Search

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the Americas and raised blood pressure accounts for over 50% of CVD. In the Americas over a quarter of adult women and four in ten adult men have hypertension and the diagnosis, treatment and control are suboptimal. In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) released an updated guideline for the pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults. This policy paper highlights the facilitating role of the WHO Global HEARTS initiative and the HEARTS in the Americas initiative to catalyze the implementation of this guideline, provides specific policy advice for implementation, and emphasizes that an overarching strategic approach for hypertension control is needed. The authors urge health advocates and policymakers to prioritize the prevention and control of hypertension to improve the health and wellbeing of their populations and to reduce CVD health disparities within and between populations of the Americas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focused on native forest remnants in the state of Paraná. Its aim was to map areas of occurrence of the whitelipped peccary. The sources were the collection of information from the conservation units' management plans, from fauna monitoring reports and other scientific papers, and from environmental impact studies among other documents. All of the sources were available for public consultation. Research about the Araucaria Ecological Corridor was also made by the authors. Methods of sampling consisted of an expeditious survey in the study areas, unstructured interviews with land owners and local communities, and observation of vestiges. Historical and current data regarding the species occurrence were collected and places were identified where the species was extinguished locally and where there are still remnant populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modeling and reasoning on domain contexts play a key role for adding intelligence to communication services, and the approach of capability-based requirement engineering ensures the scientificity and accuracy of requirement elicitation. This paper presents a capability-based context ontology modeling approach for command and control, communication, computer, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) communication. Primarily, a capability-based C4ISR communication meta-concept model and a C4ISR communication context meta-ontology are constructed. The context ontology is established under the constraints of the C4ISR communication context meta-ontology, and furthermore, algorithms are proposed to support context reasoning based on description logic. A case study is presented to demonstrate applicability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new signal noise level estimation approach by local regions. The estimated noise variance is applied as the threshold for an improved empirical mode decomposition (EMD) based signal denoising method. The proposed estimation method can effectively extract the candidate regions for the noise level estimation by measuring the correlation coefficient between noisy signal and a Gaussian filtered signal. For the improved EMD based method, the situation of decomposed intrinsic mode function (IMFs) which contains noise and signal simultaneously are taken into account. Experimental results from two simulated signals and an X-ray pulsar signal demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve better performance than the conventional EMD and wavelet transform (WT) based denoising methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To describe and discuss the activities deployed by EVIPNet Brazil in 2013, highlighting the network's actions to promote evidence-based decision-making for the development and implementation of health policies. METHODS: A descriptive approach was employed to present the actions carried out by EVIPNet Brazil in 2013, especially processes relating to capacity-building, product development, and event participation. RESULTS: In 2013, 10 training programs were carried out (four technical meetings and six workshops), involving 34 institutions and 193 participants. One evidence brief for policy was reviewed and republished, and five others were developed. Moreover, one process of deliberative dialogue was conducted. A scientific paper was published on the experience of EVIPNet Brazil in the development of evidence-informed polices. The first issue of the EVIPNet Brazil Newsletter was published, along with the posting of news articles online. EVIPNet Brazil's actions were presented on national and international lectures, conferences, and round tables. The impacts of EVIPNet Brazil may be observed in the federal, state, and local contexts. CONCLUSIONS: A successful development, implementation, and monitoring of evidence-informed policies depends on actions such as those carried out by EVIPNet, including professional capacity-building to help expand and consolidate the network, creation of new local Health Evidence Centers to encourage the use of evidence in decision-making, production of evidence briefs for health policies, and organization of deliberative dialogues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To describe and discuss the activities deployed by EVIPNet Brazil in 2013, highlighting the network's actions to promote evidence-based decision-making for the development and implementation of health policies. METHODS: A descriptive approach was employed to present the actions carried out by EVIPNet Brazil in 2013, especially processes relating to capacity-building, product development, and event participation. RESULTS: In 2013, 10 training programs were carried out (four technical meetings and six workshops), involving 34 institutions and 193 participants. One evidence brief for policy was reviewed and republished, and five others were developed. Moreover, one process of deliberative dialogue was conducted. A scientific paper was published on the experience of EVIPNet Brazil in the development of evidence-informed polices. The first issue of the EVIPNet Brazil Newsletter was published, along with the posting of news articles online. EVIPNet Brazil's actions were presented on national and international lectures, conferences, and round tables. The impacts of EVIPNet Brazil may be observed in the federal, state, and local contexts. CONCLUSIONS: A successful development, implementation, and monitoring of evidence-informed policies depends on actions such as those carried out by EVIPNet, including professional capacity-building to help expand and consolidate the network, creation of new local Health Evidence Centers to encourage the use of evidence in decision-making, production of evidence briefs for health policies, and organization of deliberative dialogues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper synthesizes the main concepts inherent to landscape multifunctionality, highlights the importance of their multiple functions in the structuring of the territories, and focuses the key role played by land use/land cover changes as "driving forces" of landscape transformation dynamics. The methodological approach consisted in the analysis of land use, between 1990 and 2007, in the "dairy region" of Entre-Douro-e-Minho, located in the Northwestern Portugal and around the Porto Metropolitan Area. This area has a high agricultural potential, and is characterized by its intensive and mechanized farming, specialized in milk production, and by a high concentration of farms, and by the existence of a competitive and dynamic agri-food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper discusses the sensationalization of violence by the media as a means to increase audience ratings, citing Brazilian cases, as well as the possible roles of the media in promoting or curtailing violence. The theme of violence permeates the patterning of and the various dimensions of society, with emphasis on the media. The debate surrounding this issue assumes that the means of communication, as producers of meaning, can contribute to transform behaviors and social habits based on an approach that values equality, citizenship, freedom, and the safety of individuals. By restricting the importance and emphasis on violence as a topic, the discourse of the media may contribute towards making cultures more egalitarian in their efforts to reduce violence rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper briefly outlines how the political scenario and the mobilization of different actors have contributed to the construction of a public health policy in response to the AIDS epidemics in Brazil. Three factors are presented and discussed: the political context of the 1980s, characterized by redemocratization, growth of social movements, and consolidation of the Brazilian health care reform; the socio-cultural context of the 1970s and 1980s, characterized by achievement of individual freedom, which was key to the organization of the AIDS movement; and finally the actions carried out in the international scenario to support the sustainability of the Brazilian domestic policy and the reinforcement of a global response to face the epidemics in lower-middle income economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mortality statistics are used in epidemiology and public health as an indicator of health status, to evaluate health programs, and in population studies to compare trends and spatial differences. One of the variables used in this type of analysis is the underlying cause-of-death. However, the quality of cause-of-death statistics based on the information recorded by physicians in death certificates has been criticized. The aim of this paper is to discuss the reliability of cause-of-death data recorded by physicians in death certificates, based on studies carried out according to various methodologies, and to comment on the validity of using such underlying cause-of-death statistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With ever-increasing frequency, consumers are seeking information on the foods they eat. Food labels are an important source of this type of information, and the Codex Alimentarius, created by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, provides a global reference for coordinated food quality and identification standards. The Codex Alimentarius agenda includes nutritional information and "health claims," which are defined as any representation that states, suggests, or implies that a relationship exists between a food or a constituent of that food and health. Although food labeling seems to effectively assist consumers in choosing among processed foods, consumers are not always capable of reading or interpreting nutritional information correctly, so health claims may allow for more precise decision-making for these products. The present paper examines the use of health claims in countries and regions that have already implemented this type of regulation (Brazil, Chile, Canada, United States of America, the European Union, and Japan). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past 10 years, the American Region has witnessed the reintroduction and dissemination of dengue virus serotype 3. In this paper we describe the main clinical and epidemiologic features of the dengue 3 epidemic that broke out in Cuba between June 2001 and March 2002, as well as the measures that were undertaken to eliminate it. A total of 14 524 confirmed cases were reported, 12 889 (88,7%) of them in the City of Havana. Eighty-one cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever were confirmed, three of which died. Secondary infection, white skin color, sickle cell anemia, and bronchial asthma were risk factors for dengue hemorrhagic fever. Active clinical and epidemiologic surveillance and laboratory support were critical to the early detection of transmission and to the monitoring of the epidemic. Widespread involvement of the community and its different sectors, participation of the mass media with a single leadership in command, and strong political will were the key factors that made it possible to eliminate transmission. This epidemic was one more example of the risk of dengue epidemics faced by countries in the area, including those that have strong surveillance and control programs. It also served to show that by applying the principles established by the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization for dengue control, transmission can be stopped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aimed to characterize postharvest management for temperate cut flowers in the State of Ceará, Brazil. Growing areas were visited from Apri, 28th to May 14th of 2003 and producers were asked to answer questionnaires on harvest, packing, storage and transportation. The species involved were Aster, Gladiolus, Rose, Gerbera daisy and chrysanthemun. Data showed that flowers are harvested in the morning by transversal stem cuts in Gladiolus. Rose and Gerbera daisy, which were kept in water, meanwhile Aster and Chrysanthemun are kept at the bedside. They are their taken manually to the packing houses, except flowers that are taken in carts, where they are hydrated for a few hours At the packing houses, bunches are formed by size, quantity and weight of flowers, except for Chrysanthemun, which are bunched up at the field. Afterwards, stems are immersed in preserving or bactericide solutions and then cold stored (1-5°C and U.R.>90%). Cut stents are then air dried and packed in carton paper box (1.20x0.43x0.26m) and transported at 2-4°C and U.R.>90%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A continuous debate among those involved with the Brazilian cashew agribusiness refers to its international competitiveness. This work had the objective to assess the evolution of competitive performance of this agribusiness, based on the analysis of the Brazilian participation in cashew world exports and also its is participation in the total world exports. Hence, a bibliographic and documentation research was carried out, consisting of papers and diverse documents, and also an analysis of secondary data produced by the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and International Trade (MDIC). The analysis showed that the country maintained an outstanding competitive position during the study period, however the market was dominated by few countries. In addition, Brazilis position was not sustained in time, with a high variability of the international market share varying of 15% to 32%, and an comparative advantage of 15 to 31%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to show some essential aspects of the commercial flows of six fruit among select main groups of countries, for six previously defined groups of fruits. The study concentrates on the import and export structures which characterize the interregional trade of fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mango (Mangijera indica L.) is an important tropical fruit cultivated in Brazil. However, its commercial importance is based on a few Floridian cultivars and 'Tommy Atkins' represents 80% of the total cultivated area. Although this cultivar has some important characteristics, such as acceptable fruit color, long shef-life and fiberless fruit, its susceptibility to mango malformation, high incidence of internal pulp breakdown and poor taste, have induced mango breeders to search for a new cultivar with superior characteristics. Our breeding program, coordinated by Embrapa Cerrados, intends to develop new cultivars with the objective of supporting the three components of the productive chains growers, retailers and consumers. Growers request cultivars easy to manage, with high yield, regular bearing and totally adapted to adverse environment. The retailers want cultivars resistant to postharvest handling, shipping and transport. On the other hand, consumers request high quality mango regarding taste and fiberless fruit. Introduction of elite cultivars from other countries and Brazilian regions, crossing, evaluation and the selection allowed the release of the first four cultivars 'Roxa Embrapa 141', 'Alfa Embrapa 142', 'Beta' and 'Lita' between 1998 and 2002. Some advanced selections have been evaluated and they present excellent characteristic of plant and fruits, which will be presented and discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research had the purposes of evaluating the modified atmosphre technology on guava shelf life after harvest in different packages under room temperature. Fruits of guava cultivar Paluma were harvested in a commercial orchard, in Caraibas town, Bahia State, Brazil, in physiological mature stage for fresh fruit consumption. It was determined soluble solids contents, total titratable acidity and fruit firmness. It was used a randomized blocks with four replications. The used treatment were T1 - Test, T2 - paper bags, 13 - plastic bags, T4 - plastic bags closed under vacuum, T5 - long life plastic bags, T6 - long life plastic bags closed under vacuum. Higher fruit firmness were observed in T4, T5 and T6. In relation to soluble solids 15 presented higher content. To acidity no difference was observed among treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studied the clonal propagation of camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia Mc Vaugh. The experiment was carried out at UNESP/FCAV (21°15′22″S and 48°18′58″W), Jaboticabal, SP, in April. Apical softwood leafy cuttings were treated with IBA (0, 1000, 3000 e 5000 mg.L-1). After the treatment, the cuttings were placed in a drilled box supplied with vermiculite under intermitent mist inside a lathhouse. After 90 days evaluations were made of rooting survival, permanence of leaves and callus of the cuttings, number and length of roots. The IBA did not increase the survival, permanence of leaves nor callus of the cuttings, number and length of roots. The IBA increased the rooting, with 1000 and 3000 mg.L~' presenting the best results (30 and 31,7% respectively). Rooted cuttings were planted and stayed more than one month under mist. All the plantlets survived. These results differ from other reports in the literature. In conclusion, the experiments must be regional for determination of the success of this specie cuttings, as well as to establish the time and concentration of IBA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aimed to characterize postharvest management for cut tropical flowers at the State of Cearã, Brazil. Growing areas were visited from April, 28th to May 14th of 2003 and producers were asked to answer a questionnaire on harvest, packing, storage and transportation. The flowers studied were Heliconia, Alpinia, Zin giber. Costus, Tapeinochilos and Anthurium ssp. Data showed that flowers were harvested in the morning with transversal cuts and cut stems were kept in buckets with water, they were then taken manually to the packing houses, where they were hydrated for few hours. After hydration, stems were cleaned and immersed in a fungicide and insecticide solution (Captan Ig / 1L and Parathion Methyl lg / IL) and rinsed in warm water with neutral soap, except for Heliconias which are covered with powder. Cut stems are then air dried and packed in carton paper box (1,20x0,43x0,26m) and transported at ambient condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]