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Trindade SC, Olczak T, Gomes-Filho IS, Moura-Costa LF, Cerqueira EMM, Galdino-Neto M, Alves H, Carvalho-Filho PC, Xavier MT, Meyer R. Induction of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-10, IL-8 and immunoglobulin G by Porphyromonas gingivalis HmuY in humans. J Periodont Res 2012; 47: 27-32. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S Background and Objective: Porphyromonas gingivalis, an anaerobic gram-negative bacterium, is associated with chronic periodontitis. This study was undertaken to evaluate the production of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-8 and IL-10 by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated with P. gingivalis antigens and to assess the levels of serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgA and IgG subclasses raised against P. gingivalis HmuY protein. Material and Methods: PBMC from patients with chronic periodontitis (CP) and from nonperiodontitis (NP) control subjects were stimulated with P. gingivalis antigens, and the cytokine levels in the culture supernatants were determined by ELISA. The specificity of serum antibodies raised against HmuY was analyzed by Western blotting and by ELISA. Results: Compared with the NP controls, the CP patients produced higher levels of total serum IgG and IgG1 specific for P. gingivalis HmuY. No differences were found between CP and NP groups in the production of IL-1β and IL-8 by PBMC stimulated with total P. gingivalis antigens. Only P. gingivalis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced higher levels of IL-10 in the CP group. Higher levels of IL-1β and IL-10 were induced by HmuY than by other antigens derived from the wild-type P. gingivalis strains. In contrast, total antigens derived from the hmuY-deletion mutant strain induced the production of significantly higher levels of IL-8 and significantly lower levels of IL-1β. Conclusion: Our data suggest that P. gingivalis HmuY may be considered an immunogenic protein associated with host-pathogen interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article evaluates three serological tests using commercially available antigens for the diagnosis of Brucella ovis infection in experimentally infected rams. Serum samples were obtained from sheep of different ages belonging to a B. ovis-free flock, which was located in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Agar gel immunodiffusion antigens were sensitive and specific for the serological diagnosis, whereas complement fixation resulted in lower sensitivity after the acute phase of infection.

In Brazil, 75% of the population uses the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), public health system, where the general practitioner (GP) is responsible for melanoma diagnosis. Identify the factors related to the delay in diagnosing melanoma patients assisted by SUS. A prospective observational study based on a questionnaire and medical records review assessed the sociodemographic features, melanoma signs and symptoms, previous knowledge of the disease, and factors related to delays in seeking medical care. One hundred sixty-six patients were included. Healthcare professionals suspected a lesion in only 23.5% of cases. The average time between lesion suspicion by patient/relative and first medical appointment with GP was over 6 months (31%). The time between the first GP exam and biopsy conducted by a specialist ranged from less than 1 month (34.9%) to more than 1 year (18.7%). Half of the patients (49.4%) experienced delays in histopathological diagnosis due to SUS bureaucracy/slowness. Most (80%) patients did not know what melanoma was before diagnosis. Delay in melanoma diagnosis was related to a lack of knowledge about the disease's signs and symptoms for both the study population and the primary physicians, indicating that both players must receive proper education about melanoma. Also, the infrastructure and work processed at SUS impeded the patient flow, contributing to the diagnosis of the lesions at more advanced stages., (© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to American Association for Cancer Education.)

Introduction: Cryptococcus neoformans is an opportunistic pathogen that causes ∼15% mortality in AIDS patients. Rio Grande City, Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, has the highest national rate of HIV/AIDS, considering cities with population more than 100,000 habitants., Objective: We aimed to evaluate the clinical and epidemiological profile of cryptococcosis in a reference service for HIV-AIDS patients in the South region of Brazil, over seven years. Material and methods A retrospective study was performed including all cryptococcosis cases diagnosed at the University Hospital, Federal University of Rio Grande (UH-FURG) between January 2010 and December 2016., Results: Seventy cases of cryptococcosis were diagnosis from 2010 to 2016 in the UH-FURG in the seven years of the study. These numbers were responsible for 2.1% to 8.1% of the hospitalizations/year for HIV patients. All were caused by C. neoformans infection (95% C. neoformans var. grubii VNI and 5% C. neoformans var. grubii VNII). Neurocryptococcosis was the major clinical manifestation and cryptococcosis was the HIV- defining condition in 40% of patients. The period of hospitalization was an average of 39.3 days (SD=31.3), and more than half of patients (53%; 37/70) died after a mean of 82 days., Discussion: The present study showed the importance of cryptococcosis as an AIDS-defining disease in HIV-AIDS patients in a tertiary hospital from Southern Brazil. More investment is necessary to reduce the impact of this opportunistic mycosis in HIV-AIDS patients from southern Brazil., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Essential oils, which may be extracted from several parts of plants, have different biological activities. The Brazilian Cerrado has a large variety of plants that yield essential oils, even though many have not been studied yet. Taking into account the biodiversity of this biome, this study aimed at evaluating the antiproliferative activity of essential oils extracted from three species of plants of the Cerrado in Goiás state: Campomanesia adamantium (Cambess.) O. Berg, Protium ovatum (Engl. in Mart.) and Cardiopetalum calophyllum (Schltdl.). Essential oils were extracted from both C. adamantium and C. calophyllum leaves and from P. ovatum leaves and green fruits by hydrodistillation carried out by a Clevenger-type apparatus. The chemical composition of the essential oils was determined by Gas Chromatography coupled to Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The following major chemical constituents were identified in the essential oils under investigation: β-myrcene (62.00%), spathulenol (28.78%), germacrene-B (18.27%), β-caryophyllene oxide (16.40%), β-caryophyllene (14.00%), α-pinene (11.30%), viridiflorol (9.99%), limonene (7.30%) and (Z,E)-pharnesol (6.51%). The antiproliferative activity was evaluated in different human tumor cell lines: breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa) and glioblastoma (M059J). A normal human cell line was included (GM07492A, lung fibroblasts). Results showed that essential oils from C. adamantium leaves got the lowest values of IC50 in all strains of tumor cells under evaluation. They were significantly lower than the ones of the normal cell line, an evidence of selectivity. It is worth mentioning that this is the first report of the antiproliferative activity of essential oils from C. adamantium , P. ovatum and C. calophyllum against human tumor cells.

Tuberculosis (TB) in pinnipeds is typically caused by Mycobacterium pinnipedii, which has also been associated with infections in other species, such as cattle and humans. As a result, this pathogen has zoonotic potential and is a public health concern. In 2016, a female South American sea lion Otaria flavescens in southern Brazil presented with emaciation and severe dyspnea and died within 3 h of capture. Gross pathology identified pulmonary granulomas, and Ziehl-Neelsen stain identified acid-fast bacilli. M. tuberculosis complex bacteria were confirmed by a BD BACTEC™ MGIT™ 320 detection system using fibrinous exudate, lung granulomas and thoracic fluid. Molecular characterization by spoligotyping showed a hybridization pattern characteristic of M. pinnipedii (SIT593/PINI1). Currently, there is a paucity of data concerning the transmission and epidemiology of M. pinnipedii in pinniped populations in South America. The case report shows that the disease appeared in a free-ranging beached sea lion on the coast, and further surveillance is needed to determine the origin of this TB because of its potential impact on public health.

Background: Most people with dementia live in low- and middle-income countries and little is known about the potential for reducing these numbers by reducing key risk factors., Objective: To investigate the potential for dementia incidence reduction in Brazil, Mozambique, and Portugal (a culturally related, high-income country)., Methods: We replicated previously published methods and based on the relative risks from previous studies, we estimated the population-attributable risk (PAR) of dementia in Mozambique, Brazil, and Portugal for seven modifiable risk factors associated with dementia (low educational attainment, physical inactivity, midlife hypertension, midlife obesity, depression, smoking, and diabetes mellitus). The combined PAR was calculated and adjusted for associations between risk factors. The potential for risk factor reduction was assessed by examining the effect of relative reductions of 10% and 20% per decade for each of the risk factors on projections for dementia cases for each decade until 2050., Results: After adjusting for non-independence of risk factors, 24.4%, 32.3%, and 40.1% of dementia cases could be related to seven potentially modifiable risk factors in Mozambique, Brazil, and Portugal, respectively. Reducing the prevalence of each risk factor by 20% per decade could, by 2050, potentially reduce the prevalence of dementia in Mozambique, Brazil, and Portugal by 12.9%, 16.2%, and 19.5%, respectively., Conclusion: There is a substantial difference between the countries in the percentage of dementia cases that could be attributable to the seven potentially modifiable risk factors. The proportion of cases that could be prevented by 2050 if measures were taken to address these main risk factors was higher in Portugal than in Brazil and Mozambique. Each country or region should consider their unique risk factor profile when developing dementia risk reduction programs.

Objective: To assess the presence and extent of essential attributes derived from primary health care in a leprosy control program., Materials and Methods: This is an assessment of health programs, focused on leprosy and targeted at doctors working on control actions in a leprosy program of primary health care units. A questionnaire developed and validated in another study was used to measure the presence and scope of primary health care attributes in disease control. Data were entered into a database and statistical and descriptive analysis was carried out. This study was approved within the framework of CEP No. 1.128.385., Results: Overall scores and essential attributes of leprosy control actions showed a high exposure to leprosy control actions in the studied city. Community's access, orientation and guidance attributes averaged below the cutoff point, demonstrating the existing weaknesses in the items that make up these attributes., Conclusion: Despite the weaknesses identified, the study showed high orientation towards the development of leprosy control actions, according to the assessment made by doctors working in primary care.

Estimates of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection prevalence varies among different studies depending on the prevalence of HBV infection in the study population and on the sensitivity of the assay used to detect HBV DNA. We investigated the prevalence of occult HBV infection in cirrhotic patients undergoing liver transplantation in a Brazilian referral center. Frozen liver samples from 68 adults were analyzed using a nested polymerase chain reaction assay for HBV DNA. The specificity of the amplified HBV sequences was confirmed by direct sequencing of the amplicons. The patient population comprised 49 (72.1%) males and 19 (27.9%) females with a median age of 53 years (range=18-67 years). Occult HBV infection was diagnosed in three (4.4%) patients. The etiologies of the underlying chronic liver disease in these cases were alcohol abuse, HBV infection, and cryptogenic cirrhosis. Two of the patients with cryptic HBV infection also presented hepatocellular carcinoma. Markers of previous HBV infection were available in two patients with occult HBV infection and were negative in both. In conclusion, using a sensitive nested polymerase chain reaction assay to detect HBV DNA in frozen liver tissue, we found a low prevalence of occult HBV infection in cirrhotic patients undergoing liver transplant, probably due to the low prevalence of HBV infection in our population.

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, a dimorphic pathogenic fungus, causes the principal form of systemic mycosis in Brazil. The literature furnishes only limited data on the ecology of this fungus in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of fungal infection in wild animals, using serological tests and using the animals as sentinels of the presence of P. brasiliensis in three specified mesoregions of Rio Grande do Sul. A total of 128 wild animals from the three mesoregions were included in the study. The serum samples were evaluated by immunodiffusion and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique to detect anti-gp43 antibodies from P. brasiliensis. Two conjugates were tested and compared with the ELISA technique. Although no positive samples were detected by immunodiffusion, 26 animals (20%), belonging to 13 distinct species, were found to be seropositive by the ELISA technique. The seropositive animals were from two mesoregions of the state. The results were similar according to the gender, age, and family of the animals, but differed significantly according to the conjugate used (p < 0.001), showing more sensitivity to protein A-peroxidase than to protein G-peroxidase. The finding that wild animals from the state of Rio Grande do Sul are exposed to P. brasiliensis suggests that the fungus can be found in this region despite the often-rigorous winters, which frequently include below-freezing temperatures.

The self-fertilization or selfing rate estimation using microsatellite markers and its impact on survival and selection rate were evaluated in families derived from polycrosses that involved parents that were widely used in sugarcane breeding in Brazil. These factors were evaluated under unfavorable natural conditions of flowering and crossing. After the germination test, the viable progeny were taken to the field for survival rate evaluation (4, 6, and 10 months) and phenotypic selection at plant cane. The selfing rate estimate based on microsatellite markers present in the progeny and absent in their female parent was 98.5 and 0% for the polycross families derived from IACSP95-5000 and SP89-1115, respectively. The survival and selection rates in the last 2 evaluations were higher for the SP89-1115 outcrossed family than the IACSP95-5000 selfed family. The IACSP95-5000 cultivar excelled either as pollen donor with fertilization capability or viable seed production even under unfavorable natural conditions of crossing. The environment influence (temperature and humidity) had an important role during the polycross.

Background: The causal association between persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer has been established, but the mechanisms that favor HPV persistence in cervical cells are still unknown. The diminished capability of the immune system to control and resolve HPV infection is one of several hypotheses. The tolerogenic protein HLA-G has shown aberrant expression in a variety of cancers, which has been suggested as a mechanism for tumor escape from immunosurveillance. In the present study we evaluate the role of epigenetic modification (promoter de-methylation) of the HLA-G gene on susceptibility to HPV infection and development of high-grade cervical lesions., Methods: A case-control study was carried out in Curitiba, Brazil, between February and June 2010. A total of 789 women aged 15-47 years were recruited: 510 controls with normal cervical cytology, and 279 cases with histologically confirmed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN2, N = 150) or grade 3 (CIN3, N = 129). All women were administered a questionnaire by interview, which collected information on demographic and lifestyle factors, and a cervical sample was collected. HPV DNA detection was performed by GP5+/GP6+ primer-mediated PCR. HPV-positive samples were genotyped by multiplex PCR. A pilot analysis of HLA-G promoter methylation was carried out in a subset of the study population (96 cases and 76 controls) by pyrosequencing. HLA-G methylation and HPV infection status of cases and controls were compared, and confounding factors were computed by t Student and non-parametric Wilcoxon tests. Comparison of HLA-G methylation between cases and controls was assessed by the Bonferroni correction. The association of HLA-G methylation with CIN2/3 was evaluated by logistic regression., Results: HPV prevalence was 19.6% in controls and 94.3% in CIN2/3 cases. HPV16, 31, 33, 35 and 18 were the most prevalent types. Methylation analysis of seven CpGs in the HLA-G promoter did not reveal any spontaneous de-methylation events in CIN2/3 cases (mean proportion of methylation: 75.8%) with respect to controls (mean 73.7%; odds ratio 1.01, 95% confidence interval 0.96, 1.07)., Conclusions: This study did not support the hypothesis that spontaneous de-methylation events in the HLA-G promoter play a primary role in promoting escape from immunosurveillance in the development of precancerous cervical lesions.

Despite recent advances revealing genetic factors influencing caries susceptibility, questions regarding the model of inheritance involved are yet to be addressed. We conducted a Complex Segregation Analysis on decayed teeth in a sample of homogenous, isolated families recruited from the Brazilian Amazon. A dominant, major gene effect controlling resistance to phenotype was detected. The frequency of the resistance allele "A" was 0.63; mean numbers of decayed teeth were 1.53 and 9.53 for genotypes AA/AB and BB, respectively. These results represent a step toward a description of the exact nature of the genetic risk factors controlling human susceptibility to caries.

A 4-year (2005-2008) norovirus (NoV) surveillance study was conducted in the state of Rio Janeiro, Brazil, to demonstrate the role of these viruses in outbreaks and sporadic cases of acute gastroenteritis. A cohort of 1,687 fecal samples was obtained from patients with gastroenteritis; 324 were rotavirus-positive. Of the remainder 1,363 rotavirus-negative samples, 1,087 samples were tested for NoV RNA in this study. The study enrolled 267 outpatients from Municipal Public Health Centers and 820 inpatients, whose samples were obtained by active surveillance in Public Hospitals. Fecal samples were tested by reverse transcription (RT) followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the MON 431-434 set of degenerate primers for NoV GI and GII detection, and there were 35.1% (381/1,087) positive samples for NoV, consisting of 30.2% (248/820) and 49.8% (133/267) from inpatient and outpatient, respectively. Children infected by NoV had significantly more frequent mucus in feces, vomiting and fever. No seasonal pattern in NoV infections was observed in patients admitted to hospital; however, two peaks of NoV infections were observed from ambulatory cases, suggesting that there was an occurrence of outbreaks in those time periods. Molecular characterization revealed GII to be the most prevalent genogroup, totaling 96.3% (104/108) of all sequences analyzed, and GII.4 was the genotype detected most frequently (80.7%), followed by GII.6, 3, 14, 7, and 8. Two GI strains, GI.2 and GI.3, were also observed. The number of outbreaks and sporadic cases described in this study highlights the need to implement diagnosis of NoV in surveillance laboratories., ((c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

The intake of radioactive material by workers can occur in the radiopharmaceuticals production or during the handling of these in the medical fields (nuclear medicine). The workers who work in areas where exposures are significant are routinely monitored to demonstrate that the workers are receiving adequate protection from internal contamination. Direct measurements of whole-body and thyroid contents provide an estimate of the activity value of these radionuclides in the potentially exposed workers. The whole-body measurements of the workers, trainees and visitors are routinely performed by the In Vivo Monitoring Laboratory (LMIV) of the Energy and Nuclear Research Institute (IPEN/CNEN-SP). The frequency of measurements is defined by the Radioprotection Service (SRP) and the Dose Calculation Group of IPEN. During the period 2006-2007, 2500 measurements had been carried in workers who develop tasks related to the production of radiopharmaceuticals. The activity value of the radionuclides and the workers' tasks relationship had been evaluated.

Acute gastroenteritis caused by viruses is one of the leading causes of infantile morbidity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the presence of human caliciviruses of the genera norovirus and sapovirus in children up to 3 years of age with acute gastroenteritis from low-income communities in the city of Salvador, Brazil. This study is an extension of previous work carried out to establish the profile of the most prevalent enteric pathogens present in these communities. In this report, 139 fecal samples, collected from July 2001 to January 2002 were analyzed by RT-PCR and 13 (9%) were positive for human caliciviruses. By sequencing, seven isolates were characterized as norovirus genogroup GII and one as sapovirus genotype GII/1. Sequencing of the previously detected group-A rotaviruses and human astroviruses was also performed and revealed the circulation of rotavirus group A genotypes G1P[8] and G9P[8], and human astrovirus genotypes 6, 7, and 8. No mixed infection was observed. Community-based studies provide geographically representative information on disease burden. However, there are only a few reports in developing countries concerning the genotypes of the most important gastroenteric viruses detected in such communities. The present findings demonstrate the wide diversity of genotypes of the most important viruses responsible for acute gastroenteritis circulating in low-income communities.

In March 2005, the Epidemiological Surveillance Service of Resende, municipality of the Middle Paraiba Valley, State of Rio de Janeiro, reported a sudden spontaneous occurrence of acute gastroenteritis cases in children in a public day care center. Further, between May and June 2005, gastroenteritis outbreaks or sporadic cases of gastroenteritis were reported in two other municipalities, Piraí and Rio Claro, also located in the Middle Paraiba Valley. From March to June 2005, 50 fecal samples were collected in this region and those samples were tested for the presence of bacteria and other parasites and were demonstrated to be negative. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and an enzyme immunoassay were performed for adenovirus and rotavirus detection and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was performed to investigate the presence of norovirus (NoV) and astrovirus. In addition, a quantitative TaqMan real time PCR for NoV was performed for quantification of viral DNA in order to compare the results with those obtained by conventional RT-PCR. NoV was detected in 33 out of 50 (66%) samples, and a 100% correlation between both methodologies was obtained. These results are demonstrating that NoV was the etiological agent responsible for those acute gastroenteritis cases. Partial nucleotide sequence analysis of the capsid gene revealed that the circulating strain was NoV GII/4 confirming the worldwide distribution of this genotype. The results highlight the role of NoV as a main viral agent responsible for gastroenteritis cases in children and adults both in outbreaks as well as in sporadic cases of acute gastroenteritis., ((Copyright) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Epidemiological studies show that human papillomaviruses (HPV) are strongly related to cervical cancer and cervical intraepithelial neoplasias (CIN). Unlike the case for women, there are no consistent data on the natural history of HPV in the male population even though these viruses are prevalent in males. We carried out a prospective study to assess the prevalence of HPV in males as well as the factors that determine such infections in 99 male sexual partners of women with CIN. The genitalia of the males were physically examined and subjected to peniscopy for the collection of scrapings which were subjected to the polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism to detect HPV. Of the 99 males sampled, 54 (54.5%) were positive for HPV DNA, 24% of whom presented normal peniscopy, 28% presented evident clinical lesions and 48% isolated lesions consistent with subclinical infection. In the HPV-negative group, 53% showed normal peniscopy, 4% presented evident clinical lesions and 42% isolated lesions consistent with subclinical infection. The study detected a statistically significant association (P < 0.02, Pearson chi-square test) between HPV infection and both the mean number of sexual partners which a male had during his life and the mean number of sexual partners in the year prior to testing. Viral types 6 and 11 were most frequently encountered. The study shows that infection with HPV was frequent in male sexual partners of women with CIN.

There is considerable data to support a central role for human papillomavirus (HPV) in the etiology of cervical cancer. More than a 100 HPV types have been described, and 40 have been isolated from benign and malignant genital lesions. Consequently, there is strong motivation to evaluate HPV testing for cervical cancer screening. Few studies concerning the natural history of HPV infection have been conducted in the state of Rio de Janeiro. We determined the prevalence of HPV types in female genital lesions by using Hybrid Capture Assay (HCA) and we retrospectively analyzed the course of HPV infection. Our sample included 788 women attended at Laboratórios Sérgio Franco. The average age of the participants was 29.6 years. HPV prevalence and cytological diagnosis were determined. The overall prevalence of HPV DNA in the study group was 50.1% (395/788), ranging from 25% (NORMAL) to 100% in high-grade intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). High risk HPV was found in 12% inflammatory, 58.3% HPV, 63.2% LSIL and 100% HSIL. A retrospective analysis of 78 patients showed that 22 presented persistent lesions, 2 had progressive lesions, 4 had regressive lesions, 13 showed latent infections, 18 were transiently infected and 19 were submitted to curative treatment. No cases of cancer were registered in this population, which can afford private medical care and regular follow-up exams. We suggest that HCA be used in specific cases involving persistent and recurrent lesions.

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a pathogenic fungus that undergoes a temperature-dependent cell morphology change from mycelium (22 degrees C) to yeast (36 degrees C). It is assumed that this morphological transition correlates with the infection of the human host. Our goal was to identify genes expressed in the mycelium (M) and yeast (Y) forms by EST sequencing in order to generate a partial map of the fungus transcriptome. Individual EST sequences were clustered by the CAP3 program and annotated using Blastx similarity analysis and InterPro Scan. Three different databases, GenBank nr, COG (clusters of orthologous groups) and GO (gene ontology) were used for annotation. A total of 3,938 (Y = 1,654 and M = 2,274) ESTs were sequenced and clustered into 597 contigs and 1,563 singlets, making up a total of 2,160 genes, which possibly represent one-quarter of the complete gene repertoire in P. brasiliensis. From this total, 1,040 were successfully annotated and 894 could be classified in 18 functional COG categories as follows: cellular metabolism (44%); information storage and processing (25%); cellular processes-cell division, posttranslational modifications, among others (19%); and genes of unknown functions (12%). Computer analysis enabled us to identify some genes potentially involved in the dimorphic transition and drug resistance. Furthermore, computer subtraction analysis revealed several genes possibly expressed in stage-specific forms of P. brasiliensis. Further analysis of these genes may provide new insights into the pathology and differentiation of P. brasiliensis., (Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Evaluation of total human exposure to mercury and methylmercury was effected in riverine villages along the Tapajos river and in the metropolitan area of Belem city, state of Para, Brazil, by using total mercury and methylmercury concentrations in hair samples in 1994 and 1995. It was observed that average concentrations of total mercury are in a range from 2 +/- 1 microg/g-1 to 20.5 +/- 12. 1 microg/g-1. While methylmercury average concentration varies from 1. 4 +/- 0.7 microg/g-1 to 18.5 +/- 11 microg/g-1. These results confirm mercury contamination in the Tapajos river and possible appearance of mercury intoxication symptoms, and recommends the monitoring of compounds in hair samples as well as the need for epidemiological and clinical studies for human health prevention and control of mercury intoxication.

Introduction: The need of short instruments to evaluate Quality of life determines World Health Organization Quality of Life Group (WHOQOL Group) to develop an abbreviated version of the WHOQOL-100, the WHOQOL-bref. The objective is to present the Brazilian field trial of the WHOQOL-bref., Methods: WHOQOL-bref is composed by 26 questions divided in four domains: physical, psychological, social relationships and environment. The evaliation instrument, BDI (beck depression inventory) and BHS (beck hopelessness scale) were used in a 300 subjects sample in Porto Alegre, South Brazil., Results/conclusions: The instrument showed a good performance concerning internal consistency, discriminant validity, criterion validity, concurrent validity and test-retest reliability. The intrument allies good psychometric performance and practicity for use which puts it as an interesting option to evaluate quality of life in Brazil.

Introduction: The study of the seasonal fluctuation, nocturnal activity, relative abundance and the richness of Anopheles species in anthropic environment is essential to the understanding of the their bioecology and to the surveillance program of malaria control., Methods: The Anopheles species were studied from 6 P.M. to 6 A.M., once a month, for one year, from October 1996 to September 1997, in the municipal district of Raposa, of the São Luís island, Maranhão state. The basic method was the capture of female specimens on human baits in peri and intradomicile sites by means of aspiration tube and guided luminous focus., Results: A total of 1.407 specimens were collected and distributed as follow: Anopheles aquasalis (82% of the sample), Anopheles galvaoi (10,2%), Anopheles albitarsis (6,4%), Anopheles evansae, Anopheles nuneztovari, and Anopheles triannulatus davisi (the last three represented together 1, 4%). The anophelines occurred all year round, mainly in the rainy period, being more frequent in the intra (75,3%) than in the peridomicile site (24,7%), showing a clear preference to suck blood in the evening., Conclusion: The behavioural variation of Anopheles shows that the different species are becoming adapted to closeness to human habitations, in the rural zone of the São Luis island.