Atualizações sobre a doença de Alzheimer e seus estágios clínicos: Update on Alzheimer's disease and its clinical stages

A doença de Alzheimer é a causa mais comum de demência e uma das principais fontes de morbidade e mortalidade no envelhecimento da população. As alterações neuropatológicas marcantes da DA são placas difusas e neuríticas, marcadas pela deposição extracelular de beta-amiloide, e emaranhados neurofibrilares, compostos pelo acúmulo intracelular de proteína tau hiperfosforilada. Os déficits cognitivos aparecem e progridem insidiosamente, o comprometimento da memória, especificamente a perda de memória de eventos recentes, é a característica mais frequente da DA e geralmente é sua primeira manifestação. Outros déficits cognitivos aparecem com ou após o desenvolvimento do comprometimento da memória. A disfunção executiva e habilidades visuoespaciais prejudicadas tendem a ser afetadas precocemente, enquanto déficits na função da linguagem e sintomas comportamentais geralmente se manifestam mais tarde. Os sintomas neuropsiquiátricos e comportamentais são comuns nos estágios intermediários e tardios da DA, mas podem ocorrer no início do curso em alguns pacientes. Os déficits neurológicos não cognitivos, sinais motores piramidais e extrapiramidais, mioclonias e convulsões podem ocorrer nos estágios finais da DA, mas são incomuns nos estágios iniciais e intermediários.  As apresentações atípicas incluem uma variante visual (atrofia cortical posterior), uma variante com afasia progressiva e uma variante com disfunção executiva progressiva como sintoma predominante. As apresentações atípicas são mais comuns em pessoas mais jovens com DA. A DA é inexoravelmente progressiva, mas a taxa de progressão pode variar. A expectativa média de vida após o diagnóstico foi relatada entre 8 e 10 anos, mas pode variar de 3 a 20 anos. A DA deve ser suspeitada em qualquer idoso com início insidioso, declínio progressivo da memória e pelo menos um outro domínio cognitivo que leve ao funcionamento prejudicado.&nbsp

Factors associated with schistosomiasis mansoni in a population from the municipality of Jaboticatubas, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Jaboticatubas is a municipality in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte which has been a target of a wide media release as "the capital of schistosomiasis" since the 1960's. In order to give support to a work based on an integrated control, we sought to identify the disease determinants at the site. A transversal study was carried out aimed at identifying prevalence rates of the disease and factors associated with the infection in the district of São José de Almeida, and two close localities, Cipó Velho and São José da Serra, all of them located in the municipality of Jaboticatubas. A parasitological survey was performed, applying the Kato-Katz method with two slides per sample in 1186 schoolchildren which represents 77% of all registered pupils in four public schools in 2001. Among these schoolchildren a number of 101 (8.6%) prooved positive for Schistosoma mansoni eggs in their stool samples. A total of 64 families, whose schoolchildren had shown to be positive for schistosomiasis, also undertook examinations. As negative control, a random sample was collected from the 206 families, whose children had proven negative for schistosomiasis. The prevalence among 270 families (1304 people) was 12%. To assess those who continued to have contact with possibly contaminated water, 1061 (81.4%) people of the 270 families were interviewed. A multivariate analysis identified the following factors associated with the infection: time of residence in the area (short period), garbage disposal (use of deserted areas), gender (male), age (from 10 to 29 years), and water contact (daily and weekly). Further analysis of these factors revealed a close correlation between water contact and the disease, with a positive significant frequency concerning almost all those items. Depending on gender and age significant variations of water contact patterns associated with leisure and professional activities were found. A malacological survey on water collections in the area identified snails of the species Biomphalaria straminea and B. glabrata. The latter showed 17 (0.6%) specimens positive for S. mansoni. Qualitative studies have complemented such evidences, which allowed us to design a reference picture and specific indicators of the disease for the local population. Those data provided the essential information to continue the development of an already ongoing educative process, as well as projects on environmental improvements

A Coffee Berry Borer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Bibliography

Native to Africa, the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), has gradually invaded most coffee-growing areas worldwide. Adult females colonize the coffee berry and oviposit within galleries in the coffee seeds. Larvae and adults consume the seeds, resulting in drastic reductions in yields and quality, negatively affecting the income of approximately 20 million coffee-growing families (~100 million people) in ~80 countries, with losses surpassing more than $500 million annually (Vega et al. 2015). It has become evident that the coffee berry borer scientific community could greatly benefit from having access to a bibliography of the literature related to the insect. Such an information source would allow scientists to find out what research areas have been explored throughout the many coffee berry borer-infested countries after more than 100 years of research on the topic. It could also help to direct lead future research efforts into novel areas, and away from topics and ideas that have been thoroughly investigated in the past