Mortality among over 6 million internal and international migrants in Brazil: a study using the 100 Million Brazilian Cohort

Background: To understand if migrants living in poverty in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) have mortality advantages over the non-migrant population, we investigated mortality risk patterns among internal and international migrants in Brazil over their life course. / Methods: We linked socio-economic and mortality data from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2018 in the 100 Million Brazilian Cohort and calculated all-cause and cause-specific age-standardised mortality rates according to individuals' migration status for men and women. Using Cox regression models, we estimated the age- and sex-adjusted mortality hazard ratios (HR) for internal migrants (i.e., Brazilian-born individuals living in a different Brazilian state than their birth) compared to Brazilian-born non-migrants; and for international migrants (i.e., people born in another country) compared to Brazilian-born individuals. / Findings: The study followed up 45,051,476 individuals, of whom 6,057,814 were internal migrants, and 277,230 were international migrants. Internal migrants had similar all-cause mortality compared to Brazilian non-migrants (aHR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.98–0.99), marginally higher mortality for ischaemic heart diseases (aHR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.03–1.05) and higher for stroke (aHR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.09–1.13). Compared to Brazilian-born individuals, international migrants had 18% lower all-cause mortality (aHR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.80–0.84), with up to 50% lower mortality from interpersonal violence among men (aHR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.40–0.64), but higher mortality from avoidable causes related to maternal health (aHR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.17–4.05). / Interpretation: Although internal migrants had similar all-cause mortality, international migrants had lower all-cause mortality compared to non-migrants. Further investigations using intersectional approaches are warranted to understand the marked variations by migration status, age, and sex for specific causes of death, such as elevated maternal mortality and male lower interpersonal violence-related mortality among international migrants

Controlling Fe nanocrystallization in amorphous Fe86Zr7Cu1B6 by linear varying current Joule heating

Amorphous melt-spun Fe86Zr7Cu1B6 ribbons were annealed using the linear varying current Joule heating method. Experimental curves of resistance (R) and temperature (T) versus applied current (I) allow one to follow precisely the crystallization of alpha-Fe nanoparticles during annealing. This result proves that the applied current can be considered a reliable parameter to control the crystalline fraction in this alloy. A comparison between structural and magnetic measurements shows that the R(I) curve can be used as a guide to identify a condition for optimum soft magnetic properties of this alloy. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)02035-0].7791375137

DETC Induces Leishmania Parasite Killing in Human In Vitro and Murine In Vivo Models: A Promising Therapeutic Alternative in Leishmaniasis

Background: Chemotherapy remains the primary tool for treatment and control of human leishmaniasis. However, currently available drugs present serious problems regarding side-effects, variable efficacy, and cost. Affordable and less toxic drugs are urgently needed for leishmaniasis. Methodology/Principal Findings: We demonstrate, by microscopy and viability assays, that superoxide dismutase inhibitor diethyldithiocarbamate (DETC) dose-dependently induces parasite killing (p,0.001) and is able to ??????sterilize?????? Leishmania amazonensis infection at 2 mM in human macrophages in vitro. We also show that DETC-induced superoxide production (p,0.001) and parasite destruction (p,0.05) were reverted by the addition of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine, indicating that DETC-induced killing occurs through oxidative damage. Furthermore, ultrastructural analysis by electron microscopy demonstrates a rapid and highly selective destruction of amastigotes in the phagosome upon DETC treatment, without any apparent damage to the host cell, including its mitochondria. In addition, DETC significantly induced parasite killing in Leishmania promastigotes in axenic culture. In murine macrophages infected with Leishmania braziliensis, DETC significantly induced in vitro superoxide production (p = 0.0049) and parasite killing (p = 0.0043). In vivo treatment with DETC in BALB/C mice infected with Leishmania braziliensis caused a significant decrease in lesion size (p,0.0001), paralleled by a 100-fold decrease (p = 0.0087) in parasite burden. Conclusions/Significance: Due to its strong leishmanicidal effect in human macrophages in vitro, its in vivo effectiveness in a murine model, and its previously demonstrated in vivo safety profile in HIV treatment, DETC treatment might be considered as a valuable therapeutic option in human leishmaniasis, including HIV/Leishmania co-infection