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BackgroundLeptospirosis is a zoonosis caused by pathogenic species of bacteria belonging to the genusLeptospira. Most studies infer the epidemiological patterns of a single serogroup or aggregate all serogroups to estimate overall seropositivity, thus not exploring the risks of exposure to distinct serogroups. The present study aims to delineate the demographic, socioeconomic and environmental factors associated with seropositivity ofLeptospiraserogroup Icterohaemorraghiae and serogroup Cynopteri in an urban high transmission setting for leptospirosis in Brazil.Methods/Principal FindingsWe performed a cross-sectional serological study in five urban informal communities in the city of Salvador, Brazil. During the years 2018, 2020 2021, we recruited 2.808 residents and collected blood samples for serological analysis using microagglutination assays. We used a mixed-effect multinomial logistic regression model to identify risk factors associated with seropositivity for each serogroup. Seropositivity to Cynopteri increased with age in years (OR 1.03; 95% CI 1.01-1.06) and was higher in those living in houses with unplaster walls (exposed brick) (OR 1.68; 95% CI 1.09-2.59) and where cats were present near the household (OR 2.00; 95% CI 1.03-3.88). Seropositivity to Icterohaemorrhagiae also increased with age in years (OR 1.02; 95% CI 1.01-1.03) but was higher in males (OR 1.51; 95% CI 1.09-2.10), in those with work-related exposures (OR 1.71; 95% CI 1.10-2.66) or who had contact with sewage (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.00-2.03). Spatial analysis showed differences in distribution of seropositivity to serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae and Cynopteri within the five districts where study communities were situated.Conclusions/SignificanceOur data suggests distinct epidemiological patterns associated with serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae and Cynopteri within the high-risk urban environment for leptospirosis and with differences of spatial niches. Future studies must identify the different pathogenic serogroups circulating in low-income areas, and further evaluate the potential role of cats in the transmission of the serogroup Cynopteri in urban settings.

Popular participation in public health actions is essential for fighting Covid-19, especially in vulnerable urban communities where the lack of geographical data at fine resolution scale hinders appropriate spatial responses. This work proposes a crowdsourcing-based solution that captures georeferenced data regarding the population's perception of risk in relation to transmission predictors of Coronavirus. The proposed solution allows for mapping and sending real-time alerts regarding the presence of such transmission predictors. A validation study involving 20 people from a community in the city of Salvador revealed that the proposed solution is highly acceptable as user-centred alert tool, especially among young people.

The analysis of massive databases is a key issue for most applications today and the use of parallel computing techniques is one of the suitable approaches for that. Apache Spark is a widely employed tool within this context, aiming at processing large amounts of data in a distributed way. For the Statistics community, R is one of the preferred tools. Despite its growth in the last years, it still has limitations for processing large volumes of data in single local machines. In general, the data analysis community has difficulty to handle a massive amount of data on local machines, often requiring high-performance computing servers. One way to perform statistical analyzes over massive databases is combining both tools (Spark and R) via the sparklyr package, which allows for an R application to use Spark. This paper presents an analysis of Brazilian public data from the Bolsa Fam&iacute, lia Programme (BFP&mdash, conditional cash transfer), comprising a large data set with 1.26 billion observations. Our goal was to understand how this social program acts in different cities, as well as to identify potentially important variables reflecting its utilization rate. Statistical modeling was performed using random forest to predict the utilization rated of BFP. Variable selection was performed through a recent method based on the importance and interpretation of variables in the random forest model. Among the 89 variables initially considered, the final model presented a high predictive performance capacity with 17 selected variables, as well as indicated high importance of some variables for the observed utilization rate in income, education, job informality, and inactive youth, namely: family income, education, occupation and density of people in the homes. In this work, using a local machine, we highlighted the potential of aggregating Spark and R for analysis of a large database of 111.6 GB. This can serve as proof of concept or reference for other similar works within the Statistics community, as well as our case study can provide important evidence for further analysis of this important social support programme.

Objective: identify in the literature the state of the art of gamification frameworks and models developed for health contexts. Methods: an integrative literature review of articles indexed in the LILACS, SciELO, PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and Web of Science databases, in english and published between January 2010 and July 2020. Results: among the 10 studies included in the analysis, nine were published in journals and one in conference proceedings. As well as 100% of the analyzed studies were published between the years 2015 and 2020. Thus, among the articles are studies related to three health contexts, where six frameworks and two models were identified. Conclusions: it is noteworthy that the main gap related to the development of gamification frameworks and models for health contexts is the validation process. As well as, the trend and the possibility of observing the use of participatory approaches in models and frameworks of gamification for some health contexts was evidenced.

Submitted by Maria Fernanda Leite (leitem@stj.jus.br) on 2021-04-17T01:44:55Z No. of bitstreams: 2 verdade_possivel_apuracao_suxberger.pdf: 261449 bytes, checksum: 5e8e64c49f15582195b6e902e35aaced (MD5) license.txt: 1239 bytes, checksum: c9b4c351324448672315a00808efb725 (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by betanial@stj.jus.br (betanial@stj.jus.br) on 2021-04-19T16:52:23Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 verdade_possivel_apuracao_suxberger.pdf: 261449 bytes, checksum: 5e8e64c49f15582195b6e902e35aaced (MD5) license.txt: 1239 bytes, checksum: c9b4c351324448672315a00808efb725 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2021-04-19T16:52:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 verdade_possivel_apuracao_suxberger.pdf: 261449 bytes, checksum: 5e8e64c49f15582195b6e902e35aaced (MD5) license.txt: 1239 bytes, checksum: c9b4c351324448672315a00808efb725 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021

Introduction: The intense urbanization process has resulted in the reduction of forested areas, which poses an additional risk to public health. The aim of this study was to identify environmental variables in an urban community associated with the chances of injuries (bites/scratches) in humans caused by bats. Methodology: The study community was the Historic Center District of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The cases were the official records of households that reported injuries in humans caused by bats along the historical series from 2012 to 2015. Controls were selected from households near the cases without records of injuries involving bats. Univariate analysis was performed for the data using the chi-square and Fisher's exact test. Significant variables (p < 0.05) were included in the logistic regression models. Results: The variable for bats having access to households via defective/broken windows showed an association with the cases in the final model (OR = 45.14, CI = 6.08-335.10). The variables presence of domiciled dogs (OR = 6.04, CI = 1.44-25.92) and exposed fruit (OR = 4.41, CI 95% = 1.15-16.9) were significant factors. Conclusion: The results shows that access to the residence and supply of food that can be used by bats are factors that increase the chances of injuries in humans caused by these animals possibly increasing the risk of infectious diseases.

Residents of urban slums suffer from a high burden of zoonotic diseases due to individual, socioeconomic, and environmental factors. We conducted a cross-sectional sero-survey in four urban slums in Salvador, Brazil, to characterize how poverty and sanitation contribute to the transmission of rat-borne leptospirosis. Sero-prevalence in the 1,318 participants ranged between 10.0 and 13.3%. We found that contact with environmental sources of contamination, rather than presence of rat reservoirs, is what leads to higher risk for residents living in areas with inadequate sanitation. Further, poorer residents may be exposed away from the household, and ongoing governmental interventions were not associated with lower transmission risk. Residents at higher risk were aware of their vulnerability, and their efforts improved the physical environment near their household, but did not reduce their infection chances. This study highlights the importance of understanding the socioeconomic and environmental determinants of risk, which ought to guide intervention efforts., Author summary Globally, more than 1 billion residents live in urban slums, where inadequate sanitation increases the spread of pathogens and their animal hosts. Leptospirosis is a globally distributed bacterial disease, and in urban areas the bacteria is spread by brown rats. Humans become infected upon exposure to water or soil/mud that was contaminated with the urine of infected rats. In four urban slums in the city of Salvador, Brazil, we used a range of individual, socioeconomic, and environmental variables to understand how they influence to one another and define o leptospirosis exposure in residents. Poverty and sanitation influenced the degree to which residents were exposed to sewer water and mud. Further, we found that while residents tried to improve the physical environment near their household, living in an area with poor sanitation mean that their infection risk remained high. This work highlight the importance of socioeconomic and environmental factors in determining disease risk, and suggests that governmental interventions should focus on improving sanitation changes in the poorest parts of the community.

Submitted by Emanoel Martins Filho (emanoelfilho@ufba.br) on 2020-04-06T00:59:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 B862c.pdf: 5997781 bytes, checksum: 798fe1a2fc3403fbdee3893066f64d39 (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Setor de Periódicos (per_macedocosta@ufba.br) on 2020-04-06T15:58:50Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 B862c.pdf: 5997781 bytes, checksum: 798fe1a2fc3403fbdee3893066f64d39 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2020-04-06T15:58:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 B862c.pdf: 5997781 bytes, checksum: 798fe1a2fc3403fbdee3893066f64d39 (MD5) CONS NAC DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTIFICO E TECNOLOGICO - CAPES Objetivou-se neste estudo avaliar o risco da ocorrência de Cryptococcus spp. e ectoparasitos associados à presença de pombos (Columba livia) em hospitais, escolas, praças, igrejas e prédios antigos na cidade de Salvador, nordeste do Brasil. No período de 2015 a 2016, foram coletadas 851 amostras, sendo: de swab da cloaca de pombo (n= 229), material aderido às patas de pombo (n=26), fezes de pombos do ambiente (n= 315), poeira do interior de recintos (n=218) e detrito de árvores (n=63). Nos hospitais todos os tipos de amostras foram coletados o que variou para os demais locais de estudo. Os pombos foram capturados com rede, anilhados e coletadas amostras de cloaca e de resíduos de patas. Em três exemplares foram acoplados mini-GPSs. Foi realizada identificação fenotípica e bioquímica de Cryptococcus spp. O Risco Relativo [RR] de contaminação de Cryptococcus spp. foi calculado entre os locais com a presença de pombos e suas fezes em relação à poeira de recintos internos em hospitais e escolas, bem como, para locais com a presença de pombos e suas fezes em igrejas e prédios antigos em relação às praças. A positividade geral nas amostras foi de 15,0% (128/851), sendo 72,3% (99/137) de C. albidus, 17,5% (24/137) de C. laurentii, 10,2% (14/137) de C. neoformans, nove amostras apresentaram contaminação mista. Segundo os resultados de isolamento, as áreas externas dos hospitais apresentaram 3,6 vezes risco mais elevado de contaminação por Cryptococcus spp. em relação aos seus recintos internos (RR 3·6, 95% IC 1·5 - 7·4; p = 0·001). As igrejas e prédios antigos apresentaram duas vezes mais risco de contaminação em relação às praças (RR 2∙0, 95% CI 1∙0 – 3∙9; p=0∙036). C. albidus e C. laurentii foram isolados em amostras de cloaca (56/229), patas de pombos (8/26) e detritos de árvores (2/63). C. neoformans (n=14) foi isolado apenas em amostras de fezes. Foram registradas infestações nosocomiais por Ornithonyssus bursa, Pseudolynchia canariensis e Peckia intermutans em um dos hospitais estudados, todas associadas à presença de Columba livia. Medidas estruturais são necessárias para evitar a permanência de pombos e a formação de seus ninhos, além de ações de educação no sentido de não alimentar essas aves e aprimorar o manejo do lixo em espaços públicos e nos hospitais, evitando a exposição das pessoas às contaminações e infestações associadas a Columba livia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk of Cryptococcus spp. And ectoparasites associated with the presence of Columba livia pigeons in hospitals, schools, squares, churches and old buildings in the city of Salvador, northeastern Brazil. In the period from 2015 to 2016, 851 samples of pigeon cloaca swab (n = 229), material adhered to the pigeon paws (n=26), pigeon feces from the environment (n = 315), dust from the interior of rooms (n = 218) and detritus of trees (n=63). In the hospitals, all types of samples were collected, which varied for the other study sites. The pigeons were captured with net, ringed and collected samples of cloaca and paws. In three birds were coupled mini-GPS. Phenotypic and biochemical identification of Cryptococcus spp. The Relative Risk [RR] of contamination of Cryptococcus spp. Was calculated between sites with the presence of pigeons and their feces in relation to dust from interior of rooms in hospitals and schools, as well as for sites with pigeons and their feces in churches and old buildings in relation to squares. The overall positivity in the samples was 15.0% (128/851), with 72.3% (99/137) of C. albidus, 17.5% (24/137) of C. laurentii, 10.2% (14/137) of C. neoformans, nine samples showed mixed contamination. According to the isolation results, the external areas of the hospitals presented a 3.6 times higher risk of Cryptococcus spp. contamination in relation to its interior of rooms (RR 3 · 6, 95% CI 1 · 5 - 7 · 4, p = 0 · 001). Churches and old buildings had twice the risk of contamination compared to squares (RR 2 ∙ 0, 95% CI 1 ∙ 0 - 3 ∙ 9, p = 0 ∙ 036). C. albidus and C. laurentii were isolated in cloacal samples (56/229), pigeon paws (8/26) and tree debris (2/63). C. neoformans (n = 14) was isolated only in feces samples. Nosocomial infestations by Ornithonyssus bursa, Pseudolynchia canariensis and Peckia intermutans were recorded in one of the hospitals studied, all associated with the presence of Columba livia. Structural measures are necessary to prevent pigeons from permanence and nesting, as well as educational actions in order not to feed these birds and improve waste management in public spaces and hospitals, avoiding the exposure of people to the contamination and infestations associated with Columba livia. Keyword: Cryptococcus albidus;Cryptococcus laurentii;Cryptococcus neoformans;Arthropods;nosocomial infestation;hospital hygiene

Submitted by Adedayo Michael Awoniyi (maawoniyi13@gmail.com) on 2022-04-22T17:43:27Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PhD_Thesis_Adedayo_Michael_Awoniyi_22422_.PDF: 3022148 bytes, checksum: 51479a32e6cca659c922d96bf1493d3f (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Setor de Periódicos (per_macedocosta@ufba.br) on 2022-04-30T23:37:49Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 PhD_Thesis_Adedayo_Michael_Awoniyi_22422_.PDF: 3022148 bytes, checksum: 51479a32e6cca659c922d96bf1493d3f (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-30T23:37:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PhD_Thesis_Adedayo_Michael_Awoniyi_22422_.PDF: 3022148 bytes, checksum: 51479a32e6cca659c922d96bf1493d3f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2022-03-08 CNPq Ratos sinantrópicos são uma praga invasiva prevalente em ambientes urbanos de baixa renda; são difíceis de controlar e constituem uma ameaça à saúde pública e à agricultura para a raça humana. Em comunidades urbanas de baixa renda, a expansão e migração de roedores entre famílias ou bairros é um problema persistente, exigindo esforços de controle. No entanto, o avanço de programas eficazes de controle de roedores requer uma compreensão profunda de seu movimento e comportamento (curto e longo prazo) para intervenções químicas e sanitárias/infraestruturais. Portanto, no primero capitulo, usou-se Rodamina B (RB) um corante flourescente não tóxico, para avaliar a provável distância percorrida por ratos dentro de domicílios em um ambiente de favela na cidade de Salvador (BA-Brasil); ja no segundo capitulo, examinou-se o resultado de curto prazo de intervenções químicas e sanitárias em avistamentos de ratos em sete comunidades urbanas de baixa renda de New Providence, nas Bahamas; e no terceiro capitulo, caracterizou-se o resultado de longo prazo de intervenções químicas e de infraestrutura no nível de infestação de ratos em três vales de uma comunidade de baixa renda na cidade de Salvador. No premeiro capitulo, prendemos ratos a uma distância máxima de 90m por quatro dias consecutivos e relatamos que os ratos viajam até 90m de distância, mesmo em uma comunidade urbana complexa. Também estabelecemos que o RB é um método alternativo confiável que pode ser usado para investigar o movimento de pequenos mamíferos, mesmo em ambientes urbanos. No segundo capitulo, registramos sistematicamente os avistamentos de ratos antes e três meses após as intervenções (aplicação de rodenticida e melhoria do sistema de saneamento) e observamos uma ligeira diminuição nos avistamentos de ratos após a intervenção, embora com eficácia variada entre os locais de amostragem. Por fim, no terceiro capitulo, registramos sistematicamente a infestação de ratos antes e três anos após as intervenções (aplicações de rodenticidas e infraestruturais). O estudo ocorreu em três vales, com os vales 1 e 4 servindo como vales de tratamento (receberam ambos os tipos de intervenções), enquanto o vale 2 serviu como controle (não recebeu intervenção química). Nós relatamos que as intervenções diminuíram substancialmente as infestações de ratos por 5-6 meses, nos vales de tratamento com um nível de infestação aleatório registrado no vale de controle. Portanto, concluímos que a rodamina B é um método viável, mais barato e seguro para rastrear o movimento de roedores em ambientes urbanos e também que, embora a intervenção química por si só ofereça um método barato e fácil de controlar ratos, no entanto, sua eficácia geral é de curta duração. . Como resultado, defendemos que um sistema de abordagem integrado específico do local que incorpora métodos químicos e não químicos de controle de roedores deve ser considerado ao planejar programas de manejo de roedores para obter um resultado sustentável a longo prazo. Synanthropic rats are worldwide invasive and prevalent pest in low-income urban environments; they are difficult to control and constitute a public health and agricultural threat to the human race. In low-income urban communities, rodent expansion and migration between households or neighbourhoods is a persistent problem, demanding control efforts. Therefore, advancing effective rodent control programs requires an in-depth understanding of their movement and behaviour (short and long-term) to chemical and sanitary/infrastructural intervention. Thus, this thesis is divided into three chapters, with each representing an article. The first chapter uses Rhodamine B (RB) a non-toxic dye to assess the distance travelled by rats within or areas around households in a slum environment in the city of Salvador (BA-Brazil); the second chapter examined the short-term outcome of chemical and sanitary interventions on rat sightings in seven low-income urban communities of New Providence, in the Bahamas; and the third chapter characterized the long-term outcome of chemical and infrastructural interventions on rat infestation level in three valleys of a low-income community of Salvador. In chapter one, we trapped rats to a maximum distance of 90m for four consecutive days and reported that rats do travel up to 90m distance even in a complex urban community. We also established that RB is a reliable alternative method that can be used to investigate the movement of small mammals even in urban settings. In chapter two, we systematically recorded rat sightings before and three months after interventions (rodenticide application & improvement of sanitation system), and observed a slight decrease in rat sightings after the intervention, although with varied effectiveness across the sampling locations. Lastly, in chapter three, we systematically recorded rat infestation before and three years after interventions (rodenticide applications and infrastructural). The study occurred in three valleys, with valleys 1 and 4 serving as the treatment valleys (received both types of interventions), while valley 2 served as the control (received no chemical intervention). We reported that the interventions substantially decreased rat infestations for 5-6 months, at the treatment valleys with a haphazard infestation level recorded at the control valley. Therefore, we concluded that Rhodamine B is a viable, cheaper and safer method for tracking rodent movement in urban settings, and also that, although chemical intervention alone offers a cheap and easy method of controlling rats, however, its overall effectiveness is short-lived. As a result, we advocate that a site-specific integrated approach system that incorporates both chemical and non-chemical methods of rodent control should be considered when planning rodent management programs to obtain an effective long-term result.