complement this study, the interface between the porcelain and the mortars was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM)