Revisão sistemática sobre estudos de espacialização da dengue no Brasil Systematic review of spatial analysis studies on dengue in Brazil

O presente estudo objetivou realizar uma revisão sistemática sobre estudos de geoprocessamento do vetor da dengue e da doença no Brasil. A busca dos trabalhos foi realizada nas bases de dados Pubmed, Bireme e Scielo. A seleção foi realizada por critérios de inclusão, sendo estes: artigos originais sobre dengue e emprego de técnicas de geoprocessamento, publicados em inglês ou português de 1998 a 2007; trabalhos de finalização de curso; e trabalhos apresentados em congresso. Trabalhos que avaliaram essa doença em outros países foram excluídos. As palavras-chaves utilizadas na identificação dos artigos foram: "distribuição espacial e dengue", "dengue e geoprocessamento", "análise espacial e dengue", "Sistema de Informações Geográficas e dengue" e suas traduções para língua inglesa. Na base de busca do Scielo foram encontrados 15 artigos, dos quais selecionou-se 8; na Pubmed 11 trabalhos foram identificados, dos quais utilizou-se 3; e na Bireme, 20 trabalhos, dos quais selecionou-se 2. A revisão realizada permitiu analisar 7 estudos de espacialização dos casos de dengue, 5 trabalhos com vetores da dengue e um estudo que avaliou os casos e os vetores, simultaneamente. Foi freqüente a não-utilização de técnicas de geoprocessamento. Aspectos sociais foram freqüentemente associados à distribuição espacial da dengue. Desta forma, concluiu-se que os estudos de espacialização da dengue no Brasil, especialmente aqueles que avaliam os seus vetores, subutilizam as ferramentas do geoprocessamento. Os aspectos socioeconômicos são importantes para o entendimento da distribuição espacial da dengue.<br>The present study aimed to carry out a systematic review of geoprocessing studies on the dengue vector and the disease in Brazil. The search was conducted in the Pubmed and Bireme databases and in Scielo virtual library. The selection was carried out using inclusion criteria, such as: original articles on dengue and the use of geoprocessing techniques, published in English or in Portuguese, from 1998 to 2007; final course works; and studies presented at congresses. Studies which evaluated the disease in other countries were excluded. The key words used were "spatial distribution and dengue", "dengue and geoprocessing", "spatial analysis and dengue", "geographic information system and dengue" and their translations into Portuguese. In the Scielo database search, 15 articles were found, from which 8 were selected; in Pubmed, 11 articles were identified and 3 were selected; and in Bireme 20 articles were found, from which 2 were selected. The present review allowed the analysis of 7 studies on the spatial pattern of dengue cases, 5 studies on dengue vectors and one study that evaluated dengue cases and vectors, simultaneously. The non-utilization of geoprocessing techniques was frequent. Social aspects were frequently associated with the spatial distribution of dengue. The study concludes that spatial analyses of dengue in Brazil, especially those that evaluated vectors, used geoprocessing tools poorly. Socioeconomic aspects are important to understand the spatial distribution of dengue

An insight into the transcriptome of the digestive tract of the bloodsucking bug, Rhodnius prolixus.

The bloodsucking hemipteran Rhodnius prolixus is a vector of Chagas' disease, which affects 7-8 million people today in Latin America. In contrast to other hematophagous insects, the triatomine gut is compartmentalized into three segments that perform different functions during blood digestion. Here we report analysis of transcriptomes for each of the segments using pyrosequencing technology. Comparison of transcript frequency in digestive libraries with a whole-body library was used to evaluate expression levels. All classes of digestive enzymes were highly expressed, with a predominance of cysteine and aspartic proteinases, the latter showing a significant expansion through gene duplication. Although no protein digestion is known to occur in the anterior midgut (AM), protease transcripts were found, suggesting secretion as pro-enzymes, being possibly activated in the posterior midgut (PM). As expected, genes related to cytoskeleton, protein synthesis apparatus, protein traffic, and secretion were abundantly transcribed. Despite the absence of a chitinous peritrophic membrane in hemipterans - which have instead a lipidic perimicrovillar membrane lining over midgut epithelia - several gut-specific peritrophin transcripts were found, suggesting that these proteins perform functions other than being a structural component of the peritrophic membrane. Among immunity-related transcripts, while lysozymes and lectins were the most highly expressed, several genes belonging to the Toll pathway - found at low levels in the gut of most insects - were identified, contrasting with a low abundance of transcripts from IMD and STAT pathways. Analysis of transcripts related to lipid metabolism indicates that lipids play multiple roles, being a major energy source, a substrate for perimicrovillar membrane formation, and a source for hydrocarbons possibly to produce the wax layer of the hindgut. Transcripts related to amino acid metabolism showed an unanticipated priority for degradation of tyrosine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan. Analysis of transcripts related to signaling pathways suggested a role for MAP kinases, GTPases, and LKBP1/AMP kinases related to control of cell shape and polarity, possibly in connection with regulation of cell survival, response of pathogens and nutrients. Together, our findings present a new view of the triatomine digestive apparatus and will help us understand trypanosome interaction and allow insights into hemipteran metabolic adaptations to a blood-based diet.Journal ArticleResearch Support, N.I.H. IntramuralResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tSCOPUS: ar.jSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe