Evaluation of proteinuria in an area of Brazil endemic for schistosomiasis using a single urine sample.

A two-step protocol was designed to evaluate the frequency of proteinuria related to Schistosoma mansoni infection in an endemic area, as measured by the protein/creatinine ratio (P/C R). A pre-test on 32 in-patients with renal disease and 20 healthy individuals showed a high correlation (r = 0.948) between the classical measurement of protein excretion per square metre of body surface during 24 h and the P/C R. The P/C R was then used to evaluate the frequency of proteinuria in 189 individuals in an endemic area in the northeast of Minas Gerais state, Brazil, with a schistosomiasis prevalence of 49.3% and 3.4% with the hepatosplenic form. The low prevalence of proteinuria (1.06%) in the studied population can be attributed to the accuracy of the method used and to the low prevalence of the hepato-splenic form of schistosomiasis. The P/C R is a reliable and appropriate method for the measurement of proteinuria in field studies.

Daily fluctuation of levels of circulating cathodic antigen in urine of children infected with Schistosoma mansoni in Brazil.

The fluctuation of circulating cathodic antigen (CCA) levels in urine was studied in 69 Brazilian school-children infected with Schistosoma mansoni and compared to egg counts. Faeces and urine samples were simultaneously collected at 7 times during a period of 2 weeks. CCA was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and could be detected in 96% of the urine samples; the individual mean CCA level ranged from 609 to 350,700 pg/mL. 90% of the faecal samples contained S. mansoni eggs and the individual mean egg output ranged from 9 to 5510 eggs/g. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient between these individual means was 0.69. Kendall's coefficient of concordance (W) was 0.88 for CCA levels and 0.80 for egg counts.

[Nuptiality and fertility differentials. Behavioral changes in the last three centuries. The case of Sul do Pico (Azores)]. / Nupcialidade e fecundidade differencias. Evolucao de comportamentos nos ultimos tres seculos. O caso do Sul do Pico (Acores).

"Through the application of...'parish reconstitution' differentials in demographic conducts are analysed. Those behaviours are related with marriage rate and fertility manifested in the population of Sul do Pico (Azores) during the last 3 centuries. Results show the existence of differences between 'the new' and 'the old' rural areas." (SUMMARY IN ENG AND FRE AND SPA)

[Trends in population and marital fertility in an Azorean parish (1700-1980)]. / Evolucao da populacao e fecundidade legitima numa paroquia acoriana (1700-1980).

PIP: The demographic history of the parish of Sao Joao on the island of Pico in the Azores is analyzed using family reconstitution methods. The analysis indicates that this community was forced to move several times because of volcanic eruptions and that its isolated state fostered endogamy and out-migration. Topics covered include family type, fertility, migration, age distribution, age at marriage, and marital status.^ieng

Epidemiological characteristics of Schistosoma mansoni infection in rural and urban endemic areas of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

To compare the epidemiological profile and socioeconomic factors associated to the infection by Schistosoma mansoni in a rural and an urban endemic area a cross-sectional study was performed in Agua Branca de Minas (rural area) and Bela Fama (urban area), both situated in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Two hundred and eighty eight individuals were surveyed in the rural area and 787 in the urban area. Water contact and socioeconomic questionnaires were used to identify risk factors for the infection. The prevalences of 38.8% and 9.7% and the geometric mean of eggs per gram of faeces of 117.8 and 62.3 were found in the rural and urban areas, respectively. By multivariate statistical analysis age groups over nine years old and previous specific treatment were associated with the infection in rural area. In urban area age over nine years old, low quality housing, weekly fishing and swimming were associated after adjustment by logistic regression.