Applicability of machine learning techniques in food intake assessment: A systematic review.

The evaluation of food intake is important in scientific research and clinical practice to understand the relationship between diet and health conditions of an individual or a population. Large volumes of data are generated daily in the health sector. In this sense, Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have been increasingly used, for example, the application of Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to extract useful information, find patterns, and predict diseases. This systematic review aimed to identify studies that used ML algorithms to assess food intake in different populations. A literature search was conducted using five electronic databases, and 36 studies met all criteria and were included. According to the results, there has been a growing interest in the use of ML algorithms in the area of nutrition in recent years. Also, supervised learning algorithms were the most used, and the most widely used method of nutritional assessment was the food frequency questionnaire. We observed a trend in using the data analysis programs, such as R and WEKA. The use of ML in nutrition is recent and challenging. Therefore, it is encouraged that more studies are carried out relating these themes for the development of food reeducation programs and public policies.

Case Fatality Rate and Severity of COVID-19 among Patients with Sickle Cell Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The sickle cell disease (SCD) population has been considered particularly vulnerable to viral pandemics since the emergence of H1N1 in 2009. In this sense, the advance of the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 has brought this group of patients to the center of concern. However, scientific knowledge about the susceptibility of patients with SCD to a severe COVID-19 pandemic is still insufficient, and efforts to establish a general profile of the disease in these patients, remain inadequate. The present study, therefore, sought to characterize the case fatality rate and severity of COVID-19 in patients with SCD throughout the world. A systematic review of Pubmed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Virtual Health Library databases through December 2021 was then performed. Subsequently, the primary and secondary outcomes were used in the meta-analysis in RStudio® software. Seventy-two studies were included with 6,011 SCD patients confirmed to have SARS-CoV-2 infection between mid-2020 and early 2022. The mean age of patients was 27 years. During this period, 218 deaths caused by COVID-19 were reported in the studied population, corresponding to an overall case fatality rate of 3%. In addition, 10% of patients with SCD were admitted to the ICU after complications caused by COVID-19, and 4% of them required invasive ventilatory support. In conclusion, the high fatality rate, intensive care unit admission and need for mechanical ventilation due to COVID-19 in young patients with SCD indicate that this population is at high risk for severe disease progression.

Neurobiology of emotions: an update.

The 'nature' of emotions is one of the archaic themes of Western thought, thematized in different cultural manifestations - such as art, science, philosophy, myths and religion -, since Ancient times. In the last decades, the advances in neurosciences have permitted the construction of hypotheses that explain emotions, especially through the studies involving the limbic system. To present an updated discussion about the neurobiology of processes relating to emotions - focusing (1) on the main neural structures that relate to emotions, (2) the paths and circuits of greater relevance, (3) the implicated neurotransmitters, (4) the connections that possess neurovegetative control and (5) the discussion about the main emotions - is the objective of this present article.

COVID-19 and One Health: potential role of human and animals in SARS-CoV-2 life cycle.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in humans has zoonotic tendencies, which can potentially provoke cross-species transmission, including human-to-animal and animal-to-human infection. Consequently, the objective was to analyze the scientific evidence regarding SARS-CoV-2 animal infections from potential human transmission. A systematic review was executed following the PRISMA guidelines, in the PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar and LILACS, using the descriptors combined in the following way: (("SARS-CoV-2" OR "COVID-19" OR "2019-nCoV") AND (animals OR zoonosis)). The results contemplated the viral susceptibility of about thirty animal species when induced naturally and/or experimentally. The mink & hamster species demonstrated ostensible animal-to-human transmission. Overall, there have been more reports of human contamination by other species than human retransmission from the pathogen. The natural infection of the virus was discovered in domestic dogs & cats, wild cats, deer, minks, rabbits and hamsters. Several animals, including the African green monkeys and rabbits, manifested high levels of viremia, respiratory secretions and fecal excretions of infectious virus conducive to environmental/aerosol transmission. It is still inadequately documented the intrinsic role of such processes, such as the animals' involvement in viral mutations, the emergence of new variants/lineages and the role of the animal host species. Accordingly, this research model type, natural and experimental analysis on varying animal species, corroborates the link between the two aforementioned forms of transmission. Epidemiological surveillance through extensive sequencing of the viral genomes of infected animals and humans can reveal the SARS-CoV-2 transmission routes and anticipate appropriate prophylactic strategies.

Yellow fever virus investigation in tissues of vampire bats Desmodus rotundus during a wild yellow fever outbreak in Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

In the last decade a large outbreak of Yellow Fever (YF) has been observed in Brazilian Atlantic Forest region, traditionally a non-endemic area. In this scenario, the role of wild mammal species as YF reservoirs can be questioned, especially the hematophagous bat, Desmodus rotundus. So, the objective of this study was to analyze molecularly the presence of the YF virus (YFV) in hematophagous bats during a YF outbreak in Brazil. Twenty-one samples were collected from seven adult male hematophagous bats D. rotundus. As YFV is considered a viscerotropic and neurotropic virus, samples of liver, kidney and brain were collected and molecularly analyzed using the RT qPCR technique. The animals were captured according to ethical protocols during a YF outbreak in Brazil in 2017, from a region of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The results revealed that the analyzed tissue samples were not infected with the YFV. The negative results for this bat species allow us to infer that other animals may be reservoirs of this virus in this ecosystem and they probably have not been identified yet. Therefore, health surveillance actions are essential to monitor the role of wild animals in the YF dissemination in Brazilian Atlantic Forest and alert to the possibility of new geographic amplification of areas where YF occurs. This research encourages the new search about the role of wild animals on YFV transmission and reinforces the importance of epidemiological surveillance in the transmission of human infectious diseases.

[Evidence of the contribution of elderly support programs to healthy aging in Brazil]. / Evidências da contribuição dos programas de assistência ao idoso na promoção do envelhecimento saudável no Brasil.

OBJECTIVE: To search the literature for evidence of the contribution of elderly health programs to the process of healthy aging in Brazil. METHODS: The databases Science Direct, SciELO, LILACS, IBECS, the Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE were searched to find articles focusing on initiatives developed for the elderly population and to promote healthy aging, providing a multidimensional evaluation of the quality of life of the elderly, and covering aspects relating to specific health promotion practices. The initiatives were considered effective if the following criteria were met: having goals that included the improvement of health and well-being, having a focus on holistic health, using empowerment as a central mechanism to improve health, and meeting the prerequisites for health and developing actions in the priority areas described in the Ottawa Charter. RESULTS: Ten articles referring to five elderly health promotion programs in Brazil were identified. All the programs met the efficacy criteria, and included elements that promoted healthy aging through characteristics that fostered the insertion of the elderly in society through the creation of a support environment for the prevention of injury, increase in functional capacity, and improvement of quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Studies are required to produce scientific evidence on the efficacy, efficiency, and effectiveness of elderly health programs to determine the value of these actions to promote healthy aging.

Pararamosis: Disease of the Rubber Plantations.

Pararamosis is a medical condition, described in the latex extracting areas of the Amazon (rubber tree regions), resulting from contact with the caterpillar of the Premolis semirufa moth. The disease can present itself in an acute form-similarly to other erucisms (injuries caused by moth larvae in humans)-or in a chronic form, typically characterized by the occurrence of changes in the joints of the hands. Because of its importance, in the context of tropical diseases, the objective of this article was to review the main facets of the disease, emphasizing the different pathogenic aspects of the interaction between the arthropod and man.

[Bioethical analysis of the use of newly dead patients in medical learning]. / Análise bioética do uso de recém-cadáveres na aprendizagem prática em medicina.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to carry out, a discussion on the subject of bioethics and cadavers based upon a critic review of literature. METHODS: A review of literature, was made with a survey of articles between 1977 and 2007 in the sites 'Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde', PubMed and SciElo, utilizing the keywords: newly deceased patients, newly dead patients, simulators,. This was complemented by a critical evaluation of books published in the area of ethics and bioethics. RESULTS: The possibility to develop learning without orientation by a supervisor is doubtful.. The utilization of newly dead for learning invasive procedures is very frequent and seldom admitted. These procedures, are usually, carried out secretly, without the knowledge and consent of the family. The ethical aspects of these practices are not discussed in the practical medical education. CONCLUSION: It essential that the ethics of use of recent deceased become a necessary content of graduate education. Performance of these procedures by students should always be authorized by family members. The simulators meet the requirements of training. Discussions about the ethical and bioethical aspects cannot be separated from practical considerations during the students learning time.

A systematic review of the diagnostic aspects and use of Trypanosoma rangeli as an immunogen for Trypanosoma cruzi infection.

INTRODUCTION: Trypanosoma rangeli is a protozoan that infects several domestic and wild mammals and shows significant distribution in Latin American countries. T. rangeli infection is similar to Chagas disease, both in diagnostic and prophylactic terms. Thus, the objective of this work was to review the diagnostic aspects and use of T. rangeli as an immunogen for Trypanosoma cruzi infection. METHODS: For this elaboration, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were adopted with descriptors derived from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) platform in the PubMed/MEDLINE and SciELO databases. The inclusion criteria were defined as original articles on "Trypanosoma rangeli" and diagnostic aspects of T. rangeli infection in humans and/or research on the possible vaccines developed using T. rangeli strains for T. cruzi infection. RESULTS: After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 18 articles were procured, of which 4 addressed research on the possible vaccines developed using T. rangeli for T. cruzi infection in vertebrates and the remaining 14 predominantly dealt with the diagnostic aspects of T. rangeli infection in humans. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we formulated a compilation of the essential literature on this subject, emphasizing the need for more accurate and accessible techniques for the differential diagnosis of infections caused by both protozoa, and underscored several prospects in the search for a vaccine for Chagas disease.

COVID-19 and Brazilian Indigenous Populations.

The newly discovered SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of COVID-19, including severe respiratory symptoms with an important lethality rate and high dissemination capacity. Considering the indigenous people of Brazil, it is feared that COVID-19 will spread to these communities, causing another stage of decimation. Despite advances in indigenous health care in the country, there are still many challenges due to the social vulnerability of this population, whose lands continue to be illegally exploited. Based on these considerations, this article discusses challenges in caring for the indigenous population in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

Correction to: The "Use" of Sex Robots: A Bioethical Issue.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s41649-018-0061-0.].

Sofosbuvir use for yellow fever: a new perspective treatment.

Yellow fever is an acute febrile illness for which there is no specific antiviral treatment. Since 2016, Brazil has experienced two outbreaks, and collective health measures have been adopted to contain these grievances. However, published data about the drug sofosbuvir against flaviviruses are promising, suggesting the relevance of conducting future clinical trials.

The "Use" of Sex Robots: A Bioethical Issue.

The manufacture of humanoid robots with embedded artificial intelligence and for sexual purposes has generated some debates within bioethics, in which diverse competing views have been presented. Themes such as sexuality and its deviations, the objectification of women, the relational problems of contemporary life, loneliness, and even the reproductive future of the species constitute the arguments which have emerged in relation to this subject. Based on these themes, this article presents the current state of the use of female sex robots, the bioethical problems that arise, and how bioethics could serve as a medium for both thinking about and resolving some of these challenges.

O perfil acadêmico dos coordenadores dos cursos de Odontologia brasileiros: uma interface com a Bioética / El perfil académico de los coordinadores de cursos de Odontología brasileños: una interfaz con la Bioética / The academic profile of BrazilianDentistry course coordinators: an interface with Bioethics

As Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais para o Curso de Graduação em Odontologia orientam para uma formação humanista, crítica, reflexiva, e pautada em princípios éticos/bioéticos. Considerando que os coordenadores dos cursos de graduação são fundamentais no processo de formação, foi realizada uma pesquisa nacional, objetivando analisar o perfil acadêmico desses atores. Trata-se de pesquisa transversal, documental, exploratória e analítica. A coleta de dados ocorreu entre junho e julho de 2020, a partir da consulta aos currículos na Plataforma Lattes. Realizaram-se análises descritivas e univariada. Foram analisados os currículos dos coordenadores dos 446 cursos de Odontologia em atividade no Brasil. Destes, 53,0% eram do sexo masculino; 94,2% formados em Odontologia; 81,2% possuíam pelo menos uma especialização, 89,5% mestrado e 52,0% doutorado; 0,4% possuíam especialização em bioética e 0,7% em odontologia legal; 0,7% possuíam mestrado em odontologia legal; 11,7% já haviam lecionado disciplinas nas áreas de ética (deontológica e bioética); 3,8% participavam de projetos de pesquisa e 2,0% de projetos de extensão relacionados à ética; e 6,1% tinham publicações relacionadas à deontologia, ética e/ou bioética. Conclui-se que a maioria dos coordenadores possui cursos de especialização e mestrado, e pouco mais da metade possui doutorado. No entanto, poucos têm alguma formação nas áreas de ética e/ou bioética, ou apresentam projetos de extensão e pesquisa nesses campos do conhecimento (AU).

Las Directrices Curriculares Nacionales para los Cursos de Pregrado en Odontología prevén una formación humanística, crítica, y reflexiva basada en principios éticos/bioéticos. Considerando que los coordinadores de los cursos de pregrado son fundamentales en el proceso de formación, se realizó una pesquisa nacional para analizar el perfil académico de esos profesionales. Se trata de una investigación transversal, documental, exploratoria, y analítica. La colecta de datos se realizó entre junio y julio de 2020, a partir de la consulta de planes de estudio en la Plataforma Lattes. Se realizaron análisis descriptivos y univariados. Fueron analizados los currículos de los coordinadores de los 446 cursos de Odontología activos en Brasil. De los mismos, 53,0% eranhombres; 94,2% eran graduados en Odontología; 81,2% tenían por lo menos una especialización, 89,5% maestría y 52,0% doctorado; 0,4% tenían especialización en Bioética, y 0,7% en Odontología Legal; 11,7% ya había impartido asignaturas en las áreas de ética(deontológica y bioética); 3,8% participaba en proyectos de investigación, y 2,0% en proyectos de extensión relacionados con la ética; 6,1% tenía publicaciones relacionadas con la deontología, la ética y/o la bioética. Se concluye que la mayoría de los coordinadores tienen títulos de especialización y maestría, y poco más de la mitad tienen un doctorado. No obstante, pocos tienen formación en las áreas de ética y/o bioética, o presentan proyectos de extensión e investigación en estos campos del conocimiento (AU).

The National Curriculum Guidelines for the Undergraduate Course in Dentistry guide towards for humanistic, critical, and reflective education, with activities based on ethical/bioethical principles. Considering that undergraduate course coordinators are essential in conducting the education process, a nationwide study was carried out with the objective of evaluating the academic profile of these actors. This is a cross-sectional, documentary, exploratory, and analytical study. The data collection was carried out between June and July 2020, from the consultation of curricula on the Lattes Platform. Descriptive and univariate analyses were performed. The curricula of the coordinators from 446 Dentistry courses in activity in Brazil were analyzed. Of these, 53.0% were male; 94.2% graduated in Dentistry; 81.2% had at least one specialization, 89.5% had a master's degree, and 52.0% had a doctorate; 0.4% had a specialization in bioethics and 0.7% in legal dentistry; 11.7% had already lectured subjects in ethics (deontology and bioethics); 3.8% had participated in research projects, and 2.0% in extension projects related to ethics; while 6.1% had publications related to deontology, ethics, and/or bioethics. It is concluded that most coordinators have specialization and master's degrees, and just over half have a doctorate. However, few have some training in the areas of ethics and/or bioethics, or have extension and research projects in these fields of knowledge (AU).

Oficina de formação bioética para a Estratégia Saúde da Família: perspectivas e olhares dos diferentes atores acerca dos cenários, montagem e espetáculo / Bioethics Training Workshop for Family Health Strategy: perspectives of the different players about scenarios, setup and show / Taller de formación en bioética para la estrategia salud de la familia: perspectivas y miradas de los diferentes actores sobre los escenarios, montaje y espectáculo

A formação dos profissionais de saúde segue em discussão há tempos ­ no Brasil e no mundo ­, assim como as mudanças dos paradigmas sanitários e dos modelos de cuidado em saúde. Com a criação do Sistema Único de Saúde e a implantação da Estratégia de Saúde da Família (ESF) como reorganizadores da atenção em saúde, brotam, neste cenário, questões e problemas bioéticos não vividos anteriormente no âmbito da prática de saúde hospitalar. Este artigo apresenta os resultados da realização de uma oficina de formação em bioética com a participação de 130 pessoas (128 profissionais da ESF no município de Viçosa, Minas Gerais, e dois convidados), promovida pela integração da universidade com o serviço de saúde local. Os referenciais utilizados incluíram o pluralismo metodológico, o trabalho em pequenos grupos, a aprendizagem significativa e o uso da arte para a construção das competências em bioética. Os resultados verificados foram otimistas quanto à efetividade da ação, tanto na ótica dos profissionais da ESF quanto dos participantes (facilitadores e docentes envolvidos), promovendo-se uma construção coletiva de saberes para a práxis.

The training of health professionals has been a point of discussion for a long time in Brazil and around the world, as well as changes in health paradigms and health care models. With the merger of the National Health System and the implementation of the Family Health Strategy (FHS) as organizer of health care, issues and problems emerged, which were not previously thought about in the context of health and hospital practice, mainly reflections on ethical and bioethical aspects. This paper presents the results of conducting a training workshop on bioethics with the participation of 130 people (128 FHS professionals in Viçosa, Minas Gerais and two guests), sponsored by the university's integration with the local health service, based on the use of methodological pluralism, small group work, learning and meaningful use of art for the construction of expertise in bioethics. Actual outcomes were optimistic about the effectiveness of the action, from the viewpoint of both the FHS professionals and participants (facilitators and professors involved), promoting a collective construction of knowledge for practice.

La formación de los profesionales de la salud es objeto de debate desde hace mucho tiempo - en Brasil y en el mundo -, así como los cambios de paradigmas y modelos de salud para el cuidado de la salud. Con la creación del Sistema Único de Salud (SUS) y de la aplicación de la Estrategia Salud de la Familia (ESF) como de reorganizadores cuidado de la salud, surgen, en este escenario, los problemas y las cuestiones de bioética que no se vivieron dentro de la práctica de la salud del hospital. Este artículo presenta los resultados de la realización de una capacitación sobre la bioética con la participación de 130 personas (128 profesionales de la ESF en Viçosa, Minas Gerais y dos invitados), promovido por la integración de la universidad con el servicio de salud local. Los puntos de referencia utilizados incluyen el pluralismo metodológico, el trabajo en pequeños grupos, el aprendizaje significativo y el uso del arte para la construcción de capacidades en bioética. Los resultados observados se mostraron optimistas acerca de la efectividad de la acción, tanto desde el punto de vista de los profesionales de la ESF, y los participantes (facilitadores y profesores involucrados), la promoción de una construcción colectiva de conocimiento a la práctica.

[Life in their eyes, heart in their hands: conceptions and representations of women in the process of health and disease]. / A vida nos olhos, o coração nas mãos: concepções e representações femininas do process saúde-doença.

This social and historical investigation into the ways the health and sickness of mothers from Teixeiras municipality, Minas Gerais state, was represented is designed to comprehend behaviors in this sphere and help develop research in collective health. The semantics and indicators of a pluralistic view of disease and health, were built up from the most holistic to the most biomedical, from the most relational to the most individual. The quest for happiness was presented as a health concept by the mothers, which recalls Aristotelian and Spinozian philosophical concepts, but they put greater emphasis on the absence of illness. The prevailing welfare model still supplies useful references for interpreting such experiences. As the mother's status as care-taker helps one glean an understanding of other factors that affect the process of health and disease, it becomes possible to plan healthcare initiatives that are less alienating and more libertarian.

Bioética da proteção de Schramm e Kottow: princípios, alcances e conversações / Schramm and Kottow's bioethics of protection: principles, scopes and conversations / Bioética de protección de Schramm y Kottow: principios, alcances y conversaciones

Resumo A bioética da proteção é uma ética teórico-prática proposta a partir do reconhecimento das limitações do principialismo para a abordagem de conflitos do campo da saúde pública, área à qual - originalmente - foram orientados os esforços da nascente corrente bioética. Com a crescente globalização e a desigualdade social, há seres e populações cujos direitos básicos estão ameaçados e, em resposta a tal contexto, a bioética da proteção visa oferecer-lhes amparo, até que sejam capazes de buscar sua qualidade de vida de modo autônomo (sempre que possível). Com base nessas preliminares considerações, este artigo busca elucidar os aspectos históricos, os elementos conceituais e o alcance atual da bioética da proteção, esboçando possíveis articulações com outras correntes bioéticas, como a ética do cuidado e a (bio)ética para todos os seres, como forma de subsidiar a reflexão sobre os conflitos éticos atuais na esfera da saúde, lato sensu , e da saúde pública, stricto sensu .

Abstract The bioethics of protection is a theoretical-practical ethics proposed from the recognition of the insufficiencies of principialism for the approach of conflicts in the field of public health, an area to which originally the efforts of the nascent bioethical current were oriented. The basic rights of certain beings and populations are threatened by the expansion of globalization and social inequality and, in response to this context, the bioethics of protection aims to support them until they can autonomously seek quality of life (whenever possible). Based on these preliminary considerations, this article, this paper seeks to elucidate historical aspects, conceptual elements and the current scope of the bioethics of protection, outlining possible relations with other bioethical currents, such as care ethics and (bio)ethics for all beings, as a way to support reflection on current ethical conflicts in the sphere of health, lato sensu , and public health, stricto sensu .

Resumen La bioética de protección constituye una ética teórico-práctica propuesta a partir del reconocimiento de que el principialismo no basta para abordar los conflictos en el campo de la salud pública, área en que originalmente se centró los esfuerzos de la reciente corriente bioética. Con la creciente globalización y las desigualdades sociales, existen seres y poblaciones que tienen amenazados sus derechos básicos, por lo que la bioética de protección pretende ofrecerles amparo hasta que puedan ser capaces de buscar su calidad de vida de manera autónoma (siempre que posible). Con base en estas consideraciones preliminares, este artículo pretende aclarar los aspectos históricos, los elementos conceptuales y el alcance actual de la bioética de protección, realizando posibles articulaciones con otras corrientes bioéticas, como la ética del cuidado y la (bio)ética para todos los seres, con el fin de fomentar la reflexión sobre los actuales conflictos éticos en el ámbito de la salud, lato sensu , y la salud pública, estricto sensu .

Acidentes crotálicos no Brasil: atualidades e perspectivas / Crotalic accidents in Brazil: actualities and perspectives

Introdução: Os acidentes ofídicos são eventos negligenciados em países tropicais e em desenvolvimento, incluindo o Brasil. Serpentes do gênero Crotalus são aquelas que produzem os quadros de maior letalidade no país. Objetivos: Abordar os principais aspectos do acidente por Crotalus, com ênfase na biologia das serpentes, na condução clínica dos eventos mórbidos e nas propriedades terapêuticas da peçonha destes animais. Métodos: Revisão da literatura com estratégia de busca definida, a partir da utilização das bases PubMed, LILACS e SciELO. Resultados: A inoculação da peçonha crotálica produz sinais locais discretos, mas repercussões sistêmicas podem ocorrer, especialmente alterações neurológicas e insuficiência renal aguda. A avaliação laboratorial é importante para auxiliar na distinção de outros acidentes ofídicos e para estimar a gravidade do quadro. O soro anticrotálico precisa ser administrado o mais brevemente possível, a partir da estimativa da quantidade de peçonha inoculada. A maior parte dos agravos ocorre no período chuvoso, acometendo principalmente homens jovens que trabalham na zona rural. A adoção de medidas de proteção e a educação em saúde são estratégias pertinentes para a prevenção e a redução do número de casos. As peçonhas de Crotalus possuem ações antimicrobianas, antiagregantes plaquetárias e aplicabilidade em oftalmologia (estrabismo). Conclusão: O conhecimento dos diferentes aspectos dos acidentes crotálicos é essencial para a adequada abordagem diagnóstica e terapêutica de tais condições mórbidas. As propriedades farmacológicas de componentes da peçonha crotálica deverão ser melhor investigadas nos próximos anos, dadas as possibilidades de utilização para o tratamento de diferentes enfermidades humanas

Introduction: Ophidian accidents are neglected events in tropical and in developing countries, including Brazil. Serpents of the Crotalus genus (rattlesnakes) are those that produce the highest case-fatality in the country. Purpose: to address the main aspects of the accident caused by Crotalus, with emphasis on the snakes biology, the clinical approach to snake bites and the therapeutic properties of the venom of these animals. Methods: literature review with a defined search strategy, using the PubMed, LILACS and SciELO databases. Results: Inoculation of crotalic venom produces discrete local signs, but systemic repercussions can occur, especially neurological alterations and acute renal failure. Laboratory evaluation is important to help distinguish from other ophidian accidents and to estimate the severity of the condition. Anticrotalic serum must be administered as soon as possible, based on the estimated amount of inoculated venom. Most of the morbid events occur in the rainy season (higher temperature), mainly affecting young men who work in rural areas. The adoption of protective measures and health education, aimed at the population most commonly involved, are relevant strategies for preventing and reducing the number of cases. In addition, crotalic venoms have antimicrobial actions, antiplatelets functions and ophthalmological applicability (strabismus). Conclusion: Knowledge of the different aspects of crotalic injuries is essential for an adequate diagnostic and therapeutic approach to such morbid conditions. The pharmacological properties of crotalic venom components should be better investigated in the next few years, given the possibilities of their use for the treatment of different human diseases.

Spiders in Brazil: from arachnidism to potential therapeutic use of their venom part 1 of 2

Spider envenomation, generically known as arachnidism, is described in many places around the world. In terms of medical importance, the following genera of animals stand out as the main origin of the morbid condition: Atrax (Sidney funnel web spider), Steatoda (false black widow), Latrodectus (black widow), Loxosceles (brown spider) and Phoneutria (armed spider), the last three causing accidents involving spiders in Brazil. This article, part 1 of 2, aims to present the main aspects of arachnidism in the country, with an emphasis on the biology and geographical distribution of spiders, biochemistry of the venom, pathogenesis and epidemiology of arachnidism, as well as prevention of the morbid condition.