Blood levels of 21 metals and metalloids in riverside villagers of the Brazilian Amazon: A human biomonitoring study with associations with sociodemographic, dietary, and lifestyle factors.

Human biomonitoring of toxic and essential trace elements is critically important for public health protection. Amazonian riverine communities exhibit distinctive dietary patterns, heavily reliant on locally sourced fish, fruits, and vegetables. These habits may result in unique exposure profiles compared to urban populations. However, comprehensive assessments of their exposure to toxic and essential metals are lacking, representing a critical gap in understanding the health risks faced by these communities. This study aimed to establish baseline levels of 21 metals and metalloids in human blood and explore the influence of sociodemographic factors, dietary habits, and lifestyle choices as potential sources of exposure to these elements. A cross-sectional biomonitoring investigation was conducted with 1,024 individuals from 13 communities in the Tapajós and Amazon Basins (Pará, Brazil). Most of the elements in study was determined for the first time in the region. Blood samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The levels of all elements were summarized by quantiles and compared with cutoff values from other Brazilian populations. Multiple linear regression was used to assess possible associations between element concentrations and sociodemographic characteristics, dietary habits, and lifestyle choices. High detection rates (64%-100%) were observed, indicating the widespread presence of these elements. Elevated blood concentrations were found for mercury (median 21.1 µg.L-1, interquartile range: 12-34 µg.L-1), selenium (median 166 µg.L-1, interquartile range: 137-208 µg.L-1), and lead (median 34 µg.L-1, interquartile range: 20.8-64 µg.L-1). Regression analysis revealed a positive association between mercury levels and fish consumption, while manioc flour intake showed no relationship to lead levels. In conclusion, our findings emphasize the need for continued monitoring and public policy development for these vulnerable populations. Further studies should assess long-term trends and investigate the health implications of prolonged exposure to diverse chemicals in Amazonian riverside communities.

Trends in Mercury Contamination Distribution among Human and Animal Populations in the Amazon Region.

Mercury contamination in the Amazon arising from both natural sources and intensive mining activities in the region is a significant public health concern. This metal is used to separate Au from sediments. Accordingly, this study aimed to assess the impact of mining on mercury contamination in the animal and human populations of the Amazon. This overall objective was pursued through a systematic review of the existing literature to assess the impact of Hg and identify gaps in geographic coverage arising from this assessment. Herein, we employed PECO and PRISMA-ScR protocols to select articles published between 2017 and 2023 based on projected points on a map within the biogeographic boundaries of the Amazon. We found that mercury concentrations increase with trophic levels, reaching high values of 3.7 µg/g in the muscles of predatory fish and 34.9 µg/g in human hair. The mean level of mercury in human hair in the whole (Amazon) region exceeds 6 µg/g, surpassing tolerance levels. Although mining regions show high concentrations of Hg, the highest incidence was observed among populations with fish-based diets. It was concluded that continuous research and monitoring of fish in the region are required in order to accurately assess the risk associated with Hg contamination, especially since fish are the main source of protein in this region.

Damming Amazon Rivers: Environmental impacts of hydroelectric dams on Brazil's Madeira River according to local fishers' perception.

This study aimed to investigate the environmental impacts generated by the hydroelectric complex in the Madeira River, Brazilian Amazon, based on the perceptions of local fishers and fishery database, it focus attention on three main impacts: (i) on local fishery stocks; (ii) in fish fauna and (iii) on the aquatic ecosystems. The local fishers were selected through the "snowball" approach for the application of semi-structured interviews. All the local fishers confirmed having perceived a decline in fishery productivity following the impounding of the Madeira River. Changes in the condition of the fish were also perceived by the local fishers, including exophthalmia (82%), a reduction in the weight or length of the fish (25%), and irregular breeding patterns (14%). In the case of impacts on the river, changes in the hydrological cycle were the process remembered most frequently (75%). The results elucidated a range of environmental impacts caused by the hydroelectric dams of the Madeira River.

Representações sociais da saúde reprodutiva construídas por mulheres e homens de uma comunidade ribeirinha no Baixo Madeira, Porto Velho-RO / Social representations of reproductive health constructed by women and men from a riverside community in Baixo Madeira, Porto Velho-RO

O estudo tem como objeto as representações sociais construídas por mulheres e homens de uma comunidade ribeirinha situada no Baixo Madeira, em Porto Velho-RO sobre saúde reprodutiva (SR) e como tais representações influenciam suas práticas de cuidado neste campo. Objetivou-se apreender as representações sociais de mulheres e homens de uma comunidade ribeirinha sobre SR; analisar as práticas/atitudes de cuidados que esses sujeitos têm com sua SR, a partir de suas representações e discutir as implicações destas para o cuidado profissional da SR para esse grupo populacional. Estudo qualitativo-descritivo, sustentado pela Teoria das Representações Sociais (TRS), desenvolvido na comunidade ribeirinha São Carlos, em Porto Velho-RO. Foram participantes 22 mulheres e 21 homens em idade reprodutiva. Os dados foram produzidos através de formulário, técnica projetiva e entrevista semiestruturada, processadas no software IRAMUTEq®, utilizando a classificação hierárquica descendente, obtendo-se cinco classes em cada grupo. Aprovação ética sob parecer 3.060.055. As características dos participantes foram agrupadas em três tipos: socioeconômica e demográfica, vida relacional e vida reprodutiva. Quanto a técnica projetiva, a imagem mais escolhida pelos dois grupos ilustra a família com a questão "quantos filhos você quer ter"? Em relação ao IRAMUTEq®, no Grupo1-Mulheres 2.025 seguimentos de textos (ST) foram classificados em cinco classes. As classes foram divididas em dois blocos temáticos. O primeiro foi denominado como "conteúdos e sentidos da saúde reprodutiva para as mulheres ribeirinhas". Esse bloco traz a maternidade como elemento representacional da saúde reprodutiva, a saúde reprodutiva no adolescer ribeirinho e a interface do ambiente social ribeirinho com a saúde reprodutiva (classes 4, 3 e 5). O segundo bloco ficou intitulado saúde reprodutiva: da informação às atitudes, comportamentos e práticas de cuidados, composto pelas classes 1 e 2, que ilustram as informações e as atitudes, comportamentos e práticas de cuidados produzidas pelas mulheres ribeirinhas no âmbito da saúde reprodutiva. No Grupo2-Homens 2.077 ST foram distribuídos em cinco classes, divididas em dois blocos temáticos. O primeiro composto pelas classes 1, 4 e 5, que fazem referência aos conteúdos e sentidos da saúde reprodutiva para os homens ribeirinhos e suas atitudes, comportamentos e práticas de cuidados. O segundo bloco foi formado pelas classes 2 e 3, e que apresentou um conteúdo relacionado ao contexto social da comunidade onde os homens se inserem. Emergiram dois campos representacionais da saúde reprodutiva, um elaborado pelas mulheres e outro pelos homens. A partir dessas representações constatou-se que o objeto representacional saúde reprodutiva está situado em uma rede de representações que integra outros objetos com seus elementos representacionais. Essas representações orientam as atitudes, comportamentos e práticas dessas mulheres e homens ribeirinhos. Aos profissionais de saúde cabem considerar o constructo social desses sujeitos para compreender suas subjetividades e, dessa forma, promover a saúde reprodutiva dentro dos direitos humanos, reprodutivos e sexuais.

The study as social representations built by women and men of a health located in Baixo Madeira, in Porto Velho-RO (SR) and community such representations about their care practices in this field. The objective was to apprehend the social representations of women and men from a riverside community about SR; Practices as professional care practices of RS have, from their representations/attitudes, as implications for the professional care of RS for this population group. Qualitative-descriptive study, supported by the Theory of Social Representations (TRS), developed in the riverside community São Carlos, in Porto Velho-RO. Participants were 22 women and 21 men at an early age. The data were projected through forms, techniques and semi-structured interviews, processed in the IRAMUTEq® software, using a hierarchical hierarchy, selecting five classes in each group. Ethical approval under opinion 3,060,055. Participants' characteristics were grouped into three types: socioeconomic and demographic, relational life, and reproductive life. As for the projective technique, the image most chosen by both groups illustrates the family with the question "how many children do you want to have"? In relation to IRAMUTEq®, in Group1-Women, 2,025 text sequences (TS) were classified into five classes. The classes were strong in two thematic blocks. The first was called "contents and meanings of oral health for riverside women". This is motherhood as a representational element of maternal health, the reproductive health block in riverside adolescents and the interface of the riverside social environment with health (classes 3 and 5). The block was authorized for oral health: from information to attitudes, behaviors and care practices, composed of classes 1 and 2 of care, attitudes, women and care practices to attitudes, women and health care practices. In Group2-Men 2.07 ST were distributed in five classes, strongholds in two thematic blocks. The first comprises classes 1, 4 and 5, which refer to the contents and meanings of reproductive health for riverside men and their attitudes, behaviors and care practices. The second block was formed by classes 2 and 3, and which presented content related to the social context of the community where men are inserted. Two representational fields of reproductive health emerged, one developed by women and the other by men. From representations that others were found with their healthy representational objects situated in a network of representations than other representational objects. These representations guide the attitudes, behaviors and practices of these riverine women and men. It is up to health professionals to consider the social construction of these subjects to understand their subjectivities and, in this way, promote human health within reproductive and sexual rights.

Epidemiological aspects of Toxoplasma gondii infection in riverside communities in the Southern Brazilian Amazon

INTRODUCTION: Toxoplasma gondii infection is widely prevalent in humans and other animals worldwide. Information on the prevalence of T. gondii infection is scarce in some regions of Brazil, including riverside communities along the Amazon River basin. M METHODS: The prevalence of T. gondii in 231 people, aged 1-85 years, who were living in four riverside communities along the Purus River, Lábrea, State of Amazonas, Brazil, was determined. Antibodies against T. gondii were assayed using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. The hearts and brains of 50 chickens, which were raised free-range in the communities, were pooled according to the community of origin and bioassayed in mice. The isolates were genotyped using polymorphisms at 12 nuclear markers (SAG1, 5' and 3'-SAG2, alt.SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, Apico and CS3). RESULTS: The overall seroprevalence of T. gondii was 56.7% (131/231). IgG antibodies were presented by 117 (89.3%) and IgM by 14 (10.7%) of the 131 positive individuals. No association between age group and gender with prevalence was observed (chi-square test, p > 0.05); however, the comparison between localities showed that the seroprevalence of T. gondii was significantly lower among the individuals living in the Boca do Ituxi (p < 0.05) community. Five isolates of T. gondii were obtained in the mouse bioassay, and genotyping revealed two complete genotypes that had not been described previously and three mixed isolates. CONCLUSIONS: These results support previous findings that T. gondii population genetics are highly diverse in Brazil and that T. gondii infection is active in these riverside communities. .

Rotinas familiares de ribeirinhos amazônicos: uma possibilidade de investigação / Family routines of amazonia's riverside people: a possibility of investigation

A rotina das famílias tem se revelado uma estratégia interessante que permite conhecer não apenas seu funcionamento, mas também o desenvolvimento de seus membros. Todavia, investigar rotinas constitui um desafio para os pesquisadores interessados nessa temática, principalmente quando se trata de grupos inseridos em contextos culturais diferenciados. Com o intuito de contribuir metodologicamente, o presente trabalho descreve um instrumento de investigação qualitativo (Questionário de Rotinas Familiares - QRF), utilizado para coletar dados de rotinas de famílias que vivem em uma comunidade ribeirinha amazônica, cuja característica principal é o isolamento geográfico e social. São apresentadas as etapas de construção do instrumento, as adaptações necessárias e o modo de organização dos resultados (Diagrama de Atividades Familiares - DAF), ilustrados a partir de um caso investigado.

Family routines have been revealed as an interesting strategy that allows the knowledge not only of its operation, but also the development of its members. Nevertheless, investigating routines constitutes a challenge to researchers interested in this subject, mainly when it is about groups inserted in differentiated cultural contexts. In order to provide a methodological contribution, this work describes an instrument of qualitative investigation (IFR - Inventory of Family Routines). This instrument was used to collect data about the routines of families who live in an Amazonia's riverside community, and whose main feature is the geographical and social isolation. The steps of the instrument construction are presented along with the necessary adaptations and the manner of results organization (FAD - Family Activities Diagram), all of them illustrated through an investigative case.

Mercury toxicity in the Amazon: contrast sensitivity and color discrimination of subjects exposed to mercury

We measured visual performance in achromatic and chromatic spatial tasks of mercury-exposed subjects and compared the results with norms obtained from healthy individuals of similar age. Data were obtained for a group of 28 mercury-exposed subjects, comprising 20 Amazonian gold miners, 2 inhabitants of Amazonian riverside communities, and 6 laboratory technicians, who asked for medical care. Statistical norms were generated by testing healthy control subjects divided into three age groups. The performance of a substantial proportion of the mercury-exposed subjects was below the norms in all of these tasks. Eleven of 20 subjects (55 percent) performed below the norms in the achromatic contrast sensitivity task. The mercury-exposed subjects also had lower red-green contrast sensitivity deficits at all tested spatial frequencies (9/11 subjects; 81 percent). Three gold miners and 1 riverine (4/19 subjects, 21 percent) performed worse than normal subjects making more mistakes in the color arrangement test. Five of 10 subjects tested (50 percent), comprising 2 gold miners, 2 technicians, and 1 riverine, performed worse than normal in the color discrimination test, having areas of one or more MacAdam ellipse larger than normal subjects and high color discrimination thresholds at least in one color locus. These data indicate that psychophysical assessment can be used to quantify the degree of visual impairment of mercury-exposed subjects. They also suggest that some spatial tests such as the measurement of red-green chromatic contrast are sufficiently sensitive to detect visual dysfunction caused by mercury toxicity.