Paula Nishiyama

Pesticide use and cholinesterase inhibition in small-scale agricultural workers in southern Brazil

A controlled cross-sectional study of family growers of fruit and vegetables was conducted between October 2009 and October 2010 to characterize the use of pesticides, establish the socio-demographic profile, and analyze cholinesterase activity in small-scale agricultural workers in Southern Brazil. Data was collected for 173 workers and 179 controls. A structured questionnaire was applied collecting socio-demographic information and determining knowledge and work practices in relation to pesticide use. The benchmarks for total cholinesterase (ChEs) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) were obtained from the average enzymatic activity of the occupationally unexposed group (control). The mean age of the exposed population was 40.0 ± 11.2 years. The symptoms differed significantly (p 30%) of ChEs activity, whereas no workers showed high inhibition (>50%) of BuChE. Potential factors involved include gender, education, pesticide orientation, exposure, and hygiene measures.

Trace metal levels in serum and urine of a population in southern Brazil

This study aimed to evaluate serum and urine concentrations of several trace metals of a non-directly exposed population in southern Brazil and establish reference values. Serum and urine samples were obtained from 240 volunteers (175 males and 65 females, age ranging from 18 to 74 years old). Levels of arsenic, chromium, cobalt, copper, lead, nickel, manganese and zinc were determined by means of dynamic reaction cell inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (DRC-ICP-MS). Comparison between genders resulted in no significant difference for all metals but serum copper, as concentrations are higher in females than males. For most metals assessed, a negative correlation between serum concentrations and age was found, but no significant correlation was found between urine concentrations and age.

Capacitação das equipes locais como estratégia para a institucionalização da avaliação em saúde

This article reports on the methodology used by the research team of the State University in Maringá in the Baseline Study in 20 municipalities in the States of Paraná and Santa Catarina, Brazil, with more than 100,000 inhabitants each, in the implementation of the Project for Expansion and Consolidation of the Family Health Strategy. Workshops to discuss the evaluation of programs, construction and application of research instruments, site visits to supervise activities in disseminating the program, and development of a database with the local and regional scientific output were carried out. There was an obvious sense of responsibility and commitment on the part of municipal and State representatives, the majority of whom immediately agreed to the activities. They also showed interest in both the learning process and institutionalization of the evaluation. Fourteen municipalities incorporated other actors to build a support network for the evaluation of the primary health care system. The strategies contributed to the incorporation of evaluation into the planning process, indicating that training can be a constructive and powerful mechanism for institutionalizing evaluation.