Assessment of risk factors for HIV infection among men who have sex with men in the metropolitan area of Campinas City, Brazil, using respondent-driven sampling

The Population Council, in collaboration with the Brazil Ministry of Health, the Municipal Program of STD/AIDS of Campinas, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/Global AIDS Program/Brazil, conducted a study to characterize the sociodemographic, behavioral, and environmental factors associated with subgroups of MSM who are most at risk for HIV infection. This research is the first Brazilian study to provide population-based estimates for HIV, syphilis, and HIV-related risk behaviors using an innovative sampling technique to reach members of the target population. Our data suggest the importance for HIV prevention programs to address not only sexual risk reduction, but also other social and cultural factors such as their vulnerability to homophobic violence, social construction of sexual identity, and social norms regarding sexuality and condom use within their social networks. The findings from this study clearly indicate the importance of the population of MSM in the HIV epidemic and the need for targeted interventions, particularly for the risky sub-populations in Campinas

Longer-term effectiveness of a heterologous coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine booster in healthcare workers in Brazil

Abstract Objective: To compare the long-term vaccine effectiveness between those receiving viral vector [Oxford-AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1)] or inactivated viral (CoronaVac) primary series (2 doses) and those who received an mRNA booster (Pfizer/BioNTech) (the third dose) among healthcare workers (HCWs). Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study among HCWs (aged ≥18 years) in Brazil from January 2021 to July 2022. To assess the variation in the effectiveness of booster dose over time, we estimated the effectiveness rate by taking the log risk ratio as a function of time. Results: Of 14,532 HCWs, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was confirmed in 56.3% of HCWs receiving 2 doses of CoronaVac vaccine versus 23.2% of HCWs receiving 2 doses of CoronaVac vaccine with mRNA booster (P < .001), and 37.1% of HCWs receiving 2 doses of ChAdOx1 vaccine versus 22.7% among HCWs receiving 2 doses of ChAdOx1 vaccine with mRNA booster (P < .001). The highest vaccine effectiveness with mRNA booster was observed 30 days after vaccination: 91% for the CoronaVac vaccine group and 97% for the ChAdOx1 vaccine group. Vacine effectiveness declined to 55% and 67%, respectively, at 180 days. Of 430 samples screened for mutations, 49.5% were SARS-CoV-2 delta variants and 34.2% were SARS-CoV-2 omicron variants. Conclusions: Heterologous COVID-19 vaccines were effective for up to 180 days in preventing COVID-19 in the SARS-CoV-2 delta and omicron variant eras, which suggests the need for a second booster

Educomunicação e suas áreas de intervenção: Novos paradigmas para o diálogo intercultural

oai:omp.abpeducom.org.br:publicationFormat/1O material aqui divulgado representa, em essência, a contribuição do VII Encontro Brasileiro de Educomunicação ao V Global MIL Week, da UNESCO, ocorrido na ECA/USP, entre 3&nbsp;e 5 de novembro de 2016. Estamos diante de um conjunto de 104 papers executivos, com uma média de entre 7 e 10 páginas, cada um. Com este rico e abundante material, chegamos ao sétimo e-book publicado pela ABPEducom, em seus seis primeiros anos de existência. A especificidade desta obra é a de trazer as “Áreas de Intervenção” do campo da Educomunicação, colocando-as a serviço de uma meta essencial ao agir educomunicativo: o diálogo intercultural, trabalhado na linha do tema geral do evento internacional: Media and Information Literacy: New Paradigms for Intercultural Dialogue

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

Plástica gengival associada à laminados cerâmicos para resolução estética

Sometimes we face clinical situations in which the lack of harmony in the smile is caused by a major exhibition of the gingival tissue. In these cases the professional should be able to perform a detailed analysis of the static and dynamic components of the smile, in search of a satisfactory planning and treatment which may include different dental specialties. For these situations, the association of periodontics/prosthesis is a viable alternative that has been used positively in search of an aesthetic and functional condition that benefits the patient, without leaving aside the preservation of periodontal tissues and of the remaining structure of the tooth. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe a case in which the association between these two areas was proposed to correct gummy smile and dental vestibularization. Clinical results and the satisfaction of the patient indicate that this multidisciplinary treatment combining periodontal and prosthetic techniques is favorable to positive results in cases of compromised smile aesthetics due to excessive gum tissue.Algumas vezes nos deparamos no consultório com situações clínicas, nas quais a falta de harmonia no sorriso encontra-se devido a uma grande exposição de tecido gengival. Nestes casos o profissional deve ser capaz de realizar uma análise detalhada dos componentes estáticos e dinâmicos do sorriso, em busca de um planejamento e tratamento satisfatórios, que poderá englobar diferentes especialidades odontológicas. Para estas situações, a associação periodontia/prótese é uma alternativa viável a ser proposta ao paciente, que vem sendo utilizada de maneira positiva em busca de uma condição estética e funcional favorável ao paciente, sem deixar de lado os princípios de preservação dos tecidos periodontais e da estrutura dentária remanescente. Diante disso, o objetivo deste trabalho foi descrever um caso clínico no qual a associação periodontia/prótese foi proposta para correção de sorriso gengival e vestibularização dentária. Através do resultado clínico obtido e a satisfação do paciente, podemos entender que o tratamento multidisciplinar envolvendo a associação de técnicas periodontais e protéticas em casos com comprometimento estético gengival e dental, é favorável para alcançar um resultado positivo