Neurological disability in leprosy: incidence and gender association in Sergipe, Brazil

Leprosy remains a public health problem in many countries. The disease affects skin and peripheral nerves and can cause irreversible disabilities. In Brazil, the detection rate of new cases is 18.2/100,000 inhabitants and leprosy control is considered a priority in the state of Sergipe. Studies showing the epidemiological profile and geographical distribution of leprosy cases are needed for effective epidemiological control measures. The objective of this study was to assess the detection rate of new cases, the geographical distribution and association with gender and clinical forms in Sergipe. Data were obtained from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics and the Information System for Notifiable Diseases. Maps indicating the geographical distribution of leprosy cases and the degree of neurological disabilities of all municipalities of the state were created using Spring, version 5.1.8 and ArcGIS, version 9.3.1. Hyper-endemic leprosy municipalities exist in Sergipe, indicating that the disease remains a major public health problem. The leprosy cases were found to be in municipalities with a higher number of dwellings with nine people per house. A detection rate of 33.0/100,000 inhabitants was noted in 2005, followed by a progressive reduction in the number of new cases until 2010. However, in the same period, an increase of cases with neurological disability was observed. A significant association of males with the multi-bacillary form and neurological disability was observed. This predisposition to severe forms of leprosy in males may be due to a delay in diagnosis and treatment emphasising the need for special attention by the leprosy control programme

Tempo de contato e de combinações de fungicidas, aditivo e inoculante sobre a sobrevivência de rizóbios e nodulação da soja.

Objetivou-se com este trabalho avaliar o efeito do tempo de contato e de combinações de fungicidas, aditivo e inoculante, no tratamento da semente, na sobrevivência de bactérias fixadoras de nitrogênio atmosférico e nodulação da soja. Realizouse ensaios em laboratório para verificar a sobrevivência de bradirrizóbios, e em casa de vegetação para avaliar a formação de nódulos na raiz de plantas de soja. Em laboratório o delineamento foi inteiramente casualizado, com três repetições, com os tratamentos arranjados em esquema fatorial 9 x 3, onde o fator A correspondeu a nove combinações de fungicidas, aditivo e inoculante: T1= inoculante; T2= fludioxonil + metalaxil-M + inoculante; T3= fludioxonil + metalaxil-M + inoculante + aditivo; T4= difenoconazole + inoculante; T5= difenoconazole + inoculante + aditivo; T6= piraclostrobina + tiofanato metílico + fipronil + inoculante; T7= piraclostrobina + tiofanato metílico + fipronil + inoculante + aditivo; T8= carbendazim + inoculante e T9=carbendazim + inoculante + aditivo, e o fator B, a três períodos (4, 24 e 48 h) após o tratamento das sementes. Em casa de vegetação o delineamento foi em blocos casualizados, com sete repetições. Conclui-se sobre a sobrevivência de bradirrizóbios e nodulação da soja que: O tempo de contato de 4 h apresenta melhor resultado; Independentemente do uso do aditivo celular, o uso de piraclostrobina + tiofanato metílico+ fipronil apresenta menor efeito deletério; Os maiores efeitos deletérios foram observados para fungicidas à base de difenoconazole e carbendazim; O uso do aditivo associado com fungicida à base de difenoconazole contribui para o aumento

Biomphalaria species distribution and its effect on human Schistosoma mansoni infection in an irrigated area used for rice cultivation in northeast Brazil

The role of irrigated areas for the spread of schistosomiasis is of worldwide concern. The aim of the present study was to investigate the spatial distribution of the intermediate snail host Biomphalaria in an area highly endemic for schistosomiasis due to Schistosoma mansoni, evaluating the relationship between irrigation and types of natural water sources on one hand, and the influence of place and time of water exposure on the intensity of human infection on the other. A geographical information system (GIS) was used to map the distribution of the intermediate snail hosts in Ilha das Flores, Sergipe, Brazil, combined with a clinical/epidemiological survey. We observed a direct correlation between the intensity of human infection with S. mansoni and irrigation projects. Malacological studies to identify snail species and infection rates showed that B. glabrata is the main species responsible for human schistosomiasis in the municipality, but that B. straminea also plays a role. Our results provide evidence for a competitive selection between the two snail species in rice fields with a predominance of B. glabrata in irrigation systems and B. straminea in natural water sources

Qualidade de vida de indivíduos com HIV: revisão integrativa / Quality of living of individuals with HIV integration review

 A qualidade de  vida de pacientes vivendo com HIV/AIDS é essencial, tendo em vista o caso específico dos adolescentes é ainda mais importante porque o jovem além de lidar com a resistência e a aceitação da doença, deve também enfrentar os conflitos da puberdade.O presente trabalho tem como objetivo realizar uma revisão integrativa em relação a qualidade de vida dos pacientes com HIV. Trata-se de um estudo de revisão integrativa realizado no período de 2016 a 2017, utilizando-se o banco de dados Medline e Lilacs. Apesar do impacto da infecção pelo HIV/AIDS na saúde psicológica e nas relações sociais dos indivíduos infectados, assim como no domínio físico, o uso da TARV provocou consequências positivas na saúde psicológica, proporcionando a desconstrução da ideia de morte advinda ao diagnóstico de portador do HIV/AIDS e a construção de melhores perspectivas de vida. A adesão ao tratamento em HIV/AIDS está relacionada a um aumento da sobrevida e de sua qualidade. Porém deve-se respeitar a posição pessoal do portador para fazer ou não o tratamento

ATLANTIC-PRIMATES: a dataset of communities and occurrences of primates in the Atlantic Forests of South America

Primates play an important role in ecosystem functioning and offer critical insights into human evolution, biology, behavior, and emerging infectious diseases. There are 26 primate species in the Atlantic Forests of South America, 19 of them endemic. We compiled a dataset of 5,472 georeferenced locations of 26 native and 1 introduced primate species, as hybrids in the genera Callithrix and Alouatta. The dataset includes 700 primate communities, 8,121 single species occurrences and 714 estimates of primate population sizes, covering most natural forest types of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina and some other biomes. On average, primate communities of the Atlantic Forest harbor 2 ± 1 species (range = 1–6). However, about 40% of primate communities contain only one species. Alouatta guariba (N = 2,188 records) and Sapajus nigritus (N = 1,127) were the species with the most records. Callicebus barbarabrownae (N = 35), Leontopithecus caissara (N = 38), and Sapajus libidinosus (N = 41) were the species with the least records. Recorded primate densities varied from 0.004 individuals/km 2 (Alouatta guariba at Fragmento do Bugre, Paraná, Brazil) to 400 individuals/km 2 (Alouatta caraya in Santiago, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). Our dataset reflects disparity between the numerous primate census conducted in the Atlantic Forest, in contrast to the scarcity of estimates of population sizes and densities. With these data, researchers can develop different macroecological and regional level studies, focusing on communities, populations, species co-occurrence and distribution patterns. Moreover, the data can also be used to assess the consequences of fragmentation, defaunation, and disease outbreaks on different ecological processes, such as trophic cascades, species invasion or extinction, and community dynamics. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this Data Paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data. © 2018 by the The Authors. Ecology © 2018 The Ecological Society of Americ

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others