Deficiências minerais em bovinos de Roraima, Brasil. V. Cobre e molibdênio.

Foi feito um levantamento das deficiencias minerais de bovinos de corte em seis regioes do nordeste do Territorio Federal de Roraima, tendo sido amostrados solo, forrageira e tecido animal (figado) durante as epocas seca e chuvosa. Os niveis medios de Mo no solo variaram de 0,01 ppm a 0,50 ppm, sendo estas concentracoes insuficientes a nutricao de certas plantas. Os teores de Cu e Mo nas forrageiras variaram de 1,5 ppm a 3,6 ppm e de 0,51 ppm a 0,54 ppm, respectivamente. As concentracoes de Cu nas forrageiras estavam abaixo do minimo recomendado para bovinos, enquanto o Mo apresentou niveis adequados. Os teores de Cu nas forrageiras variaram de 1,33 ppm a 4,63 ppm na epoca seca e de 1,56 ppm a 2,57 ppm na epoca chuvosa. Os niveis medios de Cu no figado no figado variaram de 120 ppm a 271 ppm e os de Mo de 1,58 ppm a 3,33 ppm, sendo considerados adequados para bovinos.Título em inglês: Mineral deficiency in cattle in Roraima, Brazil. V. Cooper and molybdenum

The Spatial Heterogeneity between Japanese Encephalitis Incidence Distribution and Environmental Variables in Nepal

To identify potential environmental drivers of Japanese Encephalitis virus (JE) transmission in Nepal, we conducted an ecological study to determine the spatial association between 2005 Nepal JE incidence, and climate, agricultural, and land-cover variables at district level.District-level data on JE cases were examined using Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) analysis to identify spatial clusters from 2004 to 2008 and 2005 data was used to fit a spatial lag regression model with climate, agriculture and land-cover variables.Prior to 2006, there was a single large cluster of JE cases located in the Far-West and Mid-West terai regions of Nepal. After 2005, the distribution of JE cases in Nepal shifted with clusters found in the central hill areas. JE incidence during the 2005 epidemic had a stronger association with May mean monthly temperature and April mean monthly total precipitation compared to mean annual temperature and precipitation. A parsimonious spatial lag regression model revealed, 1) a significant negative relationship between JE incidence and April precipitation, 2) a significant positive relationship between JE incidence and percentage of irrigated land 3) a non-significant negative relationship between JE incidence and percentage of grassland cover, and 4) a unimodal non-significant relationship between JE Incidence and pig-to-human ratio.JE cases clustered in the terai prior to 2006 where it seemed to shift to the Kathmandu region in subsequent years. The spatial pattern of JE cases during the 2005 epidemic in Nepal was significantly associated with low precipitation and the percentage of irrigated land. Despite the availability of an effective vaccine, it is still important to understand environmental drivers of JEV transmission since the enzootic cycle of JEV transmission is not likely to be totally interrupted. Understanding the spatial dynamics of JE risk factors may be useful in providing important information to the Nepal immunization program

Kidney Function and Cognitive Health in Older Adults: The Cardiovascular Health Study

Recent evidence has demonstrated the importance of kidney function in healthy aging. We examined the association between kidney function and change in cognitive function in 3,907 participants in the Cardiovascular Health Study, recruited from 4 U.S. communities, and studied from 1992 - 1999. Kidney function was measured by cystatin C-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR[subscript cys]). Cognitive function was assessed using the Modified Mini-Mental State Exam and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test administered up to 7 times during annual visits. There was an association between eGFR[subscript cys] and change in cognitive function after adjustment for confounders; persons with eGFR[subscript cys] < 60 ml/min/1.73m² had a 0.64 (95% confidence interval: 0.51, 0.77) point/year faster decline in Modified Mini-Mental State Exam score and a 0.42 (95% confidence interval: 0.28, 0.56) point/year faster decline in Digit Symbol Substitution Test score compared with persons with eGFR[subscript cys] ≥ 90 ml/min/1.73m². Additional adjustment for intermediate cardiovascular events modestly impacted these associations. Participants with eGFR[subscript cys] < 60 ml/min/1.73m² had fewer cognitive impairment-free life-years on average compared with those with eGFR[subscript cys] ≥ 90 ml/min/1.73m², independent of confounders and mediating cardiovascular events (-0.44, 95% confidence interval: -0.62, -0.26). Older adults with reduced kidney function are at increased risk of worsening cognitive function.This is an author's peer-reviewed final manuscript, as accepted by the publisher. The published article is copyrighted by the author(s) and published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It can be found at: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/Keywords: stroke, aging, myocardial infarction, successful aging, chronic kidney disease, cognitive function, prospective study, congestive heart failur

Oviposition Preference and Offspring Performance In Container Breeding Mosquitoes: Evaluating the Effects of Organic Compounds and Laboratory Colonisation

1. The preference–performance hypothesis (PPH) predicts that organisms lacking parental care should oviposit in habitats that optimise offspring performance. Preference–performance relationships were investigated for the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus Skuse) and the southern house mosquito (Culex quinquefasciatus Say) (Diptera: Culicidae), two medically important container-breeding species, in response to an organic chemical blend mimicking decaying plant matter. Additionally, the effects of long-term laboratory colonisation of Cx. quinquefasciatus using wild and laboratory strains were evaluated. 2. Oviposition bioassays were conducted by releasing gravid mosquitoes into field enclosures with automobile tires containing low and high concentrations of the chemical blend, and water controls. The offspring were then reared in water collected from the tires in which they were deposited. 3. Aedes albopictus and wild Cx. quinquefasciatus laid more eggs in the chemical blend than water controls but did not differentiate between the low and high concentrations. Conversely, laboratory Cx. quinquefasciatus only preferred the high concentration to the low concentration. No statistical associations between oviposition preference and larval survival were found, as the chemical blend did not affect survivorship of either species. 4. The oviposition preference for the chemical blend over water controls suggests that both species oviposit in the best available resource environment, but further studies are needed before conclusions regarding preference–performance relationships can be drawn. 5. It was found that long-term laboratory colonisation affects the oviposition behaviour in Cx. quinquefasciatus, suggesting that behavioural studies on laboratory strains are not always applicable to wild populations

Risks of dengue secondary infective biting associated with aedes aegypti in home environments in Monterrey, Mexico

Abstract. Secondary dengue virus infections are a major risk for developing dengue hemorrhagic fever. Recent exposure to infectious bites of Aedes aegypti (L.) females in previously diagnosed dengue cases fulfills the epidemiological model of dengue hemorrhagic fever. A study was comprised of 357 (89.2%) dengue and 43 (10.8%) dengue hemorrhagic fever cases confirmed by laboratory tests and clinical manifestations. An entomological survey was done in homes and backyards. Concurrently, a questionnaire was used to assess the impact of healthpromotion campaigns through knowledge of the vector and its epidemiological role. Seventy-six (28.4%) of the 268 (67.0%) total wet or dry oviposition sites were positive for the presence of larvae or pupae, while adult Ae. aegypti were found in 32 (8.0%). One hundred thirty-two (33%) householders who formerly had dengue fever or dengue hemorrhagic fever had knowledge of either larval or adult dengue vector stages. According to gender distribution, 145 (36.2%) and 14 (3.5%) of the males confirmed with cases of dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever lived in houses with 17.9 and 2% of the Ae. aegypti larval and pupal habitats. Houses with females who had dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever were 212 (53%) and 29 (7.3%), with containers with immature Ae. aegypti in 19.4 and 7%, respectively. Lack of sustainability of government-targeted health education campaigns is the major problem for involving communities in prevention and control of dengu

Distribution of mosquitoes in the South East of Argentina and first report on the analysis based on 18S rDNA and COI sequences

Although Mar del Plata is the most important city on the Atlantic coast of Argentina, mosquitoes inhabiting such area are almost uncharacterized. To increase our knowledge in their distribution, we sampled specimens of natural populations. After the morphological identification based on taxonomic keys, sequences of DNA from small ribosomal subunit (18S rDNA) and cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) genes were obtained from native species and the phylogenetic analysis of these sequences were done. Fourteen species from the genera Uranotaenia, Culex, Ochlerotatus and Psorophora were found and identified. Our 18S rDNA and COI-based analysis indicates the relationships among groups at the supra-species level in concordance with mosquito taxonomy. The introduction and spread of vectors and diseases carried by them are not known in Mar del Plata, but some of the species found in this study were reported as pathogen vectors

Evaluation of two methods of estimating larval habitat productivity in western Kenya highlands

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria vector intervention and control programs require reliable and accurate information about vector abundance and their seasonal distribution. The availability of reliable information on the spatial and temporal productivity of larval vector habitats can improve targeting of larval control interventions and our understanding of local malaria transmission and epidemics. The main objective of this study was to evaluate two methods of estimating larval habitat productivity in the western Kenyan highlands, the aerial sampler and the emergence trap.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was conducted during the dry and rainy seasons in 2008, 2009 and 2010. Aerial samplers and emergence traps were set up for sixty days in each season in three habitat types: drainage ditches, natural swamps, and abandoned goldmines. Aerial samplers and emergence traps were set up in eleven places in each habitat type. The success of each in estimating habitat productivity was assessed according to method, habitat type, and season. The effect of other factors including algae cover, grass cover, habitat depth and width, and habitat water volume on species productivity was analysed using stepwise logistic regression</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Habitat productivity estimates obtained by the two sampling methods differed significantly for all species except for <it>An</it>. <it>implexus</it>. For for <it>An</it>. <it>gambiae </it>s.l. and <it>An</it>. <it>funestus</it>, aerial samplers performed better, 21.5 and 14.6 folds, than emergence trap respectively, while the emergence trap was shown to be more efficient for culicine species. Seasonality had a significant influence on the productivity of all species monitored. Dry season was most productive season. Overall, drainage ditches had significantly higher productivity in all seasons compared to other habitat types. Algae cover, debris, chlorophyll-a, and habitat depth and size had significant influence with respect to species.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings suggest that the aerial sampler is the better of the two methods for estimating the productivity of <it>An</it>. <it>gambiae </it>s.l. and <it>An</it>. <it>funestus </it>in the western Kenya highlands and possibly other malaria endemic parts of Africa. This method has proven to be a useful tool for monitoring malaria vector populations and for control program design, and provides useful means for determining the most suitable sites for targeted interventions.</p