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Leptodactylus petersii is a species of anuran found in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats and occurs from South America to southern North America and the West Indies. Studies involving the fauna of anuran parasites offer complementary information related to ecology. Thus, since there are few studies on the natural history of this species, this research aims to analyze the diet and the presence of endoparasitic helminths of Leptodactylus petersii from the state of Amapá, Brazil. We found 10 different taxonomic categories of prey in stomach contents, with the categories Hymenoptera (Formicidae) with 32.26 % (n = 12) being the most representative. Among the 12 individuals of L. petersii that were analyzed for helminth parasites, 83.3 % were infected with at least one species of helminths allocated to Phylum Nematoda. Our results report a new occurrence site for Rhabdias breviensis, originally described for Leptodactylus petersii in the state of Pará, as well as the second report of Ortleppascaris sp. in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately 57% of the Brazilian northeast region is recognized as semi-arid land and has been undergoing intense land use processes in the last decades, which have resulted in severe degradation of its natural assets. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify the areas that are susceptible to desertification in this region based on the 11 influencing factors of desertification (pedology, geology, geomorphology, topography data, land use and land cover change, aridity index, livestock density, rural population density, fire hot spot density, human development index, conservation units) which were simulated for two different periods: 2000 and 2010. Each indicator were assigned weights ranging from 1 to 2 (representing the best and the worst conditions), representing classes indicating low, moderate and high susceptibility to desertification. The results indicate that 94% of the Brazilian northeast region is under moderate to high susceptibility to desertification. The areas that were susceptible to soil desertification increased by approximately 4.6% (83.4 km²) from 2000 to 2010. The implementation of the methodology provides the technical basis for decisionmaking that involves mitigating actions and the first comprehensive national assessment within the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social exchange theory is used in this paper to explore how the quality of leader–member exchange (LMX) and perceived organizational support (POS) affect Brazilian nursing professionals’ perceptions of bullying and harassment and, in turn, their wellbeing. Data was obtained from 868 nursing professionals in four public hospitals in Brazil. Statistically significant linkages were found between LMX, POS, bullying/harassment and wellbeing, except for the relationship between POS and bullying/harassment. Healthcare managers and human resource managers clearly need to take initiatives to strengthen LMX and POS, minimize bullying and to strengthen nursing professionals’ wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Improving survival is the objective of intensive care units. Various factors affect long-term outcomes. The objective was to explore survival and the associated factors 1 year after admission to the intensive care unit., Method: This is an observational, descriptive, and analytical study in a retrospective cohort of adults admitted to an intensive care unit at a regional hospital during the first semester of 2022. Records of 218 patients from an anonymized database were analyzed., Results: The average age was 61 years, and the average APACHE II score was 15 points (24% expected mortality). Survival 1 year after admission was 57.8%. Factors associated with 1-year survival in the Cox regression model were age and APACHE II. The univariate analysis showed that the cancer was significantly associated with lethality after 1 year (OR 10.55; 95%CI 1.99-55.76)., Conclusion: One-year survival after intensive care unit decreases by 16.1%. Factors that significantly reduced survival were old age, severity, and oncologic cause at admission.

Background: With the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions imposed to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the Brazilian population has increased the time spent at home and watching television (TV). Since food advertising exposure is a key driver of food choices, this study described the content of food advertisements (ads) on Brazilian TV during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: This is an exploratory study. A total of 684 h of TV programming comprised of three free-to-air channels and two pay-per-view channels was recorded from 06 a.m. to 12 a.m. for eight non-consecutive days in June 2020. A content analysis of all the food-related ads was carried out. The data collection process followed INFORMAS Protocol for TV food advertising monitoring., Results: The sample was composed of 7,083 ads, 752 (10.6%) of which were food-related and 487 (6.9%) were promoting ultra-processed foods. The content analysis indicated seven thematic categories, all of them with reference to the COVID-19 pandemic: brand and product differentials (79.8%); visual and sound effects (70.2%); thematic campaigns (56.0%); digitization (22.9%); convenience (16.5%); economic benefits (11.9%); and commensality and social interaction (6.1%). Ads content varied according to the day of the week, the time of the day, the length of the ad, and the channel type., Conclusions: The thematic of food advertising on Brazilian TV during the COVID-19 pandemic is aligned with the country's health crisis context and varied during the programming., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This study examined the relationship between weight stigma and disordered eating behaviors in university students during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering individuals with and without overweight. A national sample of 738 college students completed an online questionnaire at three time points between July 2020 and December 2021, reporting their experiences of weight stigma, perceived increase in weight stigma during the pandemic, internalized weight stigma, and disordered eating behaviors. The findings showed that the trajectories of disordered eating behaviors varied depending on participants' anthropometric status. Among those with overweight, there was a decrease over time in binge eating, food restriction, and purging. Conversely, the non-overweight group experienced a slight increase in binge eating from T2 to T3. Using the Generalized Estimating Equations model, the study revealed that weight stigma predicted disordered eating behaviors in both weight spectrums during the pandemic. Experiences of weight stigma and the perceived increase in weight stigma significantly increased the likelihood of engaging in binge eating, food restriction, and purging among individuals with overweight. Furthermore, the internalization of weight stigma was longitudinally associated with all examined eating behaviors, regardless of anthropometric status. These findings highlight the importance of addressing weight stigma to prevent disordered eating in college students., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to declare., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Communicable diseases represent a huge economic burden for healthcare systems and for society. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a concerning issue, especially in developing and underdeveloped countries, in which environmental factors and other determinants of health play a role in contributing to its fast spread. In light of this situation, machine learning techniques have been explored to assess the incidence of syphilis and contribute to the epidemiological surveillance in this scenario., Objective: The main goal of this work is to evaluate the performance of different machine learning models on predicting undesirable outcomes of congenital syphilis in order to assist resources allocation and optimize the healthcare actions, especially in a constrained health environment., Method: We use clinical and sociodemographic data from pregnant women that were assisted by a social program in Pernambuco, Brazil, named Mãe Coruja Pernambucana Program (PMCP). Based on a rigorous methodology, we propose six experiments using three feature selection techniques to select the most relevant attributes, pre-process and clean the data, apply hyperparameter optimization to tune the machine learning models, and train and test models to have a fair evaluation and discussion., Results: The AdaBoost-BODS-Expert model, an Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost) model that used attributes selected by health experts, presented the best results in terms of evaluation metrics and acceptance by health experts from PMCP. By using this model, the results are more reliable and allows adoption on a daily usage to classify possible outcomes of congenital syphilis using clinical and sociodemographic data., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Teixeira et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

We evaluated species richness, abundance, alpha diversity, and true diversity of Phlebotominae sand flies temporal changes in domiciles within the northern Argentina city of Corrientes. A total of 16 sampling nights were conducted seasonally throughout the years 2012-2014 through light traps supplemented with CO2. Meteorological and remote sensing environmental factors were used to assessed for vectors implications in disease transmission through Generalized Mixt Models. Lutzomyia longipalpis was the most abundant and common species, followed by Nyssomyia neivai and Migonemyia migonei. Lutzomyia longipalpis was more abundant in urban areas, Ny. neivai was associated with vegetation in periurban areas, both were found all sampling years with higher abundance during the rainy season. Positive association of Lu. longipalpis with precipitation and relative humidity and negative association with temperature were observed. Models showed humidity and vegetation as making effects on Lu. longipalpis abundance. Precipitation was significant for Mg. migonei models, with higher abundance in periurban and periurban-rural environments. For Ny. neivai models, relative humidity was the most important variable, followed by precipitation frequency. Our findings led to identify high risk areas and develop predictive models. These are useful for public health stakeholders giving tolls to optimized resources aim to prevent leshmaniasis transmission on the area.

Objectives: This manuscript aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of Chagas's disease in the population of rural communities at Campinas do Piauí city, State of Piauí, Brazil., Methods: The techniques of the indirect immunofluorescence reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to detect reagent samples for Chagas disease and estimate its prevalence in the rural population. Blood samples were collected on filter paper through digital and venipuncture. Blood samples with reactive or indeterminate results were re-evaluated and subjected to the test by ELISA., Results: In total, 763 blood samples were analysed from 161 residences of 18 rural communities, collected in residents aged between 2 and 92 years. In the indirect immunofluorescence reaction technique, 44 (5.8%) of the results were positive, being 40 (5.2%) confirmed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Among the communities surveyed, we observed reactive cases in 15 of them, these cases being distributed, according to the age group, as follows: 1 case from 0 to 10 years; 13 cases from 11 to 60 years old; and 30 cases over 61 years., Conclusion: The results indicate that Chagas's disease remains with active transmission in the Campinas do Piaui city according to the occurrence of a case in a resident under 10 years of age. The region is endemic for Chagas's disease, as observed by the high prevalence of positive cases., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To analyse the extent and nature of food and beverage advertising on the three major Brazilian free-to-air television (TV) channels., Design: Cross-sectional study. A protocol developed for the International Network for Food and Obesity/Non-Communicable Diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support was applied for data collection. A total of 432 h of TV programming was recorded from 06.00 to 24.00 hours, for eight non-consecutive and randomly selected days, in April 2018. All TV advertisements (ads) were analysed, and food-related ads were classified according to the NOVA classification system. Descriptive analyses were used to describe the number and type of ads, food categories and the distribution of ads throughout the day and time of the day., Setting: The three most popular free-to-air channels on Brazilian TV., Participants: The study did not involve human subjects., Results: In total, 14·2 % (n 1156 out of 7991) of ads were food related (858 were specific food items). Approximately 91 % of food items ads included ultra-processed food (UPF) products. The top three most promoted products were soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and fast-food meals. Alcoholic beverage ads were more frequently broadcast in the evening., Conclusion: The high risk of exposure of the Brazilian population to UPF ads should be considered a public health concern given the impact of unhealthy food advertising on people's food choices and health.

Remarkable increases in the production of dairy animals have negatively impacted their tolerance to heat stress (HS). The evaluation of the effect of HS on milk yield is based on the direct impact of HS on performance. However, in practical terms, HS also exerts its influence during gestation (indirect effect). The main purpose of this study was to identify and characterize the genotype by environment interaction (G × E) due to HS during the last 60 days of gestation (THI_g) and also the HS postpartum (THI_m) over first lactation milk production of Brazilian Holstein cattle. A total of 389 127 test day milk yield (TD) records from 1572 first lactation Holstein cows born in Brazil (daughters of 1248 dams and 70 sires) and the corresponding temperature-humidity index (THI) obtained between December 2007 and January 2013 were analyzed using different random regression models. Cows in the cold environment (THI_g = 64 to 73) during the last 60 days of gestation produced more milk than those cows in a hot environment (THI_g = 74 to 84), particularly during the first 150 days of lactation (DIM). The heritabilities (h2) of TD were similar throughout DIM for cows in THI_g hot (0.11 to 0.20) or (0.10 to 0.22), while the genetic correlations (rg) for TD between these two environments ranged from 0.11 to 0.52 along the first 250 DIM. The h2 estimates for TD across THI_m were similar for cows in THI_g hot (0.07 to 0.25) and THI_g cold (0.08 to 0.19). The rg estimates ranged from 0.17 to 0.42 along THI_m between TD of cows in cold and hot THI_g. The results were consistent in demonstrating the existence of an additional source of G × E for TD due to THI_g and THI_m. The present study is probably the first to provide evidence of this source of G × E; further research is needed because of its importance when the breeding objective is to select animals that are more tolerant to HS.

Zika virus (ZIKV) was first discovered in 1947 in Uganda but was not considered a public health threat until 2007 when it found to be the source of epidemic activity in Asia. Epidemic activity spread to Brazil in 2014 and continued to spread throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. Despite ZIKV being zoonotic in origin, information about transmission, or even exposure of non-human vertebrates and mosquitoes to ZIKV in the Americas, is lacking. Accordingly, from February 2017 to March 2018, we sought evidence of sylvatic ZIKV transmission by sampling whole blood from approximately 2000 domestic and wild vertebrates of over 100 species in West-Central Brazil within the active human ZIKV transmission area. In addition, we collected over 24,300 mosquitoes of at least 17 genera and 62 species. We screened whole blood samples and mosquito pools for ZIKV RNA using pan-flavivirus primers in a real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in a SYBR Green platform. Positives were confirmed using ZIKV-specific envelope gene real-time RT-PCR and nucleotide sequencing. Of the 2068 vertebrates tested, none were ZIKV positive. Of the 23,315 non-engorged mosquitoes consolidated into 1503 pools tested, 22 (1.5%) with full data available showed some degree of homology to insect-specific flaviviruses. To identify previous exposure to ZIKV, 1498 plasma samples representing 62 species of domestic and sylvatic vertebrates were tested for ZIKV-neutralizing antibodies by plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT 90 ). From these, 23 (1.5%) of seven species were seropositive for ZIKV and negative for dengue virus serotype 2, yellow fever virus, and West Nile virus, suggesting potential monotypic reaction for ZIKV. Results presented here suggest no active transmission of ZIKV in non-human vertebrate populations or in alternative vector candidates, but suggest that vertebrates around human populations have indeed been exposed to ZIKV in West-Central Brazil.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common autosomal recessive disorder, being the p.F508del the most frequent mutation. Also, a nearby restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) named XK (KM19 and XV2C) is non-randomly associated with specific CF alleles. Our aim was to analyze the occurrence of the p.F508del mutation and XK haplotypes in Afro-Brazilians CF patients and controls, since these data is available for the other two main ethnic groups found in Brazil (Euro-Brazilians and Brazilian Amerindians), contributing for the whole comprehension of these haplotypes in the Brazilian population. A total of 103 patients and 54 controls were studied. PCR and PCR-RFLP methodologies were used to identify the presence of the p.F508del and the XK haplotype in the subjects. The combined data show that 84.2% of p.F508del mutation is associated with haplotype B and only 15.8% with haplotype A; no other haplotypes were found to be associated with this mutation. Our data suggest that the occurrence of p.F508del mutation and haplotype B in Afro-Brazilian patients occurs probably due to admixture with Euro-descendants. Therefore this mutation and haplotype could be used as a admixture marker.

The Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) marker was used to analyze the genetic variability of Mycosphaerella fijiensis, the causative agent of Black Sigatoka disease in banana plants. A total of 123 isolates were used, which were divided into populations based on their original hosts and collection sites in Brazil. A total of 9 loci were amplified, 77.8% of which were found to be polymorphic. The genetic diversity found in the population was 0.20. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) demonstrated that the highest level of genetic variation is within populations. Cluster analysis revealed three main groups in Brazil, with no correlation between geographic and genetic distance.

The objectives of this study were to characterize and define homogenous production environments of composite beef cattle in Brazil in terms of climatic and geographic variables by using multivariate exploratory techniques; to evaluate the presence of genotype by environment interaction (GxE) for post-weaning weight gain (PWG), yearling scrotal circumference (SC), and yearling muscling (MUS). Hierarchical and nonhierarchical cluster analysis was used to group farms located in regions with similar environmental variables into clusters. Six clusters of farms were formed. The effect of sire-cluster interaction was tested by single-trait analysis. Genetic parameters were estimated by multi-trait analysis considering the same trait to be different in each cluster. The effect of sire-cluster interaction was significant (P <0.01) for PWG and MUS. Estimates of genetic correlations among clusters ranged from 0.31 to 0.93 for PWG, 0.64 to 0.89 for SC, and 0.18 to 0.80 for MUS. These results indicate the need for a genetic analysis on a regional basis or inclusion of the GxE effect in the statistical model to permit appropriate evaluation of the animals.

The objectives of the present study were: (1) to evaluate the importance of genotype × production environment interaction for the genetic evaluation of birth weight (BW) and weaning weight (WW) in a population of composite beef cattle in Brazil, and (2) to investigate the importance of sire × contemporary group interaction (S × CG) to model G × E and improve the accuracy of prediction in routine genetic evaluations of this population. Analyses were performed with one, two (favorable and unfavorable) or three (favorable, intermediate, unfavorable) different definitions of production environments. Thus, BW and WW records of animals in a favorable environment were assigned to either trait 1, in an intermediate environment to trait 2 or in an unfavorable environment to trait 3. The (co)variance components were estimated using Gibbs sampling in single-, bi- or three-trait animal models according to the definition of number of production environments. In general, the estimates of genetic parameters for BW and WW were similar between environments. The additive genetic correlations between production environments were close to unity for BW; however, when examining the highest posterior density intervals, the correlation between favorable and unfavorable environments reached a value of only 0.70, a fact that may lead to changes in the ranking of sires across environments. The posterior mean genetic correlation between direct effects was 0.63 in favorable and unfavorable environments for WW. When S × CG was included in two- or three-trait analyses, all direct genetic correlations were close to unity, suggesting that there was no evidence of a genotype × production environment interaction. Furthermore, the model including S × CG contributed to prevent overestimation of the accuracy of breeding values of sires, provided a lower error of prediction for both direct and maternal breeding values, lower squared bias, residual variance and deviance information criterion than the model omitting S × CG. Thus, the model that included S × CG can therefore be considered the best model on the basis of these criteria. The genotype × production environment interaction should not be neglected in the genetic evaluation of BW and WW in the present population of beef cattle. The inclusion of S × CG in the model is a feasible and plausible alternative to model the effects of G × E in the genetic evaluations.

This study was conducted to examine the relationship among average annual productivity of the cow (PRODAM), yearling weight (YW), postweaning BW gain (PWG), scrotal circumference (SC), and stayability in the herd for at least 6 yr (STAY) of Nelore and composite beef cattle. Measurements were taken on animals born between 1980 and 2010 on 70 farms located in 7 Brazilian states. Estimates of heritability and genetic and environmental correlations were obtained by Bayesian approach with 5-trait animal models. Genetic trends were estimated by regressing means of estimated breeding values by year of birth. The heritability estimates were between 0.14 and 0.47. Estimates of genetic correlation among female traits (PRODAM and STAY) and growth traits ranged from -0.02 to 0.30. Estimates of genetic correlations ranged from 0.23 to 0.94 among growth traits indicating that selection for these traits could be successful in tropical breeding programs. Genetic correlations among all traits were favorable and simultaneous selection for growth, productivity, and stayability is therefore possible. Genetic correlation between PRODAM and STAY was 0.99 and 0.85 for Nelore and composite cattle, respectively. Therefore, PRODAM and STAY might be influenced by many of the same genes. The inclusion of PRODAM instead of STAY as a selection criterion seems to be more advantageous for tropical breeding programs because the generation interval required to obtain accurate estimates of genetic merit for PRODAM is shorter. Average annual genetic changes were greater in Nelore than in composite cattle. This was not unexpected because the breeding program of composite cattle included a large number of farms, different production environments, and genetic level of the herds and breeds. Thus, the selection process has become more difficult in this population.

The objective of the present study was to determine the presence of genotype by environment interaction (G × E) and to characterize the phenotypic plasticity of birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), postweaning weight gain (PWG) and yearling scrotal circumference (SC) in composite beef cattle using the reaction norms model with unknown covariate. The animals were born between 1995 and 2008 on 33 farms located throughout all Brazilian biomes between latitude -7° and -31°, longitude -40° and -63°. The contemporary group was chosen as the environmental descriptor, that is, the environmental covariate of the reaction norms. In general, higher estimates of direct heritability were observed in extreme favorable environments. The mean of direct heritability across the environmental gradient ranged from 0.05 to 0.51, 0.09 to 0.43, 0.01 to 0.43 and from 0.12 to 0.26 for BW, WW, PWG and SC, respectively. The variation in direct heritability observed indicates a different response to selection according to the environment in which the animals of the population are evaluated. The correlation between the level and slope of the reaction norm for BW and PWG was high, indicating that animals with higher average breeding values responded better to improvement in environmental conditions, a fact characterizing a scale of G × E. Low correlation between the intercept and slope was obtained for WW and SC, implying re-ranking of animals in different environments. Genetic variation exists in the sensitivity of animals to the environment, a fact that permits the selection of more plastic or robust genotypes in the population studied. Thus, the G × E is an important factor that should be considered in the genetic evaluation of the present population of composite beef cattle.

Study Objective: The objective was to quantify cis and trans fatty acids in maternal plasma and infant cord plasma from adolescent mothers., Design: From 80 adolescent healthy mothers, we sampled postpartum maternal blood and umbilical cord blood at birth. Trans fatty acids (tFAs), linoleic (18:2), and arachidonic (AA, 20:4) acids of the n-6 family, and α-linolenic (18:3), eicosapentaenoic (20:5) and docosahexaenoic (22:6) acids of the n-3 family were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography. Results were expressed as a percentage of total fatty acids., Results: Linoleic fatty acid was present in greater proportions in the maternal plasma than in that of the umbilical cord, whereas AA was present in greater proportions in the total lipids of umbilical cord blood. Docosahexaenoic acid was the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid of the n-3 family that was predominant in both maternal and umbilical cord plasma. The tFAs in the maternal plasma had a negative correlation with oleic acid and linoleic acid. Linolenic acid had a positive correlation with cephalic perimeter upon birth. A tendency for a negative correlation between trans isomers and gestational age at birth (P = .05) was observed., Conclusions: Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are important to fetal growth and development, were found in greater quantities in the cord blood of newborns of adolescents than in the maternal blood, indicating a priority of transfer of AA and docosahexaenoic fatty acids to the fetus. Despite the lower levels of tFAs found in maternal blood, we verified potential risk for premature birth., (Copyright © 2012 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Planting resistant varieties is the most effective control measure against the angular leaf spot of dry beans, a fungal disease caused by Pseudocercospora griseola. However, dry bean varieties with durable resistance are not easily obtained. Knowledge about the genetic variability of the pathogen population is key for the success of dry bean breeding programs aimed at developing resistant materials, but finding suitable operationally simple and genetically accurate markers is not an easy task. The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of the ISSR-PCR technique to quantify the genetic variability of P. griseola isolates. Total DNA of 27 P. griseola isolates from Goiás, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, and Paraná States was extracted and amplified using specific primers for ISSR. Using cluster analysis, 27 genotypes were identified. The ISSR-PCR technique was suitable for assessing intraspecific variability of P. griseola. The ISSR-PCR marker was found to be highly sensitive to genetic variation and can aid in elucidating the genetic structure of the population of this plant pathogen as a support tool for the dry bean breeding programs.

The study of population structure by pedigree analysis is useful to identify important circumstances that affect the genetic history of populations. The intensive use of a small number of superior individuals may reduce the genetic diversity of populations. This situation is very common for the beef cattle breeds. Therefore, the objectives of the present study were to analyze the pedigree and possible inbreeding depression on traits of economic interest in the Marchigiana and Bonsmara breeds and to test the inclusion of the individual inbreeding coefficient (F(i)) or individual increases in inbreeding coefficient (ΔF(i)) in the genetic evaluation model for the quantification of inbreeding depression. The complete pedigree file of the Marchigiana breed included 29,411 animals born between 1950 and 2003. For the Bonsmara breed, the pedigree file included 18,695 animals born between 1988 and 2006. Only animals with at least 2 equivalent generations of known pedigree were kept in the analyses of inbreeding effect on birth weight, weaning weight measured at about 205 d, and BW at 14 mo in the Marchigiana breed, and on birth weight, weaning weight, and scrotal circumference measured at 12 mo in the Bonsmara breed. The degree of pedigree knowledge was greater for Marchigiana than for Bonsmara animals. The average generation interval was 7.02 and 3.19 for the Marchigiana and Bonsmara breed, respectively. The average inbreeding coefficient was 1.33% for Marchigiana and 0.26% for Bonsmara. The number of ancestors explaining 50% of the gene pool and effective population size computed via individual increase in coancestry were 13 and 97.79 for Marchigiana and 41 and 54.57 for Bonsmara, respectively. These estimates indicate reduction in genetic variability in both breeds. Inbreeding depression was observed for most of the growth traits. The model including ΔF(i) can be considered more adequate to quantify inbreeding depression. The inclusion of F(i) or ΔF(i) in the genetic evaluation model may not result in better fit to the data. A genetic evaluation with simultaneous estimation of inbreeding depression can be performed in Marchigiana and Bonsmara breeds, providing additional information to producers and breeders.

In this study, we describe the antinociceptive activity of the ethanol extract (EE), chloroform (CF) and methanol (MF) fractions obtained from Sida cordifolia, popularly known in Brazil as "malva branca" or "malva branca sedosa". Leaves of S. cordifolia were used to produce the crude ethanol extract and after CF and MF. Experiments were conducted on Swiss mice using the glutamate and formalin-induced orofacial nociception. In the formalin test, all doses of EE, CF and MF significantly reduced the orofacial nociception in the first (p < 0.001) and second phase (p < 0.001), which was also naloxone-sensitive. In the glutamate-induced nociception test, only CF and MF significantly reduced the orofacial nociceptive behavior with inhibition percentage values of 48.1% (100 mg/kg, CF), 56.1% (200 mg/kg, CF), 66.4% (400 mg/kg, CF), 48.2 (200 mg/kg, MF) and 60.1 (400 mg/kg, MF). Furthermore, treatment of the animals with EE, CF and MF was not able to promote motor activity changes. These data demonstrate that S. cordifolia has a pronounced antinociceptive activity on orofacial nociception. However, pharmacological and chemical studies are necessary in order to characterize the responsible mechanisms for this antinociceptive action and also to identify other bioactive compounds present in S. cordifolia., (Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

To identify DNA of the main tick-borne pathogens in dogs from Recife (Brazil), polymerase chain reactions were carried out on blood samples of dogs treated at the Veterinary Hospital of the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco from March 2007 to June 2008. The detection of DNA was performed using specific primers. Amplicons were analyzed through electrophoresis and sequencing. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using the UPGMA method, revealing that the sequences were closely related to those of strains from other geographic regions. Among the 205 blood samples analyzed, 48.78% was positive for Anaplasma platys; 38.04% was positive for Ehrlichia canis; 7.31% was positive for Babesia canis vogeli; and 0.49% was positive for Hepatozoon canis and Mycoplasma haemocanis. Coinfection of two or three pathogens was found in 23.9% (49/205) of the dogs. The subspecies B. canis vogeli was identified. Infection by H. canis and M. haemocanis is reported for the first time in dogs in the state of Pernambuco (Brazil). The data indicate that the main tick-borne pathogens in dogs in this region are E. canis and/or A. platys, followed by B. canis vogeli.

This article analyzes the system of signs, meanings, and practices concerning mental health used by health professionals at a Center for Psychosocial Care (CAPS) in Salvador, Bahia State, Brazil. A nine-month ethnographic observation was conducted at the center, complimented by interviews and focus groups involving all staff with university and secondary schooling. Three models of care coexist at the center: the humanized biomedical model; the psychosocial model, with an emphasis on the institution; and the psychosocial model, with an emphasis on the territory, thus highlighting elements of conflict between professionals in their perception of the desired psychiatric reform and the practices to be adopted in this perspective. When compared to the asylum-based model, there is unquestionable evidence of a transformation in the care provided, mainly based on a "clinic of encounter", rooted in questioning, thinking-through, and experimenting dialogical interpersonal relationships as well as the ability to listen to the other, which explains the clinical and social impact of this approach.

The hospice model is a movement concerned with the care of the dying patient and its family. It's main aim is to comfort and give nursing assistance to terminal patients, giving the patient and family more decision making power than it would have in regular hospitals. The Hospice is not a geographic, territorial space, defined as what we call an "institution". It is more than that, it is an attitude, a behavior towards death and dying. This paper reports on the experience of a multi-professional team' which implemented hospice model care in the Nursing School of the Federal University of Bahia. The study showed that there is a need to understand and study tanathology, to change one's changing attitude towards death and dying, and to develop the ability to deal with one's own terminability.

Sleep-related complaints have become a highlight for physicians as well as public health administrators. Studies of sleep patterns and sleep-related complaints of shift workers have been useful in minimizing reduction in the quality of life due to the warping of the sleep-wake cycle. The objective of the present study was to assess patterns of sleep, sleep-related complaints as well as physical activity and scoring rates for depression and anxiety in interstate bus drivers. Data were obtained with a sleep questionnaire, with the Beck inventory for depression, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). A total of 400 interstate bus drivers from the northern, southern, central-western and south-eastern regions of Brazil were interviewed. Sixty percent of the subjects interviewed presented at least one sleep-related complaint, 16% admitted to have dozed at the wheel while on duty, and 41% stated that they exercised on a regular basis. Other sleep disturbance complaints reported were: sleep latency 29'17"; physical fatigue, 59.8%; mental fatigue, 45.4%; sleepiness, 25.8%; irritability, 20.6%; insomnia, 37.5%, respiratory disturbances, 19. 25% and snoring, 20.75%. Scores for anxiety and depression were not in the pathological range. The present data reinforce the view that bus drivers are generally discontent with shift work and its effects on sleep. Consequently, it is very important to establish an appropriate work schedule for drivers, besides implementing photo-therapy and physical activities in order to minimize sleepiness when driving.

The authors report their experience with the percutaneous closure of the patent ductus arteriosus with the Rashkind technique. They performed 42 procedures with a success of 97.6% and one embolization episode. The mean age was 8.7 +/- 6.7 years, the mean weight was 25.0 +/- 15.8 Kg and the minimum diameter of the ductus was 4.0 +/- 1.3 mm. The immediate overall prevalence of residual shunt was 48.8% falling to 21% in a mean follow-up of 17 +/- 13 months in 29 cases. Two patients underwent late reocclusion: one with a new umbrella and the other with a coil. Another patient had an immediate severe residual shunt and it was reoccluded in the same procedure with a coil. The anatomical type and minimum internal diameter of the ductus, age and weight, size of the umbrella and the rotation of the umbrella were not predictors of residual shunt. There were no deaths, hemolysis, endarteritis or fracture of the umbrella's arms. One patient remained with a slight gradient in the left pulmonary artery. The authors conclude that the Rashkind technique is safe and efficient and has good long term results. It should be considered as the first line therapeutic modality in the treatment of selected patients with persistent ductus arteriosus.