Clinical and epidemiological aspects of scorpion stings in the northeast region of BrazilAspectos clínicos e epidemiológicos dos acidentes escorpiônicos na região do nordeste do Brasil

BackgroundThe present study aims to investigate the clinical-epidemiological characteristics of bee sting cases recorded between 2007 and 2012 in the city of Campina Grande, Paraíba state, Brazil. Data were collected from the database of the Injury Notification Information System of the Brazilian Ministry of Health.ResultsA total of 459 bee sting cases were retrospectively analyzed. The average annual incidence was 19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Cases were distributed in all months of the year, with higher prevalence in September and February. Most victims were men aged between 20 and 29 years. The highest incidence of cases was recorded in urban areas. Victims were stung mainly on the head and torso and received medical assistance predominantly 1 to 3 hours after being stung. The most frequent clinical manifestations were pain, edema and itching. Most cases were classified as mild, and three deaths were reported.ConclusionsThe high incidence of envenomations provoked by bees in Campina Grande suggests that it may be an important risk area for accidents. Since several medical records lacked information, clinical-epidemiological profile of bee sting cases in the studied region could not be accurately determined.The current study provides relevant data for the development of strategies to promote control and prevention of bee stings in this area. Further training for health professionals seems to be necessary to improve their skills in recording clinical-epidemiological information as well as in treating bee sting victims.

Accidents involving venomous animals represent an important, albeit neglected, public health issue worldwide. A descriptive study was made of snakebite cases attended and recorded between 2007 and 2010 in the health units of the municipalities of Cariri, State of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil. Data was collected from the Injury Notification Information System data banks of the Health Ministry and a total of 351 records of snakebite victims were reviewed. Victims were predominantly male farm workers over 50. The highest incidence of snakebites occurred in rural areas, between April and June of 2007 and 2010. Snakes of the genus Bothrops were responsible for most cases, and victims were mostly bitten on the feet. The majority of the victims received medical assistance within 1 to 3 hours after being bitten. The most common clinical manifestations were pain, edema and ecchymosis, which were mainly classified as mild or moderate. Two deaths were reported. It was concluded that there is a significant impact of seasonality in snakebites, the prevalence of attacks caused by Bothrops, affecting the lower limbs of adult male farmers in rural areas. The findings of this study may contribute to identify the conditions that increase the risk of snake attacks in the northeastern region.

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Results: A total of 304 snakebite cases were studied. The cases occurred most frequently from April to June. The genera Bothrops, Crotalus, and Micrurus were responsible for 74.6%, 6.2%, and 1.3% of cases, respectively. Snakebite cases predominated in males living in rural areas and between 10 and 19 years old. The highest incidence of bites occurred on the feet. The majority of the victims received medical assistance within 1 to 3h after being bitten. With regard to severity, 48% of the cases were classifi ed as mild, 26% as moderate, and 2.6% as severe. Successful cures predominated, and no deaths were reported. The average antivenom ampoule dose used for the treatment in some snakebite cases was lower than that recommended by the Health Ministry. Conclusions: Although our results show that Paraíba has a good level of medical care, there are serious defi ciencies in recording snakebite information. These data indicate the need to improve the recording process for snakebite cases. Further training for health professionals seems to be necessary to optimize their skills in treating snakebite victims.

Chronic equine proliferative pododermatitis (canker) is a chronic hypertrophic disease of the hoof, denoted by an excessive proliferation of the horn-producing tissues, which results from a dyskeratosis of the keratinocytes. It occurs mainly at the frog and sulci regions, but can sometimes also affect the heels, sole, bulbs or hoof wall. The etiology still remains unclear. Infectious agents such as anaerobic bacteria, viruses, spirochetes and fungi have been isolated from diseased tissues, but, moreover, an immune cause has been suggested, possibly related to a genetic predisposition. This report shows a case of a Brazilian Sport Horse, 10 years old, that had been affected on the right hindlimb for more than two years without a concise diagnosis. Success was achieved with the treatment consisting of oral prednisolone and topical Purple Mush®.

Background: Spirocercosis is considered to be an emerging pathological condition within veterinary medicine. The disease has worldwide distribution, although the greatest prevalence has been described in tropical and subtropical regions. The infection rate is affected by the interrelationships between the density of the dog population and intermediate hosts. The aim of this study was report the morphological and histopathological characteristics of natural infection by Spirocerca lupi in dogs from Distrito Federal, Brazil.Cases: Records were obtained from 10 dogs diagnosed with spirocercosis at the Pathology Sector, School of Veterinary Medicine, Uniao Pioneira de Integracao Social (UPIS), in Brasilia, Federal District. For six animals, the diagnosis was confirmed through necropsy. Two dogs presented aortic rupture, thus resulting in hemothorax and consequent hypovolemic shock. Another animal presented gastric nodules, erratic migration to the lungs and renal and splenic infarction due to aortic thromboembolism. One dog presented neoplastic transformation of the esophageal granuloma to osteosarcoma. The age of the dogs ranged from one to eight years and the weight ranged from 15 to 40 kg. The clinical histories were similar: regurgitation (10/10), emesis (5/10), dysphagia (7/10), weight loss (10/10), weakness (3/10) and dyspnea (4/10). Esophageal nodules measured 1 to 5 cm in diameter were observed in all the dogs and contained a large number of Spirocerca lupi specimens. Histologically, parasites were detected in adventitial and medial areas, surrounded by zones of necrosis and mixed inflammatory infiltrate. The stroma of the intimal tissue presented considerable fibrocellular proliferation (atherosclerosis), with areas of mineralization and ossification in the intimal and medial layers. An interesting finding of this study was atypical migration to the stomach and osteosarcoma case associated with parasitism by Spirocerca lupi.Discussion: Infection by Spirocerca lupi is very important in Brazil, however, there are few studies showing epidemiological, morphological and histopathological aspects of the parasite infection. In the Distrito Federal a large number of animals has died due to rupture of nodules located in the thoracic aorta, however, necropsy was not performed and these animals do not present confirmed diagnosis. Our results showed a major group of animals of large breed (6/10) follow by medium (3/10) and small (1/10) breeds. The incidence of spirocercosis is greater in medium to large-sized dogs because these animals remain outside of the domestic area for longer times than do small-sized animals. In this study, there was greater prevalence in mongrels. Nonetheless, breeds such as Cocker Spaniel, Borzoi, German Shepherd and Great Dane have also been affected by this condition. In general, the majority of free-living dogs are mongrels and the parasitosis rate is high among dogs of this type in enzootic areas. The great prevalence of adult dogs is related to the characteristics of the parasite’s life cycle, along with difficulty in making the diagnosis in animals under six months of age. We did not found young dogs showing infection by Spirocerca lupi. The age range between four and twelve years is most affected. Although the number of dogs diagnosed with spirocercosis has been increasing continuously in the Distrito Federal, it is commonly only identified through necroscopic examinations. Therefore, measures need to be taken towards making early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, in order to reduce the death rate. Due to the scarcity of data in the Brazilian literature about this condition, the present study and future studies and data-gathering are of prime importance.Keywords: aneurysms, dogs, necropsy, Spirocerca lupi.

: The encapsulation of bioactive compounds (BC) is an emerging technique for finding new medicines since it provides protection against degradation ambient factors before reaching the target site. Nanotechnology provides new methods for encapsulating BC and hence, for drug carrier development. Nanocarriers satisfactorily impact the absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion rate when compared to conventional carriers. The nanocarrier material needs to be compatible and easily bind to the drug, and to be bio-resorbable. In this context, the physicochemical characterization of encapsulated BC is fundamental to guarantee quality, reproducibility and safety of the final pharmaceutical product. In this review, we present the physicochemical techniques mostly used today by researchers to characterize BC in nanocarriers, and the main information provided by each technique such as, morphology, size, crystallinity degree, long-term stability, efficacy of drug encapsulation, amount of BC released as a function of time and chemical bonds resulting from BC and nano-carrier interactions.