Emerging arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), such as chikungunya and Zika viruses, are a major threat to public health in countries like Brazil where biodiversity is high and medical care is sometimes precarious. West Nile fever is a disease caused by the West Nile Virus (WNV), an RNA virus belonging to the Flaviviridae family. It is transmitted by infected mosquitoes to numerous animals like birds, reptiles and mammals, including human and non-human primates. In the last decade, the number of reported cases of WNV infection in humans and animals has increased in the Americas. Circulation of WNV in forests and rural areas in Brazil has been detected based on serological surveys and, in 2014, the first case of West Nile fever was confirmed in a patient from Piauí State. In 2018, the virus was isolated for the first time from a horse from a rural area in the state of Espírito Santo presenting with a neurological disorder; this raises the possibility that other cases of WNV encephalitis may have occurred without clinical recognition and without laboratory diagnosis by specific assays. The imminent WNV outbreak poses a challenge for Brazilian clinicians and researchers. In this review, we summarize the basic biological and ecological characteristics of this virus and the clinical presentation and treatment of febrile illnesses caused by WNV. We also discuss the epidemiological aspects, prophylaxis of WNV infections, and monitoring strategies that could be applied in the possibility of a WNV outbreak in Brazil.

SummaryZika virus (ZIKV), a single-stranded RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family, is an arbovirus (viruses transmitted by arthropods) transmitted to humans and non-human primates through the bites of infected female Aedes sp. mosquitoes. Although first isolated in 1947, it only recently emerged as a global threat, present in several countries resulting in a pandemic scenario. ZIKV infections may have severe outcomes, such as neurological impairment, and with the intrinsic ability of inducing microcephaly in fetuses of infected pregnant women, the virus has become a major public health problem. This review discusses some advances in diagnosis; vaccine development and the problems associated with their administration; the importance of the cross-reactivity with other flaviviruses in protecting or worsening the disease; the implications of the recent outbreak caused by the virus in the world; and future prospects for the complete understanding of this disease.

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O câncer é a segunda principal causa de morte no mundo, atrás somente das doenças cardiovasculares. Nos EUA, foram estimadas cerca de 153.000 e mais de 169.000 mortes por cânceres do trato gastrointestinal (TGI) para os anos de 2016 e 2021, respectivamente, enquanto no Brasil houve mais de 81.000 óbitos pelo mesmo tipo de câncer em 2021. Porém, é escassa a literatura referente a estimativas por câncer no interior de Goiás. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a incidência de câncer do TGI na cidade de Itumbiara. Procurou-se também associar possíveis fatores de risco para cânceres do TGI mais incidentes na cidade, para fornecer dados científicos, orientar a população e recomendar políticas públicas aos gestores. Após aprovação pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa da UEG, foram coletados retrospectivamente dados de 525 prontuários de pacientes, atendidos entre 1999 e 2019, no Núcleo de Apoio aos Portadores de Câncer em Itumbiara (NAPCI), dos quais 84 foram diagnosticados com câncer do TGI. Os resultados apontam que a faixa etária mais frequente foi de 45-53 anos (29,76%) e o ano com maior incidência foi 2010 (9 casos). O câncer colorretal foi o mais prevalente (46 casos: 54,76%), seguido de estômago (17 casos: 20,24%), e cavidade oral (8 casos: 9,52%). Conclui-se que pesquisas epidemiológicas locais e regionais como esta são importantes para contribuir para com o monitoramento e recomendar aos gestores em saúde melhorias nas estratégias de rastreamento, detecção precoce e prevenção contra vários tipos de câncer do TGI em pequenas cidades.

Reducing the environmental impact of cattle production is best achieved by increasing production efficiency, followed by processing and distribution. Integrated and intensified systems of beef and dairy farms offer both a high productivity and high profitability model that is best suitable for commercial commodity systems and also for small farmers. This approach to environmental assessment is necessary to avoid the risk of suboptimal solutions, as the two systems are highly interrelated.