76 research outputs found

    Reconstruction of historical trends in potentially toxic elements from sediment cores collected in Bertioga channel, southeastern Brazil

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    The study presents an evaluation of potentially toxic elements deposition in Bertioga Channel (Southeastern Brazilian coast) along the last 150 years, the main anthropogenic activity period in the area. Five sediment cores by means of ICP-OES to determine the levels of metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) and As. The pollution load index (PLI) and enrichment factor (EF) were calculated to identify the relative elements toxicity of the sediments and the anthropogenic contribution of the investigated elements. The indexes indicated the absence of contamination but a higher input of As in cores B2 and B5, which have been sampled in an area that presents higher sedimentation rates. Through an statistical analysis of time series decomposition, it was verified that the metals flux to the area follow the cycles of rainy (austral summer and autumn) and dry seasons (austral winter and spring). In conclusion, the enrichment corresponds to the end of the 19th Century, when Santos Harbor was inaugurated, and to the 1970s, when Santos Harbor activities expanded. In addition, the analysis of the indexes and the temporal decomposition indicate that these elements' input to Bertioga Channel is due to natural processes of weathering and sedimentation.Este estudo apresenta uma avaliação da deposição de elementos potencialmente tóxicos no Canal de Bertioga (costa sudeste brasileira) ao longo de 150 anos, período principal de atividade antropogênica na área. O trabalho analisou cinco testemunhos sedimentares por meio de ICP-OES para determinar os níveis de metais (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb e Zn) e As. O índice de carga de poluição (PLI) e o fator de enriquecimento (EF) foram calculados para identificar a toxicidade relativa dos elementos dos sedimentos e a contribuição antropogênica dos elementos investigados. Os índices indicaram a ausência de contaminação por metais pesados, mas houve uma entrada mais elevada de As nos testemunhos B2 e B5, amostrados em área com maiores taxas de sedimentação. Através de análise estatística de decomposição de séries temporais, verificou-se que o fluxo de metais para a área segue os ciclos de estações chuvosa (verão austral) e seca (inverno austral). Como conclusão pode ser verificado que o enriquecimento observado corresponde ao final do século XIX, quando o Porto de Santos foi inaugurado, e à década de 1970, quando as atividades do porto foram expandidas. Ainda, a análise dos índices e da decomposição temporal indica que a entrada de As no Canal de Bertioga dá-se por processos naturais de intemperismo e sedimentação

    Retenção prolongada de molares decíduos: relato de caso

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    Prolonged retention of a deciduous tooth is characterized by a common condition that occurs when the deciduous tooth surpasses its normal exfoliation time and remains in the oral cavity. The aim of this study is to report a clinical case of prolonged retention of a deciduous tooth. A 12-year-old female patient attended the Dental Clinic at CEUMA University, Imperatriz Campus, with the chief complaint of prolonged retention of deciduous teeth. After clinical and radiographic evaluation, surgical intervention of the deciduous teeth with prolonged retention was performed, followed by careful follow-up. Early diagnosis and intervention in cases of prolonged retention of deciduous molars are of paramount importance to minimize or prevent occlusion damage. In this regard, for children with prolonged retention of deciduous teeth, the proposed treatment may be surgical in order to prevent the impaction of the succeeding permanent teeth.A retenção prolongada de um dente decíduo é caracterizada por uma condição comum que ocorre quando o dente decíduo ultrapassa o seu tempo de esfoliação normal, e permanece na cavidade bucal. O objetivo deste trabalho é de relatar um caso clínico de retenção prolongada de um dente decíduo. Paciente de 12 anos de idade, sexo feminino compareceu à Clínica Odontológica da Universidade CEUMA, Campus de Imperatriz, com queixa principal de retenção prolongada dos dentes decíduos. Após avaliação clínica e radiográfica foi realizada intervenção cirúrgica dos dentes decíduos com retenção prolongada, seguida de um acompanhamento cuidadoso. O diagnóstico e a intervenção precoce em casos de retenção prolongada dos molares decíduos são de fundamental importância para minimizar ou evitar danos à oclusão. Nesse sentido, crianças com retenção prolongada de dentes decíduos, os tratamento proposto pode ser o cirúrgico, a fim de impedir a impactação dos dentes permamentes sucessores

    Cenários para a matriz de geração de eletricidade do Ceará em 2050: pt

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    Based on the worldwide proposition of energy matrix scenarios for 2050, the objective of this article is to present scenarios of electricity generation for Ceará in 2050, showing the participation of sources already used in the state's electric matrix and adding new ones. The article proposes three scenarios: a conservative one, where the present proportion of electricity generation sources of the state is maintained, a transitional one, with 50% of electricity generation from non-renewable sources and the other 50% from renewable sources, and 100% renewable, without the use of fossil or nuclear fuels. Estimates for 2050 in the state are obtained by extrapolating generation data from 2011 to 2017, reaching an estimated 94,775 GWh. In the conservative scenario, it is observed that half of this generation is made by thermoelectric plants and the other half by wind farms. In the transition scenario, dominated by the use of natural gas, the exponential growth of photovoltaic generation stands out. In the 100% renewable scenario, dominated by wind farms, in addition to the similar growth of photovoltaic generation as in the transition scenario, we highlight the use of urban solid waste and solar thermal concentration plants.A partir da proposição de cenários de matrizes energéticas a nível mundial para 2050, o objetivo do presente artigo é apresentar cenários de geração de eletricidade para o estado do Ceará em 2050, mostrando a participação de fontes já usadas na matriz elétrica do estado e acrescentando novas. O artigo propõe três cenários: um conservador, onde é mantida a proporção atual das fontes de geração de eletricidade do estado, um de transição, com 50% da geração de energia elétrica oriunda de fontes não renováveis e os outros 50% provenientes de fontes renováveis, e um 100% renovável, sem o uso de combustíveis fósseis ou nuclear. As estimativas para 2050 no estado são obtidas através de extrapolação de dados de geração de 2011 a 2017, alcançando um valor estimado de 94.775 GWh. No cenário conservador, observa-se que metade dessa geração é realizada por termelétricas e a outra metade por parques eólicos. No cenário de transição, dominado pelo gás natural, destaca-se o crescimento exponencial da geração fotovoltaica. No cenário 100% renovável, dominado por parques eólicos, além do crescimento semelhante da geração fotovoltaica como no cenário de transição, destaca-se a utilização dos resíduos sólidos urbanos e de centrais solar térmicas de concentração

    Prevention of hypertension in patients with pre-hypertension: protocol for the PREVER-prevention trial

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    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Blood pressure (BP) within pre-hypertensive levels confers higher cardiovascular risk and is an intermediate stage for full hypertension, which develops in an annual rate of 7 out of 100 individuals with 40 to 50 years of age. Non-drug interventions to prevent hypertension have had low effectiveness. In individuals with previous cardiovascular disease or diabetes, the use of BP-lowering agents reduces the incidence of major cardiovascular events. In the absence of higher baseline risk, the use of BP agents reduces the incidence of hypertension. The PREVER-prevention trial aims to investigate the efficacy, safety and feasibility of a population-based intervention to prevent the incidence of hypertension and the development of target-organ damage.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, with participants aged 30 to 70 years, with pre-hypertension. The trial arms will be chlorthalidone 12.5 mg plus amiloride 2.5 mg or identical placebo. The primary outcomes will be the incidence of hypertension, adverse events and development or worsening of microalbuminuria and of left ventricular hypertrophy in the EKG. The secondary outcomes will be fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular events: myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, evidence of new sub-clinical atherosclerosis, and sudden death. The study will last 18 months. The sample size was calculated on the basis of an incidence of hypertension of 14% in the control group, a size effect of 40%, power of 85% and P alpha of 5%, resulting in 625 participants per group. The project was approved by the Ethics committee of each participating institution.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The early use of blood pressure-lowering drugs, particularly diuretics, which act on the main mechanism of blood pressure rising with age, may prevent cardiovascular events and the incidence of hypertension in individuals with hypertension. If this intervention shows to be effective and safe in a population-based perspective, it could be the basis for an innovative public health program to prevent hypertension in Brazil.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Clinical Trials <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00970931">NCT00970931</a>.</p

    Vigilância do câncer em Mato Grosso: aspectos metodológicos e operacionais de um projeto de extensão/pesquisa

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    Objective: To describe the methodological and operational aspects of the Cancer Surveillance Project and its associated factors: population-based and hospital-based registry (VIGICAN), in Mato Grosso (MT). Methods: VIGICAN was divided into two projects: an extension one, which updated the data from the Population-Based Cancer Registry (RCBP) of MT in the period 2008 to 2016; and one of research, which collected primary data, through individual interviews and analysis of medical records of people with a diagnosis of cancer, aged 18 years or over, treated at reference hospitals for oncology. To analyze the factors associated with cancer, the following variables were collected: socioeconomic and demographic, social support, status and health behavior, and environmental exposure. Results: In the períod from 2008 to 2016, approximately one hundred thousand cases of cancer (incident and prevalent) were reported in the RCBP Cuiabá and Interior. After validation procedures, fifty thousand incident cases were chosen. The survey interviewed 1,012 patients, 38.2% living in the municipalities of Cuiabá and Várzea Grande, 60.4% in the interior of the state and 1.4% in other states. Preliminary data revealed that the majority were female (55.0%) and younger than 60 years (54.3%). Among those interviewed, 7.2% reported smoking tobacco, 15.5% consumed alcoholic beverages (15.5%) and 32.7% lived close to crops. Conclusion: The development of these projects allowed the integration of education with health services and will enable the recognition of specificities and different exposure scenarios and factors associated with cancer in the Mato Grosso territory.Objetivo: Descrever os aspectos metodológicos e operacionais do Projeto Vigilância do Câncer e seus fatores associados: registro de base populacional e hospitalar (VIGICAN), em Mato Grosso (MT). Métodos: O VIGICAN se desdobrou em dois projetos: um de extensão, que atualizou os dados dos Registros de Câncer de Base Populacional (RCBP) de MT no período de 2008 a 2016; e um de pesquisa, que coletou dados primários, por meio de entrevistas individuais e análise de prontuários de pessoas com diagnóstico de câncer, com 18 anos ou mais, atendidas em hospitais de referência para oncologia. Para analisar os fatores associados ao câncer, foram coletadas as seguintes variáveis: socioeconômicas e demográficas, suporte social, situação e comportamentos de saúde e exposição ambiental. Resultados: No período de 2008 a 2016, foram notificados nos RCBP Cuiabá e Interior, aproximadamente, 100 mil casos de câncer (incidentes e prevalentes). Após procedimentos de validação, foram eleitos 50 mil casos incidentes. A pesquisa entrevistou 1.012 pacientes, sendo 38,2% residentes nos municípios de Cuiabá e Várzea Grande, 60,4% no interior do estado e 1,4% em outros estados. Os dados preliminares revelaram que a maioria era do sexo feminino (55,0%) e tinha menos de 60 anos (54,3%). Entre os entrevistados, 7,2% relataram fumar tabaco, 15,5% consumiam bebidas alcoólicas (15,5%) e 32,7% moravam próximos a lavouras. Conclusão: O desenvolvimento desses projetos permitiu a integração do ensino com os serviços de saúde e possibilitará o reconhecimento das especificidades e diferentes cenários de exposição e fatores associados ao câncer do território mato-grossense

    Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

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    Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

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