Clima, meio ambiente urbano e a dengue em Salvador

Em uma realidade em que todos olham para o desastre da Covid-19, outras epidemias de elevada gravidade continuam a atuar sem a atenção das autoridades públicas e da comunidade em geral. Dentre essas se destacam as chamadas arboviroses, como a dengue, zika e chikungunya. O presente trabalho tem como principal objetivo o estudo dos principais fatores ambientais urbanos que explicam a elevada ocorrência da dengue em território nacional, destacando o caso da cidade de Salvador, no estado da Bahia. Para tanto, foi efetuada uma pesquisa bibliográfica abrangente sobre o tema e considerados os dados disponíveis das ocorrências da doença na cidade, nos últimos anos anteriores à chegada da pandemia da Covid-19. As conclusões, de acordo com os dados levantados, são de que a incidência da doença não apresenta padrões ambientais relevantes, além do aumento sazonal, provocado pela maior precipitação pluviométrica associada às altas temperaturas médias. Observa-se, no entanto, uma clara adaptação do vetor às condições do clima tropical úmido, tornando as arboviroses em endemias de difícil combate

Tratamento da infecção experimental de ratos por Strongyloides venezuelensis mediante uso da ivermectina e do levamisol injetáveis

For the therapy of human strongyloidiasis, are necessary effective drugs to eliminate both larvae and adult worm parasitism, which may also be used by parenteral route, to obviate the particular conditions presented by many patients. A study based on the experimental infection by Strongyloides venezuelensis in rats was done, administering injectable ivermectin or levamizole. Both drugs were shown to be active, when used in single doses of 0.2 to 0.5 mg/kg of ivermectin, or 26 mg/kg for levamizole. Ivermectin was slightly more effective as far as larval stage of the infection is concerned, and the same happened for levamisole for the adult worm stage. Promising perspectives are visualized to improve the therapy of patients with serious disseminated infection by Strongyloides stercoralis.Para tratamento da estrongiloidíase humana disseminada são desejáveis medicamentos eficientes em debelar o parasitismo por larvas e vermes adultos e, aplicáveis também pela via parenteral, para contornar dificuldades motivadas pelo estado de determinados pacientes. Por isso, foi realizado estudo baseado na infecção experimental de ratos pelo Strongyloides venezuelensis e administração de ivermectina ou de levamisol injetáveis. Os dois fármacos mostraram-se ativos quando usados em doses únicas, de 0,2 a 0,5 mg/kg e 26 mg/kg, respectivamente, de ivermectina e levamisol, sendo que o primeiro revelou discreta superioridade para a fase larvária enquanto o segundo, para os helmintos adultos. Assim, ficaram delineadas promissoras perspectivas para aprimoramento da terapêutica capaz de beneficiar pacientes com infecção generalizada, comumente grave, devida ao Strongyloides stercoralis

Subclavian Access for Transcatheter CoreValve® Aortic Prosthesis Implantation: Data from the Brazilian Registry

ABSTRACTBackgroundTransfemoral access is the preferred approach for transcatheter aortic valve implantation. However, some situations, such as the presence of peripheral vascular disease, preclude the use of such access. In these cases, subclavian access is an alternative approach for this procedure. This study aimed at evaluating the Brazilian experience using the subclavian approach for transcatheter CoreValve® prosthesis implantation.MethodsAortic valve area<1cm2, aortic valve ring≥20mm and≤27mm (26mm and 29mm CoreValve®), ascending aorta≤43mm and subclavian artery with a diameter≥6mm, without significant obstructive lesions, marked tortuosity and excess calcification were requisites for the procedure. The access through the subclavian artery was obtained by surgical dissection and, under direct vision, a subclavian artery puncture was performed. Once artery access was obtained, the standard technique was used.ResultsBetween January 2008 and April 2012, 8 patients with peripheral vascular disease underwent CoreValve® prosthesis implantation through the subclavian artery in 4 institutions. The procedure was successful in all cases with reduction of the mean transvalvular pressure gradient from 46.4±17.5mmHg to 9.3±3.6mmHg (P=0.0018) and improvement of symptoms. At 30 days and after 275±231 days of follow-up, 87.5% and 62.5% of the patients, respectively, were free from major adverse events (death, myocardial infarction, stroke and urgent cardiac suregery).ConclusionsIn the Brazilian experience, the subclavian access was a safe and effective alternative for transcatheter CoreValve® implantation

Antidepressant- and anxiogenic-like effects of acute 5-HT2C receptor activation in rats exposed to the forced swim test and elevated plus maze

This study investigated the behavioral effects in the forced swim test (FST) and the elevated plus-maze (EPM) of acute administration of WAY 161503 ([4aR]-8,9-dichloro-2,3,4,4a-tetrahydro-1H-pyrazino[1,2-a]quinoxalin-5[6 H]-one), a selective 5-HT2C receptor agonist with putative antidepressant-like properties. Fifteen minutes after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injections of either WAY 161503 (1, 3 and 10 mg/kg) or saline, naive male Wistar rats were exposed to the EPM for 5 min to assess classical and ethological anxiety-like measures. Immediately after EPM exposure, each animal was exposed to the FST, and the latency to the first episode of immobility was recorded (trial session). Twenty-four hours later, the rats were reexposed to a second EPM-FST exposure sequence (test session for FST) under the effect of the same pharmacological treatment. The two lowest WAY 161503 doses selectively reduced open-arm exploration and increased risk-assessment without affecting locomotor activity. This selective anxiogenic-like effect was observed in both the first and second EPM exposures. The highest WAY 161503 dose produced robust locomotor impairment. In the FST, the same WAY 161503 doses significantly increased the latency to the first immobility in the test session, a behavioral profile that suggests an antidepressant-like action. These results further support the involvement of 5-HT2C receptors in the mediation of anxiety and suggest an intricate relationship between anxiogenic- and antidepressant-like actions

Inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase and Fatty Acid Composition in Theobroma grandiflorum Seeds

Theobroma grandiflorum&nbsp;is an important fruit tree from Sterculiaceae family, native to the Brazilian Amazon, known in the region as cupuaçu. The seeds have a high fat content (24%) with characteristics that resemble those of cocoa (Theobroma cacao) butter with potential applications in the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries. The main objective of this work was to explore the seed fats from T. grandiflorum that were analyzed for fatty acid composition by Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID) and to analyze their activity for acetylcholinesterase inhibition. Chromatographic analysis provided detection of nine fatty acids. The major fatty acids found in the species were oleic (40.0%), stearic (32.7%), arachidic (10.4%) and palmitic (8.0%). The acetylcholinesterase inhibition by fats from seeds was over 40.48%. DOI:&nbsp;http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v0i0.89

Incidência de acidentes com animais peçonhentos no estado do Pará / Incidence of accidents with venomous animals in the state of Pará

Os animais peçonhentos são aqueles que produzem uma peçonha em um grupo de células ou órgão secretor e possuem uma ferramenta de injetar tal peçonha em sua presa/predador. No Estado do Pará, os acidentes com animais peçonhentos são considerados um problema de saúde pública, devido as suas características geoambientais. Desta forma, evidencia-se uma preocupação específica de nossa região, em virtude da elevada incidência desses tipos de acidentes e da gravidade desses acidentes, podendo ser mais ocorrentes devido a determinadas atitudes corriqueiras que estão presentes tanto no cotidiano dos expostos ao risco, quanto no cotidiano médico, sendo a subnotificação dos casos de acidentes com animas peçonhentos um grande entrava para o acesso adequado à saúde pública.

Levantamento das propriedades químicas do solo com diferentes usos agrícolas no baixo Amazonas, Pará/ Survey of chemical properties of soil with different agricultural uses in the lower Amazon, Pará

O presente estudo teve como objetivo realizar um levantamento das propriedades químicas do solo submetido a diferentes tipos de uso: cultivo de cacau, sistema agroflorestal e pastagem. As coletas foram realizadas no primeiro semestre de 2016 na comunidade Recreio, que faz parte da zona III do Município de Almeirim, no estado do Pará. Foram coletadas 13 amostras retiradas aleatoriamente em ziguezague a uma profundidade de 20 cm, abrangendo toda a área. A partir dos resultados, foram observadas diferenças importantes entre as áreas com as práticas tradicionais e com atividades conservacionistas, com destaque para o sistema agroflorestal