Carlos Everaldo Alvares Coimbra Junior

Enteroparasitas e Capillaria SP entre o grupo Surui, Parque Indigena Aripuana, Rondonia

In this paper data on enteroparasites found in indians of the Surui tribal community in Rondonia, Amazon Region of Brazil, are presented. The following species were detected: Ascaris lumbricoides (53.3%), Ancylostomidae (43.3%), Strongyloides stercoralis (33.3%), Taenia sp. (5.8%), Trichuris trichiura (5.0%), Hymenolepis nana (4.1%), Giardia lambia (3.3%), Entamoeba histolytica complex (0.8%) and Enterobius vermicularis (0.1%).

Aspectos epidemiológicos da tuberculose na população indígena Suruí, Amazônia, Brasil

Tuberculosis persists as a serious public health problem in Brazil. Prevalence rates are alarming in certain social groups, including indigenous peoples. This article presents an epidemiological analysis of records for the Suruí Indians available at the Tuberculosis Control Program in the Municipality of Cacoal, Rondônia. The study includes a descriptive statistical analysis of cases reported from 1975 to 2002. There is evidence that the Suruí have an increased risk of acquiring and dying from tuberculosis as compared to other indigenous groups in Rondônia as well as non-Indians. The average incidence coefficient for tuberculosis in the Suruí was 2518.9 per 100,000 inhabitants in the period 1991-2002. It was observed that 45% of the cases were diagnosed in children < 15 years old. Over half of the cases (63.3%) were reported in men. Only 43.2% of the cases were confirmed by sputum microscopy. The use of PPD skin tests, histopathological exams or bacteriological culture were not reported throughout the period. Attention is called to the need for prevention and control measures specifically tailored to the reality of indigenous peoples.

Alternative approaches in schistosomiasis control

Measures for the control of schistosomiasis were implemented in Egypt beginning 1922. This shows that developing endemic countries are facing this problem for near 70 years. However, results in the control of this infection have not been satisfactorily obtained in spite of the technologies and strategies recently developed. The idea that social and economic components are relevant in the control of schistosomiasis is not new although its extension and profundity have not usually been well understood. More recently, most of the workers have recognized that the focal distribution of the prevalence rates of schistosomiasis should not be neglected in the control of the infection. At present, field work projects on the control of schistosomiasis are being developed in rural areas of two Brazilian studies (Espírito Santo and Pernambuco). The adopted strategy aims to interfere in the complex relationships between man and his bio-social-cultural environment, without forgetting that the unequal distribution of the space is a consequence of the political and economic organization of the Society.

Clinical and radiological study of Suruí indigenous children and adolescents, Amazon Region, Brazil

INTRODUCTION The average incidence coefficient of tuberculosis in Suruí Indians from Rondônia was 2.500/100.000 inhabitants in 1991-2002. About 50% of these cases were reported in children < 15 years-old. METHODS This study aimed to describe the clinical and radiological characteristics of children and adolescents identified as TB case contacts. A score system for the diagnosis of childhood TB was used and the procedures adopted by local health services were in accordance with national guidelines. RESULTS 52 chest X-rays of 37 indigenous subjects were analyzed; of these, 51.9% were abnormal. Some X-rays showed more than two lesions, making a total of 36 independent events. Infiltrates (38.9%), calcifications (38.9%), cavitations (11.1%) and atelectasis/pleural effusion (11.1%) were observed. Among the abnormal images, 22.2% were probably indicated active TB and 33.3% showed sequelae. Confrontation with the guidelines revealed 52.6% of divergent procedures. CONCLUSIONS The presence of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and active TB between children and adolescents are indicators of active and progressive transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The X-rays showed high frequencies of infiltrates and calcifications, which are compatible with primary infection in early childhood. However, these lesions are not different from those observed among other groups and do not suggest immune deficiencies. The divergences presented show that the best moment for the treatment of LTBI went unnoticed by local personnel. In conclusion, the use of a score system is fundamental for the correct diagnosis of TB in childhood, as is conducting bacilloscopy and sputum culture in adolescents able to expectorate.

Níveis tensionais de adultos indígenas Suruí, Rondônia, Brasil

This is a cross-sectional study to verify the prevalence and associated factors related to exclusive breastfeeding in adolescent mothers between 14 and 16 years of age with 6-month-old or younger babies, born in Porto Alegre in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in 2009. The sample was based on 50% of the newborn babies from the population surveyed. A total of 341 adolescent mothers were interviewed in their homes. The variables considered as potential determinants of exclusive breastfeeding were social and demographic, pre- and post-natal assistance, emotional aspects of the mother, birth conditions and baby characteristics. Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated by Poisson regression by means of hierarchical analysis. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding ranged from 47.8% in the first month of life up to 13.8% after six months and declined, on average, 24% for each month of life (RP = 0.76; CI95%: 0.68-0.85). Besides the babys age, the factors associated with exclusive breastfeeding were maternal education (PR=1.53; CII95%: 1.18-1.98) and multiple births (PR=1.57; CI95%:1.02-2.46), the latter observed in only 4.7% of the sample. Teenage mothers with higher schooling and with live children from earlier pregnancies manifested higher prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding.Os povos indigenas no Brasil vivenciam acelerado processo de transicao nutricional e epidemiologica, verificando-se a emergencia de doencas e agravos nao transmissiveis, como hipertensao arterial (HA). Realizou-se, em 2005, um estudo transversal para descrever os niveis tensionais em adultos (> 20 anos) indigenas Surui, Rondonia, e investigar sua relacao com o estado nutricional e o nivel socioeconomico (SSE). Foram visitadas 9 aldeias e avaliados 251 individuos (87,4% dos elegiveis). As medias de pressao arterial sistolica (PAS) e pressao arterial diastolica (PAD) foram maiores no sexo masculino e superiores as verificadas em 1988, com incremento na media da PAS de 7,9 mmHg e de 1,4 mmHg, em mulheres e homens, respectivamente. A PAS correlacionou-se positivamente com a razao cintura quadril (RCQ) em ambos os sexos, e com a idade, no sexo feminino. A PAD apresentou correlacoes estatisticamente significativas com todas as variaveis antropometricas, exceto com estatura e area muscular do braco. A prevalencia de HA foi de 2,8% (M: 2,4%; F: 3,1%). Essa prevalencia foi maior nos individuos > 40 anos, com perimetro da cintura (PC) ou RCQ elevados, sobretudo no grupo feminino e tambem no grupo de mais baixo de SSE. A HA e um problema de saude emergente entre os Surui, devendo receber atencao do sistema de saude e dos pesquisadores.

Padrões radiológicos da tuberculose pulmonar em indígenas Suruí de Rondônia, Amazônia

The radiographic patterns of 23/33 (69.7%) Surui indians, of the Brazilian Amazon, treated in 2003-2004 were analyzed. The analysis showed that 44.8% presented unspecific infiltrates, 10.3% presented cavitations and 39.1% presented multiple parenchymal involvements. Although 36% of the patients presented normal radiographs, they underwent anti-tuberculous treatment without having been submitted for other possible means of diagnosis.

Moluscos aquáticos do Estado de Rondônia (Brasil), com especial referência ao gênero Biomphalaria Preston, 1910 (Pulmonata, Planorbidae)

Foi realizado no Estado de Rondonia, Brasil, levantamento malacologico com o objetivo de estabelecer a distribuicao geografica dos moluscos aquaticos, com enfase especial no genero Biomphalaria. Foram pesquisados 11 municipios ao longo da rodovia BR-364, totalizando 162 ecossistemas limnicos, dos quais 77 (48%) apresentaram-se positivos para, pelo menos, uma especie de molusco. As seguintes especies foram encotradas: Gastropoda, Planorbidae: Biomphalaria sp., B.amazonica, B.occidentalis, Drepanotrema cimex, D.anatinum, D.lucidum e D.depressissimum; Physidae: Stenophysa marmorata; Ancylidae: Gundlachia sp.; Thiaridae: Aylacostoma sp.; Ampullaridae: Pomacea sp.; Pelecypoda, Sphaeriidae: Eupera primei e Pisidium sp. Sao apresentados dados de distribuicao geografica e discutida a importância epidemiologica dos achados.

História da genética no Brasil: um olhar a partir do Museu da Genética da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

This work addresses the context of the creation, as well as the structure and contents, of the Museum of Genetics (Museu da Genética), created in 2011 and located in the Department of Genetics of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul), in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The materials available at the Museum of Genetics are a rich resource for research on the history of genetics in Brazil (and especially the genetics of human populations) beginning with the second half of the twentieth century. Despite the prominence of the field of genetics in Brazil, little research has been done on this topic.