Brazilian truckers’ strike and particulate matter (PM10) concentration: Temporal trend and time series models

As altas emissões de material particulado (MP) do tráfego de veículos impactam a qualidade do ar em áreas urbanas. Em 2018, uma greve de caminhoneiros interrompeu alguns serviços no Brasil, levando à falta de combustível em várias cidades, o que reduziu significativamente o fluxo de veículos. Este estudo avaliou a qualidade do ar durante essa greve, em duas cidades (Limeira e Campinas) no Sudeste do Brasil. A concentração de MP10 foi analisada nos períodos antes da greve (BTS — 1º a 22 de maio 2018), durante a greve (DTS — 23 a 30 de maio de 2018) e depois dela (ATS — 31 de maio de 2018 a 30 de junho de 2018), usando o método Theil-Sen e o modelo ARIMAX. Durante a greve ocorreu redução na concentração média diária de MP10 nas duas cidades. Considerando-se o horário de pico diário do fluxo veicular (18h), a concentração de MP10 foi 20% maior no período BTS do que no DTS, para ambas as cidades. Em comparação, o período ATS apresentou concentrações de 17% (Limeira) e 7% (Campinas) maiores, quando comparado com o DTS. As variações foram estatisticamente significativas com base nos modelos de séries temporais, e foram avaliadas as influências da velocidade do vento, da chuva no dia da amostragem e na véspera da amostragem e nos fins de semana. Também foi possível verificar a contribuição da greve na concentração de MP10 nas duas cidades. Em Limeira, o tráfego de caminhões teve maior influência na concentração de MP10, enquanto em Campinas essa contribuição foi similar entre caminhões e veículos leves. Com base na variação da concentração de MP10, observou-se a influência de mudanças na dinâmica de emissão veicular, que é uma das principais fontes emissoras nas regiões analisadas. Os resultados mostram que a restrição do tráfego veicular teve impacto imediato na melhoria da qualidade do ar e, então, são sugeridos investimentos públicos em outros tipos de transporte e políticas de controle de tráfego.High particulate matter (PM) emissions from vehicular traffic impact air quality in urban areas. In 2018, a truckers’ strike interrupted some of the services in Brazil, leading to a fuel outage in several cities that significantly reduced the flow of vehicles. This study evaluated air quality during the strike in two cities (Limeira and Campinas) in Southeastern Brazil. PM10 concentration was analyzed in the periods before (BTS — 05/01/2018 to 05/22/2018), during (DTS — 05/23/2018 to 05/30/2018), and after (ATS — 05/31/2018 to 06/30/2018) the strike using the Theil-Sen method and the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average model with Exogenous Variables (ARIMAX). A reduction in the PM daily mean concentration in both cities occurred during the strike. Considering the daily peak time of vehicular flow (6:00 p.m.), the PM10 concentration was 20% higher in the BTS period compared to the DTS period for both cities. In comparison, the ATS period showed concentrations 17% (Limeira) and 7% (Campinas) higher when compared with the DTS period. The variations were statistically significant based on the time series models, and the influences of wind speed, rainfall on the sampling day and the day before sampling, and weekends were also evaluated. It was also possible to verify the contribution of the truckers’ strike to the PM10 concentration in the two cities evaluated. In Limeira, truck traffic had a greater influence on the concentration of PM10, while in Campinas, the contribution of trucks was like that of light vehicles. Based on the variation of the PM10 concentration, the influence of changes in vehicle emission dynamics, one of the main sources of emission in the regions studied, was observed. The results indicate that restricting vehicular traffic had an immediate impact on improving air quality. Therefore, public investment in other types of transport and traffic control policies are suggested

The relationship between the number of COVID-19 cases, meteorological variables, and particulate matter concentration in a medium-sized Brazilian city

A doença COVID-19 surgiu no final de 2019 e espalhou-se rapidamente pelo mundo em 2020, tendo como sintoma uma crise respiratória aguda e causando milhões de vítimas. De acordo com a literatura, ainda não está clara a relação entre a transmissão de COVID-19 e fatores climáticos e poluentes do ar, sendo portanto fundamentais estudos que visem esclarecer essa correlação. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo determinar a correlação entre o número de casos de COVID-19, a concentração de material particulado (MP) e variáveis meteorológicas na cidade de Limeira, Brasil. As análises estatísticas utilizadas foram um modelo generalizado com distribuição gama, correlação de Spearman e análise de cluster, seguida do teste de Mann-Whitney. As variáveis incluídas foram pluviosidade, temperatura, velocidade do vento, umidade relativa e pressão atmosférica, além da taxa de isolamento, variáveis dummy para flexibilidade de abertura de estabelecimentos e dia da semana. A concentração de material particulado inalável grosso (MP10) apresentou correlação inversa com umidade relativa, pluviosidade e pressão. O particulado total em suspensão (PTS) teve correlação inversa com umidade relativa, pluviosidade, fins de semana e taxa de isolamento. Também foi encontrada correlação entre o número de casos de COVID-19 com pressão, MP10 e PTS. Finalmente, o risco relativo calculado mostrou que a redução das concentrações de MP10 afeta diretamente a saúde, o que implica quase 13 mortes evitadas em Limeira, no período da pandemia. Os resultados obtidos fornecem informações importantes para melhorar a qualidade do ar e estratégias para conter a  transmissão da COVID-19. Além disso, embora em pequena escala, eles confirmam a relação entre taxa de isolamento, concentração de MP e casos de COVID-19.The COVID-19 disease was first identified at the end of 2019 and spread rapidly around the world in 2020. Its symptom includes an acute respiratory crisis and the disease has claimed millions of victims. According to the literature, the relationship between COVID-19 transmission, and climatic factors and air pollutants is still unclear. Therefore, studies aiming to clarify this correlation are essential. This study aims to determine the correlation between the number of COVID-19 cases, particulate matter (PM) concentration, and meteorological variables in the city of Limeira, Brazil. The statistical analyses used were a generalized model with gamma distribution, Spearman’s correlation, and cluster analysis, followed by the Mann-Whitney test. The variables included were rainfall, temperature, wind speed, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure, in addition to social distancing compliance rate, dummy variables for business opening flexibility, and the weekday. The concentration of the coarse inhalable particulate matter (PM10) fraction showed an inverse correlation with relative humidity, rainfall, and pressure. The Total Suspended Particulate matter (TSP) had an inverse correlation with relative humidity, rainfall, weekends, and social distancing compliance rate. A correlation was also found between the number of COVID-19 cases and pressure, PM10, and TSP. Finally, the calculated relative risk showed that the reduction in PM10 concentrations directly affects health, which implies an estimate of almost 13 deaths avoided in Limeira, during the pandemic. The results obtained provide important information as to improving air quality and strategies to contain  COVID-19 transmission. Besides, albeit on a small scale, they confirm the relationship between the social distancing compliance rate, PM concentration, and COVID-19 cases

Neuroticism and Conscientiousness Moderate the Effect of Oral Medication Beliefs on Adherence of People with Mental Illness during the Pandemic

Background. After the declaration of the pandemic status in several countries, the continuity of face-to-face visits in psychiatric facilities has been delayed or even interrupted to reduce viral spread. Little is known about the personality factors associated with medication beliefs and adherence amongst individuals with mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief report describes a preliminary naturalistic longitudinal study that explored whether the Big Five personality traits prospectively moderate the effects of medication beliefs on changes in adherence during the pandemic for a group of outpatients with psychosis or bipolar disorder. Methods. Thirteen outpatients undergoing routine face-to-face follow-up assessments during the pandemic were included (41 observations overall) and completed the Revised Italian Version of the Ten-Item Personality Inventory, the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire, the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8-item and the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Results. Participants had stronger concerns about their psychiatric medications rather than beliefs about their necessity, and adherence to medications was generally low. Participants who had more necessity beliefs than concerns had better adherence to medications. People scoring higher in Conscientiousness and Neuroticism traits and more concerned about the medication side effects had poorer adherence. Conclusions. These preliminary data suggest the importance of a careful assessment of the adherence to medications amongst people with psychosis/bipolar disorder during the pandemic. Interventions aimed to improve adherence might focus on patients' medication beliefs and their Conscientiousness and Neuroticism personality traits

First report in italy of the exotic mosquito species Aedes (Finlaya) koreicus, a potential vector of arboviruses and filariae

BACKGROUND: In the Veneto region (north-eastern Italy) an entomological surveillance system has been implemented since the introduction of the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) in 1991. During the routine monitoring activity in a tiger mosquito-free area, an unexpected mosquito was noticed, which clearly did not belong to the recorded Italian fauna. FINDINGS: At the end of May 2011, twelve larvae and pupae were collected in a small village in Belluno province (Veneto region) from a single manhole. Ten adults reared in the laboratory were morphologically and genetically identified as Aedes (Finlaya) koreicus (Edwards, 1917), a species native to Southeast Asia. The subsequent investigations carried out in the following months in the same village provided evidence that this species had become established locally. Entomological and epidemiological investigations are currently ongoing in the surrounding area, to verify the eventual extension of the species outside the village and to trace back the route of entry into Italy. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report in Italy of the introduction of the exotic mosquito Ae. koreicus. This species has been shown experimentally to be competent in the transmission of the Japanese encephalitis virus and of the dog heartworm Dirofilaria immitis and is considered a potential vector of other arboviruses. Thus, the establishment of this species may increase the current risk or pose new potential threats, for human and animal health. This finding considerably complicates the entomological monitoring of the Asian tiger mosquito Ae. albopictus in Italy and stresses the importance of implementing the entomological surveillance for the early detection of and the rapid response against invasive mosquito species

A review of multivariate analysis: is there a relationship between airborne particulate matter and meteorological variables?

Among statistical tools for the study of atmospheric pollutants, trajectory regression analysis (TRA), cluster analysis (CA), and principal component analysis (PCA) can be highlighted. Therefore, this article presents a systematic review of such techniques based on (i) air mass influences on particulate matter (PM) and (ii) the study of the relationship between PM and meteorological variables. This article aims to review studies that use TRA and to review studies that adopt CA and/or PCA to identify the associations and relationship between meteorological variables and atmospheric pollutants. Papers published between 2006 and 2018 and indexed by five of the main scientific databases were considered (ScienceDirect, Web of Science, PubMed, SciELO, and Scopus databases). PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) recommendations supported this systematic review. From the resulting most relevant papers, eight studies analyzed the influence of air mass trajectories on PM using TRA and twenty-one studies searched for the relationship between meteorological variables and PM using CA and/or PCA. A combination of TRA and time series models was identified as the possibility of future works. Besides, studies that simultaneously combine the three techniques to identify both the influence of air masses on PM and its relationship with meteorological variables are a possibility of future papers, because it can lead to a better comprehension of such a phenomenon192COORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPES00

Adult obsessive-compulsive disorder and quality of life outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

In the current literature, there are no meta-analyses assessing quality of life (QOL) in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Knowledge of QOL domains mainly impaired in OCD could provide specific areas for intervention. The current meta-analysis assessed differences in global, work and social, family, and emotional QOL outcomes between patients with OCD and heathy controls. Age, gender and OCD severity were examined as moderators. Case-control studies were included if patients with primary OCD were compared with controls on QOL outcomes. Electronic databases (1966-October 2014) were searched. Thirteen case-control studies were included (n = 26,015). Patients with OCD had significantly lower scores on QOL relative to controls, with moderate effect sizes on global QOL and large effect size on work and social, emotional and family QOL outcomes. Studies using higher percentages of female patients and patients with less severe OCD symptoms reported significantly lower QOL outcomes for patients with OCD than controls. Studies comparing patients with OCD and patients with other psychiatric disorders were not included. Treatments should address QOL in OCD, particularly emotional QOL. Additional strategies targeting QOL should be implemented for female patients with less severe OCD symptoms. © 2016 Elsevier B.V

Association between burnout and emotional and sexual life among medical students of postgraduate schools in psychiatry

BACKGROUND: A limited number of studies have evaluated burnout in medical students of postgraduate schools in psychiatry and no information is available about its correlations with sexual functioning. The current study investigated the level of burnout in a group of medical students of postgraduate schools in psychiatry and examined its association to sexual dysfunctions and quality of life. METHODS: Forty-one medical students of post-graduate schools in Psychiatry completed the Arizona Sexual Functioning Scale (ASEX), the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and the Medical Outcome Short Form Health Survey SF-12 (SF-12), which evaluate physical and emotional quality of life. RESULTS: A percentage of 14.6% of responders reported high levels of emotional distress, 4.9% reported a high degree of depersonalization. Sexual dysfunction was observed on the ASEX in 12.2% of the study group. Subjects with sexual dysfunction endorsed a significantly higher degree of burnout, particularly in relation with emotional exhaustion. Depersonalization and occupational workloads were not significantly different in subjects with or without sexual dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study show that a relevant number of students endorse relatively high levels of burnout, which may negatively impact on their quality of life and on patient care. Practical implications and study limitations, including the small sample size, are discussed

Chemical composition of rainwater in an urban area of the southeast of Brazil

In the city of Limeira, located in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, the major ions of 30 rainwater samples, collected from Sep/2013 to Mar/2014, were quantified by ionic chromatography (ICS 90); and HCO3- was determined via Gran titration. Three source apportionment methods, namely Principal Component Analysis (PCA), air mass trajectory clustering and enrichment factor (EF), were used to identify the main sources of pollutants dissolved in rainwater samples. The concentration of ions (mu eq L-1), of the samples was: Ca2+ > NH4+ > Na+ > HCO3- > Mg2+ > SO42- > NO3- > Cl- > K+ > H+, and pH = 5.6 in VWM. The first three components obtained via PCA explained 75% of the total variance correlation and indicated a strong contribution of pollutants from agricultural emissions in the studied region, possibly due to the proximity of rural areas. The generated trajectory clusters indicated a 70% contribution from continental sources in the studied area. EF showed that SO42-, NO3-, Cl-, K+, Mg2+ and HCO3- are from anthropogenic sources whereas Ca2+ is from crust and Na+ is from crust and anthropogenic sources. The anthropogenic sources, possibly associated with the region's agricultural activities, mining, industries and heavy vehicle traffic. In addition, it was verified the negative impact the fire outbreaks in the State of Sao Paulo had on the quality of the air in Limeira. Finally, the ionic concentrations in rainwater samples collected in the urban area of Limeira were compared with data from monitored cities in Brazil and throughout the world.102520530CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQCOORDENAÇÃO DE APERFEIÇOAMENTO DE PESSOAL DE NÍVEL SUPERIOR - CAPE

Sources of particulate matter: emission profile of biomass burning

Biomass burning is an important source of atmospheric Particulate Matter (PM) in Brazil: the burning of forests in the northwest and of sugar cane plantations in the southeast are important examples. The objective of this work is the measurement of the PM emission profile of burning of sugar cane and other characteristic vegetative burning in the region of Sao Carlos-SP/Brazil. Samples of PM(10) and PM(2.5) were collected in different conditions, including small laboratory controlled burnings and real ones. The samples were analysed by X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and 14 chemical elements quantified. t-Student tests were performed to compare the obtained profiles, using as a reference a vegetative burn profile taken from the USEPA data bank SPECIATE. All measured profiles presented significant amounts of Cl and K, which are confirmed as tracers of sugar cane foliage burning.CNPqFAPESPCAPE