Abundance and Risk Factors for Dermatobiosis in Dairy Cattle of an Organic Farm in the Tropical Region

Studies about Dermatobia hominis larvae have been described, but no data were found regarding dairy cattle from organic production system in tropical region. The herd consisted of 40 dairy crossbred zebu x taurine. Fortnightly inspection (915 inspections) with mapping for the presence of larvae in the body surface was carried out over the period of a year in the area of the Integrated Agroecological Production System –IAPS/RJ – a technical cooperation project. The results indicated predominance of parasitism in females (average 21.98). In males, the highest number of nodules were on the right side (4.46); in females, highest number of nodules were on the left side. The infestation in adults (average 31.55) was highest; animals in lactation were less infested (average 8.01); in young animals, the most infested side was the left; the most infested coat was the black on white (average 36.69); the less infested coats were red with typical shades (average 14.13) and light brown and dark (12.33). Each increment of 1 mm³ of water caused a mean increase of 1.03 in the relative risk of occurrence of dermatobiosis and with every one degree increased there was an average increase of 1.14 in the relative risk for infestation

Utilização de modelos de regressão aplicados a dados com inflacionamento de zeros: Estudo da ocorrência de carrapatos em municípios no interior do estado do Rio de Janeiro / Use of regression models applied to data with inflation of zeros: Study of the occurrence of ticks in municipalities inside the state of Rio de Janeiro

Os mais utilizados entre os Modelos Lineares Generalizados (GLM) são as regressões logística e de Poisson. Apesar disso, nos últimos anos, modelos capazes de suportar superdispersão e inflacionamento de zeros surgiram: modelos para alteração de zeros e inflacionamento de zeros. O desafio é aplicar tais metodologias em um problema de saúde pública, carrapatos Amblyomma cajennense em áreas de transição rural-urbana. O objetivo deste artigo é estudar os fatores climáticos associados à ocorrência de carrapatos A. cajennense adultos em Seropédica e Mangaratiba/RJ, através do ajuste de modelos de regressão. Foram realizadas coletas de carrapatos entre dezembro/2008 e setembro/2011. A variável resposta foi contagem de carrapatos; as 48 variáveis independentes estavam relacionadas à temperatura média (ºC), umidade relativa do ar (%) e precipitação (mm). Estatística descritiva e análises bivariadas e multivariadas foram realizadas utilizando-se cinco tipos de GLM: regressão de Poisson, binomial negativa, extra-Poisson (variância = ?; variância = ?2) e ZIP (Poisson com inflacionamento de zeros). Nove variáveis independentes foram significativas em pelo menos dois modelos bivariados. Os modelos multivariados mostraram que os melhores parâmetros foram apresentados pelos modelos ZIP, seguidos da regressão de Poisson. Esses resultados corroboram o fato de que ZIP são os GLM mais adequados para suportar análises com inflacionamento de zeros. É possível concluir através deste estudo que ZIP é o GLM mais adequado para analisar dados de contagem de A. cajennense adultos associados a variáveis climáticas nas regiões estudadas. Conclui-se, ainda, que a regressão de Poisson também pode proceder a uma análise de alto padrão para dados de contagem com inflacionamento de zeros

Spatial Econometrics Applied to Study the Influencing Factors of Honey Prices in Brazil

Recently, empirical econometric research has started to take into account the potential bias and loss of efficiency when spatial effects are ignored in the estimation process. The spatial econometrics methods deals with this kind of problem, by incorporating the spatial dependence into model specification. The application of this methodology has wide use, including rural economy, as apiculture. Currently, brazilian beekeeping is undergoing an expressive growth, projecting the country through the honey production and other bee products as well. Although, beekeeping sector has faced some important problems to reduce the deficits that strongly influence the beekeeping chain. Important issues are related to market, especially to understand the factors that influence the honey prices. This study aims to identify socio-economic, technological, management and geographic factors that have influenced the honey prices in Brazil. The analyses were based on classical linear and spatial econometrics regression models. In order to measure spatial dependence the Moran’s Index was applied and the stepAIC and Nagelkerke Pseudo-R² approaches to select the most appropriate model. The best model identified factors linked to improper agricultural practices, access to fund, honey production level, market competition and educational level as target variables that influence the honey prices in Brazil

Impact of application of urea modes and rates on yield and nitrous oxide emissions in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) on sandy soils in subtropical climate

Grapevines subjected to applications of nitrogen (N) doses on the soil surface can use only a small amount of the nutrient, probably because of losses, such as nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions to the atmosphere. An alternative to reduce these N losses may be the application of N via fertigation. The study aimed to evaluate the N2O emissions and grape yield (Vitis vinifera L.), in grapevines submitted to the application of modes and doses of N cultivated in sandy soil in a subtropical climate. 'Alicante Bouschet' grapevines were subjected to a factorial scheme with three N rates: 0, 40 and 80 kg N ha-1 year-1; and two application modes: surface (NS) and via fertigation (NF). Evaluations of N2O emissions and ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-) contents in the soil, N concentration in leaves, grape yield, and number of clusters per plant were carried out. Grapevines cultivated with applications of 40 and 80 kg N ha-1 yr-1, in NF and NS modes, respectively, present-ed higher N2O emissions. N2O emission peaks occurred in the first 9 days after N application. Cumulative N2O emissions ranged from 161.74 ± 34.67 to 496.18 ± 37.00 g ha-1 of N2O-N, in soils that received 0 and 40 kg N ha-1 yr-1, respectively, both in NF mode. Accumulated N2O emissions had a linearly positive relation with the mineral N content in the soil (NH4+ and NO3-) and these had a negative relation with grape yield.  

Impact of Environment and Social Gradient on Leptospira Infection in Urban Slums

Leptospirosis, a life-threatening zoonotic disease, has become an important urban slum health problem. Epidemics of leptospirosis now occur in cities throughout the developing world, as the growth of slum settlements has produced conditions for rat-borne transmission of this disease. In this prevalence survey of more than 3,000 residents from a favela slum community in Brazil, Geographical Information System (GIS) and modeling approaches identified specific deficiencies in the sanitation infrastructure of slum environments—open sewers, refuse, and inadequate floodwater drainage—that serve as sources for Leptospira transmission. In addition to the environmental attributes of the slum environment, low socioeconomic status was found to independently contribute to the risk of infection. These findings indicate that effective prevention of leptospirosis will need to address the social factors that produce unequal health outcomes among slum residents, in addition to improving sanitation

Leishmaniose visceral: uma proposta para a mensuração da percepção dos profissionais de saúde em Uruguaiana (Rio Grande do Sul)

Introduction: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is  considered one of the most relevant zoonoses in the Americas due to its high magnitude, wide geographic distribution, and high fatality rate. Objective: Evaluate the perception of health professionals regarding the occurrence of VL in Uruguaiana (RS). Method: A cross-sectional observational study was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire from December 2016 to January 2017. Results: One hundred eighty-three health professionals participated in the study (one hundred thirty-six members of the Family Health Strategy, twenty endemic control agents and twenty-seven veterinarians). Health professionals’ perception deficiencies were identified regarding the epidemiology and symptomatology of the disease. Conclusions: This study showed weaknesses in the knowledge of health professionals about the epidemiology and symptoms of VL, which may impact the early detection of cases and,  consequently, their favorable resolution. It is necessary to invest in training strategies on VL, aiming to correct gaps in knowledge and foster discussion on the subject.Introdução: A leishmaniose visceral (LV) é  considerada uma das zoonoses mais relevantes das Américas devido à acentuada magnitude, à ampla distribuição geográfica e à alta taxa de letalidade. Objetivo: Avaliar a percepção dos profissionais de saúde quanto à ocorrência da LV em Uruguaiana (Rio Grande do Sul). Método: Estudo observacional transversal empregando um questionário autoaplicável durante o período de dezembro de 2016 a janeiro de 2017. Resultados: Participaram 183 profissionais de saúde, sendo 136 integrantes da Estratégia Saúde da Família, 20 agentes de controle de endemias e 27 veterinários. Identificaram-se deficiências de percepção dos profissionais de saúde a respeito da epidemiologia e da sintomatologia da doença. Conclusões: Fragilidades na percepção dos profissionais de saúde quanto à epidemiologia e à sintomatologia da LV ficaram evidenciadas, o que poderá impactar na detecção precoce de casos da doença e, consequentemente, na execução das ações preconizadas para o controle e prevenção dadoença. É necessário investir em estratégias de capacitação sobre a LV, visando corrigir lacunas no conhecimento e fomentar discussões que englobem a complexidade do tema

Accuracy of saliva for SARS-CoV-2 detection in outpatients and their household contacts during the circulation of the Omicron variant of concern.

BACKGROUND: While nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs are considered the gold standard for severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detection, several studies have shown that saliva is an alternative specimen for COVID-19 diagnosis and screening. METHODS: To analyze the utility of saliva for the diagnosis of COVID-19 during the circulation of the Omicron variant, participants were enrolled in an ongoing cohort designed to assess the natural history of SARS-CoV-2 infection in adults and children. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and Cohen's kappa coefficient were calculated to assess diagnostic performance. RESULTS: Overall, 818 samples were collected from 365 outpatients from January 3 to February 2, 2022. The median age was 32.8 years (range: 3-94 years). RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 was confirmed in 97/121 symptomatic patients (80.2%) and 62/244 (25.4%) asymptomatic patients. Substantial agreement between saliva and combined nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal samples was observed with a Cohen's kappa value of 0.74 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.67-0.81]. Sensitivity was 77% (95% CI: 70.9-82.2), specificity 95% (95% CI: 91.9-97), PPV 89.8% (95% CI: 83.1-94.4), NPV 87.9% (95% CI: 83.6-91.5), and accuracy 88.5% (95% CI: 85.0-91.4). Sensitivity was higher among samples collected from symptomatic children aged three years and older and adolescents [84% (95% CI: 70.5-92)] with a Cohen's kappa value of 0.63 (95% CI: 0.35-0.91). CONCLUSIONS: Saliva is a reliable fluid for detecting SARS-CoV-2, especially in symptomatic children and adolescents during the circulation of the Omicron variant