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Prevalence of gastrointestinal (GI) parasites and the effect of associated factors were evaluated in household dogs from an urban area of Córdoba, Argentina. A total of 493 fecal samples were collected during 2010 and 2013 and processed with Willis' salt, Sheather's sugar flotation, and formol-ether concentration techniques. Overall prevalence of GI parasites was 45.23% (95% CI 40.83- 49.62), and Ancylostoma caninum (30.83%) was the most frequent parasite, followed by Trichuris vulpis (9.94%), Cystoisospora spp. (7.71%), Toxocara canis (6.90%), and Giardia spp. (5.88%). Independent variables were presence of at least one parasite element, named "all parasites", and each GI parasite more frequently detected was analyzed as separate outcomes. Logistic regression results showed an increased risk related to age (P = 0.0343) for all parasites and for T. canis, Cystoisospora spp., and Giardia spp. Statistically significant and protective variables were no ingestion of small animals, daily feces removal, and absence of shadow in house yards. Use of anthelmintics and daily feces removal for A. caninum, being female, and absence of shadow for T. canis resulted in protective factors. The role played by veterinarians and owners' commitment as key aspects, effective actions for prevention, control and treatment are required in the research area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intestinal parasitoses are a major concern for public health, especially in children from middle and low-income populations of tropical and subtropical areas. We examined the presence and co-infection of parasites in humans as well as parasitic environmental contamination in Puerto Iguazú, Argentina. We explored the environmental and socio-demographic characteristics of the persistence of parasites in children and their environment. Methodology/Principal findings: This cross-section survey was conducted among children population comprised into the area of the public health care centers of Iguazú during June 2013 to May 2016. Copro-parasitological status of 483 asymptomatic children was assessed. Simultaneously, a design-based sampling of 744 soil samples and 530 dog feces was used for characterize the environmental contamination. The 71.5% of these sites were contaminated. Sixteen genera were detected in the environment being hookworms (62.0%) the main pathogens group detected followed by Toxocara spp (16.3%), Trichuris spp (15.2%) and Giardia (6.5%). Total children prevalence raised 58.8%, detecting twelve genera of parasite with Giardia intestinalis as the most prevalent pathogen (29.0%) followed by Enterobius vermicularis (23.0%), Hymenolepis nana (12.4%) and hookworms (4.4%). Through questionnaires and census data, we characterized the socio-demographics conditions at an individual, family and neighborhood levels. A multi-level analysis including environmental contamination data showed that the ´presence of parasites´ was mostly determined by individual (e.g. age, playing habits, previous treatment) and household level (e.g. UBN, WASH, mother's literacy) determinants. Remarkably, to define the level of ‘parasite co-infection’, besides individual and household characteristics, environmental factors at a neighborhood level were important. Conclusion/Significance: Our work represents the major survey of intestinal parasites in human and environmental samples developed in the region. High prevalence was detected in the children population as well as in their environment. This work shows the importance of considering and promoting multi-level actions over the identified determinants to face this public health problem from integrative approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The maintenance systems management is a complex activity, especially when there are several contract companies acting as executors of the planned and emergency activities. In power distribution companies the managers are always looking for solutions that can support in the contract companies performance identification and in the location of system critical points that should be prioritized. This paper presents a study with real data collected application using the fuzzy inference method and geo-referencing information to support the electric power company maintenance management. Some case studies are presented to validate the methodology's application. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As LGBTI issues become visible within society there is a growing belief that society is ready to confront prejudices around sexuality and gender. But who is represented in these processes of visualization? The LGBTI agenda has focused on the defense of marriage, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, federal hate crime statutes and the Employment Non-discrimination Act. The political strategy around these issues has been defined by a moderate approach based on demanding inclusion into existing institutions. A look at the normalization of sexual politics reveals that minorities remain at the margins. I approached activists from QUEEROCRACY and immigration activist Felipe Baeza to discuss: What are the social issues young people care about ? What forms of activism do young people favor and what motivates them to organize? What forms of visuality do young queer activists use and how do these relate to the strategies of the previous generations? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sample of 158 Brazilian males from São Paulo (SP), Brazilian southeast, was typed for 17 Y-STR loci (DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635, YGATA_H4.1, and DYS385ab). A total of 158 haplotypes were identified, of which all were unique. The haplotype diversity and discrimination capacity were calculated in 1.0 and the genetic diversity was 67.4%. Pairwise haplotype distances showed that the São Paulo population is not significantly different from Rio de Janeiro and Portugal, but is different from African and Native American. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Composite materials based on carbon nanotubes (CNT) and polymeric hydrogels have become the subject matter of major interest for use as carriers in drug delivery research. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro cytotoxicity of the hydrogel-carbon nanotube-chitosan (hydrogel-CNT-CH) composites on intestinal cells. Oxidized CNT were wrapped with chitosan (CH), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis suggest that oxidized CNT interact with CH. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show a CH layer lying around CNT. Chitosan wrapped CNT were incorporated to poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) hydrogels. Swelling behavior in buffers at different pH were evaluated and revealed a significantly lower swelling when it is exposed to a acid buffer solution (pH 2.2). Mechanical properties were evaluated by measurements of elasticity and the material with CNT showed better mechanical properties. The incorporation and liberation of Egg Yolk Immunoglobulin from hydrogel-CNT-CH were also assessed and it revealed an improved performance. To evaluate the effect of these nanocomposites on cellular redox balance, intestinal cells were exposed to hydrogel-CNT-CH composites and antioxidant enzymes were assessed. Cytotoxicity and apoptosis were also evaluated. Hydrogel-CNT-CH composites induce no oxidative stress and there were no evidence of cytotoxicity or cell death. These preliminary findings suggest that hydrogel-CNT-CH composites show improved properties and good biocompatibility in vitro making these biomaterials promising systems for drug delivery purposes. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41370. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Percurso is the property of Revista Percurso and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)