There is a consensus that modern humans arrived in the Americas 15,000–20,000 y ago during the Late Pleistocene, most probably from northeast Asia through Beringia. However, there is still debate about the time of entry and number of migratory waves, including apparent inconsistencies between genetic and morphological data on Paleoamericans. Here we report the identification of mitochondrial sequences belonging to haplogroups characteristic of Polynesians in DNA extracted from ancient skulls of the now extinct Botocudo Indians from Brazil. The identification of these two Polynesian haplogroups was confirmed in independent replications in Brazil and Denmark, ensuring reliability of the data. Parallel analysis of 12 other Botocudo individuals yielded only the well-known Amerindian mtDNA haplogroup C1. Potential scenarios to try to help understand these results are presented and discussed. The findings of this study may be relevant for the understanding of the pre-Columbian and/or post-Columbian peopling of the Americas.

In these populations, the SDH play a key role in the ontogeny of diseases and the 'diseases of modernity' occur simultaneously with the always present infectoparasitic pathologies, substantially increasing social vulnerability.

The objective of this research is to assess the nutritional status and growth of children living in three Quilombola communities of Pará State, Amazônia, Brazil. We conducted a cross-sectional study to analyze 48 children between 0-5 years of age, representing over 70% of the population of this age group in the quilombos of Santo Antônio, África/ Laranjituba e Mangueiras. Anthropometric measurements followed international standard procedures and data were converted to Z-scores using the WHO-Anthro program. Weight/Height (W/H), Height/Age (H/A), Weight/Age (W/A) and Body Mass Index/Age (BMI/A) were descriptors of nutritional status on all track groups. A significant percentage of children present deviation in their growth and nutritional status in relation to the international references. When evaluating the W/H and BMI/A, a considerable number of children above the Z--score +1 (29.9%) is observed, highlighting a growing number of cases of overweight and obesity. However, when analyzing H/A, 31.1 % of children are below -2 Z-scores, showing that stunting is still a problem among these Quilombola remnants. The Quilombola children analyzed still have difficulties to achieve health and their full potential for growth, obstacles related to the socio-demographic, sanitary, and ecologic conditions in which they live. Concomitant with the scenario of undernutrition, there is a considerable prevalence of overweight among these children, confirming the nutritional transition process taking place in the Amazon region.

Previous application of a Portuguese version of the Horne and Östberg (H&O) questionnaires in Brazil showed a displacement of the distribution of Morningness/Eveningness (M/E) types towards morningness, demanding a reclassification of the score's limits for each of the 5 possible M/E types. Among city, age and sex, city was the only factor determining significant group differences. In the present paper, the same version of the H&O's questionnaire was applied to a distinct population of 260 adults, balanced according to age, sex and city. Data were collected from October to December, to control the effect of the photoperiod. City remains the only factor determining significant group differences (p<0.001). Moreover, there does not appear a coherent latitude trend that could explain differences among cities as a function of photoperiod. Local social habits could probably explain our results, suggesting further investigations of peculiar temporal patterns.

BackgroundBrazilian Amerindians have experienced a drastic population decrease in the past 500 years. Indeed, many native groups from eastern Brazil have vanished. However, their mitochondrial mtDNA haplotypes, still persist in Brazilians, at least 50 million of whom carry Amerindian mitochondrial lineages. Our objective was to test whether, by analyzing extant rural populations from regions anciently occupied by specific Amerindian groups, we could identify potentially authentic mitochondrial lineages, a strategy we have named 'homopatric targeting'.ResultsWe studied 173 individuals from Queixadinha, a small village located in a territory previously occupied by the now extinct Botocudo Amerindian nation. Pedigree analysis revealed 74 unrelated matrilineages, which were screened for Amerindian mtDNA lineages by restriction fragment length polymorphism. A cosmopolitan control group was composed of 100 individuals from surrounding cities. All Amerindian lineages identified had their hypervariable segment HVSI sequenced, yielding 13 Amerindian haplotypes in Queixadinha, nine of which were not present in available databanks or in the literature. Among these haplotypes, there was a significant excess of haplogroup C (70%) and absence of haplogroup A lineages, which were the most common in the control group. The novelty of the haplotypes and the excess of the C haplogroup suggested that we might indeed have identified Botocudo lineages. To validate our strategy, we studied teeth extracted from 14 ancient skulls of Botocudo Amerindians from the collection of the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro. We recovered mtDNA sequences from all the teeth, identifying only six different haplotypes (a low haplotypic diversity of 0.8352 ± 0.0617), one of which was present among the lineages observed in the extant individuals studied.ConclusionsThese findings validate the technique of homopatric targeting as a useful new strategy to study the peopling and colonization of the New World, especially when direct analysis of genetic material is not possible.

Blood pressure (BP) increases with age in westernized societies, is higher in men, and is correlated with the body mass index (BMI). Traditional societies present more variable patterns of BP. In 1991, BP and anthropometric data from two "Caboclo" (rural populations of mixed ancestry) groups from Marajó Island, Brazil, were collected: The Paricatuba group, (N = 20;12 women), with a subsistence base of fishing, collection of palm fruits, and traditional gardening; and the Praia Grande group (N = 26; 14 women), where subsistence is based on mechanized agriculture. In Paricatuba, mean BP is 109/74 mmHg in men and 101/70 mmHg in women. There are no significant differences between BP of men and women, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) increases with age. Both SBP and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) are associated with weight, but only DBP is associated with the BMI, while SBP is associated with stature. In Praia Grande, mean BP is 120/76 mmHg in men and 118/70 mmHg in women, with no significant differences between the sexes. In Praia Grande, SBP is higher than in Paricatuba, and both SBP and DBP are associated with age. Compared with urban groups, both Caboclo samples have low BP. Still, differences in BP and body habitus between the two groups support a hypothesis that degree of westernization influences mean levels of BP in rural Amazonian populations. Further, the results also may be interpreted as suggesting that associations of sex, age, and BMI with BP, commonly reported in urban samples, are a byproduct of westernization rather than a result of genetic factors. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

A exclusão social à qual as comunidades quilombolas estão expostas, em todo o território brasileiro, tem favorecido sua vulnerabilidade socioeconômica, ambiental, o que se traduz em precárias condições de vida e saúde. Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar as condições de vida, saúde e morbidade referidas pelas comunidades quilombolas do semiárido baiano. Trata-se de um estudo transversal realizado nas comunidades quilombolas de Matinha dos Pretos e Lagoa Grande no município de Feira de Santana (BA), com indivíduos adultos (≥ 18 anos). Os dados foram coletados por meio da aplicação de três instrumentos e analisados utilizando-se o pacote estatístico Stata 14.0. Resultados: dos 864 entrevistados, 63,0% são do sexo feminino; 47,8%, casados, apresentando uma média de idade de 42,6 anos (IC 95%: 41,1 – 44,2), e de escolaridade, variando de 6 a 7 anos de estudo em média. A maioria realiza trabalhos informais, especialmente nas funções relacionadas à agricultura. Em relação à vulnerabilidade ambiental, é de se destacar que 99,5% das casas não possuem rede de esgoto. Observou-se que a maioria raramente procura os serviços de saúde. As doenças de maior prevalência foram: doenças da coluna, doenças parasitárias e hipertensão arterial. Os principais agravos relacionados à saúde mental foram: ansiedade (n = 231); transtornos mentais comuns (n = 159) e fobias (n = 107). Os resultados demonstraram que as comunidades quilombolas de Feira de Santana (BA) encontram-se vulnerabilizadas, condição que revela a necessidade de intervenções sociais e de saúde, com vistas à melhoria da condição de vida e saúde dos quilombolas. Palavras-chave: Perfil epidemiológico. Condição de vida. Grupos com ancestrais do continente africano.

Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA) is a chronic, hereditary disease with high prevalence among people of African descent in Brazil. There are few studies about the reality of the affected individuals in the Amazon. SCA can be considered a biocultural disease as it involves evolutionary, genetic, environmental socioeconomic and cultural aspects which influence the daily living of the patients. This qualitative, ethnographic research was conducted with a sample of 40 individuals HB*SS -or their parents, when children -from several municipalities of Pará State representing about 10% of the people in treatment at the Pará State reference center on blood diseases. The study investigates the social vulnerability, life experiences, perceptions of health and illness, use of folk medicine, stigma and prejudice suffered, and difficulty of access to public health services (SUS) of the individuals affected in order to understand the experience of living with SCA.Keywords: Sickle Cell Anemia, social vulnerability, Amazonia 2013 Silva, A. K. L. S. | Silva, H. P. 13 ANEMIA DE CÉLULAS FALCIFORMES COMO EXPERIENCIA: LAS RELACIONES ENTRE LA VULNERABILIDAD SOCIAL Y CUERPO ENFERMO COMO FENÓMENO BIOCULTURAL EN EL ESTADO DE PARÁ ResumenLa anemia de células falciformes es una enfermedad crónica, hereditaria, que tiene una alta prevalencia en personas de ascendencia africana en Brasil. En la Amazonía existen pocos estudios sobre la realidad que viven las personas afectadas por esta enfermedad. La queja se entiende como un fenómeno biocultural, ya que se refiere a aspectos evolutivos, genéticos, ambientales, socioeconómicos y culturales que influyen en la vida cotidiana de las personas. Esta investigación cualitativa, etnográfica, se realizó con una muestra de 40 personas HB*SS -o sus cuidadores en el caso de los niños -que viven en diferentes ciudades del estado de Pará, lo que representa alrededor del 10% de las personas que reciben tratamiento en el centro de referencia hematológico del estado. La vulnerabilidad social de los sujetos, sus percepciones de la salud y la enfermedad, los tratamientos adyuvantes (medicina popular) utilizados, su conocimiento del diagnóstico, estigmas y prejuicios sufridos, representaciones y experiencias de vida, y las dificultades de acceso y la asequibilidad de los servicios de salud (SUS) fueron analizados para comprender la experiencia de vivir con anemia falciforme.Palabras clave: Anemia de células falciformes, vulnerabilidad social, Amazonía ARIANA KELLY LEANDRA SILVA DA SILVA. Endereço para correspondência: Av. Marquês de Herval,