Congenital Zika syndrome and living conditions in the largest city of northeastern Brazil.

BACKGROUND: The Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic hit Brazil in 2015 and resulted in a generation of children at risk of congenital Zika syndrome (CZS). The social vulnerability of certain segments of the population contributed to the disproportional occurrence of CZS in the Brazilian Northeast, the poorest region in the country. Living conditions are essential factors in understanding the social determination of CZS, which is embedded in a complex interaction between biological, environmental, and social factors. Salvador, the biggest city in the region, played a central role in the context of the epidemic and was a pioneer in reporting the ZIKV infection and registering a high number of cases of CZS. The aim of the study was identifying the incidence and spatial distribution pattern of children with CZS in the municipality of Salvador, according to living conditions. METHODS: This is an ecological study that uses the reported cases of ZIKV and CZS registered in the epidemiological surveillance database of the Municipal Secretariat of Health of the city of Salvador between August of 2015 and July of 2016. The neighborhoods formed the analysis units and the thematic maps were built based on the reported cases. Associations between CZS and living conditions were assessed using the Kernel ratio and a spatial autoregressive linear regression model. RESULTS: Seven hundred twenty-six live births were reported, of which 236 (32.5%) were confirmed for CZS. Despite the reports of ZIKV infection being widely distributed, the cases of CZS were concentrated in poor areas of the city. A positive spatial association was observed between living in places with poorer living conditions and births of children with CZS. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the role of living conditions in the occurrence of births of children with CZS and indicates the need for approaches that recognize the part played by social inequalities in determining CZS and in caring for the children affected.

Ovariectomy Modifies TH2, and TH17 Balance in BALB/C Allergic Mice.

Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the airways affecting over 300 million people worldwide. As in the autoimmune diseases, it is well described that women are the most affected by asthma. The higher number of women presenting this pathology suggests the involvement of female sex hormones in the construction of the allergic immune response. Female Balb / c mice were used for the experiments. Thirty-eight animals were separated into four groups: OVX-Ova; Sham-Ova; OVX-Sal; Sham-Sal. Then animals underwent acute allergic induction protocol by Ovalbulmin (OVA). Ovariectomized animals showed greater number of leukocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and elevated white blood cells recruitment to the lung environment observed by histological analysis. There was a significant increase of eosinophils and mast cells in inflammatory sites at pulmonary tissue. The relative uterine and body weight were lower in ovariectomized animals and higher in Sham mice, respectively. Moreover, the lack of the sex hormones induced an increase in interleukin (IL)-4 and titers of immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) antibodies. However, increased production of IL-17A was only observed in Sham animals. Altogether, data this study suggest that ovariectomy induces the formation of a stronger Th2 response in allergic animal. However, the immune processes involved in the allergic response in females currently remain unclear.

Debates acerca dos direitos sexuais e reprodutivos no contexto do zika vírus, que caminho estamos trilhando? / The discussion on sexual and reproductive rights in the context of zika virus, which way we to tread?

Este artigo objetiva descrever as perspectivas acerca dos direitos sexuais e reprodutivos no contexto da epidemia do zika vírus. Para isso, foi realizada uma revisão integrativa de literatura a partir de bases de dados eletrônicas ­ LILACS, SciELO, PubMed/Medline e Portal de Periódicos CAPES, no período de 2015 a 2017, com amostra final de 17 artigos. A partir disso, observou-se que debates acerca da garantia de direitos sexuais e reprodutivos das mulheres foram retomados na nova conjuntura proporcionada pela epidemia do Zika vírus. As discussões envolviam o acesso adequado a serviços de saúde, planejamento familiar, debates sobre gênero, possibilidades de interrupção da gestação, comunicação e responsabilidades masculinas no contexto da epidemia. Apesar da intensificação dos debates, avanços reais não aconteceram. Obstáculos políticos se fazem presentes, influenciando de forma negativa e perpetuando a violação dos direitos sexuais e reprodutivos das mulheres

This article aims to describe the perspectives on sexual and reproductive rights in the context of the zika virus epidemic. For this, an integrative review of literature was performed from electronic databases - LILACS, SciELO, PubMed / Medline and CAPES Periodical Portal, from 2015 to 2017, with a final sample of 17 articles. From this, it was observed that debates about the guarantee of women's sexual and reproductive rights were resumed in the new conjuncture provided by the Zika virus epidemic. Discussions included adequate access to health services, family planning, gender discussions, possibilities for termination of pregnancy, communication, and male responsibilities in the context of the epidemic. Despite the intensification of the debates, real progress has not been made. Political obstacles are present, negatively influencing and perpetuating the violation of women's sexual and reproductive rights

Saúde mental na atenção primária à saúde: Percepções da equipe de saúde da família / Mental health in primary care: Perceptions of the family health care team

Fue objetivo del estudio conocer la percepción de los profesionales de salud de la familia acerca de la implementación de acciones de salud mental en la atención primaria a la salud. Investigación cualitativa, cuyos datos fueron obtenidos en entrevistas semiestructuradas y analizados por la técnica de análisis de contenido temático, en el periodo de abril a junio de 2013. Participaron 17 trabajadores de la Estrategia Salud de la Familia del municipio de Vitória da Conquista, Bahia. Resultaron tres categorías: Percepción acerca de la promoción de la salud mental en la atención primaria a la salud; Dificultades/limitaciones para implementación de acciones de salud mental en la Estrategia Salud de la Familia; Estrategias/intervenciones para implementación de salud mental en la atención primaria a la salud. Los participantes presentaron dificultades para relatar acciones de promoción a la salud mental y demostraron fragilidades en la producción del cuidado. Se observó la percepción de ellos acerca de la necesidad de ampliación de los procesos de formación en salud mental, confines de perfeccionar las acciones en salud mental en la atención primaria a la salud (AU).

Objetivou-se conhecer a percepção dos profissionais de saúde da família acerca da implementação de ações de saúde mental na atenção primária à saúde. Pesquisa qualitativa, com dados coletados em entrevistas semiestruturadas e analisadas pela técnica análise de conteúdo temática, no período de abril a junho de 2013. Participaram 17 trabalhadores da Estratégia Saúde da Família do município de Vitória da Conquista, Bahia. Depreenderam-se três categorias: Percepção acerca da promoção da saúde mental na atenção primária à saúde; Dificuldades/Limitações para implementação de ações de saúde mental na Estratégia Saúde da Família; Estratégias/Intervenções para implementação de saúde mental na atenção primária à saúde. Os participantes apresentaram dificuldades em relatar ações de promoção à saúde mental e demonstraram fragilidades na produção do cuidado. Observou-se a percepção deles em relação à necessidade de ampliação dos processos formativos em saúde mental, com vistas ao aprimoramento das ações em saúde mental na atenção primária à saúde (AU).

The present study aimed to obtain knowledge on the perception of family health care teams regarding the implementation of mental health actions in primary care. Qualitative research, with data collected in semi-structured interviews and analyzed by thematic content analysis from April to June 2013. The study included the participation of 17 workers of the Family Health Strategy of the city of Vitória da Conquista, Bahia.Three categories emerged: Perception of mental health promotion in primary health care; Difficulties /Limitations to implement mental health care actions under Brazil's Family Health Strategy;Strategies/Interventions regarding the implementation of mental health in primary health care.The participants found it difficult to report actions targeted to the promotion of mental health and exposed the weaknesses in health production. They perceived the need to expand mental health trainingprocesses, in order to improve mental health actions developed in primary health care (AU)