Marcelo de Paula Corrêa

Estimativa do custo do tratamento do câncer de pele tipo não-melanoma no Estado de São Paulo - Brasil

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to estimate the direct cost of diagnosing and treating melanoma disease in Sao Paulo (Brazil) between the years 2000 and 2007. METHODS: The project Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology was used, adapted to the proceedings of SOBECCan Foundation. The estimated costs were based on the values of the medical treatment paid by the Brazilian National Health System (SUS) and private healthcare insurance companies (PHIC) in 2007. RESULTS: The total cost was estimated in R

Seasonal variation in the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of young and elderly active and inactive adults in Sao Paulo, Brazil: The Sao PAulo Vitamin D Evaluation Study (SPADES).

33,012,725.1 (SUS) and R

Brazilian Consensus on Photoprotection

76,133,662.8 (PHIC). Stages 0, I and II comprised about 4.2% (SUS) and 1.3% (PHIC) of the total cost; stages III and IV amounted to 95.8% and 98.7% of the total cost, respectively. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of malignant melanoma in its initial stages reduces treatment costs generating considerable savings of resources for both National Health System and private healthcare insurance companies.

An estimate of the cost of treating melanoma disease in the state of Sao Paulo - Brazil

Objective: To evaluate the 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in individuals in the city of São Paulo belonging to different age groups and exhibiting specific behavioral characteristics and to correlate the 25(OH)D concentration with the level of UV radiation (UVR). Patients and Methods: A total of 591 individuals were included, distributed as follows: 177 were living in institutions (NURSING, 76.2 ± 9.0 y old), 243 were part of the community elderly (COMMUNITY, 79.6 ± 5.3 y old), 99 were enrolled in a physical activity program targeting the elderly (ACTIVE, 67.6 ± 5.4 y old) and 72 were young (YOUNG, 23.9 ± 2.8 y old). Blood samples from all individuals were collected throughout the year. UVR measurements were taken by an official meteorology institution. Results: The UVR values varied throughout the year, following a sinusoidal-like pattern. Because of the Earth’s orbit, we hypothesized that there would be cyclic patterns for the 25(OH)D and UVR values that repeat every 12 mo. The general formula is represented by the equation P1+P2⋅sin(−2⋅π12⋅(t−P3)) The mean 25(OH)D concentration and the amplitude of the variation were significantly higher for the YOUNG and ACTIVE groups than for the COMMUNITY and NURSING groups. The nadir for UVR was in June, whereas the nadir for the 25(OH)D concentration was in the spring, corresponding to a delay of one season. Conclusions: There was seasonal variation in the 25(OH)D concentration for all the groups studied; however, the amplitude of the variation was higher for the groups of young and physically active people, possibly due to the higher level of sunlight exposure for these groups. The lowest 25(OH)D concentration was detected in the spring.

Solar ultraviolet radiation: properties, characteristics and amounts observed in Brazil and South America

Brazil is a country of continental dimensions with a large heterogeneity of climates and massive mixing of the population. Almost the entire national territory is located between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn, and the Earth axial tilt to the south certainly makes Brazil one of the countries of the world with greater extent of land in proximity to the sun. The Brazilian coastline, where most of its population lives, is more than 8,500 km long. Due to geographic characteristics and cultural trends, Brazilians are among the peoples with the highest annual exposure to the sun. Epidemiological data show a continuing increase in the incidence of non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancers. Photoprotection can be understood as a set of measures aimed at reducing sun exposure and at preventing the development of acute and chronic actinic damage. Due to the peculiarities of Brazilian territory and culture, it would not be advisable to replicate the concepts of photoprotection from other developed countries, places with completely different climates and populations. Thus the Brazilian Society of Dermatology has developed the Brazilian Consensus on Photoprotection, the first official document on photoprotection developed in Brazil for Brazilians, with recommendations on matters involving photoprotection.

Uvb surface albedo measurements using biometers

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to estimate the direct cost of diagnosing and treating melanoma disease in Sao Paulo (Brazil) between the years 2000 and 2007. METHODS The project Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology was used, adapted to the proceedings of SOBECCan Foundation. The estimated costs were based on the values of the medical treatment paid by the Brazilian National Health System (SUS) and private healthcare insurance companies (PHIC) in 2007. RESULTS The total cost was estimated in R

Hypovitaminosis D association with disease activity in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis in Brazil

33,012,725.1 (SUS) and R

Utilização de sensoriamento remoto em análises de albedo e temperatura de superfície em Londrina - PR: contribuições para estudos de ilha de calor urbana

76,133,662.8 (PHIC). Stages 0, I and II comprised about 4.2% (SUS) and 1.3% (PHIC) of the total cost; stages III and IV amounted to 95.8% and 98.7% of the total cost, respectively. CONCLUSION The diagnosis of malignant melanoma in its initial stages reduces treatment costs generating considerable savings of resources for both National Health System and private healthcare insurance companies.

Análise da vulnerabilidade da microrregião de Itajubá por meio do IVG com vistas à mitigação dos impactos causados pelas mudanças climáticas

The beneficial and harmful effects of human exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UV-R) are topics that arouse great interest not only among physicians and scientists, but also the general public and the media. Currently, discussions on vitamin D synthesis (beneficial effect) are confronted with the high and growing number of new cases of non-melanoma skin cancer and other diseases of the skin and eyes (harmful effect) diagnosed each year in Brazil. However, the lack of scientific knowledge on the UV-R in Brazil and South America leads to adoption of protective measures based on studies conducted in Europe and USA, where the amounts of UV-R available at surface and the sun-exposure habits and characteristics of the population are significantly different from those observed in Brazil. In order to circumvent this problem, the Brazilian Society of Dermatology recently published the Brazilian Consensus of Photoprotection based on recent studies performed locally. The main goal of this article is to provide detailed educational information on the main properties and characteristics of UV-R and UV index in a simple language. It also provides: a) a summary of UV-R measurements recently performed in Brazil; b) a comparison with those performed in Europe; and, c) an evaluation to further clarify the assessment of potential harm and health effects owing to chronic exposures.

Association between non‑melanoma and melanoma skin cancer rates, vitamin D and latitude

This work describes ultraviolet-B albedo measurements performed over several surfaces and different atmospheric conditions. These results provide a complement to previous studies as Blumthaler & Ambach (1988), widely used as albedo reference for the main UV radiative transfer models. A custom-built albedometer composed of apair of Solarlight UVB501 biometer was used to measure the albedo over the following surfaces: green and yellowish grass, sand, wood (natural and painted), formica (synthetic plate), and iron. Influence of clouds and the sensors response to temperature variations are also discussed. Presence of clouds on surface albedo measurement seems negligible, but athermo-regulated instrument is indispensable to an accurate analysis. Comparison with previous works shows the need for studies on the detailed characterization of the type of surface.