No abstract available.
Brazil* ; Jurisprudence*

No abstract available.
Brazil ; Breast Feeding

The karyotypes of Biomphalaria tenagophila collected from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil were studied using the air-drying method. Somatic cells of this species had 2n=36. The 18 chromosome pairs were identified and classified into 3 groups. The diploid cell has 7 pairs of metacentric, 8 pairs of submetacentric, and 3 pairs of subtelocentric chromosomes. Observed chromosomes ranged from 2.4 to 6.4 microm, and the total length was 122.3 microm. This is the first report on the chromosome of B. tenagophila.
Animals ; Biomphalaria/*cytology/*genetics ; Brazil ; *Karyotype

Endometriosis is common estrogen-related gynecological diseases related to interactions of dietary, genetic causes, social and environmental factors. The high prevalence approaches 5-15% in premenopausal women and 30% in infertile women, and it is unusual to occur after the onset of menopause. In this review, the gene polymorphisms of estrogen receptor (ER) alpha and betare-lated to the risks of endometriosis were investigated through statistical analysis by using the gene polymorphism for the risks of the disease examined trends. The polymorphism of ERalpha-PvuII in Europe tends to increase the risk of endometriosis and, ERalpha-XbaI polymorphisms in both Asia and Europe have a slightly increased risk of endometriosis. In the case of ERbeta-RsaI, the risk of endometriosis increases in Brazil, while the polymorphism of ERbeta-AluI reduces the disease risks in Asia. Polymorphism studies on ER associated with the risk of endometriosis in Asia and Europe showed that those polymorphisms may be used to predict the high or low risks of endometriosis, and potentially used for prevention, therapy or prognosis of endometriosis. Further studies on interacting with more related genes and environmental factors may provide a better understanding of associations between estrogen receptor gene polymorphisms and endometriosis.
Asia ; Brazil ; Endometriosis ; Estrogens ; Europe ; Female ; Humans ; Menopause ; Prevalence ; Prognosis

Investigations of Enterobius sp. infection in prehistory have produced a body of data that can be used to evaluate the geographic distribution of infection through time in the Americas. Regional variations in prevalence are evident. In North America, 119 pinworm positive samples were found in 1,112 samples from 28 sites with a prevalence of 10.7%. Almost all of the positive samples came from agricultural sites. From Brazil, 0 pinworm positive samples were found in 325 samples from 7 sites. For the Andes region, 22 pinworm positive samples were found in 411 samples from 26 sites for a prevalence of 5.3%. Detailed analyses of these data defined several trends. First, preagricultural sites less frequently show evidence of infection compared to agricultural populations. This is especially clear in the data from North America, but is also evident in the data from South America. Second, there is an apparent relationship between the commonality of pinworms in coprolites and the manner of constructing villages. These analyses show that ancient parasitism has substantial value in documenting the range of human behaviors that influence parasitic infections.
Americas* ; Brazil ; Enterobius* ; Humans ; North America ; Prevalence ; South America

Animal venoms have been widely investigated throughout the world. The great number of biotechnological articles as well as patent applications in the field of drug discovery based on these compounds indicates how important the source is. This review presents a list of the most studied Brazilian venomous animal species and shows the most recent patent applications filed from 2000 to 2013, which comprise Brazilian venoms, toxins and derivatives. We analyze the data according to the species, the type of products claimed and the nationality of the inventors. Fifty-five patent applications were found, involving 8 genera. Crotalus, Lachesis, Bothrops and Loxosceles represented 78% of the patent applications. The other 22% were represented by Phoneutria, Tityus, Acanthoscurria and Phyllomedusa. Most of the inventions (42%) involved anticancer, immunomodulator or antimicrobial drugs, while 13% involved anti-venoms and vaccines, 11% involved hypotensive compositions, 9% involved antinociceptive and/or anti-inflammatory compositions, and the other 25% involved methods, kits or compositions for various purposes. Brazilian inventors filed 49% of the patent applications, but other countries, mainly the United States of America, Germany, Russia and France, also filed patent applications claiming products comprising venoms, toxins and/or derivatives from the Brazilian fauna. Brazil holds an important number of patent applications which mostly belong to universities and research institutes, but the pharmaceutical industry in this field is still weak in Brazil. Although, Brazilian venomous animal species have been reported in drug discovery throughout the world, many species remain to be explored as valuable and promising tools for drug discovery and development.
Animals ; Brazil ; Drug Discovery ; Drug Industry ; Toxins, Biological ; chemistry ; Venoms ; chemistry

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the use and acceptance of digital radiographic examinations by Brazilian dental practitioners in daily practice and to evaluate the advances that have occurred over the past 5 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dental practitioners enrolled in extension courses at the Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas, Brazil, responded to a self-administered questionnaire in the years 2011 and 2015. They were asked about sociodemographic factors and their knowledge and use of digital radiographic examinations. Descriptive analysis was performed, as well as the chi-square and Fisher exact tests, with a significance level of 5% (α=0.05). RESULTS: A total of 181 participants responded to the questionnaire in the years 2011 and 2015. Most of the respondents worked in private practice, had graduated within the last 5 years, and were between 20 and 30 years old. In 2011, 55.6% of respondents reported having ever used digital radiographic examinations, while in 2015 this number increased significantly to 85.4% (p<.0001), out of which 71.4% preferred it to conventional images. Moreover, 21.4% of respondents reported having used digital radiographic examinations for more than 3 years. A significant increase in use of intraoral digital radiography (p=0.0316) was observed in 2015. In both years, image quality and high cost were indicated, respectively, as the main advantage and disadvantage of digital radiographic examinations. CONCLUSION: This study showed that digital radiology has become more common in Brazil over the past 5 years. Most of the Brazilian dental practitioners evaluated in 2015 used digital radiographic examinations.
Brazil ; Dentists ; General Practice, Dental ; Humans ; Private Practice ; Radiographic Image Enhancement ; Schools, Dental ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: Free radicals are responsible for tissue injury in corneal preservation and transplantation. Morin hydrate, a flavonoid from Brazil wood, has been shown to be cytoprotective in several types of cells. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of morin hydrate on rabbit cornea against damage induced by oxyradicals and nitric oxide. METHODS: The rabbit cornea was studied in modified Ussing chambers to determine the effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or sodium nitroprusside (SNP) by measuring the bioelectrical properties (short-circuit current (Isc), tissue resistance (Rt) and potential difference (PD)). RESULTS: 1.0 mM H2O2 markedly increased the Isc at the tear side (T-side), but not at stromal side (S-side), suggesting the site of action of H2O2 was the apical membrane (T-side). After pretreatment with morin hydrate (T-side, 1.0 mM), H2O2-induced increase of Isc and PD was markedly reduced. In addition adding morin hydrate with H2O2 simultaneously, the increase of Isc and PD was also markedly reduced. Exposure of cornea to SNP at the T-side increased nitric oxide, and increased the bioelectrical properties (PD and Isc). This effect was attenuated by the treatment with morin hydrate. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that morin hydrate behaved as a antioxidant. This property of morin hydrate may help prevent protect cornea in preservative solutions from free radical damage.
Brazil ; Cornea ; Epithelium, Corneal* ; Free Radicals ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Membranes ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitroprusside ; Oxygen* ; Wood

Lead concentrations was measured in samples of mineral mixtures used in beef cattle feed in the states of Sao Paulo, Parana, Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Lead content was determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Of the 60 analyzed samples, 21 had values greater than 30 ppm (range less 1.6 to 460 ppm), which is the maximum concentration recommended [3,14]. These findings show the necessity for careful industrial monitoring because some mineral mixtures contain sufficient lead to cause toxicity in animals.
Animal Feed/*analysis ; Animals ; Brazil ; *Cattle ; Dietary Supplements/analysis ; Lead/*analysis

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a vector-borne flavivirus. It was initially identified in Uganda in 1947, and the first human infection was reported in Nigeria in 1953. Since 2015, ZIKV has been spreading rapidly in Brazil and the Americas. Given its general symptoms, ZIKV is considered to be a mild, febrile illness, although it is associated with severe neurologic complications. On February 1, 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). We conducted a review of the literature on the epidemiology and transmission, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of ZIKV. Additionally, we introduce original literature on the current ZIKV outbreak in this review.
Americas ; Brazil ; Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Epidemiology ; Flavivirus ; Humans ; Nigeria ; Public Health ; Uganda ; World Health Organization ; Zika Virus*