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Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) entered Brazil before travel restrictions and border closures were imposed. This study reports the characteristics of suspected and confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases among symptomatic international travelers in Brazil and their contacts., Methods: The REDCap platform developed by the Brazilian Ministry of Health was analyzed to identify and investigate suspected cases of COVID-19 recorded during the period January 1 to March 20, 2020. The impact of Brazil's targeted approach to suspected cases from specific countries on epidemiological surveillance efforts during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed., Results: Based on molecular RT-PCR tests, there were 217 (4.2%) confirmed, 1030 (20.1%) unconfirmed, 722 (14.1%) suspected, and 3157 (61.6%) non-investigated cases among travelers returning from countries included on the alert list for surveillance, as defined by the Ministry of Health. Among the 3372 travelers who went to countries not included on the alert list, there were 66 (2.0%) confirmed, 845 (25.3%) unconfirmed, 521 (15.6%) suspected, and 1914 (57.2%) non-investigated cases. A comparison of the characteristics of confirmed cases returning from alert and non-alert countries did not reveal a statistically significant difference in symptoms. Almost half of the hospitalized travelers with known travel dates and hospitalization status (53.6%) were inbound from countries not included on the alert list, and RT-PCR tests were reported for only 30.5%., Conclusions: Policies adopted at entry points to contain the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 in Brazil were not ideal. An analysis of the early response shows that surveillance of travelers, including testing strategies, data standards, and reporting systems, was insufficient., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

This paper presents a discussion regarding regression models, especially those belonging to the location class. Our main motivation is that, with simple distributions having simple interpretations, in some cases, one gets better results than the ones obtained with overly complex distributions. For instance, with the reverse Gumbel (RG) distribution, it is possible to explain response variables by making use of the generalized additive models for location, scale, and shape (GAMLSS) framework, which allows the fitting of several parameters (characteristics) of the probabilistic distributions, like mean, mode, variance, and others. Three real data applications are used to compare several location models against the RG under the GAMLSS framework. The intention is to show that the use of a simple distribution (e.g., RG) based on a more sophisticated regression structure may be preferable than using a more complex location model.

This study investigated physiological alterations involved in the inactivation of Levilactobacillus (L.) brevis and Leuconostoc (Lc.) mesenteroides in orange juice caused by Citrus lemon essential oil (CLEO) and C. reticulata essential oil (CREO) alone and combined with mild heat treatment (MHT). Damage in DNA, membrane integrity, membrane potential, metabolic and efflux activity of bacterial cells were measured after exposure (6 and 12 min) to CLEO or CREO (0.5 μL/mL) and/or MHT (54 °C) using flow cytometry. Limonene was the major constituent in CLEO (66.4%) and CREO (89.4%). The size of the damaged cell subpopulations increased (p < 0.05) after longer exposure time and varied with the tested essential oil and/or bacterial isolate. After exposure to CLEO and CREO alone, the cell subpopulations with damage in measured physiological functions were in a range of 19.6-66.8% and 23.8-75.9%, respectively. Exposure to CREO resulted in larger Lc. mesenteroides cell subpopulations (35.4-68.7%) with damaged DNA, permeabilized and depolarized membrane and compromised metabolic or efflux activity compared to L. brevis (23.8-58.0%). In contrast, exposure to CLEO led to higher damaged L. brevis cell subpopulations (35.1-77%) compared to Lc. mesenteroides (25.3-36.6%). Exposure to combined treatments (CLEO or CREO and MHT) affected the measured physiological functions in almost the entire L. brevis and Lc. mesenteroides cell population (up to 99%), although the damage extension on each isolate varied with tested essential oil. Results show that inactivation of L. brevis and Lc. mesenteroides cells caused by CLEO and CREO alone and combined with MHT in orange juice involves a multi-target action, which causes DNA damage, altered permeability and depolarization of membrane and compromised metabolic and efflux activities., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Sweet orange essential oil is obtained from the peels of Citrus sinensis (CSEO) by cold pressing, and used as a valuable product by the food industry. Nanoencapsulation is known as a valid strategy to improve chemical stability, organoleptic properties, and delivery of EO-based products. In the present study we encapsulated CSEO using chitosan nanoemulsions (cn) as nanocarrier, and evaluated its antimicrobial activity in combination with mild heat, as well as its sensorial acceptability in orange and apple juices. CSEO composition was analyzed by GC-MS, and 19 components were identified, with limonene as the predominant constituent (95.1%). cn-CSEO was prepared under low shear conditions and characterized according to droplet size (<60 nm) and polydispersity index (<0.260 nm). Nanoemulsions were stable for at least 3 months at 4 ± 2 °C. cn-CSEO were compared with suspensions of CSEO (s-CSEO) (0.2 μL of CSEO/mL) in terms of antibacterial activity in combination with mild heat (52 °C) against Escherichia coli O157:H7 Sakai. cn-CSEO displayed a greater bactericidal activity than s-CSEO at pH 7.0 and pH 4.0. The validation in fruit juices showed an improved bactericidal effect of cn-CSEO in comparison with s-CSEO when combined with mild heat in apple juice, but not in orange juice. In both juices, the combination of CSEO and mild heat exerted synergistic lethal effects, reducing the treatment time to cause the inactivation of up to 5 Log 10 cycles of E. coli O157:H7 Sakai cells. Finally, the sensory characteristics of both juices were acceptable either when using s-CSEO or CSEO nanoemulsified with chitosan. Therefore, as a promising carrier for lipophilic substances, the encapsulation of EOs with chitosan nanoemulsions might represent an advantageous alternative when combined with mild heat to preserve fruit juices., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper, (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study assessed the compromised acceptance threshold (CAT) and rejection threshold (RT) of Citrus lemon (CLEO) and Citrus reticulata essential oil (CREO) in apple and orange juices. The efficacy of CLEO and CREO concentrations below the RT were evaluated alone and combined with mild heat treatment (MHT) (54 °C, up to 12 min) to inactivate the autochthonous spoilage bacteria Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides in apple and orange juices. The CAT of CLEO and CREO varied from 0.15 to 0.17 μL/mL in orange and apple juices. The RT of CLEO was approximately 0.58 μL/mL in apple and orange juices, and the RT of CREO was 0.68 μL/mL in both juices. When CLEO and CREO were assayed alone, the highest concentration (0.50 μL/mL) decreased counts of all strains approximately 2 log 10 CFU/mL after 12 min of exposure to 54 °C. All concentrations of CLEO or CREO in combination with MHT acted synergistically against L. brevis, L. plantarum, and L. mesenteroides. Decreases in counts varied with the strain, CLEO and CREO concentrations, juice type, and exposure time to the combined treatment. CREO was more effective than CLEO in combination with MHT against the strains in apple and orange juices. Effective combinations of CLEO or CREO with MHT to control the autochthonous spoilage bacteria did not compromise the quality parameters (°Brix, pH, and titratable acidity) that characterize unsweetened juices. These results indicate CLEO or CREO at concentrations below the sensory RT in combination with MHT as a feasible technology to control autochthonous spoilage bacteria in fresh fruit juices. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The present study provides novel information concerning the efficacy of sensorially accepted doses of CLEO and CREO combined with MHT against autochthonous spoilers in fruit juice. The valuable synergistic effects that can be observed when combining CLEO and CREO with MHT reveal a feasible preservation technology and alternative to traditional treatments that are successful because they help reduce treatment intensity, thereby avoiding adverse effects on the sensory, physicochemical, and nutritional properties of these products., (© 2019 Institute of Food Technologists®.)

Real-time PCR targeting lytA (the major autolysin gene) and piaB (permease gene of the pia ABC transporter) are currently used as the gold-standard culture-independent assays for Streptococcus pneumoniae identification. We evaluated the performance of a new real-time PCR assay - targeting SP2020 (putative transcriptional regulator gene) - and compared its performance with the assays previously described. A collection of 150 pneumococci, 433 non-pneumococci and 240 polymicrobial samples (obtained from nasopharynx, oropharynx, and saliva; 80 from each site) was tested. SP2020 and lytA-CDC assays had the best performance (sensitivity of 100% for each compared to 95.3% for piaB). The specificity for lytA and piaB was 99.5% and for SP2020 was 99.8%. Misidentifications occurred for the three genes: lytA, piaB and SP2020 were found in non-pneumococcal strains; piaB was absent in some pneumococci including a serotype 6B strain. Combining lytA and SP2020 assays resulted in no misidentifications. Most polymicrobial samples (88.8%) yielded concordant results for the three molecular targets. The remaining samples seemed to contain non-typeable pneumococci (0.8%), and non-pneumococci positive for lytA (1.7%) or SP2020 (8.7%). We propose that combined detection of both lytA-CDC and SP2020 is a powerful strategy for the identification of pneumococcus either in pure cultures or in polymicrobial samples.

High-throughput screening (HTS) systems have emerged as important tools to provide fast and low cost evaluation of several conditions at once since it requires small quantities of material and sample volumes. These characteristics are extremely valuable for experiments with large number of variables enabling the application of design of experiments (DoE) strategies or simple experimental planning approaches. Once, the capacity of HTS systems to mimic chromatographic purification steps was established, several studies were performed successfully including scale down purification. Here, we propose a method for studying different purification conditions that can be used for any recombinant protein, including complex and glycosylated proteins, using low binding filter microplates.

The pressures to efficiently produce complex biopharmaceuticals at reduced costs are driving the development of novel techniques, such as in downstream processing with straight-through processing (STP). This method involves directly and sequentially purifying a particular target with minimal holding steps. This work developed and compared six different 3-step STP strategies, combining membrane adsorbers, monoliths, and resins, to purify a large, complex, and labile glycoprotein from Chinese hamster ovary cell culture supernatant. The best performing pathway was cation exchange chromatography to hydrophobic interaction chromatography to affinity chromatography with an overall product recovery of up to 88% across the process and significant clearance of DNA and protein impurities. This work establishes a platform and considerations for the development of STP of biopharmaceutical products and highlights its suitability for integration with single-use technologies and continuous production methods. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:931-940, 2017., (© 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.)

Brazil is one of the 22 countries that concentrates 80% of global tuberculosis cases concomitantly to a large number of hepatitis C carriers and some epidemiological risk scenarios are coincident for both diseases. We analyzed tuberculosis cases that occurred during α-interferon-based therapy for hepatitis C in reference centers in Brazil between 2001 and 2012 and reviewed their medical records. Eighteen tuberculosis cases were observed in patients submitted to hepatitis C α-interferon-based therapy. All patients were human immunodeficiency virus-negative. Nine patients (50%) had extra-pulmonary tuberculosis; 15 (83%) showed significant liver fibrosis. Hepatitis C treatment was discontinued in 12 patients (67%) due to tuberculosis reactivation and six (33%) had sustained virological response. The majority of patients had a favorable outcome but one died. Considering the evidences of α-IFN interference over the containment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the immune impairment of cirrhotic patients, the increase of tuberculosis case reports during hepatitis C treatment with atypical and severe presentations and the negative impact on sustained virological response, we think these are strong arguments for latent tuberculosis infection screening before starting α-interferon-based therapy for any indication and even to consider IFN-free regimens against hepatitis C when a patient tests positive for latent tuberculosis infection., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.)

This study assessed the inhibitory effects of the essential oil from Origanum vulgare L. (OVEO) on Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and a mesophilic starter coculture composed of lactic acid bacteria (Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and L. lactis subsp. cremoris) in Brazilian coalho cheese systems. The MIC of OVEO was 2.5 μl/ml against both S. aureus and L. monocytogenes and 0.6 μl/ml against the tested starter coculture. In cheese broth containing OVEO at 0.6 μl/ml, no decrease in viable cell counts (VCC) of both pathogenic bacteria was observed, whereas the initial VCC of the starter coculture decreased approximately 1.0 log CFU/ml after 24 h of exposure at 10°C. OVEO at 1.25 and 2.5 μl/ml caused reductions of up to 2.0 and 2.5 log CFU/ml in S. aureus and L. monocytogenes, respectively, after 24 h of exposure in cheese broth. At these same concentrations, OVEO caused a greater decrease of initial VCC of the starter coculture following 4 h of exposure. Higher concentrations of OVEO were required to decrease the VCC of all target bacteria in semisolid coalho cheese slurry compared with cheese broth. The VCC of Lactococcus spp. in coalho cheese slurry containing OVEO were always lower than those of pathogenic bacteria under the same conditions. These results suggest that the concentrations of OVEO used to control pathogenic bacteria in semihard cheese should be carefully evaluated because of its inhibitory effects on the growth of starter lactic acid cultures used during the production of the product.

In the present study, we assessed the effects of Thymus vulgaris L. essential oil (TVEO) on Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes, pathogenic bacteria frequently associated with fresh or low-ripened cheeses (e.g., Brazilian coalho cheese), and on a starter co-culture comprising Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and L. lactis subsp. cremoris, which are commonly used for the production of different cheeses. To measure these effects, we determined the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and assessed bacterial cell viability over time in (coalho) cheese-based broth and in a semi-solid (coalho) cheese model at 10 °C. The MIC for TVEO was 2.5 μL/mL against S. aureus and L. monocytogenes, while the MIC was 1.25 μL/mL against the starter co-culture. The TVEO (5 and 2.5 μL/mL) sharply reduced the viable counts of all assayed bacteria in cheese broth over 24 h; although, at 5 μL/mL, TVEO more severely affected the viability of the starter co-culture compared with pathogenic bacteria. The addition of 1.25 μL/g of TVEO in the semi-solid cheese model did not reduce the viable counts of all assayed bacteria. At 2.5 μL/g, TVEO slightly decreased the viable counts of S. aureus, L. monocytogenes and Lactococcus spp. in the semi-solid cheese model over 72 h. The final counts of Lactococcus spp. in a semi-solid cheese model containing 2.5 μL/mL TVEO were lower than those of pathogenic bacteria under the same conditions. These results suggest that the doses of TVEO used to control pathogenic bacteria in fermented dairy products, especially in low-ripened cheeses, should be cautiously considered for potential negative effects on the growth and survival of starter cultures., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study assessed the inhibitory effects of the essential oils (EOs) from Origanum vulgare L. (OVEO) and Rosmarinus officinalis L. (ROEO), as well as of the its majority individual constituents (ICs) carvacrol (CAR) and 1,8-cineole (CIN), respectively, combined at subinhibitory concentrations against a cocktail of Staphylococcus aureus. The Minimum inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of both OVEO and CAR against S. aureus cocktail was 1.25 μL/mL, while for ROEO and CIN the MIC value was 10 μL/mL. The Fractional Inhibitory Concentration Index of the combined EOs or ICs was ≤0.5 indicating a synergic interaction. The incorporation of OVEO and ROEO or CAR and CIN at different combinations in cheese and meat broths caused a decrease (p ≤ 0.05) of initial counts of S. aureus. Combined application of 1/8 MIC OVEO and 1/4 MIC ROEO or 1/4 MIC CAR and 1/4 MIC CIN in meat and cheese samples reduced (p ≤ 0.05) the viable cells counts and caused morphological changes in S. aureus cells, such as cell shrinkage and appearance of blebbing-like structures on cell surfaces. However, in cheese and meat samples the decrease in viable cell counts was smaller (p ≤ 0.05) than that observed in cheese and meat broths. These findings reinforce the potential of the use of OVEO and ROEO or CAR and CIN in combination to control S. aureus in cheese and meat matrices.

The objectives were to evaluate the effects of the administration of either eCG or progesterone (P4) alone or combined on endogenous P4 concentrations and pregnancy per AI in lactating dairy cows. Cows received a P4-releasing intravaginal device (PRID) and estradiol benzoate on D-8. The PRID was removed and a PGF2α injection was given on D-3. An estradiol cypionate was given on D-2 and TAI was performed on D0. On D-2, cows were randomly allocated to treatments in a 2×2 factorial design: Control-saline solution on the D-2 and D+3 (n=104), eCG - 400IU eCG on D-2 (n=93), P4 - 600mg of P4 on D+3 (n=106), and eCG+P4 - 400IU eCG on D-2 and 600mg of P4 on D+3 (n=95). Blood samples were collected on days three, four, and thirteen and pregnancy diagnoses were performed at 32 and 46 days after AI. There was no interaction between eCG and P4 injection. Cows treated with eCG and with P4 injection had higher serum P4 on Day +4. On Day +13 serum P4 was lower in eCG-untreated primiparous cows (Interaction eCG×parity). Cows with serum P4<4.57ng/mL on Day +13 had lower probability to be pregnant on day 32. P/AI on days 32 and 46 and embryonic losses were not influenced by eCG and P4 injection. In conclusion, the addition of 400IU of eCG on D-2 and/or 600mg of P4 on D+3 to the present TAI protocol did not increase P/AI., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Phenylboronate chromatography (PBC) has been applied for several years, however details regarding the mechanisms of interactions between the ligand and biomolecules are still scarce. The goal of this work is to investigate the various chemical interactions between proteins and their ligands, using a protein library containing both glycosylated and nonglycosylated proteins. Differences in the adsorption of these proteins over a pH range from 4 to 9 were related to two main properties: charge and presence of glycans. Acidic or neutral proteins were strongly adsorbed below pH 8 although the uncharged trigonal form of phenylboronate (PB) is less susceptible to forming electrostatic and cis-diol interactions with proteins. The glycosylated proteins were only adsorbed above pH 8 when the electrostatic repulsion between the boronate anion and the protein surface was mitigated (at 200 mM NaCl). All basic proteins were highly adsorbed above pH 8 with PB also acting as a cation-exchanger with binding occurring through electrostatic interactions. Batch adsorption performed at acidic conditions in the presence of Lewis base showed that charge-transfer interactions are critical for protein retention. This study demonstrates the multimodal interaction of PBC, which can be a selective tool for separation of different classes of proteins., (Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Our hypothesis was that increasing the length of an estradiol and progesterone (P4) timed artificial insemination (TAI) protocol would improve pregnancy per artificial insemination (P/AI). Lactating Holstein cows (n=759) yielding 31 ± 0.30 kg of milk/d with a detectable corpus luteum (CL) at d -11 were randomly assigned to receive TAI (d 0) following 1 of 2 treatments: (8d) d -10 = controlled internal drug release (CIDR) and 2.0mg of estradiol benzoate, d -3 = PGF2α(25mg of dinoprost tromethamine), d -2 = CIDR removal and 1.0mg of estradiol cypionate, d 0 = TAI; or (9 d) d -11 = CIDR and estradiol benzoate, d -4 = PGF2α, d -2 CIDR removal and estradiol cypionate, d 0 TAI. Cows were considered to have their estrous cycle synchronized in response to the protocol by the absence of a CL at artificial insemination (d 0) and presence of a CL on d 7. Pregnancy diagnoses were performed on d 32 and 60. The ovulatory follicle diameter at TAI (d 0) did not differ between treatments (14.7 ± 0.39 vs. 15.0 ± 0.40 mm for 8 and 9 d, respectively). The 9 d cows tended to have greater P4 concentrations on d 7 in synchronized cows (3.14 ± 0.18 ng/mL) than the 8d cows (3.05 ± 0.18 ng/mL). Although the P/AI at d 32 [45 (175/385) vs. 43.9% (166/374) for 8d and 9 d, respectively] and 60 [38.1 (150/385) vs. 40.4% (154/374) for 8d and 9 d, respectively] was not different, the 9 d cows had lower pregnancy losses [7.6% (12/166)] than 8d cows [14.7% (25/175)]. The cows in the 9 d program were more likely to be detected in estrus [72.0% (269/374)] compared with 8d cows [62% (240/385)]. Expression of estrus improved synchronization [97.4 (489/501) vs. 81% (202/248)], P4 concentrations at d 7 (3.22 ± 0.16 vs. 2.77 ± 0.17 ng/mL), P/AI at d 32 [51.2 (252/489) vs. 39.4% (81/202)], P/AI at d 60 [46.3 (230/489) vs. 31.1% (66/202)], and decreased pregnancy loss [9.3 (22/252) vs. 19.8% (15/81)] compared with cows that did not show estrus, respectively. Cows not detected in estrus with small (<11 mm) or large follicles (>17 mm) had greater pregnancy loss; however, in cows detected in estrus, no effect of follicle diameter on pregnancy loss was observed. In conclusion, increasing the length of the protocol for TAI increased the percentage of cows detected in estrus and decreased pregnancy loss., (Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Studies in women indicate that some sexually transmitted infections promote human papillomavirus (HPV) persistence and carcinogenesis. Little is known about this association in men; therefore, we assessed whether Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) serostatus are associated with genital HPV prevalence, an early event in HPV-related pathogenesis., Methods: Genital exfoliated cells, first-void urine, and blood from 3971 men recruited in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil were tested for HPV, CT, and HSV-2 antibodies, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association of CT infection and HSV-2 serostatus with 4 HPV outcomes (any, oncogenic, nononcogenic only, and multiple infections)., Results: A total of 64 (1.6%) men were CT positive, and 811 (20.4%) men were HSV-2 seropositive. After adjustment for potential confounders, CT was associated with any HPV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-4.24), oncogenic HPV (aOR, 3.10; 95% CI, 1.53-6.28), and multiple HPV (aOR, 3.43; 95% CI, 1.69-6.95) prevalence. Herpes simplex virus type 2 serostatus was associated with any HPV (aOR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.02-1.52), nononcogenic HPV only (aOR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.08-1.75), and multiple HPV (aOR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.06-1.68) prevalence. In analyses stratified by sexual behavior, CT infection was significantly associated with HPV detection among men reporting 2 or more recent sexual partners, whereas HSV-2 serostatus was significantly associated with HPV detection in men reporting 0 to 5 lifetime sexual partners., Conclusion: In this population, CT infection and HSV-2 serostatus were associated with prevalent genital HPV infection. Future prospective studies should investigate whether these infections influence HPV acquisition and/or persistence.

Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) is essential for Streptococcus pneumoniae virulence and its use either as a novel pneumococcal vaccine or as carrier in a conjugate vaccine would improve the protection and the coverage of the vaccine. Within this context, the development of scalable production and purification processes of His-tagged recombinant fragment of PspA from clade 3 (rfPspA3) in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) was proposed. Fed-batch production was performed using chemically defined medium with glucose or glycerol as carbon source. Although the use of glycerol led to lower acetate production, the concentration of cells were similar at the end of both fed-batches, reaching high cell density of E. coli (62 g dry cell weight/L), and the rfPspA3 production was higher with glucose (3.48 g/L) than with glycerol (2.97 g/L). A study of downstream process was also carried out, including cell disruption and clarification steps. Normally, the first chromatography step for purification of His-tagged proteins is metal affinity. However, the purification design using anion exchange followed by metal affinity gave better results for rfPspA3 than the opposite sequence. Performing this new design of chromatography steps, rfPspA3 was obtained with 95.5% and 75.9% purity, respectively, from glucose and glycerol culture. Finally, after cation exchange chromatography, rfPspA3 purity reached 96.5% and 90.6%, respectively, from glucose and glycerol culture, and the protein was shown to have the expected alpha-helix secondary structure.

In women, naturally induced anti-human papilloma virus (HPV) serum antibodies are a likely marker of host immune protection against subsequent HPV acquisition and progression to precancerous lesions and cancers. However, it is unclear whether the same is the case in men. In this study, we assessed the risk of incident genital infection and 6-month persistent genital infection with HPV16 in relation to baseline serostatus in a cohort of 2,187 men over a 48-month period. Genital swabs were collected every 6 months and tested for HPV presence. Incidence proportions by serostatus were calculated at each study visit to examine whether potential immune protection attenuated over time. Overall, incidence proportions did not differ statistically between baseline seropositive and seronegative men at any study visit or over the follow-up period. The risk of incident and 6-month persistent infection was not associated with baseline serostatus or baseline serum antibody levels in the cohort. Our findings suggest that baseline HPV seropositivity in men is not associated with reduced risk of subsequent HPV16 acquisition. Thus, prevalent serum antibodies induced by prior infection may not be a suitable marker for subsequent immune protection against genital HPV16 acquisition in men., (©2011 AACR.)

This article proposes a system of indicators to evaluate the performance of companies in ergonomics for buildings. The system was developed based primarily on studies related to the performance evaluation of the construction industry and on Brazilian standards of ergonomics and work safety and had also the contribution of national and international indicators related to ergonomics, work safety, quality, sustainability, quality of work life and to organizational behavior. The indicators were named, classified and their components were assigned to compose the theoretical model SIDECE--System of Performance Indicators in Ergonomics for Building Construction (as for the Portuguese acronym), serving the major goals of ergonomics: health, safety and workers' satisfaction and production efficiency. The SIDECE is being validated along with the building construction companies in the city of Natal, Brazil, whose practical results, deriving from the application of instruments to collect field data, are under process, to be presented on the occasion of the 18th World Congress on Ergonomics. It is intended that the SIDECE be used by building construction companies as a support tool for excellence management.

The present article seeks the process of construction of ergonomics demand referring to the artisan fishing activityfound in Ponta Negra beach located in the city of Natal, Brazil. The instruction/construction of demands correspond to the first stage of Work Ergonomic Analysis and allows the understanding of real issues existent in a work situation, rank them and route the providences. The demand presented on this study, features itself as a induced demand, process which some potential demands or hypothetical demands are taken to an organization, after a preview analysis of the work aimed by the study, resulting from a theoretical research (state of the art) and/or from analysis of a reference situation (state of practice), where demands hypothesis are taken in consideration about the pretended work. The demands construction process using interactional methods and techniques, observation methods and techniques and bibliographic research, researches in state of reference or document. This article demonstrates the efficiency of the methodological choice to construct real ergonomic demands and highlights the importance of social construction on that process, which main goal is to refer the ergonomic actions that allow the improvement of work and life conditions for the fishers and sustainability to Jangadeira activity.

This article presents a diagnosis of luxury or superior hotels in the city of Natal, located in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in northeastern Brazil, in what concerns accessibility to the visually impaired. The main objective is to present the guiding principles to design actions and interventions that must be considered in the preparation or revision of technical standards and manuals of good practice in accessibility related to people with visual impairments who are hotel users. The survey showed that the hotels do not meet the normative indications of accessibility, their facilities are in-accessible (have prevented access) or of reduced accessibility and its employees are not prepared to provide adequate hospital services for people with visual impairment. It was concluded that some of the accessibility problems faced by people with visual impairments are also faced by people in general.

This article uses the contributions of ergonomics to understand the work performed by hotel managers. The concern to understand the job of managers is something new in the ergonomics and few studies address this issue, especially in what concerns the work of hotel managers and its aspects of performance and health, which is the focus of this article. Through a literature review on the subject, it is sought to understand the managers' work activity, the impacts on their health and their organizational performance, as managers take an ambivalent position in organizations, since they have to deal directly with the demands of upper and lower hierarchies in a context of high competition, organizational changes and user requirements. It is then inferred there is a risk of increased work density for managers, bringing negative consequences to their health and organizational performance. This phenomenon, still poorly covered by ergonomics, contributes to a certain invisibility of the manager's work in society as a whole, when the manager may suffer from health problems, which are also common in certain populations of workers who do not take the managerial function.

Background: Comparative studies of genital human papillomavirus (HPV) among men having sex with men (MSM), men having sex with women and men (MSWM), and men having sex with women (MSW) have not been conducted so far; however, such comparisons may be important for planning prevention strategies like vaccination., Methods: Men, aged 18 to 70 years, were enrolled in a study of genital HPV in São Paulo, Brazil; Cuernavaca, Mexico; and Tampa, FL. Men were classified as MSM (n = 170), MSWM (n = 214), and MSW (n = 3326) based on self-reported sexual behavior. Genotyping for HPV was conducted on cells from the penis and scrotum. Prevalence data were adjusted by country. Factors potentially associated with genital HPV were assessed using multivariable Poisson regression., Results: Genital HPV prevalence was typically higher among MSWM than among MSM or MSW for groups of HPV genotypes including nononcogenic types (51%, 36%, and 42%, respectively), and multiple types (37%, 24%, and 29%, respectively). Age and alcohol consumption in the past month were associated with oncogenic HPV among both MSM and MSWM; however, there were no statistically significant associations between sexual behaviors and genital HPV among MSM or MSWM., Conclusions: Prevalence of genital HPV may be higher among MSWM than among MSW or MSM. Number of female sex partners was associated with genital HPV among MSW, but number of male anal sex partners was not associated with genital HPV among MSM and MSWM.

Background: Few human papillomavirus (HPV) serology studies have evaluated type-specific seroprevalence of vaccine HPV types in men. This study investigates seroprevalence of HPV 6, 11, 16, and 18, and associated risk factors in men residing in three countries (United States, Mexico, and Brazil)., Methods: Data from 1,477 men aged 18 to 70 enrolled in the HPV Infection in Men Study (HIM Study) were analyzed. Serum antibody testing was performed with virus-like particle-based ELISA. Potential risk factors were assessed for individual HPV types by the use of logistic regression., Results: Overall, HPV-6, 11, 16, and 18 seroprevalence was 14.8%, 17.3%, 11.2%, and 5.8%, respectively. Thirty-four percent of men were seropositive to one or more HPV types. When examined by sexual practice, 31.2% of men who had sex with women, 65.6% of men who had sex with men (MSM), and 59.4% of men who had sex with both men and women (MSMW) were seropositive to one or more HPV types. Seroprevalence increased with age among young-to-middle-aged men with significant upward age trends observed for HPV 11, 16, and 18. Men with multiple lifetime male anal sex partners were 2 to 4 times more likely to be HPV 6 or 11 seropositive and 3 to 11 times more likely to be HPV 16 or 18 seropositive., Conclusion: Our data indicate that exposures to vaccine HPV types were common in men and highly prevalent among MSM and MSMW., Impact: Our study provides strong evidence that the practice of same-sex anal intercourse is an independent risk factor for seroprevalence of individual vaccine HPV types. Examination of antibody responses to HPV infections at various anatomic sites in future studies is needed to elaborate on the mechanism., (©2011 AACR.)

The Sistema Interamericano de Metrologia (SIM) is a regional metrology organization (RMO) whose members are the national metrology institutes (NMIs) located in the 34 nations of the Organization of American States (OAS). The SIM/OAS region extends throughout North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean Islands. About half of the SIM NMIs maintain national standards of time and frequency and must participate in international comparisons in order to establish metrological traceability to the International System (SI) of units. The SIM time network (SIMTN) was developed as a practical, cost effective, and technically sound way to automate these comparisons. The SIMTN continuously compares the time standards of SIM NMIs and produces measurement results in near real-time by utilizing the Internet and the Global Positioning System (GPS). Fifteen SIM NMIs have joined the network as of December 2010. This paper provides a brief overview of SIM and a technical description of the SIMTN. It presents international comparison results and examines the measurement uncertainties. It also discusses the metrological benefits that the network provides to its participants.

Unlabelled: HCV infection is common among patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis, and it has been considered an independent risk factor for mortality in this setting. Although liver biopsy in ESRD patients with HCV infection is useful before kidney transplantation, it carries a high risk of complications. We sought to assess the diagnostic value of noninvasive markers to stage liver fibrosis in 203 ESRD HCV-infected patients. Univariate and multivariate analysis were used to identify variables associated with significant fibrosis (METAVIR F2, F3, or F4 stages). Significant liver fibrosis was observed in 48 patients (24%). Logistic regression analysis identified AST and platelet count as independent predictors of significant fibrosis (P < 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the AST to platelet ratio index (APRI) for predicting significant fibrosis was 0.801. An APRI < 0.40 accurately identified patients with fibrosis stage 0 or 1 in 93% of the cases (NPV = 93%), and all misclassified subjects were F2. A cutoff > or = 0.95 to confirm significant fibrosis had a PPV of 66%. If biopsy indication was restricted to APRI scores in the intermediate range (> or = 0.40 and < 0.95), 52% of liver biopsies could have been correctly avoided., Conclusion: Stage of liver fibrosis can be reliably predicted in ESRD HCV-infected subjects by simple and widely available blood tests such as AST levels and platelet count. These tests might obviate the requirement for a liver biopsy in a significant proportion of those patients.

Purpose: To determine the levels of IgA, IgE, IgG and subclasses (IgG1, IgG4) antibodies specific to C. albicans in serum and vaginal washes from women with or without vulvovaginal candidiasis in order to evaluate the role of these antibodies in the immunopathogenesis of the disease., Methods: Thirty women with clinical symptoms of vulvovaginal candidiasis (15 positive vaginal culture to C. albicans, 11 negative culture and 4 positive culture to non-C. albicans) and 12 asymptomatic control women were selected. Serum and vaginal wash samples were obtained for the detection of anti-C. albicans antibodies by ELISA., Results: Symptomatic patients with positive culture showed significantly higher levels of specific IgA in vaginal washes and lower in serum than those with negative culture. Specific serum IgE levels were very low compared to vaginal IgE. High levels of total specific IgG were found in serum and vaginal washes in both groups, regardless the fungal presence or absence. Specific IgG1 and IgG4 levels were significantly higher only in vaginal washes from symptomatic patients with positive culture, with a slightly higher IgG1/IgG4 ratio, indicating that the IgG1 antibody response may be predominantly involved in the fungal clearance., Conclusion: Our results indicate a pronounced antibody response of IgA, IgG1 and IgG4 to C. albicans in vaginal washes in symptomatic patients with positive culture, suggesting a important role of these antibodies in the local immune response triggered by the presence of the fungus.

Background: The prevalence of duodenal ulcer (DU) has been considered high in patients with chronic pancreatitis; however, its pathogenesis is unclear. We hypothesized that Helicobacter pylori infection plays the major pathogenetic role., Study: One hundred seven cases (97 men, 10 women) of chronic alcoholic pancreatitis (CAP) were prospectively investigated from 1997 to 2001. One hundred thirty-seven DU patients and 59 nonulcer dyspepsia patients formed the two control groups. Pancreatic function was evaluated by determination of fecal fat excretion and fasting blood glucose concentration. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed in all patients, and gastric mucosal biopsies were taken for assessment of H. pylori infection with a modified Giemsa stain and rapid urease test., Results: Fifteen (14%) of the 107 patients with CAP had active DU. There was a trend toward an association between the presence of diabetes mellitus and/or steatorrhea and the occurrence of DU in patients with CAP (p = 0.06). The rate of H. pylori infection was significantly higher in patients with CAP and DU than in those with only CAP (86.7% vs. 54.3%, p = 0.02) but the rate similar to that in patients with simple DU (75.2%). Trends toward higher prevalence of H. pylori infection in CAP with DU were noticed when they were compared with the nonulcer dyspepsia group (86.7% vs. 66.1%). There was no significant difference in prevalence of H. pylori between CAP patients without DU and dyspeptic patients (54.3% vs. 66.1%)., Conclusions: These data demonstrate that the prevalence of DU in CAP is relatively high. H. pylori infection seems to play the major pathogenetic role in DU associated with CAP.

Swollen stacks of finite-size disclike Laponite clay platelets are investigated within a Wigner-Seitz cell model. Each cell is a cylinder containing a coaxial platelet at its center, together with an overall charge-neutral distribution of microscopic co and counterions, within a primitive model description. The nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation for the electrostatic potential profile is solved numerically within a highly efficient Green's function formulation. Previous predictions of linearized Poisson-Boltzmann (LPB) theory are confirmed at a qualitative level, but large quantitative differences between PB and LPB theories are found at physically relevant values of the charge carried by the platelets. A hybrid theory treating edge effect at the linearized level yields good potential profiles. The force between two coaxial platelets, calculated within PB theory, is an order of magnitude smaller than predicted by LPB theory.