We assess the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) and cofactors for cervical severe disease, as contribution for vaccine strategies at the right moment in which Brazilian health authorities have approved an anti-HPV vaccine. A case-control study was undertaken with 201 women who attended a public health service with previous abnormal cytology. The HPV status was ascertained by consensus primers My09/11 and typed by 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, and 58 specific primers. Patients diagnosed with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and cervical cancer were referred as cases (n = 84). Patients with normal/inflammatory cervix or carrying benign cervical lesions were included in controls (n = 117). The overall prevalence of HPV infection was 75.6%, with 91.7% among cases. In spite of HPV 16 being the most frequent type (53.3%), 27.6% of infections were attributed to nonvaccine types. High-risk HPV were strongly associated to older women (OR = 6.7). Otherwise, age at the first intercourse (OR = 7.10), three or more parities (OR = 3.05), abortion episodes (OR = 4.80), and smoking (OR = 3.83) conferred a heavy effect in younger women. Among mediators affecting the progress from HSIL to cancer, age played the main role in easing the progression (OR = 1.09, P = 0.002) followed by education level (OR = 4.20, P = 0.066). White ethnia showed to be a protective factor (OR = 0.32, P = 0.055). Predictors from HPV exposure to malignant disease include demographic and behavioral factors. Public policies such as improvement of education and continued prevention campaigns might contribute to reduce this picture. This work also gives background, in identifying a target population, for implementing future vaccine strategies.

Crescimento inicial deRESUMO -A produção de mudas florestais, seja com finalidade econômica ou conservacionista, depende de conhecimentos relacionados ao crescimento e desenvolvimento vegetal. O estudo de uma planta em diferentes condições ambientais permite definir e aprimorar formas de cultivos mais adequadas. No trabalho, objetivou-se avaliar o crescimento de mudas de Dalbergia nigra (jacarandá caviúna) e Chorisia speciosa (paineira) cultivadas em casas de vegetação sob diferentes níveis de sombreamento, com o intuito de determinar o sombreamento mais adequado ao crescimento e relacionar suas respostas ao contexto ecológico. As sementes das espécies foram germinadas e cultivadas em casas de vegetação nas condições de 0, 22, 50, 70, 84 e 91 % de sombreamento. As variáveis analisadas foram altura de plantas, diâmetro do colo, área foliar total e a relação altura/diâmetro, sendo coletados os dados aos 30, 60, 90 e 180 dias após a emergência. As mudas de jacarandá caviúna tiveram maior altura, diâmetro do colo e área foliar nos tratamentos com sombreamento intermediários (50%, 70% e 84% de sombra) e apresentou características de espécies tolerantes a sombra e de estágios mais avançados de sucessão, se aproximando de espécies secundárias tardias a clímax. Por outro lado, as mudas de paineira apresentaram melhor crescimento no tratamento sem sombra (0%) e nos tratamentos com sombreamentos leves (20 e 50%), com características de espécies heliófitas em etapas iniciais de sucessão e aproximando-se de plantas pioneiras a secundárias iniciais.

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Objective: to analyze the practice of self-medication in the elderly population. Method: this is a quantitative, exploratory and descriptive study carried out with 74 active elderly people in two Social Assistance Reference Centers (CRAS). The data collection took place in weekly meetings through a form with questions of socio-demographic characteristics and related to the consumption of medicines applied through weekly meetings offered by CRAS. The data were analyzed by the SPSS statistical software version 20.0, with absolute and relative frequency distribution, in which numerical inference was performed on the description of the variables organized in tables. Results: the group studied showed a predominance of 43 (58.1%) female, 40 illiterate (54.1%) and 62 patients with chronic diseases (83.8%). The practice of self-medication was common for 57 (77%), analgesic and antipyretic with 32 (56.2%), and triggered by a headache with 38 (66.7%), with strong advertising influencing this practice in 43 patients (58, 1%). Conclusion: the practice of selfmedication is frequent in the elderly population, which has repercussions on the need to work with health promotion groups to reduce the possible harm caused by inappropriate medication use. Descriptors: Aging; Self-Medication; Health of the Elderly. RESUMOObjetivo: analisar a prática de automedicação em idosos ativos. Método: estudo quantitativo, exploratório e descritivo, realizado com 74 idosos ativos, em dois Centros de Referência da Assistência Social (CRAS). A coleta de dados ocorreu em encontros semanais por meio de um formulário com perguntas de características sociodemográficas e relacionadas ao consumo de medicamentos aplicado por meio de encontros semanais ofertados pelo CRAS. Os dados foram analisados pelo Programa estatístico SPSS versão 20.0 com distribuição das frequências absoluta e relativa, em que se realizou inferência numérica de descrição das variáveis organizados em tabelas. Resultados: o grupo estudado demonstrou predomínio de participantes do sexo feminino, 43 (58,1%), analfabetos, 40 (54,1%), e portadores de doenças crônicas, 62 (83,8%). A prática da automedicação foi comum para 57 (77%), com analgésicos e antitérmicos, 32 (56,2%), e desencadeada pela cefaleia, 38 (66,7%), tendo a propaganda forte influência para essa prática em 43 (58,1%). Conclusão: a prática de automedicação é frequente nos idosos, o que repercute na necessidade de trabalhar com grupos de promoção à saúde de modo a reduzir possíveis danos provocados pelo uso inadequado de medicamentos. Descritores: Envelhecimento; Automedicação; Saúde do Idoso. RESUMENObjetivo: analizar la práctica de automedicación en ancianos activos. Método: estudio cuantitativo, exploratorio y descriptivo, realizado con 74 ancianos activos, en dos Centros de Referencia de la Asistencia Social (CRAS). La recolección de datos fue en encuentros semanales por medio de un formulario con preguntas de características sociodemográficas y relacionadas al consumo de medicamentos aplicado por medio de encuen...

The coffee leaf-miner (CLM) (Leucoptera coffeella Guérin-Mèneville; Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae), the main pest of coffee plants, occurs widely throughout the Neotropics where it has a significant, negative economic and quantitative impact on coffee production. This study was conducted in a rubber tree/ coffee plant interface that was influenced by the trees to a varying degrees depending on the location of the coffee plants, i.e. from beneath the rubber trees, extending through a range of distances from the edge of the tree plantation to end in a coffee monocrop field. The most severe damage inflicted on coffee plants by the CLM (number of mined leaves) from April, which marks the start of the water deficit period, until September 2003 was in the zone close to the rubber trees, whereas the damage inflicted on plants in the monocropped field was comparable to that on coffee plants grown directly beneath the rubber trees, which received about 25-40 % of the available irradiance (I r-available irradiation at a certain position divided by the irradiation received in full sunlight, i.e. in the monocrop). From May until July damage caused by the CLM nearly doubled in each month. In midwinter (July), the damage decreased perceptibly from the tree edge toward the open field. From September onward, with the rising air temperatures CLM damage in the coffee monocrop started to increase. Based on these results, we conclude that coffee plants grown in the full sun incurred the most damage only at the end of winter, with warming air

Objective: To investigate determinants of physical inactivity among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years in the city of Recife, northeastern Brazil.Method: This case-control study involved 597 private school students aged 15 to 19 years selected by convenience sampling. Exclusion criteria were adolescents with diseases that interfered with or hindered anthropometric measurements, who were being treated with drugs or diet for excess weight or who had changed their physical activity over the past 30 days. The students were recruited according to physical activity, as determined by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire: cases -inactive (sedentary or insufficiently active); and controls -active (active and very active). The adolescents reported the number of hours per day of television watching and computer use to identify the number of sedentary hours/day. Anthropometry (weight and height) of the adolescents was measured by Gibson's technique and used to calculate the body mass index. Weight, height and educational level of mothers were self-reported. Data were analyzed by multiple logistic regression, using the SPSS software, version 11.5, in order to control for confounding variables.Results: Female adolescents were twice as likely to be inactive (odds ratio = 1.94; 95% confidence interval = 1.35-2.79) compared to male adolescents. Watching television for more than 1 hour/day showed increased risk for physical inactivity compared to less than 1 hour/day (odds ratio = 1.55; 95% confidence interval = 1.01-2.39). Conclusion:Physical inactivity among adolescents was associated with females and longer time spent per day watching television.J Pediatr (Rio J). 2010;86(6):520-524: Physical activity, risk factors, overweight, television, case-control studies, adolescents. ResumoObjetivo: Investigar fatores determinantes da inatividade física entre adolescentes de 15 a 19 anos na cidade do Recife (PE). Método:O estudo foi caso-controle, envolvendo 597 adolescentes de 15 a 19 anos, estudantes de escolas particulares, selecionadas por conveniência. Os critérios de exclusão foram adolescentes com doenças que interferissem ou impossibilitassem a avaliação antropométrica, que estavam em tratamento medicamentoso ou dietético para sobrepeso ou que haviam modificado sua atividade física nos últimos 30 dias. Eles foram recrutados de acordo com a atividade física, determinada pelo International Physical Activity Questionnaire: casos -inativos (sedentários e insuficientemente ativos); e controles -ativos (ativos e muito ativos). Os adolescentes informaram quantas horas diárias assistiam televisão e usavam computador para identificar o número de horas sedentárias/dia. A antropometria (peso e estatura) dos adolescentes foi aferida pela técnica de Gibson; assim, foi calculado o índice de massa corporal. O peso, a estatura e a escolaridade das mães foram autorreferidos. Os dados foram analisados por análise múltipla de regressão logística, utilizando o programa SPSS, versão 11.5, objetivando controlar variáveis de confusão...

This article reports the HPV status and cervical cytological abnormalities in patients attended at public and private gynecological services from Rio de Janeiro State. It also comments the performance of each HPV DNA tests used. A set of 454 women from private health clinics was tested by routine Capture Hybrid II HPV DNA assay. Among these, 58.4% presented HPV and nearly 90% of them were infected by high risk HPV types. However, this group presented few premalignant cervical lesions and no invasive cervical cancer was registered. We also studied 220 women from low income class attended at public health system. They were HPV tested by polymerase chain reaction using My09/11 primers followed by HPV typing with E6 specific primers. The overall HPV prevalence was 77.3%. They also showed a high percentage of high squamous intraepithelial lesion-HSIL (26.3%), and invasive cervical carcinoma (16.3%). HPV infection was found in 93.1% and 94.4% of them, respectively. The mean ages in both groups were 31.5 and 38 years, respectively. In series 1, HPV prevalence declined with age, data consistent with viral transient infection. In series 2, HPV prevalence did not decline, independent of age interval, supporting not only the idea of viral persistence into this group, but also regional epidemiological variations in the same geographic area. Significant cytological differences were seen between both groups. Normal and benign cases were the most prevalent cytological findings in series 1 while pre-malignant lesions were the most common diagnosis in the series 2. HPV prevalence in normal cases were statistically higher than those from series 1 (p<0.001), indicating a higher exposure to HPV infection. Women from both samples were referred for previous abnormal cytology. However, socio-demographic evidence shows that women from series 1 have access to treatment more easily and faster than women from series 2 before the development of pre-malignant lesions. These data provides baseline support for the role of social inequalities linked to high risk HPV infection leading to cervical cancer. Broadly screening programs and the development of safe and effective vaccines against HPV would diminish the toll of this disease that affect mainly poor women.

Abstract:The pharmacological activities of many Punica granatum L. components suggest a wide range of clinical applications for the prevention and treatment of diseases where chronic inflammation is believed to play an essential etiologic role. The current work reports a case study analyzing the effect produced by a magistral formulation of ethanolic extracts of Punica granatum peels on a non-healing chronic ulcer. The complete closure of the chronic ulcer that was initially not responsive to standard medical care was observed. A 2% (w/w) P. granatum peels ethanolic extract hydrogel-based formulation (PGHF) was standardized and subjected to physicochemical studies to establish the quality control parameters using, among others, assessment criteria such as optimum appearance, pH range, viscosity and hydrogel disintegration. The stability and quantitative chromatographic data was assessed in storage for six months under two temperature regimes. An efficient HPLC-DAD method was established distinguishing the biomarkers punicalin and punicalagin simultaneously in a single 8 min run. PGHF presented suitable sensorial and physicochemical performance, showing that punicalagin was not significantly affected by storage (p > 0.05). Formulations containing extracts with not less than 0.49% (w/w) total punicalagin might find good use in wound healing therapy.