Validity of the Frequency of Suicidal Ideation Inventory in Brazilian adults.

We examined the validity of the Brazilian Frequency of Suicidal Ideation Inventory (FSII-Br), an adaptation of the Frequency of Suicidal Ideation Inventory (FSII), in 946 Brazilian undergraduates. Confirmatory factor analysis of the FSII-Br demonstrated a one-factor model accounting for 62.39% of the variance in FSII-Br scores with a good FIT index. Correlation analyses demonstrated that the FSII-Br was positively correlated with both measures of suicide ideation and suicide risk (viz., depressive symptoms, anxious symptoms, and hopelessness), providing construct validity. Thus, the FSII-Br was found to be a promising tool in assessing suicide risk among Brazilian adults.

Seroprevalence of HBV and HCV in female sex workers from four cities in the state of Pará, northern Brazil.

Female sex workers (FSWs) represent a high vulnerability group for the acquisition of sexual and parenteral infections such as hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of serological markers and risk factors associated with exposure to HBV and HCV among FSWs in the state of Pará, Brazil. A cross-sectional study using principles of the time location sampling (TLS) method was conducted in four cities (Belém, Bragança, Barcarena, and Augusto Corrêa) of the state of Pará, from 2005 to 2006. In total, 365 FSWs were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. Blood samples were collected and tested for serological markers of exposure to HBV and HCV using an enzyme immunoassay. The overall prevalence of exposure to HBV and HCV was 36.7% and 7.7%, respectively. The prevalence of surface antigen of HBV was 3.0%. The prevalence of anti-HBc and anti-HBc+ anti-HBs antibodies were 6.3% and 27.4%. Very few (4.7%) FSWs had vaccine immunity against HBV (anti-HBs antibodies only). The prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies was 7.7%. Low monthly income, drug usage, and unprotected sex were some of the social characteristics associated with exposure to the viruses using different analysis. The seroprevalence of HBV and HCV infections among FSWs in four cities of the state of Pará is high when compared to the general population of Brazil, but similar to those found in FSWs in other nondeveloped countries. The prevalence of HBV was higher in Belém, while the prevalence of HCV was higher in the other three cities, highlighting the importance of establishing control and prevention programs to reduce the risk of acquiring these viruses in Pará.

Molecular Epidemiology of HIV-1 and HTLV-1/2 Among Female Sex Workers in Four Cities in the State of Para, Northern Brazil.

Female sex workers (FSWs) represent a key population for the acquisition of sexually transmitted infections (STI) due to their social vulnerability and the risks associated with their occupation. This study was conducted to describe the sociodemographic characteristics and sexual behavior among FSWs in cities in northern Brazil, to determine the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) and human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1/2) infections and to identify the circulating subtypes of these agents in this key population. A cross-sectional study using the Time Location Sampling (TLS) method was conducted among 339 FSWs in cities in the state of Pará from 2005 to 2006. Serological and molecular tests were performed to identify infections and viral subtypes, and bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify risk factors. Most FSWs were young, single, less educated and had at least one child. The prevalence of antibodies against HIV-1 and HTLV-1 was 2.3 and 1.7%, respectively. HIV-1 subtypes B (87.5%) and F1 (12.5%) were identified among FSWs, as were Cosmopolitan subtype (1a) and Transcontinental subgroup (A). Unprotected sex and illicit drug use were associated with HIV-1 and HTLV-1 infections using bivariate and multivariate analyses, and age ≥27 years was associated only with HIV. The important information highlighted here clearly indicates that the lack of actions to control and prevent pathogens in FSWs and the lack of strategies for health promotion in key populations can further aggravate the epidemiological scenario of viral infections in remote areas with low human development indices. Neglecting these facts may be causing the spread of these two viruses and their respective subtypes in the general population of northern Brazil.

[Suicide and indigenous populations in Brazil: systematic reviewEl suicidio y los pueblos indígenas brasileños: revisión sistemática]. / Suicídio e povos indígenas brasileiros: revisão sistemática.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the frequency, characteristics, and factors contributing to suicide in indigenous populations in Brazil. METHOD: A systematic review of the literature was performed in PubMed, SciELO, PsycINFO, and LILACS. All population-based studies focusing on suicide among indigenous populations in Brazil were included. RESULTS: The search identified 111 articles, of which nine met the inclusion criteria. Three of these studies were performed in the Midwest and four in the North of Brazil, while two covered all Brazilian regions. The ethnic groups investigated were specified in three studies (Terena, Kadiweu, Guato, Ofaie-Xavante, Guarani, Guarani-Kaiowá, and Guarani-Nandeva). Suicide rates were highest among males, single individuals, those with 4 to 11 years of schooling, and those aged 15 to 24 years. Suicides occurred most often in the home and on weekends, mostly by hanging. The main risk factors for suicide identified in the articles were poverty, historical and cultural factors, poor wellbeing indicators, family disintegration, social vulnerability, and lack of life or future perspective. CONCLUSIONS: All the studies indicated the need to engage communities in developing strategies, considering their cosmovision and the social, historic, and cultural view of each ethnic group to minimize risk factors and reduce suicide rates.

OBJETIVO: Describir la frecuencia y las características del suicidio y sus factores contribuyentes en los pueblos indígenas brasileños. MÉTODO: Se realizó una revisión sistemática de la bibliografía a partir de las bases de datos PubMed, SciELO, PsycINFO y LILACS. Se incluyeron estudios de base poblacional enfocados en el suicidio en las poblaciones indígenas en el territorio brasileño. RESULTADOS: En la búsqueda se encontraron 111 artículos, de los cuales nueve se ciñeron a los criterios de inclusión. Se realizaron tres estudios en la región centro oeste y cuatro en la región norte, además de otros dos que abarcaron todas las regiones de Brasil. En tres estudios se citaron todas las siete etnias estudiadas (Terena, Kadiweu, Guato, Ofaie-Xavante, Guaraní, Guaraní-Kaiowá y E-Nandeva). En los estudios se demostró una mayor tasa de mortalidad por suicidio en personas solteras del sexo masculino, con 4 a 11 años de escolaridad, en el grupo de 15 a 24 años de edad, en el domicilio y en los fines de semana, principalmente por el método de ahorcamiento. Los principales factores de riesgo de suicidio fueron la pobreza, factores históricos y culturales, el índice de bienestar bajo, la desintegración de las familias, la vulnerabilidad social, y la falta de sentido de la vida y del futuro. CONCLUSIONES: Todos los estudios indicaron la necesidad de formular estrategias junto con las comunidades, dentro del marco de su cosmovisión y de los aspectos sociales, históricos y culturales de cada etnia, con el fin de reducir al mínimo los factores de riesgo y la tasa de mortalidad por suicidio.

Promising therapeutic use of Baccharis trimera (less.) DC. as a natural hepatoprotective agent against hepatic lesions that are caused by multiple risk factors.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Baccharis trimera (Less.) DC is a perennial subshrub, popularly known as "carqueja," that belongs to the Asteraceae family. Ethnobotanical studies indicate that this species is used for the treatment of diabetes and digestive and liver diseases. However, studies that sought to validate its popular use were conducted using ethanolic extracts of the plant, which does not reflect the ethnomedicinal use of this species in humans. AIM OF THE STUDY: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by triglyceride accumulation in the liver that can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Because of the severity of this disease, less toxic and more effective therapeutic agents need to be developed. B. trimera may be a promising therapeutic alternative, but its activity against multiple risk factors for liver disease (e.g., smoking, dyslipidemia, and diabetes mellitus) has not been studied. The present study investigated the effects of an ethnomedicinal form of a B. trimera preparation in a rat model of NAFLD that is associated with multiple risk factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Phytochemical analysis of the ethanolic soluble fraction of B. trimera extract was performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry. Streptozotocin was used to induce diabetes in male Wistar rats. The rats received a 0.5% cholesterol-enriched diet and were exposed to cigarette smoke (9 cigarettes/day, 5 days/week, for 4 weeks). In the last 2 weeks, the animals were orally treated with vehicle (negative control group), B. trimera extract (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg), or insulin + simvastatin. One group of rats that was not exposed to these risk factors was also evaluated. Blood was collected for glucose, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) analysis. The liver and feces were collected for lipid quantification. The liver was additionally processed for histopathological analysis. RESULTS: The model successfully induced NAFLD and increased levels of glucose, AST, and ALT in the negative control group. Treatment with the B. trimera extract (30 and 100 mg/kg) and insulin + simvastatin decreased hepatic and fecal lipids. In contrast to insulin + simvastatin treatment, all three doses of B. trimera effectively reduced AST and ALT levels. CONCLUSION: B. trimera may be promising as a hepatoprotective agent against hepatic lesions that are caused by multiple risk factors.

Prevalence of syphilis in female sex workers in three countryside cities of the state of Pará, Brazilian Amazon.

BACKGROUND: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) transmitted from person to person mainly by sexual intercourse or through vertical transmission during pregnancy. Female sex workers (FSWs) are exposed especially to syphilis infection, and besides all the efforts to control the spread of STIs, syphilis prevalence is still rising, mainly occurring in low-income countries. This study aimed to investigate the syphilis prevalence, demographic characteristics and sexual habits among FSWs in the Amazon region of Brazil. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out including 184 FSWs from 3 countryside cities of the state of Pará, Amazon region of Brazil. A venereal disease research laboratory test and an indirect immunoenzyme assay to test antibodies against Treponema pallidum were used for screening syphilis infection, while sexual habits and demographic data information were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed comparing groups with/without syphilis. Poisson regression models were used to estimate the reasons of prevalence (RP). RESULTS: The overall prevalence of syphilis was 14.1% (95% CI = 9.8-17.8). FSWs had between 15 and 56 years of age, most were unmarried (65.7%), had attended less than 8 years of formal education (64.1%), had between 10 and 20 partners per week (64.1%), and reported no previous history of STIs (76.1%) and regular use of condom (52.7%). Low level of education attending up to the primary school (RP adjusted = 3.8; 95% CI = 1.4-9.2) and high frequency of anal sex during the past year (RP adjusted = 9.3; 95% CI = 3.5-28.7) were associated with a higher prevalence of syphilis. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of syphilis among FSWs in the Brazilian Amazon region was identified, showing that syphilis is more likely to be transmitted in FSW working in low-income areas, which is attributed to the low level of education. Anal intercourse was found as a risk factor associated with syphilis. Health programs focused on risk populations appear as a rational way to control syphilis spread, which is a rising problem in Brazil and in other several countries.

Prognostic impact of platinum sensitivity in ovarian carcinoma patients with brain metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Brain metastasis (BM) is a rare event in ovarian cancer patients. The current prognostic scores that have been used for other tumors do not account for specific characteristics of ovarian cancer, such as platinum sensitivity. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study examined patients with ovarian carcinoma and BM who were treated at a single institution from January 2007 to December 2017. Clinical data on the diagnosis of BM and follow-up were collected. Cox regression was used to evaluate prognostic factors for overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Of 560 patients, 26 presented with BM. Eight patients were treated with surgery, 15 with whole-brain radiotherapy (RT), and 5 with stereotactic RT, and 4 patients received systemic treatment at the diagnosis of BM. The median OS was 10.8 months. The following factors were associated with OS: platinum-sensitive recurrence (HR 0.34, 95% CI 0.12-0.99; p = 0.049), higher number of previous treatment lines (HR 1.57, 95% CI 1.12-2.19; p = 0.008), ECOG performance status (HR 2.52, 95% CI 1.24-5.09; p = 0.010), and longer interval from initial diagnosis to BM (p = 0.025). Notably, the number of brain metastasis, the largest tumor size, and progression outside of the CNS were not related to survival. Platinum sensitivity was not associated with any of the classic prognostic factors in brain metastasis patients such as number or size of brain metastasis or disease progression outside the CNS strengthening the hypothesis of the importance of platinum sensitivity to the prognosis of ovarian cancer patients with BM. CONCLUSIONS: The factors related to the biological behavior of the ovarian cancer such as platinum sensitivity at the time of BM diagnosis, fewer number of previous treatment lines and interval from initial diagnosis were associated with survival in ovarian cancer patients with BM, while factors that are usually related to survival in BM in other cancers were not associated with survival in this cohort of ovarian cancer patients. The small number of patients did not allow us to exclude the prognostic role of these former factors that were not associated with survival in the present cohort.

Comparison of Treponema pallidum genomes for the prediction of resistance genes.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by Treponema pallidum, which is highly prevalent in several countries, including Brazil. The use of bioinformatics' tools for the identification of resistance genes is an important practice for the study of microorganisms, such as T. pallidum. In this study, the complete genomes of 43 strains of T. pallidum, isolated from different countries, were analyzed. A total of 41,514 sequences were obtained, and compared against prokaryote resistance gene databases using BLASTn, BLASTx and RGI for gene alignment and prediction. From the alignments, it was possible to identify antibiotic resistance genes for each strain. The genes identified in each comparison were grouped according to the antibiotic category in which they show resistance to. The antibiotic-resistant genes related to drugs used to treat syphilis were grouped separately. The in silico tools used have shown to be effective in identifying resistance genes in genomes of T. pallidum strains. Due to the lack of research and accurate information regarding the antibiotic resistance genes in T. pallidum, this study serves as a basis for studies in molecular biology whose aim is the identification of these genes, besides being a reference to help in the control and treatment of this infection.

High Prevalence of Treponema pallidum Infection in Brazilian Prisoners.

The number of new syphilis cases in Brazil has risen alarmingly in recent years. However, there is limited data regarding syphilis prevalence in the Brazilian prison population. To facilitate the development of effective interventions, a cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of Treponema pallidum infection, active syphilis, and associated risk factors among Brazilian prisoners. We administered a questionnaire to a population-based sample of prisoners from 12 prisons in Central-West Brazil and collected sera for syphilis testing, from January to December 2013. Univariable and multivariable regression analyses were performed to assess associations with active syphilis. We recruited 3,363 prisoners (men: 84.6%; women: 15.4%). The overall lifetime and active syphilis prevalences were 10.5% (9.4% among men; 17% among women, P < 0.001) and 3.8% (2% among men; 9% among women, P < 0.001), respectively. The variables associated with active syphilis in men prisoners were homosexual preference, history of sexually transmitted infections, and human immunodeficiency virus status. Among women, the factors were sex with intravenous drug users, genital ulcer disease, and previous incarceration. Despite the high prevalence of active syphilis, 88.5% reported unawareness of their serological status and 67% reported unprotected sexual practices. Women had the highest rates of infection, including them in a high-risk group for the development of syphilis during pregnancy. Thus, implementing screening programs to enable continuous measures of control and prevention of T. pallidum infection in the prison environment, mainly in women institutions, is important to prevent severe forms of this disease and congenital infections.

Extraction Method Plays Critical Role in Antibacterial Activity of Propolis-Loaded Hydrogels.

Extracted propolis has been used for a long time as a remedy. However, if the release rate of propolis is not controlled, the efficacy is reduced. To overcome this issue, extracted propolis was added to a cryogel system. Propolis collected from southern Brazil was extracted using different methods and loaded at different concentrations into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyacrylic acid hydrogels as carrier systems. The material properties were investigated with a focus on the propolis release profiles and the cryogel antibacterial properties against 4 different bacteria, namely: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Pseudomonas putida. Swelling studies indicated that the swelling of the hydrogel was inversely related to propolis content. In addition, propolis release studies indicated a decreased release rate with increased propolis loading. PVA and PVA/polyacrylic acid-loaded propolis were effective against all 4 bacteria studied. These results indicate that the efficacy of propolis can be enhanced by incorporation into hydrogel carrier systems and that hydrogels with higher concentrations of propolis can be considered for use as bactericide dressing.