Northern Region Of Brazil Research Articles

Epidemiological aspects of the occurrence of anti-Sarcocystis spp. and anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in dogs in the Northern region of Brazil

Epidemiological aspects of the occurrence of anti-Sarcocystis spp. and anti-Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in dogs in the Northern region of Brazil

Epidemiological perspective of the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in Amapá State, Northern Brazil

Introduction: COVID-19 impacted health systems worldwide; the virus quickly spread in Brazil, reaching the 27 Federative units in Brazil peculiarly. The northern region of Brazil recorded the lowest number of cases and accumulated deaths from the disease. However, it is a region of sizeable territorial extension and low demographic density, marked by socioeconomic inequalities and vulnerable groups, such as indigenous tribes, riverine peoples, and quilombolas. Sociodemographic factors may contribute to the dissemination of the coronavirus in the region; thus, studies are needed to analyze the epidemiological indicators related to the pandemic. Objective: to evaluate incidence, mortality, and case fatality of COVID-19 trends in the state of Amapá, Brazil, from March 2020 to April 2021. Methods: an ecological time-series study was conducted with publicly accessible data from the Health Department of the State of Amapá. Incidence and mortality rates per 100,000 inhabitants and percentage case fatality were calculated. Crude rates were calculated by municipalities, age, and sex, per month. The Prais-Winsten regression test was performed, and the trends of monthly rates were classified as increasing, decreasing, or flat. Results: during the study period, there were 99.936 cases and 1,468 deaths accumulated by COVID-19 in the State of Amapá, Brazil. Macapá and Santana’s cities, which have the highest demographic density and Human Development Index (HDI), had the highest number of cases and deaths. The most vulnerable population was elderly males aged 70 years or over; these individuals had the highest cumulative incidence, case fatality, and mortality rates. The second wave of the disease (October 2020 to April 2021) illustrated a more aggravating scenario, with increasing incidence and mortality rates. Conclusion: the COVID-19 pandemic in the state of Amapá, Brazil, is in increasing evolution, which illustrates that non-pharmacological prevention measures and acceleration of vaccination must be strengthened to avoid the development of future waves of the disease.

Composition of Eukaryotic Viruses and Bacteriophages in Individuals with Acute Gastroenteritis.

Metagenomics based on the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technique is a target-independent assay that enables the simultaneous detection and genomic characterization of all viruses present in a sample. There is a limited amount of data about the virome of individuals with gastroenteritis (GI). In this study, the enteric virome of 250 individuals (92% were children under 5 years old) with GI living in the northeastern and northern regions of Brazil was characterized. Fecal samples were subjected to NGS, and the metagenomic analysis of virus-like particles (VLPs) identified 11 viral DNA families and 12 viral RNA families. As expected, the highest percentage of viral sequences detected were those commonly associated with GI, including rotavirus, adenovirus, norovirus (94.8%, 82% and 71.2%, respectively). The most common co-occurrences, in a single individual, were the combinations of rotavirus-adenovirus, rotavirus-norovirus, and norovirus-adenovirus (78%, 69%, and 62%, respectively). In the same way, common fecal-emerging human viruses were also detected, such as parechovirus, bocaporvirus, cosavirus, picobirnavirus, cardiovirus, salivirus, and Aichivirus. In addition, viruses that infect plants, nematodes, fungi, protists, animals, and arthropods could be identified. A large number of unclassified viral contigs were also identified. We show that the metagenomics approach is a powerful and promising tool for the detection and characterization of different viruses in clinical GI samples.

Avaliação da cobertura vacinal na região Norte do Brasil / Assessment of vaccination coverage in the northern Region of Brazil

Introdução: A imunização através das vacinas é uma intervenção segura, com ótima relação custo-eficácia para os programas de saúde pública. No Brasil, o Ministério da Saúde (MS) construiu um programa de imunizações básicas com a intenção de controlar e erradicar enfermidades imunopreveníveis. Porém, ainda hoje, é observado um número considerável de crianças não vacinadas ou vacinadas com atraso, o que representa maior risco comunitário de epidemias e recidivas de doenças previamente controladas. Portanto, o impacto gerado pela vacinação precisa ser monitorado, pois oportuniza a detecção da vulnerabilidade imune da população, além de identificar potencialidades e fragilidades no processo de vacinação. Objetivos: Identificar aspectos epidemiológicos referentes à cobertura vacinal da região norte em relação à cobertura vacinal em território nacional. Método: Foi realizada busca sistemática nas bases de dados MEDLINE/PubMed, LILACS, SCIELO, CAPES/MEC e COCHRANE, utilizados os descritores “cobertura vacinal”; “epidemiologia”; “vigilância”; “prevalência” e “Brasil” em português, inglês e espanhol. Resultados: Foram alcançados um total de 1121 estudos, os quais foram submetidos a uma triagem metódica dividida em 3 fases, restando ao final 20 estudos. Além disso, foram coletados dados do Departamento de Informática do SUS (DATASUS) sobre cobertura vacinal de cada região geográfica brasileira dos últimos dez anos. Conclusão: Houve pouco delineamento epidemiológico devido à escassa literatura regional tanto brasileira quanto internacional sobre o assunto. Todavia foi possível atestar potenciais riscos e falhas na imunização na região Norte, comparado a revisão literária das outras regiões brasileiras, em especial a Sul e Sudeste.

Risk factors associated with the severity of COVID-19 in a region of the Brazilian Amazon

The Brazilian Northern region registered a high incidence of COVID-19 cases, particularly in the state of Pará. The present study investigated the risk factors associated with the severity of COVID-19 in a Brazilian Amazon region of 100,819 cases. An epidemiological, cross-sectional, analytical and demographic study, analyzing data on confirmed cases for COVID-19 available at the Brazilian Ministry of Health's surveillance platform, was conducted. Variables such as, municipalities of residence, age, gender, signs and symptoms, comorbidities were included and associated with COVID-19 cases and outcomes. The spatial distribution was performed using the ArcGIS program. A total of 100,819 cases were evaluated. Overall, patients had the mean age of 42.3 years, were female (51.2%) and with lethality reaching 4.79% of cases. Main symptoms included fever (66.5%), cough (61.9%) and sore throat (39.8%). Regarding comorbidities, most of the patients presented cardiovascular disease (5.1%) and diabetes (4.2%). Neurological disease increased risk of death by nearly 15 times, followed by obesity (5.16 times) and immunodeficiency (5.09 time). The municipalities with the highest incidence rate were Parauapebas, Canaã dos Carajás and Jacareacanga. Similarity between the Lower Amazon, Marajó and Southwest mesoregions of Pará state were observed concerning the highest morbidity rates. The obtained data demonstrated that the majority of cases occurred among young adults, females, with the classic influenza symptoms and chronic diseases. Finally, data suggest that the highest incidences were no longer in the metropolitan region of the state. The higher lethality rate than in Brazil may be associated with the greater impacts of the disease in this Amazonian population, or factors associated with fragile epidemiological surveillance in the notification of cases of cure.

Overcoming the Negligence in Laboratory Diagnosis of Mucosal Leishmaniasis.

The northern region of Brazil, which has the largest number of cases of tegumentary leishmaniasis (TL) in the country, is also the region that has the highest diversity of species of vectors and Leishmania parasites. In this region, cases of mucosal leishmaniasis (ML), a clinical form of TL, exceed the national average of cases, reaching up to 12% of the total annual TL notifications. ML is associated with multiple factors, such as the parasite species and the viral endosymbiont Leishmania RNA virus 1 (LRV1). Being a chronic parasitological disease, laboratory diagnosis of ML poses a challenge for health services. Here, we evaluated more than 700 clinical samples from patients with clinical suspicion of TL, including patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and mucosal leishmaniasis, comparing the results of parasitological tests—direct parasitological examination by microscopy (DP) and conventional PCR (cPCR) targeting of both kDNA and hsp70. The DP was performed by collecting material from lesions through biopsies (mucosal lesions) or scarification (cutaneous lesions); for PCR, a cervical brush was used for sample collection. Blood samples were tested employing standardized real-time PCR (qPCR) protocol targeting the HSP70 gene. PCR tests showed higher sensitivity than DP for both CL and ML samples. Considering ML samples only (N = 89), DP showed a sensitivity of 49.4% (N = 44) against 98.8% (N = 88) for kDNA PCR. The qPCR hsp70 for blood samples from patients with ML (N = 14) resulted in superior sensitivity (50%; N = 7) compared to DP (21.4%; N = 3) for samples from the same patients. Our results reinforced the need to implement a molecular test for the diagnosis of ML, in addition to proposing methods less invasive for collecting material from TL patients. Sample collection using a cervical brush in lesions observed in CL and ML patients is easy to perform and less invasive, compared to scarification and biopsies. Blood samples could be a good source for qPCR diagnosis for ML patients. Thus, we propose here a standardized method for collection and for performing of molecular diagnosis of clinical samples from suspicious ML patients that can be applied in reference services for improving ML diagnosis.

Prevalence and factors associated with metabolic syndrome in vulnerable population in northern Brazil: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: metabolic syndrome (SM) is a set of metabolic imbalances that are associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, in addition to other chronic non-communicable diseases. SM has been gaining prominence in the scientific community mainly due to link with the increase of the obesity epidemic in the world. Objective: To analyze the factors associated with metabolic syndrome and its prevalence in a vulnerable population in the Northern Region of Brazil. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with artisanal fishers from the state of Tocantins, and data collected between 2016 and 2017 were used. The outcome variable for MS was defined according to the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation. The following variables were assessed: socioeconomic and demographic information, fish consumption, and smoking. For statistical and data analysis, the Shapiro–Wilk test, Poisson regression, Student's t-test, and interquartile regression were evaluated. Results: The general prevalence rate (PR) of MS was 31.9% higher in women than in men. The factors associated with MS were economic class and smoking, and there was an association between socioeconomic class and smoking (p=0.015). The most prevalent component was abdominal obesity with a rate of 62.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 54.5, 70.5). The prevalence of MS in terms of sex (PR=2.27, 95% 1.04 CI, 4.92, p=0.037), smoking (PR=2.40, 95% CI, 30, p=0.003) and years of professional experience (>10 PR=2.07, 95% CI 1.06, 4.05, p=0.033) was also assessed. Conclusion: In the present study, the prevalence of SM was associated with smoking and socioeconomic status, which is considered high when compared to the worldwide prevalence. These findings highlight the importance of looking at public policies so that health services can develop actions that generate greater adherence to good health practices by the population.

The efficiency of container terminals in the northern region of Brazil

The North region has the largest presence of navigable waterways in Brazil, and the greatest potential for growth in container handling. However, the region lacks research on the performance of the region's port sector. This article aims to analyze the efficiency of the main container terminals in the North of Brazil, using the data envelopment analysis method (DEA). Based on this research, we seek to contribute to improving the efficiency of the analyzed terminals as well as the management of the local port sector.

Insight to new genes with sex‐biased to bony‐tongued fishes: Differentially expressed genes in adult individuals of Arapaima gigas revealed by RNA‐Seq

The Arapaima gigas is an endemic fish to the Amazon basin and with great potential for aquaculture, although its reproduction in captivity is limited by the absence of sexual dimorphism. The demand increase for pirarucu in the Northern region of Brazil, has led to new studies on the reproduction of the species. Thus, we aimed to investigate patterns of sex-biased genes in brain and gonad tissues of A. gigas. A total of of 451,490,808 short sequencing reads were produced using the SOLiD v4 plus sequencing platform. An average of ~30% of sequencing reads were mapped to Asian arowana reference cDNAs, species that belong to the same group of bony-tongue fishes. Gene expression analysis identified 305 sex-biased genes for the brain, with 297 genes up-regulated in females and only eight genes up-regulated in males. The analysis of the gonads identified 120 sex-biased genes, with 110 genes up-regulated in females and only ten genes up-regulated in males. Gene ontology analysis found more than 50 terms enriched for the sex-biased genes in a wide range of pathways suggesting that multiple functions and processes differ between the sexes. Thus, the following areas of interest were approached: sex steroids/hormones, organism development process and macromolecule biosynthetic process, which exhibited sex-biased gene expression; these areas are known to influence sexual development in other species. Lastly, the information obtained in this study concerning the sex-biased genes in the A. gigas species is a contribution to further studies approaching the processes of gonadal development, and downstream molecular mechanisms in species.

MOLECULAR DETECTION AND SEROPREVALENCE OF Ehrlichia sp. IN DAIRY CATTLE FROM BRAZIL’S WESTERN AMAZON REGION

Ehrlichia minasensis, a novel species of Ehrlichia that is closely related to E. canis, is known to infect cattle and deer in Canada. This rickettsial bacterium was isolated from Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus ticks and from dairy and beef cattle in southeast and midwestern Brazil, respectively. The purpose of this study was to determine the seroprevalence and perform molecular detection of Ehrlichia sp. in dairy cattle in the northern region of Brazil. The study was conducted in the municipality of Ji-Paraná, located in the state of Rondônia in the western Brazilian Amazon region. Blood and serum samples were obtained between the dates September 2012 and November 2013 from dairy cows (≥ 24 months old) in 64 farms. The blood samples were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify a fragment of the Ehrlichia sp. dsb gene, and the levels of Ehrlichia sp. antibodies were measured by the immunofluorescence assay (IFA). A total of 15 of 610 (2.45%; 95% CI: 1.04-3.86%) blood samples tested positive for ehrlichial infection based on the detection of the Ehrlichia sp. dsb gene. Sequencing of PCR amplicons from samples confirmed that the amplified partial dsb gene (~295 base pairs) sequence represented E. minasensis. Anti-Ehrlichia sp. antibodies were detected in 178 cows (53.96%; 95% CI: 46.63–61.29%). Endpoint titers ranged from 40 to 5,120. However, positive results derived from this assay should be interpreted with caution. Among the variables analyzed using IFA, the number of cows aged 24 months or greater was statistically significant (p = 0.0103), and hers of approximately 51-100 cows were more likely to be infected with Ehrlichia sp. Although the animals do not show clinical disease, the chronic character of the infection can lead to decrease in productivity.

Progression of peripheral nerve injury in leprosy: Evaluation of the effect of nerve decompression surgery in an endemic region of Brazil

Aim: To evaluate the progression of nerve injury in leprosy patients undergoing peripheral nerve decompression surgery. Methodology: Observational study of retrospective, descriptive-analytical cohort. In the convenience sample, individuals with leprosy who underwent peripheral nerve decompression surgery at the Casa de Saúde Santa Marcelina, Porto Velho/RO, between 2000 and 2019 were evaluated nerve by nerve, before and after surgery. Results: Note that 574 individuals underwent 2549 surgeries of the ulnar, median, tibial and/or fibular nerves. Most individuals were male (51.6%), of brown race (80.3%), multibacillary (90.9%), aged between 31 and 60 years (73.2%) and originating from other municipalities in the state of Rondônia, Northern Region of Brazil (67.4%). Most individuals maintained or improved the GD (WHO Grade of Disability), the sensory or the motor nerve function in the limbs operated. Conclusion: The improvement or maintenance of the DG was observed in more than 80% of the operated individuals. In the nerve-to-nerve analysis, considering the sensory and motor functions for all operated nerve trunks, there was an improvement or maintenance of the values presented in the preoperative period for most individuals. According to the results obtained in this study, we concluded that peripheral nerve decompression surgery was able to interrupt the progression of nerve injury in more than 80% of the operated individuals. Considering the potential of the surgery as a preventive procedure, we recommend its indication even for individuals with grade 0 of disability but that present persistent pain or neural thickening after four weeks of clinical treatment without other symptoms.

Fatores determinantes e a incidência de tuberculose na população indígena: Uma revisão integrativa da literatura

O presente estudo tem como objetivo identificar os fatores determinantes da ocorrência de tuberculose na população indígena, mapear a incidência dessa doença dentre o período de 2015 a 2019 na região Norte e contribuir para o enfrentamento dessa problemática. Realizou-se um estudo descritivo, do tipo revisão integrativa de literatura (RIL), com enfoque em artigos científicos destinados a resumir evidências sobre os fatores determinantes para o surgimento e prevalência de tuberculose nas populações indígenas. Foram selecionados 9 artigos publicados em periódicos entre o período de 2016 a 2021 nos seguintes bancos de dados bibliográficos: Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS) e PubMed. Dessa forma, 6 artigos (66,7%) foram encontrados na base de dados da Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS) e 3 (33,3%) na PubMed. A ampla maioria dos trabalhos aborda como fatores determinantes a descontinuidade do tratamento, as questões socioeconômicas, a dificultosa acessibilidade às unidades de saúde e a imprecisão diagnóstica. A vivência de situações de exclusão, invisibilidade e discriminação colocam as comunidades indígenas em situações de vulnerabilidade. A superação dos fatores determinantes para a prevalência de tuberculose nessas populações envolve questões multissetoriais. Políticas Públicas, distribuição de renda, acessibilidade aos sistemas de saúde e a implementação do PNCT são alguns dos pontos essenciais para a diminuição dos casos.

The Epidemiological Impact of STIs among General and Vulnerable Populations of the Amazon Region of Brazil: 30 years of Surveillance

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) represent a worldwide public health problem and, although many of them are curable, they continue to be neglected, especially in areas with a low human development index, such as in the northern region of Brazil. This review describes the results of 30 years of studies at the Virus Laboratory at the Federal University of Pará, including the prevalence and molecular epidemiology of HIV-1, HTLV-1/2, HPV, HBV, Treponema pallidum and Chlamydia trachomatis among urban and non-urban populations, and also in vulnerable groups in the Brazilian Amazon. Control strategies and challenges in preventing STIs are discussed considering this immense geographic region, where essential health services are unable to reach the entire population, especially the most vulnerable, such as female sex workers, people who use illicit drugs, remnants of quilombolos and indigenous communities.

Occurrence and removal of drugs and endocrine disruptors in the Bolonha Water Treatment Plant in Belém/PA (Brazil).

This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of drugs and endocrine disrupters in water supplies and in water for human consumption. Twelve sampling campaigns were carried out during the rainy and dry season at four sampling points in the Bolonha Complex, in the city of Belém, northern region of Brazil: Bolonha reservoir (catchment) and Water Treatment Plant (WTP) Bolonha (filtered water chamber, treated water tank, and washing water from the filters). The determination of the compounds was performed by solid phase extraction followed by gas and liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. The results confirmed the anthropic influence that the reservoir and WTP-Bolonha have been suffering, as consequence of the discharge of domestic sewage in natura. Among 25 microcontaminants analyzed, 12 were quantified in raw water and 10 in treated water. The antiallergic Loratadine (LRT) was the contaminant that occurred most frequently in all sample points, having been poorly removed (median 12%) in the conventional treatment used. Losartana (LST), 4-octylphenol (4-OP), and Bisphenol A (BPA) also occurred very frequently in raw water with concentrations ranging from 3.7 to 194ng L-1. Although such contaminants occurred in treated water in concentrations varying from 4.0 to 135ng L-1, the estimated margin of exposure ranged from 55 to 3333 times which indicates low risk of human exposure to such contaminants through ingestion of treated water.

Stay-At-Home Orders Are Associated With Emergence of Novel SARS-CoV-2 Variants.

BackgroundWhile public health strategies to contain the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are primarily focused on social distancing and isolation, emerging evidence suggest that in some regions social isolation failed to lead to further decrease in the number of COVID-19 deaths in the long run. This apparent paradox was particularly observed in the northern region of Brazil, in the state of Amazonas. We hypothesized that the emergence of new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mutations, leading to more transmissible and pathogenic variants, could explain the lack of further reductions in COVID-19 new cases and related deaths in some regions. Our objective is to determine if social isolation is associated with the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, particularly the P.1 lineage and E484K mutants, in Brazil and in the state of Amazonas.Materials and methodsWe assessed the prevailing SARS-CoV-2 genomes present in Brazil available on the GISAID (Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data) database collected between June 1, 2020, and January 31, 2021. Data regarding demographics, lineage, and prevalence of P.1 lineage and E484K mutations were obtained. Social isolation was measured using the Social Isolation Index (SII), which quantifies the percentage of individuals that stayed within a distance of 450 meters from their homes on a given day, between February 1, 2020, and January 24, 2021. The number of daily COVID-19 deaths was obtained from the Brazilian Ministry of Health (OpenDataSUS, 2021) between March 12, 2020, and January 10, 2021. SII was correlated with the prevalence P.1 lineage and E484K mutations in the eight following weeks. All univariate associations were estimated using the Spearman Correlation Index. 3D surfaces were employed to reflect the relationship between time, social isolation, and prevalence of genomic variants simultaneously.ResultsA total of 773 and 77 samples were obtained in Brazil and in the Amazonas state, respectively. In the state of Amazonas, SII on a given week was positively, significantly, and moderately or strongly (r > 0.6) correlated with the prevalence of both P.1 lineage and other E484K variants in the six following weeks after the SII on a given week. Conversely, in overall Brazil, correlations between SII and P.1 lineage and E484K variants were weaker and shorter, or negative, respectively. When SII was below 40%, P.1 lineage or E484K variants were not detected in the following weeks. When SII was above 40%, apparently exponential positive correlations between SII and prevalence of both P.1 lineage and E484K variants were observed.ConclusionThe results of this study indicate that SII above 40% is associated with the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 E484K variants and P.1 lineage in the state of Amazonas, which was not observed in overall Brazil.

Energy generation in Brazilian isolated systems: Challenges and proposals for increasing the share of renewables based on a multicriteria analysis

Concentrated in the northern region of Brazil, the country's 250 isolated systems represent around 1% of the national energy consumption and have been historically supplied by diesel power plants, an expensive solution that relies on complicated logistics and is responsible for high GHG emissions. Although many publications indicate that renewables are already a cost-effective solution, especially for economies dependent on expensive fuels, the conventional generation is still the main source of electricity on isolated systems, even in recent projects. This paper presents suggestions of public policies to stimulate the use of environmentally friendly energy sources at off-grid places in Brazil and discusses the probable reasons why this transition has not been driven yet, including barriers related to subsidies, energy tariffs and tax rules. To evaluate these policies, a multicriteria decision model was developed using the AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) and TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) methods, combined with fuzzy logic. Eighteen criteria were assessed, and ten specialists were interviewed. The study concluded that pilot projects of hybrid power plants, combining diesel engines and renewable technologies, would be the most effective policy. Other relevant policies pointed as relevant were the simplification of environmental licensing for projects based on renewables and the adoption of a more mandatory energy planning.

Prevalence of canine atopic dermatitis at the Veterinary Hospital of the “Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia” in Belém/Pará, Brazil

ABSTRACT: Canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) is a pruritic, chronic inflammatory disease, recurrent and genetically predisposed, which is the second most frequent allergic skin disorder, and ranks second among all the causes of pruritus in dogs worldwide. Given the absence of data on the occurrence of CAD in the northern region of Brazil, the aim of the current study was to conduct a survey to define the prevalence of canine atopic dermatitis attended at the Dermatology Department of the Mário Dias Teixeira Veterinary Hospital of the “Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia” (HOVET-UFRA). To determine the prevalence of CAD, a retrospective survey was carried out of clinical records and results of dermatological examinations conducted at the Dermatology Department of HOVET-UFRA Belém, Pará from October 2018 to October 2019. During this period, 456 dogs were examined, of which 25.65% (117) were diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. Among the animals diagnosed, 62.4% (73) were females and 51.7% (29) were of the Shih-tzu breed. This level of atopic dermatitis is considered high. There are still no exact data on the incidence and prevalence of this dermatopathy, with described occurrence ranging from 3 to 15% of the canine population, a geographical relationship may be present. Although a sex-related predisposition has not been proven, a higher incidence of atopy in females is described, which indicated this may be the case. The most commonly diagnosed dogs in this study were the Shih-tzu breed. It is suspected that the regional popularity of some breeds, or the different genetic backgrounds in different geographical areas, may affect the predominance of CAD in some breeds. The results of the present study demonstrate the need for more research on the prevalence of canine atopic dermatitis, and better means of characterizing the population of atopic dogs in the region, so that it is possible to obtain a reliable epidemiological profile.

Medicalização da saúde mental: Análise das prescrições de psicofármacos em um serviço de atenção psicossocial

Know and analyze the prescriptions of psychiatric drugs in a psychosocial care service, located in the northern region of Brazil, relating them to adherence to the proposed psychosocial treatment, based on observations of the environment and analysis of medical records. 246 medical records of people diagnosed with severe or recurrent mental disorders were analyzed. Data collection took place from April to September 2017. The proportion of users with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders was 56.95% and that of bipolar disorder was 21.3%. Predominance of prescriptions for antipsychotics and neuroleptics (33.1%), followed by mood stabilizers (18.51%), in line with medical diagnoses. Multiprofessional developments regarding the non-drug treatment of users did not occur with the frequency of pharmacological prescriptions, evidencing the existing biomedical paradigm, and little adherence by professionals in actions that effectively promote psychosocial rehabilitation.

Effect of the addition of the natural and treated açaí stone in structural mortars

<abstract> <p>The açaizeiro is a palm tree present on a large scale in the northern region of Brazil and in others countries, such as Colombia and Peru, its fruit constitutes one of the main forest products of great economic potential to exportation. However, a generation of large amounts of waste during its processing represents a serious environmental problem, since about 365 tons of açaí stone are discarded in landfills daily in Brazil. The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of using açaí stone as a substitute of 25% in mass natural sand with filler function, in the development of structural mortars with reference mixture of ratio 1:2:0.45 (cement:sand:water) and waste mixture with1:1.5:0.5:0.45 (cement:sand:açai stone:water), that both mixtures are relationship adopted for structural mortar in the literature. Three different types of mortar were made for evaluation, the reference (without adding stones) and with the addition of natural stone (without treatment and treated with NaOH). After the incorporation of the stones, consistency, water retention, incorporated air content and density in fresh mortars were analyzed, in the fresh state. For evaluation in a hardened state, cylindrical specimens (50 mm × 100 mm) were molded, for compression strength and density tests. The optimum composition was also analyzed with confocal microscopy. It can be seen that in the compression strength tests, mortars with the addition of natural and treated stone showed a reduction, decreasing from 6.25 MPa (reference), to 5.55 MPa (natural stone) and 1.89 MPa (treated stone), this showed that the natural stone mortar was above the minimum of 5.00 MPa reported in the literature. As for density, the evaluations demonstrate a beneficial effect to the incorporation of the stone, which formed lighter mortars, decreasing from 2.12 to 1.79 g/cm<sup>3</sup> in the natural composition and 1.85 g/cm<sup>3</sup> in the treated composition, in both situations with additions, the values were within the maximum limit of 2 g/cm<sup>3</sup> that the literature suggests for structural mortars. In addition, the results of water retention showed an increase in the treated composition (97.28%) in relation to the reference (95.84%), an increase characterized by the treatment in NaOH that reduced the hygroscopic characteristics of the stones, the mixture mortar with treated seed, as well as the reference, presented values above 95%, which is recommended by other studies. The evaluations show that there is a potential for specific structural applications of these mortars, since in all tests the composition with natural stone is within the ideal parameters by Brazilian standard, in addition to helping to solve the environmental impacts caused by discard this waste. As it is a mortar with low compressive strength, its application is suggested for the purpose of repairing specific structural defects that arise in the molding stage of beams, slabs and columns, located in regions with low load demand.</p> </abstract>

“Nossa energia tem um Norte”: propostas e (des) encontros no planejamento energético na Amazônia Oriental

The Northern region of Brazil has historically stood out as a space with natural potential that has always awakened public and private concerns regarding the exploitation of resources and recently the development of large projects. From the extraction of latex to current mining projects, as in the Grande Carajás project, these ventures have been seen as imperative to establish new conditions of integration and even improvements for the northern part of the country. Together, a new force intensified from the second half of the twentieth century as an element and central pillar so that all these undertakings could be realized. Energy production thus became a goal and synonymous with exploiting the potential of the Amazon, entering complacent spaces and producing new narratives about this region. This article proposes to debate how transformations occurred between the planning process and a non-existent structuring of this sector in the Eastern Amazon. Taking as a motto the documentary production of companies involved in this process, such as Eletronorte, Celpa and Eletrobrás, as well as by observing the debates that permeated government media and speeches, the article seeks to bring subsidies to understand how the paths followed by these projects, from the present to the past , are apprehended as dynamic elements of a region, but that historically have not consolidated a real execution focused on the interests and needs of this space.