RESUMO Objetivos Descrever o perfil epidemiológico da hanseníase no Brasil no período de 2005 a 2015 e verificar como os indicadores brasileiros estão se comportando em relação às metas estipuladas pela Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) para eliminação dessa doença. Métodos A pesquisa foi realizada a partir dos dados disponíveis nos sites do Ministério da Saúde. Foram avaliados os indicadores: dados de prevalência, coeficientes de detecção geral e conforme grupo etário (< 15 anos ou ≥ 15 anos), porcentagem de cura e grau 2 de incapacidade. Resultados No período do estudo, o coeficiente de prevalência dos casos de hanseníase manteve-se em patamar médio (de 1,00 a 4,99/10 000 habitantes), com tendência nacional decrescente. Entretanto, esse comportamento não foi observado nas regiões Nordeste, Norte e Centro-Oeste. O coeficiente de casos novos em indivíduos com menos de 15 anos apresentou diminuição entre 2005 e 2015 em todas as regiões. O coeficiente de detecção de casos novos diagnosticados com grau 2 de incapacidade teve redução significativa, principalmente nas regiões Sul e Sudeste; o Norte do país foi a única região com aumento desse coeficiente. O percentual de cura de hanseníase no Brasil, independentemente da faixa etária, não sofreu alteração desde 2005, sendo considerado regular (75% a 90%). Conclusão Os principais indicadores de hanseníase apresentaram redução no período do estudo. Embora o Brasil não tenha erradicado a hanseníase, essa meta deverá ser alcançada em 2020 caso sejam mantidos os parâmetros. Recomenda-se adaptar a política de atenção à hanseníase à realidade de cada região brasileira, visto que a prevalência da doença apresenta distribuição heterogênea.

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The fi eld of bionanotechnology has been rapidly growing during the last few years and we can now envision a controllable integration between biological and artificial matter, where new biomimetic structures with a wide range of chemical and physical properties will promote the development of a novel generation of medical devices. In this work we describe a collagen/carbon nanotube composite which has the potential to be used as a scaffold for tissue regeneration. Because this biocomposite incorporates the advantageous properties of both collagen and carbon nanotubes, it has most of the characteristics that an ideal biomaterial requires in order to be used as an osteoinductive agent. This biocomposite is bioresorbable and biodegradable and has the desired mechanical rigidity while maintaining a three-dimensional(3-D) nanostructured surface. Tuned stability and swelling were achieved under fluid environments by varying the amount of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) incorporated into the composite. These variations can dictate the degree of interaction between fibroblastic cells and the biomaterials. Proof-of-concept was shown by performing an in vitro induced mineralization of hydroxylapatite crystals under physiological conditions. Furthermore, the ability to attach biofunctional groups to the CNT walls can open a new road for tissue regeneration since the combination of CNTs with specific growth factors or cellular ligands can create an environment capable of signaling and infl uencing specifi c cell functions. Our observations suggest that collagen/carbon nanotube biocomposites will have important uses in a wide range of biotechnological areas.

Raw and purified samples of carbon nanotubes are considered as multicomponent systems with a distribution of carbonaceous, amorphous, multishell graphitic particles and nanotubes, together with the particles of metal compounds from the catalyst. With respect to the carbon nanotube fractions, a distribution of size, defect concentrations, and functionalities needs to be taken into account. In order to address the problem of quantitative evaluation of purity it is necessary to measure the quality and distribution of the carbon nanotubes. In this research conventional and high resolution thermogravimetry are applied to quantify different fractions of carbonaceous and metallic materials in raw and moderately purified single walled and multiwalled carbon nanotubes. For each oxidized fraction, defined by careful line shape analysis of the derivative thermogravimetric curves (DTG), the temperature of maximum rate of oxidation, the temperature range for this oxidation, related to the degree of homogeneity, and the amount of associated material is specified. The attribution of carbonaceous materials to each fraction in the distribution was based on SEM and TEM measurements and the literature. The MWNT purified sample with 1.6 wt% metal oxide was investigated by high resolution thermogravimetry (HRTG). The quantitative assessment for the carbonaceous fractions was 25 wt% of amorphous and high defect carbonaceous materials including nanotubes, 54 wt% MWNT and 20 wt% multishell graphitic particles. A qualitative evaluation of these fractions was obtained from the SEM and TEM images and supports these results. The accuracy of the values, taking into account other measurements performed on the same batch of material, should be more sensible than +/-4 wt%.

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A method to decorate single-walled and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with metal nanoparticles (NPs) based on the formation of a CNT polyelectrolyte is reported. Such a method does not rely on CNT surface functionalization or the use of surfactants. It has been tested for gold (Au) and palladium (Pd). The resulting hybrids present metal NPs highly dispersed along the tube walls and with small size dispersion. The average diameters of the Au and Pd NPs were approximately 5 and approximately 3 nm, respectively. This method paves the way for large-scale decoration of CNTs with metal NPs.

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