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RESUMO INTRODUÇÃOO cultivo de Rhamdia quelen (jundiá) está aumentando no sul do Brasil, mas ainda está muito abaixo de suas possibilidades, pois vários parâmetros biológicos sobre a espécie estão faltando ou dispersos na literatura. Portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho é revisar os dados existentes sobre a biologia de R. quelen e indicar futuros estudos que possam auxiliar no cultivo dessa espécie.

BackgroundNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disease, which includes a spectrum of hepatic pathology such as simple steatosis, steatohepatitis, fibrosis and cirrhosis. The increased serum levels of homocysteine (Hcy) may be associated with hepatic fat accumulation. Genetic mutations in the folate route may only mildly impair Hcy metabolism. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between liver steatosis with plasma homocysteine level and MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms in Brazilian patients with NAFLD.MethodsThirty-five patients diagnosed with NAFLD by liver biopsy and forty-five healthy controls neither age nor sex matched were genotyped for C677T and A1298C MTHFR polymorphisms using PCR-RFLP and PCR-ASA, respectively, and Hcy was determined by HPLC. All patients were negative for markers of Wilson’s, hemochromatosis and autoimmune diseases. Their daily alcohol intake was less than 100 g/week. A set of metabolic and serum lipid markers were also measured at the time of liver biopsies.ResultsThe plasma Hcy level was higher in NAFLD patients compared to the control group (p = 0.0341). No statistical difference for genotypes 677C/T (p = 0.110) and 1298A/C (p = 0.343) in patients with NAFLD and control subjects was observed. The genotypes distribution was in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (677C/T p = 0.694 and 1298 A/C p = 0.188). The group of patients and controls showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) for BMI and HOMA_IR, similarly to HDL cholesterol levels (p < 0,006), AST, ALT, γGT, AP and triglycerides levels (p < 0.001). A negative correlation was observed between levels of vitamin B12 and Hcy concentration (p = 0.005).ConclusionOur results indicate that plasma Hcy was higher in NAFLD than controls. The MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms did not differ significantly between groups, despite the 677TT homozygous frequency was higher in patients (17.14%) than in controls (677TT = 4.44%) (p > 0.05). The suggested genetic susceptibility to the MTHFR C677T and A1298C should be confirmed in large population based studies.

Dengue, a reemerging disease, is one of the most important viral diseases transmitted by mosquitoes. Climate is considered an important factor in the temporal and spatial distribution of vector-transmitted diseases. This study examined the effect of seasonal factors and the relationship between climatic variables and dengue risk in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 2001 to 2009. Generalized linear models were used, with Poisson and negative binomial distributions. The best fitted model was the one with "minimum temperature" and "precipitation", both lagged by one month, controlled for "year". In that model, a 1°C increase in a month's minimum temperature led to a 45% increase in dengue cases in the following month, while a 10-millimeter rise in precipitation led to a 6% increase in dengue cases in the following month. Dengue transmission involves many factors: although still not fully understood, climate is a critical factor, since it facilitates analysis of the risk of epidemics.

Different incidence rates and treatment outcomes were found in different Brazilian states. To reach the 85% cure goal for new cases and to increase cure in HIV-positive and defaults cases additional efforts are needed by the Brazilian National Tuberculosis Program, including scaling up the Directly Observed Therapy Strategy.

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Integrated studies carried out on the Proterozoic sediment-hosted Pb-Zn sulfide deposits of the São Francisco Craton, Brazil, allowed the estimation of (1) ages of the host sequences, (2) timing of mineralization, (3) possible sources of metal and sulfur, (4) temperature and salinity range of mineralizing solutions, (5) sources of fluids and (6) possible mechanisms of fluid flow. Contrary to the deposits from other Proterozoic basins, the Brazilian deposits do not contain world class metal reserves. This can probably be attributed to the lack of sufficient investments in exploration and mining development research activities. However, the sulfide deposits of the São Francisco Craton do share several important geological, structural, isotopic and fluid characteristics with some of the giant deposit types. Using these data we develop a more realistic metallogenic model for the Proterozoic sediment-hosted Pb-Zn sulfide deposits.